Lambeth and Southwark Travel Guide

Until well into the seventeenth century, the only reason for north-bank residents to cross the Thames, to what is now LAMBETH and SOUTHWARK , was to visit the disreputable Bankside entertainment district around the south end of London Bridge, which lay outside the jurisdiction of the City. South London (a catch-all term for everything south of the river) still has a reputation, among north Londoners at least, as a boring, sprawling, residential district devoid of any local culture or life.

As it turns out, this is not too far from the truth: both boroughs are, for the most part, residential. However, Lambeth 's riverbank harbours several important cultural institutions, collectively known as the South Bank Centre . Although a mess architecturally, these galleries, theatres and concert halls, plus the nearby Imperial War Museum , draw large numbers across the river.

There are even more sights further east along Southwark 's riverfront, most notably a reconstruction of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre , and the new Tate Modern , housed in a converted power station. Another rash of popular museums can be found along Clink Street and Tooley Street, while further east still, Butler's Wharf is a thriving little warehouse development centred on the excellent Design Museum .