BERMONDSEY to ROTHERHITHE
a) Alongside the Thames Path
b) "Inland" route
Nearest LU stations: London Bridge, Bermondsey and Tower Bridge
Visit MORE SOUTH LONDON VILLAGES for more info about BERMONDSEY
You are going to follow the THAMES PATH
More about the area
Welcome to the site of JACOB’S ISLAND!
Jacob's Island was a notorious slum, approximately delineated by the modern streets of Mill Street, Bermondsey Wall West, George Row and Wolseley Street. Jacob's Island developed a reputation as one of the worst slums in London, and was popularised by the Charles Dickens novel Oliver Twist (Bill Sykes' lair) published shortly before the area was cleared in the 1860s. Jacob's Island, a notorious slum on the south bank of the Thames, Dickens described it as "the filthiest, the strangest, the most extraordinary of the many localities that are hidden in London". The area was characterised by muddy ditches, mills, warehouses, and wharfs, eventually becoming a rookery with squalid living conditions.
The area was encircled by Folly Ditch, a loop of the River Neckinger, which was described as a muddy ditch and a site of Dickens's villain, Bill Sykes's, demise
Mill Street
NEW CONCORDIA WHARF
The original New Concordia Wharf was built by Seth Taylor as a grain warehouse. It was named after a town called Concordia, near Kansas City, USA, from where much of the grain was imported. The Victorian warehouses were converted into flats by Waterhouse (Andrew Wadsworth and Robert Ackland) in 1983.
CHINA WHARF
Bermondsey Wall West (street)
The ‘wall’ element of the name relates to the river wall along which the road goes. The embankment here is probably 11th undertaken by monks at Bermondsey Abbey who were the landowners
ST.SAVIOUR’S HOUSE
Chambers St.
CHAMBERS WHARF. THAMES TIDEWAY site
At Chambers Wharf, significant works are underway as part of the Thames Tideway Tunnel project. The site is being used as a main tunnel drive and reception location for constructing the “super sewer.” Key activities include:
• Excavation and construction of a 25m diameter, 57m deep drop shaft for tunneling operations.
• Tunneling approximately 5.5km eastward to Abbey Mills Pumping Station and receiving tunnels from other sites.
• Construction of a new river wall and removal of sheet piles from the cofferdam.
• Installation of air management equipment, conveyors, acoustic enclosures, and other infrastructure.
• Transporting excavated material by barge to reduce road traffic.
The construction phase is expected to last about six years, with site restoration following completion
An skeleton found here!
Bermondsey Wall East (street)
Site of ROPE WALKS
Cycling route map
THE OLD JUSTICE P.H.
The pub was built in early 1930s for Hoare & Co brewery and is an example of early Neo-Tudor design. The architect was Sidney C Clark, regarded as one of the most accomplished inter-war pub architects, whose work also includes the Old Red Lion, Kennington and Daylight Inn, Petts Wood.
After being closed for around 5 years, this classic 1930s pub re-opened under its original name in February 2023. Having previously been unlawfully removed and then reinstated by the freeholder, the interior retains much of its original wood panelling, counter and bar-back. The central bar serves two previously separate rooms that are now internally connected. In addition to the house beer from Greene King are up to three changing cask beers, including local London breweries and a 10% discount on cask beer is offered to card carrying CAMRA members.
PAUL McCARTNEY film and music video location
Sir Paul McCartney, MBE, musician & songwriter, used the interiors and exteriors of this public house as locations in his film "Give My Returns to Broad Street" and for the music video to his hit single "No More Lonely Nights".
Site of DUFFIELD SLUICE
The 1830 map has the Duffield Sluice marked on the river bank just to the north-west of this building, where there is now a patch of green with a granite drinking fountain at the centre. This neat little building may have been housed offices and been one of a group of buildings used by the sewer company, necessary for the managment of the nearby sluice. Ian Visits has investigated.
Cherry Garden, Hidden Beach, Bermondsey Beach, Pier
THE FIGHTING TEMERAIRE: did TURNER painted it from here?
The Fighting Temeraire, tugged to her last berth to be broken up, 1838 is an oil-on-canvas painting by the English artist Joseph Mallord William Turner, painted in 1838 and exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1839.
The painting depicts the 98-gun HMS Temeraire, one of the last second-rate ships of the line to have played a role in the Battle of Trafalgar, being towed up the Thames by a paddle-wheel steam tug in 1838, towards its final berth in Rotherhithe to be broken up for scrap.
Turner in Wapping
FOUNTAIN STAIRS
“DR.SALTER’S DAYDREAM”. ADA SALTER & DR.SALTER MEMORIAL
The multi-part sculpture is called 'Dr Salter's Daydream' and shows the whole Salter family. The scene is poignant in that Joyce died at the age of eight. Sadly the statue of the doctor was stolen in 2011, when the original artwork was in CHERRY GARDEN (presumably to be sold for scrap) and following this, the statues of Joyce and the cat were removed for safekeeping. A campaign was set up after the theft to raise funds for a new statue.
At the same time, Diane Gorvin, the sculptor of the original statue, drew up plans for the replacement group, which would also include a statue of Salter's wife Ada. In the group, ‘Dr Salter’s Daydream’ Alfred, in his old age sits imagining Ada, Joyce and her cat as they once were in happier days long gone by.
ADA BROWN and Dr.SALTER
Greenwich, 1873. A briilian student at GUY'S. A bacteriologist. Membre of the Society of Friends. Joined the BERMONDSEY SETTLEMENT, where he met ADA BROWN. He set UP as a doctor in Jamaica Road (site of LU Station) in 1900. He charged little or no money for his services, and became known as the "doctor on the bike". In 1903, elected to the Council. In 1922, elected MO for the Independent Labour P.
ADA, "the Methodist Sister of the people", was a youth worker. She became the London's FIRST woman councillor, in 1910. In 1911 she organised the delivery of food to starving families, during the BERMONDSEY UPRISING. In 1914, elected National President of WOMEN LABOUR LEAHUE In 1922, elected MAYOR.
Both, pacifists (they were attacked, at first, for that). Admired, beloved figures. They became legendary.
In 1910, tragedy struck: as they were living amid the disease-ridden slums, and had their daughter JOYCE educated locally, she died, aged 8, of scarlet fever.
LDDC logo
The London Docklands Development Corporation (LDDC) was a quango agency set up by the UK Government in 1981 to regenerate the depressed Docklands area of east London.[1] During its seventeen-year existence, it was responsible for regenerating an area of 22 square kilometres (8.5 sq mi) in the London Boroughs of Newham, Tower Hamlets and Southwark. LDDC helped to create Canary Wharf, Surrey Quays Shopping Centre, London City Airport, ExCeL London, London Arena and the Docklands Light Railway, bringing more than 120,000 new jobs to the Docklands and making the area highly sought after for housing. Although initially fiercely resisted by local councils and residents, today it is generally regarded as having been a success and is now used as an example of large-scale regeneration, although tensions between older and more recent residents remain.
Remains of EDWARD III MANOR HOUSE
The Manor House was located on a small island in Rotherhithe, bordering marshland and the River Thames. It was surrounded by a moat on three sides, with the north side open to the river. The house may have been built around 1350.
THE ANGEL P.H.
The site was first used when the Bermondsey Abbey monks used to brew beer which they sold to pilgrims. In the 15th century an inn and rest house for travellers called The Salutation was kept at or near this site by monks from Bermondsey Priory. In 1682 The Angel was in a position diagonally opposite its present site, and was referred to by the famous diarist Samuel Pepys as "the famous Angel."
Christopher Jones, captain of the Mayflower, is said to have hired crew here and Captain Cook prepared for his voyage to Australia from here
'The Angel Inn is derived from the Salutation, or Angelus, as it originally represented the Angel appearing to the Blessed Virgin. The oldest known inn of this name is the Angel at Grantham, which was called by that name in the year 1213 and formerly belonged to the Knights Templar.' (Maskell, p.45). - 'There are strong reasons for connecting most mediaeval inns bearing the sign of the Angel or Salutation with friaries.' (Maskell, p.46).
CATHAY STREET: Far away worlds… reached from these seafaring areas of England
Cathay, name by which North China was known in medieval Europe. The word is derived from Khitay (or Khitan), the name of a seminomadic people who left southeastern Mongolia in the 10th century ce to conquer part of Manchuria and northern China, which they held for about 200 years.
THE LEANING HOUSE
Now standing alone, this house (which was once owned by Winston Churchill’s nephew) was part of a terrace. The other buildings on this street were destroyed in the Blitz during World War 2. Only number 41, which Braithwaite & Dean refused to sell, survived, as the rest of buildings were acquired by the LCC to extend the park.
Keep reading about the bohemian set who lived or visited the area!
King’s Stairs
There are so many Thames stairs, steps and landing places… They are generally very old places, and provide an interface between the land and the river. Places that have been so important for centuries, but today are often lost, closed, in poor condition, or just places where few people visit.
QUEEN ELIZABETH II 4 JUBILEES
This memorial was first erected for the Silver Jubilee with just one short inscription which does not even feel the need to say "Silver Jubilee" nor specify the date nor the dignitaries involved in the unveiling. 25 years later the other side was inscribed in a similar fashion for the Golden Jubilee, this time with the unveiling details and thus the whole side was filled, but still there is no reference to the type of Jubilee being celebrated.
i10 years later, the space remaining on the first side was used for the Diamond Jubilee and this time not only are those words used but a diamond shape is drawn. The memorial was full then- what would be done should the Queen make it to future Jubilees?
Indeed the Queen easily made it to her Sapphire Jubilee (65 years on the throne) but there were no widespread public celebrations. These were reserved for Platinum Jubilee, which did indeed take place in 2022. No further inscriptions were added to this monument at either time. The Queen died in 2022 Jubilee Year.
King’s Stairs Gardens
Welcome to Rotherhithe!
Nearby
ST.PETER and ALL SAINTS R.C. Church
The church was built in memory of Sir Peter le Page Renouf (1822-1897), a convert to the Catholic faith who finished his career as an Egyptologist (Curator of the Oriental Collection at the British Museum) but had previously been one of Her Majesty’s Inspectors for Schools. In this latter role he had visited St Joseph’s school frequently, and his wife, Ludovica de Brentano, Lady Renouf, helped to fund the church due to that connection, in the memory of her husband.
Former POLICE STATION. Now WILLIAM GAITSKELL HOUSE
Site of the FERRY
THAMES TUNNEL MILLS
”This is a listed mid 19th century former mill building and warehouse. It is one of the earliest warehouse residential conversions in Docklands”. See the London Docklands Development Corporation logo?.
ST.MARY’S Church and churchyard
THE MAYFLOWER P.H.
A milestone
PICTURE RESEARCH LIBRARY and FILM STUDIOS
Built around 1780 and extended during the following two centuries, this building contains some 200-year-old beams which were originally parts of ships.
Plaque unveiled by Sir Derek Jacobi.
An educational charity, opened as part of Sands Films Studio (A British film production company, founded by producer Richard Goodwin and director Christine Edzard in the early 1970's. The company is particularly noted for providing costumes for period dramas.) and situated in the same Grade II listed building. The library is home to thousands of old photographs, postcards and magazines. Pictures are classified by themes, countries and historical periods, to enable researchers to find what they are looking for. The library is open to the public every weekday from 10am until 4pm with free entry.
BRUNEL MUSEUM: the THAMES TUNNEL
The THAMES PATH or riverside route continues on from Bea to DEPTFORD and GREENWICH…
Next chapter: ROTHERHITHE VILLAGE
b) “Inland” route BERMONDSEY to ROTHERHITHE
BERMONDSEY GALLERY
ITALIAN BUILDING
The Jacob's Biscuit Factory in Bermondsey was a prominent industrial site, originally part of the Peek Freans biscuit company, later known as the Jacob's Biscuit Factory. It was located on Dockhead in Bermondsey, and the building still exists, now renamed The Italian Building. The factory played a significant role in the local community and economy, and its closure in 1989 marked the end of an era.
HOLY TRINITY R.C. Church
Former FIRE BRIGADE station
TOMMY STEELE plaque
We wish the plaque explained Steele's connection with this site / building. We've read that the new Hicks House on the Frean Street/Thurland Road block was named for Steele (ne Hicks) but that is a few streets away, the other side of Jamaica Road. The Scotsman says "Bermondsey's Frean Street, where Steele and his three younger siblings grew up happy in hard times...". and Last fm has him born in Mason Street, SE17, not nearby at all.
DICKENS ESTATE
The Dickens Estate in Bermondsey, London, emerged from the redevelopment of the former Jacob's Island area, a notorious slum in the 19th century. Built in the 1930s and expanded in the early 1960s, the estate replaced slum housing with blocks of flats named after characters from Charles Dickens' novels. The project aimed to provide public housing, with some buildings like the 22-story Casby House, completed in 1964, standing out as high-rise features
Ada Salter housing, a Conservation Area
WILSON GRIVE, JANEWAY ST., EMBA ST. form a "garden suburb" area built by BERMONDSEY COUNCIL in 1928. SALISBURY ST. had been one of the worst areas of Bermondsey. MP Dr.SALTER and the council commissioned architects CULPIN and BOWERS, to rebuilt that street, which was renamed WILSON GROVE. This was one of the many pioneering public improvement schemes by the council. A PALACE OF BATHS (demol. 1970s), a local HEALTH SERVICE (GRANGE ROAD), a beautification committee was formed to plant trees and flowers in open spaces...
Bermondsey, in the 1920s and 30s, became a place of pilgrimage for other progressive local councils. The "BERMONDSEY REVOLUTION" even attracted attention from Europe. Concerning health, a free medical treat as offered, solariums forcTB sufferers, vans used to wander the council showing educational films about health and hygiene... and by 1935, infant mortalitat has fallen sharply
HAROLD MUGFORD V.C. MEMORIAL
2017. A temporary memorial was unveiled at this site in 1920. Beneath a representation of the Victoria Cross medal
Lance Corporal Harold Mugford Machine Gun Corps 11th April 1917.
WAR MEMORIAL
{Front of memorial, beneath the coat of arms of the former Metropolitan Borough of Bermondsey, with the motto 'Prosunt Gentibus Artes' (arts profit the people):}
This monument is erected to the honoured memory of the men of Bermondsey and Rotherhithe who fell in the great war 1914 - 1918
1939 - 1945. To those who gave their lives in subsequent conflicts.
{Side of memorial:}
When you go home tell them of us and say for your tomorrow we gave our today. At the going down of the sun and in the morning we will remember them.
{Rear of memorial:}
In remembrance of all those civilians and members of the civil defence and fire brigade services who lost their lives in this community 1939 - 1945.
Jamaica Road: Shops and eateries. LU station
Paradise Street
Paradise Street was an ancient road of distinguished large terraced houses many of which had elaborate wooden door eaves.
Former POLICE STATION. But, before, residence of “Sir William Gaiskell” (a surgeon in need of bodies…)
London Picture Archive: “Rotherhithe Police Station, 23 Paradise Street, Bermondsey, at the corner of Cathay Street. Front and side elevations of the former police station. Steps and railings lead up to the front entrance. A car is parked in the street. The building is a Grade II listed Regency era townhouse dating from 1814. It was used as a police station in 1836-1965, then as offices; most recently it has been redeveloped as flats and is now known as William Gaiskell House. It is one of the few buildings in the are to have survived the World War II blitz. It is located within the King Edward III's Rotherhithe Conservation Area.”
Cathay Street
Cathay (/kæˈθeɪ/ ka-THAY) is a historical name for China that was used in Europe. During the early modern period, the term Cathayinitially evolved as a term referring to what is now Northern China, completely separate and distinct from China, which was a reference to southern China. As knowledge of East Asia increased, Cathay came to be seen as the same polity as China as a whole. The term Cathaybecame a poetic name for China.
King’s Stairs Gardens
Conservation Area
ST.PETER’S and THE GUARDIAN ANGELS Church
In the mid-1800s a Catholic parish church existed in Dockhead, but there was no Catholic church in the Rotherhithe area. The East End Missions has been established to extend Catholic reach into the eastern areas of London that had no churches present and in 1858 a chapel was created in the rooms of a large house in Rotherhithe Street, whilst the adjacent Church of Immaculate Conception was built, completed in 1861. It was bombed in 1942 and not rebuilt until about 30 years ago.
The first Parish Priest of St Peter’s arrived in 1891. Father Joseph Haynes was temporarily housed at Dockhead whilst he conducted mass in a chapel established in Paradise Street at the school of St Joseph in 1892. The Diocese purchased land adjacent to the school (now destroyed) and Father Haynes oversaw the build of St Peter and the Guardian Angels, for which funding was immediately sought.
THE SHIP P.H.
CAMRA says:”The pub is locally listed and the description is as follows: “Two-storey red brick with tile surrounds, public house, rebuilt in c1930. The Ship is a very characterful and well-preserved example of the interwar 'Brewer's Georgian' style. It occupies a key position at the junction of three roads in Old Rotherhithe and has served the community well for nearly a century. The attractive redbrick elevations (in English bond) have six-over-six and four-over-four sash windows at first floor and cream faience surrounds to the leaded light ground floor windows, which sit above a honey-brown faience plinth. The historic brown lettering on cream faience sign panel is at parapet level.”
The pub is also included in Young’s Archivist, Helen Osborn’s book 'Inn and Around London' where she says that little is known about the Ship but that in 1822 it was run by William Earl. She also says that it had two names at the same time as a sign on one side of the building indicated that it was called the Great Eastern until the pub was acquired by Young’s in 1985.”
ICARUS THEATRE Collective
Icarus creates theatre that is kinetic, intellectual, and visceral. We aim to produce two mid-scale tours and one fringe production every year
LONDON BUBBLE THEATRE COMPANY
London Bubble Theatre Company is a community theatre and charity organization founded in 1972, focusing on all-ages acting classes [1] and various outreach programs. In 1972, due to the lack of theatre accessibility in London's outer boroughs, the Greater London Arts Association proposed the idea of a touring theatre to Glen Walford. Walford proposed the use of a tent that would be transferred between parks around London. Later that year, the London Bubble was established and the troupe toured around parks in 22 London boroughs.
TIME & TALENTS
Time & Talents originated in 1887 in the drawing rooms of Victorian society. A group of women – who deplored the narrow, over-protected lives of many young girls expected to be merely decorative and obedient – set about challenging this wasteful status quo. Their ambition was to help girls of leisure and education to use their ‘Time and Talents’ in the service of others. After a peripatetic early existence, in 1899 Time & Talents settled at 187 Bermondsey Street, where it was to remain until 1962 with a clubroom for “healthy recreation”, singing, basketwork, knitting and sewing. In 1913 a hostel was developed to house factory girls who were subjected to severe overcrowding at home. For many of these young women, it was their first opportunity to have a room of their own. In 1931 Dockhead House opened in Abbey Street, with club rooms, a library, and a large hall with a stage.
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