Welcome to London x London’s Southwark Guide: your guide to the best bars, restaurants and things to do in this South London neighbourhood.
Southwark sits on the south bank of the Thames opposite the City of London, with London Bridge and Borough Market at its centre and Bermondsey stretching away to the east.
Southwark is a patch of London that has swung from ill repute to grand theatre to genuine foodie epicentre, several times over.
Medieval prisons and Shakespearean stages sit within a few streets of one of the country’s best-loved food markets.
Back in Saxon times, Southwark (then known as the Borough) was a market town with a reputation for attracting the wrong kind of crowd. By the 15th century it had shaken most of that off, filling instead with spas, inns, theatres and country retreats for Londoners looking to escape the City proper.
For a brief spell in the 16th century, years of petitioning saw the area absorbed into the City of London as the ward of Bridge Without, even though it never elected its own councilmen. It is also deeply tied to Charles Dickens, whose father was imprisoned nearby and whose novels drew heavily on the streets around here.
Today’s Southwark is a mix of Victorian terraces and post-war rebuilding, still built around the bustling markets and cosy pubs that made it popular centuries ago. Borough, in particular, remains the foodie heart of the area.
Historic markets, grand theatre and river views
