The South end: Beautiful Bankside

The Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Trafalgar Square, The West End’s Theatreland, Covent Garden, Buckingham Palace, St Paul’s, all must see sights for the London tourist and all north of the river. Well my advice is to take a break from the north and head south of the Thames to experience the beauty of Bankside!

South of London has for too long lived in the shadow of the illustrious North, a place where taxi drivers fear to drive after sundown according to popular fable, but things are changing and the Bankside area of Southwark, just south of the river and centrally located, has sights that cannot be missed and that are ideal for the traveller on a budget.

When visiting Bankside why not stay in the London School of Economics’ Bankside House? During term times this vast building acts as accommodation for students at one of Britain’s highest regarded seats of learning, but during Spring and Autumn breaks and for large sections of Summer and Winter it throws open its doors to the general public and doubles as a budget hotel. The accommodation is basic, although the food is great, but the value for the money and location cannot be beaten in the whole of London.

Literally around the corner from Bankside House is the Tate Modern art gallery, a former power station that has been converted into a huge gallery housing some of the world’s greatest, and controversial, modern art. Turn another corner and you will find yourself gazing in amazement at The Globe Theatre, a faithful reconstruction of the very theatre used by William Shakespeare himself. Get to the Globe early, or buy tickets in advance, as the queues can be daunting, but you can also take part in free tours of the Globe and learn more about its history. Down a sidestreet from the Globe, and less well known to the tourist, is another theatrical reconstruction - the Rose Theatre. The Rose predates even The Globe and is still being excavated, but stages a range of Elizabethan drama, specialising in the plays of Christopher Marlowe, the great contemporary of Shakespeare.

One of the great joys of this area of London is strolling along the Thames. The South Bank of the river has a great advantage over the Northern side in that it hosts a variety of beautiful, and historic, pubs where you can sit and watch the world float by and wave to tourists sailing past on Thames cruises. The embankment path runs right along the river side and is a stunning walk on a sunny day. Watch the Londoner’s out jogging and skating and always ready to return a smile.

While strolling along the embankment on any given day you will see book and art dealers with rare and antique collections for sale and you will also find hidden delights such as the Dali Museum before you come to the great wheel itself, The London Eye that lets you drift along as you look out over the whole of this great city! There is so much to see and do in South London, so visit Bankside and see the true beauty of this captivating capital!

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Let's face it, south London even though he was in the shadow of the North was always more beautiful and quiet. Maybe even this obscurity made him safer and more quiet.

Posted by: piese auto | February 04, 2010 at 12:44 PM