Most people hurrying between Borough Market and the Shard walk straight past one of London's oldest buildings. Southwark Cathedral sits just off the south bank of the Thames, a Gothic church with roots stretching back over a thousand years, and it's one of the quieter rewards of a day spent in Bankside.
The site has been a place of worship since at least the Saxon era, and the cathedral you see today is largely a Gothic rebuild from the 13th to 15th centuries. It only became a cathedral in 1905, when the Diocese of Southwark was created — before that it spent centuries as a parish church, which gives it a slightly less formal feel than its big-city counterparts like St Paul's or Westminster Abbey.
Bankside was medieval London's playground, home to bear pits, brothels and playhouses, and the cathedral absorbed some of that colourful history. The playwright John Harvard — yes, the one Harvard University is named after — was baptised here in 1607. There's a chapel commemorating him, and another honouring William Shakespeare, who worked and lived in the parish while his company performed at the nearby Globe. A 1911 monument to the Bard sits inside, and today's Shakespeare's Globe replica stands a short stroll along the riverside.
Inside, look for the carved wooden ceiling, the medieval stone vaulting, and the retrochoir — one of the earliest Gothic buildings in London. Entry is technically free, though a suggested donation is encouraged, and the cathedral sits right beside Borough Market, so combining a visit with lunch there is the obvious move. A small garden and refectory café make it an easy pause on a South Bank walk.
For travellers, the appeal is simple: it's a genuine Gothic interior with a millennium of history, you can be in and out in half an hour, and it costs nothing. It's also a handy escape from the crowds that build up around Tower Bridge and the Globe. If you're walking the Queen's Walk from Westminster to Tower Bridge, this is the natural stopping point.
Story credited to Secret London.
