Bankside and Southwark: Shakespeare's Other Bank: audio walk in London

The bank where London came to play and to sin, beyond the City's control: the bridge gate with thirty heads, the bridge that ended up in Arizona, the church of the ferryman, the replica of Drake's ship, the prison that gave its name to all the others, the riverside where Pepys watched London burn, bears and theatres, and the bridge that swayed.

1.1 km · ≈ 48 min · 13 stops · ES / EN

Bankside and Southwark: Shakespeare's Other Bank

What this walk is about

You start at London Bridge, where the gate on this bank displayed more than thirty heads, and where Wyatt's rebels waited in vain to stop Mary marrying Philip of Spain; the bridge that came afterwards was sold and rebuilt in the Arizona desert. The cathedral holds the legend of the miserly ferryman, Shakespeare's actor brother and the chapel where heretics were tried. In front of the replica of the Golden Hinde, you'll hear how Drake emptied the galleon its sailors called the Cacafuego. Then comes a bishop's palace brought back to light by a mustard fire, the Clink, the pub that isn't Pepys's, the Rose, the bear pits, the Globe that burned down after a cannon shot, and a plaque that promises Wren and Catherine of Aragon without a shred of proof. You finish on the new bridge that swayed, looking at the City from the other bank.

Start
A street above the river, heads above the gate
Finish
The bridge that started to dance
Who it is for
A walk for anyone curious about theatre and Shakespeare and social history and entertainment.
Languages
Spanish and British English
Underfoot
The walk is mostly level. The route notes mention stairs or steps on the walk or its approaches.
Themes
Theatre, Letters and MusicNeighbourhoods, Trades and RefugeesSpanish Traces

The route, stop by stop

An outline of the walk. The full stories are in the app.

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  1. 1

    A street above the river, heads above the gate

  2. 2

    The bridge that went to Arizona

  3. 3

    The ferryman's church

  4. 4

    The church the neighbours bought

  5. 5

    The ship the cabin boy called Cacafuego

  6. 6

    The palace uncovered by fire

  7. 7

    The prison that gave the others a name

  8. 8

    Watching London burn from a brewery

  9. 9

    The Rose and the actor Ben Jonson killed

  10. 10

    Bears on Mondays and a waterman's seat

  11. 11

    Beer against the flames

  12. 12

    The plaque that promises too much

  13. 13

    The bridge that started to dance

Walking directions are based on mapped pedestrian routes. Check local access and signs; the route is not an accessibility guarantee. Times are approximate.

London, before you go

London makes more sense an area at a time than as one vast walk. Neighbourhoods change pace within a few streets; the sky may change while you find the next one.

More walks nearby

Good to know

Nyhavn canal, Copenhagen
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