Exploring Bermondsey

In the shadow of The Shard and a stone’s throw from London Bridge station is Bermondsey; once a rural idyll south east of the medieval London and home to the 11th century Bermondsey Abbey. After Henry VIII destroyed the abbey, this riverside location was populated by grand country mansions, which in turn made way for industry, predominately the leather trade with tanneries and warehouses for hops brought from Kent used in the breweries. London’s first railway station carved its way through the area in the early 19th century and factories and slum housing covered the once green fields. World War Two wreaked havoc in the area and post war Bermondsey had a reputation as London’s grubby underbelly. In recent years, Bermondsey (particularly around Bermondsey High Street) has seen a revival in the form of pubs, cafes, the White Cube Gallery, the Fashion and Textile Museum, businesses moving to the area, the popular Maltby Stret Market and lots of independent brewers, bakers and butchers trading out of railway arches.

We’ll explore the area, piecing together traces of all of these pieces of history from local characters, architecture, buildings that have survived, industries that have long gone and those which are either still going or are breathing new life in to a fascinating and historic area.

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