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Rotherhithe is a district of central south-east London
London

London is the capital of both England and the United Kingdom, and the most populous municipality in the European Union. An important settlement for two millennia, History of London goes back to its founding by the Roman Empire....
 in the London Borough of Southwark
London Borough of Southwark

The London Borough of Southwark is a London borough in south east London, England. It is directly south of the River Thames and the City of London, and forms part of Inner London....
. It is located on a peninsula
Peninsula

A peninsula is a piece of Landform that is nearly surrounded by water but connected to mainland via an isthmus. Word origin: Latin paeninsula : paene, almost + insula, island....
 on the south bank of the Thames, facing Wapping
Wapping

Wapping is a place in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets which forms part of the London Docklands to the east of the City of London. It is situated between the north bank of the River Thames and the ancient thoroughfare simply called The Highway....
 and the Isle of Dogs
Isle of Dogs

The Isle of Dogs is a former island in the East End of London that is surrounded on three sides by one of the largest meanders in the River Thames....
 on the north bank, and is a part of the Docklands area.

Rotherhithe has been a port since the 12th century or earlier, and a shipyard since Elizabethan
Elizabethan era

The Elizabethan era is associated with Elizabeth I of England's reign and is often considered to be the Golden Age in History of England. It was the height of the English Renaissance and saw the flowering of English poetry and English literature....
 times. The Mayflower sailed from Rotherhithe with the Pilgrim Fathers to Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1620.

name "Rotherhithe" derives from Anglo-Saxon
Old English language

Old English is an early form of the English language that was spoken and written in parts of what are now England and south-eastern Scotland between the mid-5th century and the mid-12th century....
 hryðer-h?ð = "Landing-place for cattle" or from redhra-hyð = "Sailor haven".






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Rotherhithe is a district of central south-east London
London

London is the capital of both England and the United Kingdom, and the most populous municipality in the European Union. An important settlement for two millennia, History of London goes back to its founding by the Roman Empire....
 in the London Borough of Southwark
London Borough of Southwark

The London Borough of Southwark is a London borough in south east London, England. It is directly south of the River Thames and the City of London, and forms part of Inner London....
. It is located on a peninsula
Peninsula

A peninsula is a piece of Landform that is nearly surrounded by water but connected to mainland via an isthmus. Word origin: Latin paeninsula : paene, almost + insula, island....
 on the south bank of the Thames, facing Wapping
Wapping

Wapping is a place in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets which forms part of the London Docklands to the east of the City of London. It is situated between the north bank of the River Thames and the ancient thoroughfare simply called The Highway....
 and the Isle of Dogs
Isle of Dogs

The Isle of Dogs is a former island in the East End of London that is surrounded on three sides by one of the largest meanders in the River Thames....
 on the north bank, and is a part of the Docklands area.

Rotherhithe has been a port since the 12th century or earlier, and a shipyard since Elizabethan
Elizabethan era

The Elizabethan era is associated with Elizabeth I of England's reign and is often considered to be the Golden Age in History of England. It was the height of the English Renaissance and saw the flowering of English poetry and English literature....
 times. The Mayflower sailed from Rotherhithe with the Pilgrim Fathers to Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1620.

History

The name "Rotherhithe" derives from Anglo-Saxon
Old English language

Old English is an early form of the English language that was spoken and written in parts of what are now England and south-eastern Scotland between the mid-5th century and the mid-12th century....
 hryðer-h?ð = "Landing-place for cattle" or from redhra-hyð = "Sailor haven". The first recorded use of this name is circa 1105, as Rederheia
Rotherhithe St Olavs 1
Because much of Rotherhithe was covered by the now-defunct Surrey Commercial Docks
Surrey Commercial Docks

The Surrey Commercial Docks were a large group of docks in Rotherhithe on the south bank of the Thames in South East London. The docks operated in one form or another from 1696 to 1969....
, the district is often referred to as Surrey Docks or (since the late 1980s) Surrey Quays
Surrey Quays

Surrey Quays is a name given to a largely residential area of Rotherhithe in south-east London, occupied until 1970 by the Surrey Commercial Docks....
, though the latter name tends to be used more for the southern half of the peninsula. An eastern part, which became in effect an island when the docks were in use and locks open is called "Downtown". In the past Rotherhithe has also been known as the cognate "Redriff". It is part of the SE16 postal district. Electorally, the western half is Rotherhithe ward and the eastern half Surrey Docks ward.

Redriff was the fictional birthplace of Jonathan Swift
Jonathan Swift

Jonathan Swift was an Anglo-Irish satire, essayist, political pamphleteer , poet and cleric who became Dean of St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin, Dublin....
's character Lemuel Gulliver, of Gulliver's Travels
Gulliver's Travels

Gulliver's Travels , officially Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World, in Four Parts. By Lemuel Gulliver, First a Surgeon, and then a Captain of several Ships, is a novel by Jonathan Swift that is both a satire on human nature and a parody of the "travellers' tales" literary sub-genre....
 fame, and where his family waited for him.

Rotherhithe is joined to the north bank of the Thames by three tunnels. The Thames Tunnel to Wapping was the first underwater tunnel in the world. Built by the Brunel
Brunel

Brunel can mean:* Isambard Kingdom Brunel, famed British engineer* Marc Isambard Brunel, engineer and father of Isambard Kingdom Brunel* Brunel Bridge, designed by Brunel...
s originally to carry cross river freight, it became a pedestrian tunnel, due to the money running out to build the necessary ramps. It is now occupied by the East London Line
East London Line

The East London Line was a line of the London Underground, coloured orange on the Tube map. It ran north to south through the East End of London and London Docklands areas of London, entirely in Travelcard Zone 2....
 of the London Underground
London Underground

The London Underground is a metro system serving a large part of Greater London and neighbouring areas of Essex, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire in the UK....
, which since 23 December 2007 has been closed for conversion to become part of the London Overground
London Overground

London Overground is a Commuter rail in the United Kingdom service in London, United Kingdom. The London Overground name is the brand applied by Transport for London to the services which it manages on four railway lines in the London area: the Watford DC Line, the North London Line, the West London Line and the Gospel Oak to Barking Line....
 network by summer 2010. The later Rotherhithe Tunnel
Rotherhithe Tunnel

The Rotherhithe Tunnel is a road tunnel crossing beneath the River Thames in East London. It connects the Ratcliff district of Limehouse in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets north of the river to Rotherhithe in the London Borough of Southwark south of the river....
 (opened 1908) carries a two-lane road to Limehouse. The Jubilee Line
Jubilee Line

The Jubilee line is a line on the London Underground , in the United Kingdom. It was built in two major sections - initially to Charing Cross tube station in Central London, and Jubilee Line Extension in 1999 to Stratford station in East London, England....
 extension (opened 1999) has a railway tunnel to Canary Wharf
Canary Wharf

Canary Wharf is a large business and shopping development in East London, located in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, centred on the old West India Docks in the London Docklands....
 in the Isle of Dogs
Isle of Dogs

The Isle of Dogs is a former island in the East End of London that is surrounded on three sides by one of the largest meanders in the River Thames....
.

Although the docks were closed and largely filled in during the 1980s, and have now been replaced by modern housing and commercial facilities, Rotherhithe is still dominated by its former maritime heritage. The largest surviving dock on the south bank, Greenland Dock
Greenland Dock

Greenland Dock is the oldest of London's riverside Dock , located in Rotherhithe in the area of the city now known as London Docklands. It used to be part of the Surrey Commercial Docks, most of which have by now been filled in....
, is the focal point for the southern part of the district, while preserved wharves dominate the riverside at the north end of Rotherhithe. St. Mary's Church
St. Mary's Church, Rotherhithe

St Mary's Church, Rotherhithe is the local Church of England parish church in Rotherhithe, formerly in Surrey and now part of south east London....
 dominates the old town centre, a short distance from the historic Brunel Engine House
Brunel Engine House

The Brunel Museum is a museum in the Brunel Engine House, Rotherhithe, London Borough of Southwark. The Engine House was designed by Sir Marc Isambard Brunel to be part of the infrastructure of the Thames Tunnel....
 at the south end of the Thames Tunnel.

Rotherhithe had its own general hospital, St Olave's Hospital
St Olave's Hospital

St Olave's Hospital as a general hospital serving the Rotherhithe area of London until its closure in 1985.Built originally as the Rotherhithe Infirmary in Deptford Lower Road , Rotherhithe, London in the early 1870s on land adjoining Rotherhithe Workhouse, the buildings became the infirmary of St Olave's Union by Order of the Local Governm...
, in Lower Road. Built originally in the early 1870s on land adjoining Rotherhithe Workhouse, it became the infirmary of St Olave's Union in 1875, and was renamed St Olave's Hospital
St Olave's Hospital

St Olave's Hospital as a general hospital serving the Rotherhithe area of London until its closure in 1985.Built originally as the Rotherhithe Infirmary in Deptford Lower Road , Rotherhithe, London in the early 1870s on land adjoining Rotherhithe Workhouse, the buildings became the infirmary of St Olave's Union by Order of the Local Governm...
 in 1930. Subsequently becoming part of the Guy's Hospital Teaching Group in 1966, it closed in 1985 and the site has been redeveloped into the residential Ann Moss Way.

When the roundabout facing the Rotherhithe Tunnel was redeveloped in the early 1980s, several nineteenth century buildings were demolished including a school and a nunnery. A public house described in an early twentieth century history of the area as one its oldest, was also demolished.

Rotherhithe is the traditional home of the football
Football (soccer)

Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of eleven players, and is widely considered to be the most popular sport in the world....
 team, Fisher Athletic F.C.
Fisher Athletic F.C.

Fisher Athletic F.C. are a semi-professional association football club from South East London, currently playing in the Conference South, which is one of the two leagues that form the sixth tier of the English football league system....
, although the team currently ground shares in Dulwich Hamlet.

The sustainable transport charity Sustrans
Sustrans

Sustrans is a United Kingdom Charitable organization which promotes sustainable transport. The charity is currently working on a number of practical projects to encourage people to walk, bicycle and use public transport, to give people the choice of "travelling in ways that benefit their health and the environment"....
 has proposed the construction of a bicycle and pedestrian swing bridge from Rotherhithe to Canary Wharf
Canary Wharf

Canary Wharf is a large business and shopping development in East London, located in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, centred on the old West India Docks in the London Docklands....
, and a feasibility study is underway. In January 2009 this study was cancelled by the London Mayor Boris Johnson
Boris Johnson

Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson is an England politician and journalist. The current Mayor of London, he previously served as the Conservative Party Member of Parliament#United Kingdom for Henley and as editor of The Spectator magazine....
 citing budget cuts due to the credit crunch.

The Scandinavian connection

Because much of the former Surrey Docks had strong trade links to Scandinavia
Scandinavia

Scandinavia is a historical and geographical subregion in northern Europe that includes the Scandinavian Peninsula. It consists of the kingdoms of Norway, Sweden, and Denmark; some authorities also include Finland and some might even include Iceland....
 and the Baltic
Balts

For the similarly named ethnic group inhabiting northern Pakistani Kashmir, see Balti peopleThe Balts or Baltic peoples , defined as speakers of one of the Baltic languages, a branch of the Indo-European languages family, are descended from a group of Indo-Europeans tribes who settled the area between lower Vistula and upper D...
 region the area is still home to a thriving Scandinavian community. During World War II, in fact, it housed the Norwegian Government-in-Exile. Originally established as seafarers' missions, Rotherhithe is home to a Norwegian
Church of Norway

The Church of Norway is the state church of Norway. The church confesses the Lutheranism Christianity faith. It has as its foundation the Christian Bible, the Apostles' Creed, Nicene Creed, Athanasian Creed, Luther's Small Catechism and the Augsburg Confession....
 , a Finnish
Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland

The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland is the Lutheranism national church and the largest church of Finland. The church professes the Lutheran branch of Christianity, and is a member of the Porvoo Communion....
  and a Swedish
Church of Sweden

The Church of Sweden is the largest Ecclesia in Sweden. The Church of Sweden professes the Lutheran branch of Christianity, and is a member of the Porvoo Communion....
  church. The Finnish Church
Finnish Seamen's Mission

The Finnish Seamen's Mission was established in 1875. In Finland two official languages it is known as Suomen Merimieskirkko ry in Finnish language and Finlands Sj?manskyrka rf in Swedish language....
 and the Norwegian Church
Nordic churches in London

There are several long-established Nordic churches in London. All seek to provide Lutheran Christian worship and pastoral care to their respective national communities in their own languages....
 are both located in Albion Street; they were built in 1958 and 1927 respectively (Rotherhithe Library is located between them). There are also a number of "community centres" for the Nordic community in London, including hostels, shops and cafés and even a sauna
Sauna

A sauna is a small room or house designed as a place to experience dry or wet heat sessions, or an establishment with one or more of these and auxiliary facilities....
, mostly linked closely to the churches. Some of the redeveloped areas were built by Nordic
Nordic countries

File:Location Nordic Council.svgThe Nordic countries make up a region in Northern Europe and far northeastern North America, called the Nordic region, consisting of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden and their associated territories which include the Faroe Islands, Greenland and ?land....
 architects, such as the Greenland Passage development by Danish Company Kjaer & Richter. This gives some areas a distinctly "Nordic" feel in terms of house and street design.

The relationship with Scandinavia and the Baltic is also reflected in the names of some of the buildings (such as the King Frederik IX Tower) , the street names (e.g. Sweden Gate, Baltic Quay
Baltic Quay

Baltic Quay is a large residential development, located in Surrey Quays in the London Borough of Southwark. Completed in 1989 during the London Docklands Development Corporation, it is largely known for its unique architecture, which won it awards from the London Docklands Development Corporation....
, Norway Gate, Helsinki Square) or other place names (e.g. Greenland Dock
Greenland Dock

Greenland Dock is the oldest of London's riverside Dock , located in Rotherhithe in the area of the city now known as London Docklands. It used to be part of the Surrey Commercial Docks, most of which have by now been filled in....
). Another major influence factor was trade with Russia
Russia

Russia , or the Russian Federation , is a list of countries spanning more than one continent country extending over much of northern Eurasia....
 and Canada
Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
 (mainly timber), reflected in names such as Canada Water
Canada Water

Canada Water is a body of water and wildlife refuge in Rotherhithe in the London Docklands in south-east London. Canada Water tube station is named after the adjacent water and lies immediately to the north, while Surrey Quays Shopping Centre is also adjacent, and sits immediately to the south....
  and the Russia Dock Woodland.

Mayflower

The ship, the Mayflower sailed from Rotherhithe for Massachusetts in 1620 with the group of emigrants that later became known as the "Pilgrim Fathers". The ship's captain, Christopher Jones, died shortly after his return in 1621 and he is buried in an unmarked grave at St Mary's Church. The Mayflower sailed from near the Shippe public house
Public house

A public house, the formal name for a pub in Britain, is a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic beverage for consumption on or off the premises in countries and regions of United Kingdom influence....
 in Rotherhithe Street, which is now named the Mayflower. The building is not original, having been rebuilt in the 18th century.

Notable people associated with Rotherhithe

  • Max Bygraves
    Max Bygraves

    Max Bygraves Officer of the Order of the British Empire is an English people singer-songwriter. He appeared on his own television shows, sometimes performing comedy sketches between songs....
     was born in Rotherhithe
  • Michael Caine
    Michael Caine

    Sir Michael Caine Order of the British Empire , is a two-time Academy Award and multiple BAFTA Award and Golden Globe winning England film actor who has appeared in more than one hundred films....
     on 14 March 1933 as Maurice Joseph Micklewhite.
  • Princess Margaret met her husband-to-be, photographer Tony Armstrong-Jones, in a house in Rotherhithe.
  • Alfred Hitchcock
    Alfred Hitchcock

    Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, Order of the British Empire was a British filmmaker and film producer who pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres....
     filmed scenes for his first film as director, Number 13
    Number 13 (film)

    In 1922 in film Alfred Hitchcock obtained his first shot at directing for Gainsborough Pictures with the film Number 13 .The film was to star Clare Greet and Ernest Thesiger as husband and wife, but was pulled from production after only a handful of scene were shot....
     (1922), in Rotherhithe before it was pulled from production.


Cultural references

  • In the James Bond
    James Bond

    James Bond 007 is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections....
     film Tomorrow Never Dies
    Tomorrow Never Dies

    Tomorrow Never Dies is the eighteenth spy film in the James Bond James Bond , and the second to star Pierce Brosnan as the fictional character Secret Intelligence Service agent James Bond ....
    , Harmsworth Quays Printing was used as the scene for Carver's print works.
  • Gulliver's wife in Jonathan Swift
    Jonathan Swift

    Jonathan Swift was an Anglo-Irish satire, essayist, political pamphleteer , poet and cleric who became Dean of St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin, Dublin....
    's Gulliver's Travels
    Gulliver's Travels

    Gulliver's Travels , officially Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World, in Four Parts. By Lemuel Gulliver, First a Surgeon, and then a Captain of several Ships, is a novel by Jonathan Swift that is both a satire on human nature and a parody of the "travellers' tales" literary sub-genre....
    , lived in Redriff.
  • Rotherhithe is alluded to in the British Sea Power
    British Sea Power

    British Sea Power is a four-man indie rock band based in Brighton, England, although three of the band come originally from Kendal in Cumbria. Their style ranges from the sweeping, often epic, guitar pop sound to the visceral and angular....
     song Carrion
    Carrion/Apologies to Insect Life

    "Carrion/Apologies to Insect Life" was a double a-side release by British Sea Power. Both songs feature on their debut album, The Decline of British Sea Power, and this was the first single to be issued after its release....
     and the Elvis Costello
    Elvis Costello

    Elvis Costello is an England musician and singer-songwriter. Costello came to prominence as an early participant in London's Pub rock scene in the mid-1970s, and later became associated with the punk rock and New Wave musical genres, before establishing his own unique voice in the 1980s....
     song New Amsterdam.
  • Adam Carter
    Adam Carter

    Adam Henry Carter was a fictional character played by Rupert Penry-Jones in the BBC television series Spooks. He joined in episode 1 of series 3 and in the following episode he took over as Section Chief from Tom Quinn who had held that role since since before the beginning of the show....
     from Spooks
    Spooks

    Spooks is a British Academy Television Awards award-winning British television drama series produced by the independent production company Kudos for BBC One....
     supposedly lives in Canada Wharf on Rotherhithe Street, and much of the series is filmed on locations around Rotherhithe and the Docklands.
  • In the ending chapter of Charles Dickens
    Charles Dickens

    Charles John Huffam Dickens, Royal Society of Arts , pen-name "Boz", was the most popular English people novelist of the Victorian era, as well as a vigorous Reform movement....
    's Oliver Twist
    Oliver Twist

    Oliver Twist is Charles Dickens second novel. The book was originally published in Bentley's Miscellany as a Serial , in monthly installments that began appearing in the month of February 1837 and continued through April 1839, originally intended to form part of Dickens' serial The Mudfog Papers....
     there is a lively depiction of a Rotherhithe slum district of the mid 19th century.
  • A period costumier, picture library and minor film producer Sands Films
    Sands Films

    Sands Films is a small British film production company, based in Rotherhithe, London. The company is particularly noted for its production of costumes for period dramas....
     is located at Rotherhithe Street, close to the Mayflower pub.


Places of interest

  • Brunel Engine House
    Brunel Engine House

    The Brunel Museum is a museum in the Brunel Engine House, Rotherhithe, London Borough of Southwark. The Engine House was designed by Sir Marc Isambard Brunel to be part of the infrastructure of the Thames Tunnel....
  • Finnish Church
    Finnish Seamen's Mission

    The Finnish Seamen's Mission was established in 1875. In Finland two official languages it is known as Suomen Merimieskirkko ry in Finnish language and Finlands Sj?manskyrka rf in Swedish language....
  • Canada Water
    Canada Water

    Canada Water is a body of water and wildlife refuge in Rotherhithe in the London Docklands in south-east London. Canada Water tube station is named after the adjacent water and lies immediately to the north, while Surrey Quays Shopping Centre is also adjacent, and sits immediately to the south....
  • Southwark Park
    Southwark Park

    Southwark Park is located in Rotherhithe, in central South East London, and is managed by the London Borough of Southwark. It first opened in 1869 by the Metropolitan Board of Works as one of its first parks....
  • Greenland Dock
    Greenland Dock

    Greenland Dock is the oldest of London's riverside Dock , located in Rotherhithe in the area of the city now known as London Docklands. It used to be part of the Surrey Commercial Docks, most of which have by now been filled in....
  • Russia Dock Park
    Russia Dock Park

    Russia Dock Woodland is a long narrow park in Rotherhithe, London, created by the infilling of one of the former Surrey Commercial Docks. The former Russia Dock was originally used for the importing of timber from Norway, Russia and Sweden....
  • South Dock
  • Stave Hill
    Stave Hill

    Stave Hill is in a ecological park, adjacent to Russia Dock Woodland, in the area of Rotherhithe, London Borough of Southwark close to Canada Water....
     (Ecological Park)
  • St. Mary's Church
    St. Mary's Church, Rotherhithe

    St Mary's Church, Rotherhithe is the local Church of England parish church in Rotherhithe, formerly in Surrey and now part of south east London....
  • Surrey Quays shopping centre
    Surrey Quays Shopping Centre

    Surrey Quays Shopping Centre is a shopping centre in Rotherhithe, South East London. It was built as part of the regeneration of the Surrey Commercial Docks area by the London Docklands Development Corporation....
  • Thames Tunnel
  • Surrey Docks Farm
  • The Hilton Docklands (Rotherhithe) and Nelson Dock Peir
    Hilton Docklands Nelson Dock Pier

    Hilton Docklands Nelson Dock Pier is the official name of a pier on the south bank of the River Thames in Rotherhithe, London, United Kingdom....
  • Cuckold's Point
    Cuckold's Point

    Cuckold's Point is the name given to part of a sharp bend on the River Thames on the Rotherhithe peninsula, south-east London, opposite the West India Docks....


Transport


Nearest places

  • Bermondsey
  • Deptford
  • Isle of Dogs
  • Limehouse
  • Tower Bridge
    Tower Bridge

    Tower Bridge is a combined bascule bridge and suspension bridge in London, England, over the River Thames. It is close to the Tower of London, which gives it its name....
  • Wapping
  • The Blue

Nearest railway stations

  • London Bridge railway station
  • South Bermondsey railway station
    South Bermondsey railway station

    South Bermondsey railway station is on the South London Line, between London Bridge railway station and Queens Road Peckham railway station. It is also served by train from London Bridge to West Croydon railway station via Dulwich and Crystal Palace, London....
  • Limehouse railway station


River boat service piers

  • Greenland Dock
    Greenland Dock

    Greenland Dock is the oldest of London's riverside Dock , located in Rotherhithe in the area of the city now known as London Docklands. It used to be part of the Surrey Commercial Docks, most of which have by now been filled in....
     (Commuter Service)

Gallery


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