Southwark
Until time travel is possible, a visit to Southwark might be the next best thing. Encompassing Roman ruins and the gleaming Shard skyscraper, via a glimpse of Shakespeare’s London at the Globe theatre, it’s an amazing snapshot of the capital’s history.
The inner-city borough is where London’s first bridge across Thames was built, at least 1,600 years ago. For centuries it was the only bridge, making it a hugely strategic site – and where many traitors’ heads were displayed on spikes.
Around the historic Southwark Cathedral, the foodie delights of Borough Market draw in the crowds. There’s also the option of a pint in nearby pub The George, London’s last galleried coaching inn with a preserved two-storey gallery looking over the courtyard.
In 2000, Bankside Power Station reopened as Tate Modern, a gallery showing modern and contemporary art.
Borough Market with The Shard rising above it
Blogs-And-Stories
Foreshore finds from mudlarking on the Thames
A volunteer traces the history of some fascinating 18th-century objects rescued by mudlarks on the shores of the River Thames
The London life of William Shakespeare
The work of this celebrated English playwright has strong roots in the capital
Horsemonger Lane Jail
Where rooftop executions became a violent Southwark spectacle
How Florence Nightingale shaped London healthcare
Modern nursing has a lot to thank this 19th-century trailblazer for
The surprising diversity of Roman London
A city home to people from Turkey, Germany and Greece
Powerful women in late Iron Age London: The Harper Road burial
What the burial of a high status woman tells us about gender and power at a critical time in British history
Collecting cash at Shakespeare’s plays
Tudor and Stuart theatres may have relied on these single-use money pots
The outdoor theatres of Tudor London
Late 16th-century London was Shakespeare’s playground, where theatre thrived on open-air stages
