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Southwark


 
 

Southwark or The Borough is an area of south-east LondonLondon

London is the capital city of England and of the United Kingdom....
 in the London Borough of SouthwarkLondon Borough of Southwark

The London Borough of Southwark is a London borough, located on the south side of the River Thames and part of Inner London,...
, situated 1.5 miles (2.4 km) east of Charing CrossCharing Cross

The name Charing Cross, now given to a mainline railway station and the surrounding district of central London, comes from t...
.

Naming

Southwark (, locally also ) is the area of London immediately south of London BridgeLondon Bridge

London Bridge is a bridge in London, England over the River Thames, between the City of London and Southwark....
.

It has been called The Borough
since the 1550s, to contrast it with the neighbouring CityCity of London

The City of London is a small area in Greater London, England....
, in later years to distinguish it from the larger Metropolitan Borough of SouthwarkMetropolitan Borough of Southwark

The Metropolitan Borough of Southwark was a metropolitan borough in the County of London, created in 1900, as a merger of th...
 and now to distinguish it from the much larger London Borough of SouthwarkFacts About London Borough of Southwark

The London Borough of Southwark is a London borough, located on the south side of the River Thames and part of Inner London,...
. The core area of the Borough is virtually coterminous with the Guildable Manor.

The Cathedral precinct and the Borough Market are often misleadingly described as being in BanksideBankside

Bankside is an area in Southwark, London, on the southern bank of the River Thames, situated between Blackfriars Bridge to t...
 and the Tooley Street area up to the St Saviour's Dockhead is also mistakenly described as part of BermondseyBermondsey Overview

Bermondsey is a place in the London Borough of Southwark....
 , whereas they have always been part of Borough.

Civil Parishes and District Boards of Works


The process of local authority development was that secular administration in the parishes were placed into 'vestries' i.e. a lay council originally meeting not in the church but in a robing room. The arrangement then became formalised when the Metropolis Management Act 1855 divided civil administration from religious (i.e. Church of England) observance and franchises. The Act created a Metropolitan Board of Works as a local government federation for what then was regarded as greater London out of parts of Middlesex, Surrey and Kent. Their previous parochial authorities were then given the status of 'Civil Parishes' out of the preceding organisations. Where the previous vestry parish was considered too small these were grouped together as 'District Boards of Works '. These sent representatives to the Metropolitan Board.

For Southwark these bodies were as follows:-

St Saviour DBW - St Saviour's and its daughter parish of Christchurch (previously ' Parish Garden) with part of St Thomas. The St Saviour's parish included ' the Clink '.

St Olave DBW - St Olave's and its daughter parish of St John, Horsleydown with part of St Thomas (Hospital precinct). In 1899 this was given the status of a 'Civil Parish'.

St George the Martyr

The neighbours to these Southwark parishes were now:-
St Mary Magdalen, Bermondsey; Lambeth; St Mary, Newington (Walworth).

These and other parishes in Kent, Surrey, Middlesex and Essex were put into the new London County Council created in 1889. In 1900 the London Government Act was to merge the various Civil Parishes and DBWs into ' Metropolitan Boroughs of London ' effectively giving to the metropolitan area municipal corporations on a par with those in the provinces and the City.

The three Southwark districts and the neighbouring St Mary, Newington (Walworth) became the ' Metropolitan Borough of Southwark.

Much of the area around the Tate ModernTate Modern Summary

Tate Modern in London, England is Britain's national museum of international modern art in London and is, with Tate Britain,...
 gallery and the Globe TheatreGlobe Theatre

The Globe Theatre normally refers to one of three theatres in London associated with William Shakespeare....
 is now referred to by the historic name of BanksideBankside

Bankside is an area in Southwark, London, on the southern bank of the River Thames, situated between Blackfriars Bridge to t...
, which was part of the Liberty of the Clink, rather than 'the Borough' but was part of Southwark because within the parish of St Saviour.

Today

In common with much of the south bank of the Thames, The Borough has seen extensive regeneration in the last decade. Declining light industry and factories have given way to residential development, shops, restaurants, galleries and bars. The area is in easy walking distance of the CityCity of London

The City of London is a small area in Greater London, England....
 and the West EndWest End of London

The West End of London is an area of central London, containing many of the city's major tourist attractions, businesses, an...
. As such it has become a major business centre with many national and international corporations, professional practices and publishers locating to the area. These include London Bridge City, More London and the Pilar Piano Tower to be erected over London Bridge Station.

To the north is the River ThamesRiver Thames

The Thames is a river flowing through southern England, in its lower reaches flowing through London into the sea....
, London Bridge stationLondon Bridge station Overview

London Bridge station * Blackfriars station...
 and Southwark CathedralSouthwark Cathedral

Southwark Cathedral or The Cathedral and Collegiate Church of St Saviour and St Mary Overie, Southwark, London, lies o...
. Borough MarketBorough Market

Borough Market is a wholesale and retail food market in The Borough in Southwark, South London....
 is a well-developed visitor attraction and has grown in size. The adjacent units have been converted and form a gastronomic focus for London. Borough High StreetBorough High Street

Borough High Street is the last section of the road from Dover to London as it approaches London Bridge....
 runs roughly north to south from London BridgeLondon Bridge

London Bridge is a bridge in London, England over the River Thames, between the City of London and Southwark....
 towards Elephant and CastleElephant and Castle

The Elephant and Castle, commonly shortened to the Elephant, is a major road intersection in inner south London, and i...
.

The Borough is generally an area of mixed development, with council estates, major office developments, social housing and high value residential gated communitiesGated community

In its modern form, a gated community is a form of residential community sometimes characterized by a closed perimeter of wa...
 side by side with each other.

History

Early history

Southwark is on a previously marshy area south of the River ThamesRiver Thames

The Thames is a river flowing through southern England, in its lower reaches flowing through London into the sea....
. Recent excavation has revealed prehistoric activity including evidence of early ploughing, burial mounds and ritual activity. The area was originally a series of islands in the River ThamesRiver Thames

The Thames is a river flowing through southern England, in its lower reaches flowing through London into the sea....
. This formed the best place to bridge the Thames and the area became an important part of LondiniumFacts About Londinium

Londinium may refer to:* An ancient Roman name for London...
 owing its importance to its position as the endpoint of the Roman London BridgeLondon Bridge

London Bridge is a bridge in London, England over the River Thames, between the City of London and Southwark....
. Two Roman roadRoman road

The Roman roads were essential for the growth of their empire, by enabling them to move armies....
s, Stane StreetStane Street

There are several Roman Stane Streets - see also Stane Street...
 and Watling StreetWatling Street Overview

Watling Street is the name given to an ancient trackway in England and Wales that was first used by the Celts mainly between...
, met at Southwark in what is now Borough High StreetBorough High Street

Borough High Street is the last section of the road from Dover to London as it approaches London Bridge....
. Archaeological work at Tabard Street in 2004 discovered a plaque with the earliest reference to 'London' from the Roman period on it.

Londinium was abandoned at the end of the Roman occupation in the early fifth century and both the city and its bridge collapsed in decay. Archaeologically, evidence of settlement is replaced by a largely featureless soil called the Dark EarthDark earth

Dark Earth in archaeology is an archaeological horizon often as much as 2 - 3 ft thick which covers Roman remains, notably ...
 which probably (although this is contested) represents an urban area abandoned.

Southwark appears to recover only during the time of King AlfredAlfred the Great

Alfred was king of the southern Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Wessex from 871 to 899....
 and his successors. Sometime in and around 886 AD the 'burh' of Southwark was created and the Roman City area reoccupied. Southwark was referred to as 'Suthringa Geweorc' in the Burghal HidageBurghal Hidage

The Burghal Hidage is an Anglo-Saxon document providing a list of Wessex's fortified burhs....
, meaning the 'defensive works of the men of SurreySurrey Overview

Surrey is a county in southern England, part of the South East England region and one of the Home Counties....
'. It was probably fortified to defend the bridge and hence the re-emerging City of LondonCity of London

The City of London is a small area in Greater London, England....
 to the north. This defensive role is highlighted by the use of the Bridge as a defence against King Swein, his son King Cnut in 1016 by Ethelred the UnreadyEthelred the Unready

Ethelred the Unready , also known as Ethelred II and elred Unrd, was King of England ....
 and in 1066, against King William the Conqueror. He failed to force the Bridge during the NormanNormans Overview

The Normans were a people who colonized Normandy, conquered England, and played a major political, military and cultural ro...
 conquest of England, but Southwark was devastated.

Southwark appears in Domesday BookDomesday Book

Domesday Book , was the record of the great survey of England completed in 1086, executed for William the Conqueror....
 of 1086 as Sudwerc(h) and Sudwerche. It was held by several SurreySurrey

Surrey is a county in southern England, part of the South East England region and one of the Home Counties....
 manorManor house

A manor house or fortified manor-house is a country house, which has historically formed the centre of a manor....
s. Its domesday assets were: the defensive outpost and suburb of LondonLondon

London is the capital city of England and of the United Kingdom....
 on the south bank. The Bishop Odo of Bayeux held the monasteryMonastery Overview

Monastery, a term derived from the Greek word ??ast????? monasterion, denotes the habitation-and-workplace of a communit...
 and the waterway, the St Mary Overy dock which still exists. Southwark's value to the King was £16.

Much of Southwark was originally owned by the church—the greatest reminder of monastic London is Southwark CathedralSouthwark Cathedral Summary

Southwark Cathedral or The Cathedral and Collegiate Church of St Saviour and St Mary Overie, Southwark, London, lies o...
, originally the priory of St Mary Overy.

During the early Middle AgesMiddle Ages

The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three "ages": the clas...
, Southwark developed and was one of the four Surrey towns which returned Members of Parliament for the first commons assembly in 1295. Southwark remained outside of the control of the City and was a haven for criminals and free traders, who would sell goods and conduct trades outside the regulation of the City Livery CompaniesLivery Company

The 107 Livery Companies are trade associations based in the City of London, each known as the Worshipful Company of the...
. In 1327 the City obtained control from Edward III, of the manor next to the south-side of London Bridge (called latterly 'Guildable Manor', i.e. the place of taxes and tolls). The Livery Companies also ensured that they had jurisdiction over the area. An important market occupied the High Street, which was controlled by the City's officers—it was later removed in order to improve traffic to the Bridge, under a separate Trust by Act of Parliament of 1756 as the Borough MarketFacts About Borough Market

Borough Market is a wholesale and retail food market in The Borough in Southwark, South London....
 on the present site. The high street market was established there some time in the 13th century. The area was renowned for its inns, especially The TabardThe Tabard

The Tabard was established in the medieval period on Borough High Street in Southwark....
, from which Chaucer's pilgrims set off on their journey in The Canterbury TalesThe Canterbury Tales

The Canterbury Tales is a collection of stories written by Geoffrey Chaucer in the 14th century ....
.

Post 1500

After many decades' petitioning, in 1550, Southwark was incorporated into the City of London as 'The Ward of Bridge Without'. However, the Alderman was appointed by the Court of AldermenCourt of Aldermen

The Court of Aldermen is an elected body forming part of the Corporation of London....
 and no Common Councilmen were ever elected. This 'Ward' was constituted of the original 'Guildable Manor' and the properties previously held by the church, under a charter of Edward VI, latterly called the 'King's Manor' and 'Great Liberty' manor. These manors are still constituted by the City under a Bailiff and Steward with their Courts Leet and View of Frankpledge Juries and Officers which still meet - their annual assembly being held in November under the present High Steward (the Recorder of London). The Ward and Aldermanry were effectively abolished in 1978, by merging it with the Ward of Bridge. These manorial courts were preserved under the Administration of Justice Act 1977. Just west of the Bridge was the 'Clink LibertyLiberty of the Clink

The Liberty of the Clink was an area in Southwark, on the south bank of the River Thames, opposite the City of London....
' manor, which was never controlled by the City, technically held under the Bishopric of Winchester's nominal authority. This area therefore became the entertainment district for London, and it was also the red-light area. In 1584 Southwark was given its first playhouse theatre, The Rose. The Rose was set up by a famous local businessman, Philip HenslowePhilip Henslowe

Philip Henslowe was an Elizabethan theatrical entrepreneur and impresario....
, and it soon became a very popular place of entertainment for all classes of Londoners. Both Christopher MarloweChristopher Marlowe

Disambiguation: Marlowe is also a 1969 movie about Raymond Chandler's detective Philip Marlowe starring James Garner and Bruce...
 and William ShakespeareWilliam Shakespeare

William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright widely regarded as the greatest writer of the English language, as w...
, two of the finest writers of the Elizabethan age, worked at the Rose.

In 1599, Shakespeare's Globe TheatreGlobe Theatre

The Globe Theatre normally refers to one of three theatres in London associated with William Shakespeare....
 was erected on the BanksideBankside

Bankside is an area in Southwark, London, on the southern bank of the River Thames, situated between Blackfriars Bridge to t...
 in the Clink Liberty, though it burned down in 1613. A modern replica, also called the Globe, has been built near the original site. Southwark was also a favourite area for entertainment like bullBull-baiting Summary

Bull-baiting is a blood sport involving the baiting of bulls....
 and bear-baitingBear-baiting

Bear-baiting is a blood sport involving the baiting of bears. ...
. The impressario in the later Elizabethan period for these was Shakespeare's colleague Edward AlleynEdward Alleyn

Edward Alleyn, English actor, was a major figure of the Elizabethan theatre and founder of Dulwich College and Alleyn's Scho...
, who left many local charitable endowments, most notably Dulwich CollegeDulwich College

Dulwich College is an independent, fee-paying public school in Dulwich, a suburb of south-east London, United Kingdom....
.

On 26 May 1676, a great fire broke out, a mere ten years after the Great Fire of LondonGreat Fire of London

The Great Fire of London was a major conflagration that swept through the City of London from 2-5 September 1666, and result...
 which went on for 17 hours before houses were blown up to create fire breaks. King Charles IICharles II of England

Charles II was the King of England, King of Scots, and King of Ireland from 30 January 1649 or 29 May 1660 until his deat...
 and his brother the Duke of YorkDuke of York

The title Duke of York is a title of nobility usually given to the second son of the British monarch, unless the title is al...
 were involved in the effort.

There was also a famous fair in Southwark which took place near the Church of St. George the Martyr. William HogarthWilliam Hogarth

William Hogarth was a major English painter, engraver, pictorial satirist, and editorial cartoonist who has been credited as...
 depicted this fair in his engraving of Southwark Fair (1733).

Southwark was also the location of several prisons, including those of the Crown or 'Prerogative Courts', the Marshalsea and King's BenchKing's Bench Prison

The King's Bench Prison was a prison in Southwark, south London, from medieval times until it closed in 1880....
 prisons, that of the local manors courts e.g. Borough CompterBorough Compter

The Borough Compter was a small compter or debtor's prison located in Mill Lane, off Tooley Street, Southwark, from the mid-...
, The ClinkThe Clink

The Clink was a notorious prison in Southwark, England which functioned from the 12th century until 1780 either deriving its...
, and the Surrey county gaol originally housed at the 'White Lion Inn' (also called informally the 'Borough Gaol') and eventually at Horsemonger Lane GaolHorsemonger Lane Gaol

Horsemonger Lane Gaol was a prison located close to modern-day Newington Causeway in Southwark, south London....
.

One other local family is of note - the Harvards. John HarvardJohn Harvard Summary

John Harvard may be:* John Harvard, after whom Harvard University is named....
 went to the local parish free school of St Saviour's and on to Cambridge. He migrated to the MassachusettsMassachusetts

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States....
 Colony and left his library and residue of his Will to the new college, named after him as its first benefactor. Harvard UniversityHarvard University

"Harvard" redirects here. For other uses of the name Harvard, see Harvard ....
 maintains a link, having paid for a memorial chapel within Southwark Cathedral (his family's parish church) and where their UK-based alumni hold services.

Urbanisation

In 1838 the first railway for the London area was created, planned to run from Southwark at London Bridge stationFacts About London Bridge station

London Bridge station * Blackfriars station...
 to Greenwich only.

In 1861, another Great Fire of Southwark destroyed a large number of buildings between Tooley Street and the Thames, including those around Hays Wharf, where Hays Galleria was later built, and blocks to the west almost as far as St Olave's Church.

The first deep level London 'tube' underground line was 'The City and South London Railway', now the City Branch of the Northern LineNorthern Line

The Northern Line is a deep-level tube line of the London Underground, coloured black on the Tube map....
, opened in 1890, running from King William StreetKing William Street tube station

King William Street was the original but short-lived northern terminus on the City & South London Railway, the first deep tu...
 through BoroughBorough tube station

Borough tube station is a London Underground station in The Borough, London Borough of Southwark....
 to KenningtonKennington tube station

Kennington tube station is a London Underground station in Kennington, on both the Charing Cross and Bank branches of the No...
. Southwark, since 1999, is also now serviced by SouthwarkSouthwark tube station

Southwark tube station is a London Underground station on the corner of Blackfriars Road and The Cut in the London Borough o...
 and London Bridge stations on the Jubilee LineJubilee Line

The Jubilee Line is a line on the London Underground, coloured silver grey on the Tube map. ...
.

Having been part of Surrey, Southwark became part of the County of LondonCounty of London

The County of London was an administrative county and ceremonial county of England from 1889 to 1965....
 in 1889. In 1900 it was incorporated along with St Mary, NewingtonNewington, London

Newington is a place in the Borough of Southwark, London, England....
 alias WalworthWalworth, London

Walworth is a place in the London Borough of Southwark, between Camberwell and Elephant and Castle....
 into the Metropolitan Borough of SouthwarkMetropolitan Borough of Southwark

The Metropolitan Borough of Southwark was a metropolitan borough in the County of London, created in 1900, as a merger of th...
, and in 1965 this was in turn incorporated with the Metropolitan Borough of CamberwellMetropolitan Borough of Camberwell

The Metropolitan Borough of Camberwell was a metropolitan borough in the County of London....
 and Metropolitan Borough of BermondseyMetropolitan Borough of Bermondsey Summary

The Metropolitan Borough of Bermondsey was a metropolitan borough in the County of London, created in 1900 by the London Gov...
 into the London Borough of SouthwarkLondon Borough of Southwark

The London Borough of Southwark is a London borough, located on the south side of the River Thames and part of Inner London,...
.

External links

Town Crier Borough of Southwark www.thevoiceoflondon.co.uk
  • was Member of ParliamentMember of Parliament

    A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters of an electoral district to a parliament....
     for Southwark between 1765 - 1780