Subtle Southbank

London, a city divided by the river Thames. Crowds of commuters and tourists walk along its banks daily, but there is one thing which unites them all; they are generally unaware of the wealth of history right at their feet! Southbank has been a gold mine of history from the legendary Globe Theatre showcasing the works of the legendary Shakespeare, to the ‘Tate Modern’, which features some of the world’s best modern art.

What could possibly be the best way to learn ‘The History’? Well, by a guided tour from a local of course. This particular local is Robin, a man who clearly loves ‘The History’ of his area (Southbank), where he has lived for over 30 years.

Skateboarding

We started our tour from Royal Festival Hall near Waterloo Station and it wasn’t long before we made our first stop at a place, which skateboarders had claimed as their own, making it an unofficial heritage sight to street art and skateboarding. We continued on our way down the Thames passing through one of the oldest second hand book markets in London with tables aligned with every genre imaginable; a book lovers dream!

As we strolled along the river bank, I was astounded by how little I knew of what had happened in the area from the 13th century Bishop of Winchester who owned everything from brothels to the Clink, one of Britain’s oldest and most notorious prisons. You can also still see part of Winchester House standing today, although a ruin right down to the modern reconstruction of the famous Golden Hind, which Sir Francis Drake famously or infamously (depending on your nationality!) sailed the World.

Blackfriars

We carried on down the river bank and stopped across from St Paul’s cathedral. Robin explained the history behind the building of St Paul’s going into detail about how it was constructed under specific instructions by Christopher Wren, despite an unwilling government Treasury who didn’t like to spend more than they needed. Carrying on!, further along, we came to Blackfriars Bridge, which in 2014 became the largest of only three solar bridges in the world. You can still see the original build as St Paul’s station; the use of the Bridge declined as Southern Rail became concentrated in Waterloo - hence its closure, but you can still see the original three pillars in the Thames that used to support the railway as well as the stations insignia on either side of the banks.

If you’d like to take a break for a drink along the tour, Robin is happy to suggest places rich in British history such as ‘The Anchor Brewery’ once run by the great Dr. Johnson who wrote the first English dictionary and famously said ‘You find no man, at all intellectual, who is willing to leave London. No, Sir, when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford.’ How true this remains nearly 250 years later.

Similarly, the Anchor Brewery was where Samuel Pepys witnessed the ‘Great Fire of London’. Or another place where we ended the Tour was at ‘The George’, the very pub where the great British author Charles Dickens used to visit to read his plays to the public to see their reception!

I really enjoyed the Southbank tour with Robin, a very friendly man with a huge knowledge and genuine love of history. If you are ever interested in finding out more about the Southbank, I would highly suggest checking out the tour. You will not be disappointed!