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
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London’s whaling trade: Blubber & baleen
Whether sporting a corset or reading by lamplight, Londoners once relied on the products of whaling
A timeline of Roman London: Londinium from start to end
How the Romans created London, built temples and baths, then abandoned their city 350 years later
An Irish Traveller community in 1980s Bermondsey
These photos put the focus on a group often left out of London’s story
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