Bards, Bishops & Brothels
Thursday 4th March 2010
Southwark’s Bankside was the Soho of Elizabethan London. Memories of a racy past echo in the cobbled.
riverside lanes. This popular tour includes a walk on the wild side and a visit to Southwark Cathedral. In the
afternoon enjoy a tour of Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre.
The day begins at 10-30am with morning refreshments at the National Trust owned George Inn. This is
London’s last remaining galleried inn, tucked away in its own courtyard where Shakespeare is believed to
have performed his plays.
Though our walking tour along the Thames is gentle – the history is, well, saucy and full of contrasts. A
delicate rose window survives from the Palace where the Bishops lived cheek by jowl with the brothels
and the bear pits. This was a raucous neighbourhood, the scale of depravity would make a modern
sybarite blush but there were rules and the truly wicked could end up in the notorious Clink. All this talk of
sin is counter balanced by a visit to the serene Southwark Cathedral. Bring a packed lunch today or visit
a riverside pub – perhaps the celebrated Anchor Bankside.
In the 1940s the late Sam Wanamaker arrived in London and made his way to Bankside to pay homage to
his beloved Shakespeare. All he found was a blackened plaque on a brewery wall. From one man’s dream,
the most famous theatre in the world was reborn. And it is wonderful. You’ll visit the theatre and the
exhibition, which outlines the story of the Elizabethan stage and features gorgeous costume displays.
Time for tea locally before heading home at around 4-45pm. During the matinee season the order of the
itinerary is sometimes reversed starting the day with the tour of The Globe Theatre.
Gentle walking on this tour with opportunities to sit down. Includes return travel by coach.