Metropolitan Borough of Southwark

London - Pax Britannica -VAL- London Borough of Southwark

The London Borough of Southwark in south London forms part of Inner London and is connected by bridges across the River Thames to the City of London. It was created in 1965 when three smaller council areas amalgamated under the London Government Act 1963. All districts of the area are within the London postal district. It is governed by Southwark London Borough Council.

The part of the South Bank within the borough is home to London Bridge terminus station and the attractions of The Shard, Tate Modern, Shakespeare's Globe and Borough Market that are the largest of the venues in Southwark to draw domestic and international tourism. Dulwich is home to the Dulwich Picture Gallery and the Imperial War Museum is in Elephant and Castle.

• St Georges Circus
• School for Indigent Blind
• Surrey Theater

Introduction

Southwark is a district of Central London situated on the south bank of the River Thames, forming the north-western part of the wider modern London Borough of Southwark. The district, which is the oldest part of South London, developed due to its position at the southern end of the early versions of London Bridge, for centuries the only dry crossing on the river. Around 43 AD, engineers of the Roman Empire found the geographic features of the south bank here suitable for the placement and construction of the first bridge.

London's historic core, the City of London, lay north of the bridge and for centuries the area of Southwark just south of the bridge was partially governed by the City, while other areas of the district were more loosely governed. The section known as Liberty of the Clink became a place of entertainment. By the 12th century Southwark had been incorporated as an ancient borough, and this historic status is reflected in the alternative name of the area, as Borough. The ancient borough of Southwark's river frontage extended from the modern borough boundary, just to the west of the Oxo Tower, to St Saviour's Dock (originally the mouth of the River Neckinger) in the east. In the 16th century, parts of Southwark near London Bridge became a formal City ward, Bridge Without.

The urban area expanded over the years and Southwark was completely separated administratively from the City in 1900. Local points of interest include Southwark Cathedral, Borough Market, Shakespeare's Globe theatre, The Shard, Tower Bridge, Butler's Wharf and the Tate Modern museum.

History of Southwark

• History of Southwark

Places of Interest

• Borough Market -- Ancient marketplace of Suthwark
• Butler's Wharf
• Globe Theatre
• Southwark Cathedral -- the mother church of the Diocese of Southwark (Cathedral circa 1905)

Bridges

• -- Blackfriars Bridge
• -- London Bridge
• -- Millenium Bridge (Footbridge)
• -- Southwark Bridge
• -- Tower Bridge

Communities In The Borough

Christchurch

Christchurch was a civil parish in the metropolitan area of London, England. It was located south of the River Thames straddling either side of Blackfriars Road. It originated as the manor of Paris Garden in the parish of St Margaret, Southwark. The parish of St Margaret was replaced by St Saviour in 1541 and then in 1670 the area was split off as a parish in its own right when Christ Church was constructed. It was prone to flooding and was not heavily built upon until after 1809. In 1855 the parish was included in the metropolitan area of London where local government was reformed. The parish was united with St Saviour to form part of the St Saviour's District. When the district was abolished in 1900 the parish became part of the Metropolitan Borough of Southwark. It was abolished as a civil parish in 1930. The area now forms the northwestern part of the London Borough of Southwark.

Toponymy

The area is recorded as Wideflete in 1113. In 1420 the name "Parish Garden" was used.

The street called Paris Garden is the result of a renaming of Brunswick Street in the early 20th century.

History

The manor of Paris Garden was located adjacent to the ancient borough of Southwark, in the Brixton Hundred of the county of Surrey. It formed part of the ancient parish of St Margaret and despite being outside the borough of Southwark was generally considered to form part of "Southwark". The area enjoyed special privilege as a liberty, which helped contribute to the poor reputation of the area. It was possible to avoid arrest within the liberty. In 1541 the parish of St Margaret became the new parish of St Saviour. William Baseley was granted a 21 year lease of the manor in 1542. In 1547 he was licensed to organise bowls, dice and other legally forbidden recreations. Paris Garden became infamous for bear and bull baiting throughout the 16th and 17th centuries. When the City of London extended its authority south of Thames in 1550 the liberties of the Clink and Paris Garden were not part of the new jurisdiction of the ward of Bridge Without. Christ Church was constructed and the area was split off in 1670 as a new parish called Christchurch. The parish was included in the returns of the Bills of mortality from 1671, having previously been included in the returns for St Saviour.

When the Metropolitan Police was established in 1829 the parish was included in the initial Metropolitan Police District. In the 1831 United Kingdom census the parish is listed as being part of Southwark. Following the Reform Act 1832 it was added to the Parliamentary Borough of Southwark. For the administration of the New Poor Law the parish was united with St Saviour as the St Saviour's Union in 1836. The parish was small and, although the population had almost doubled in the first half of the 19th century, it was considered too small to form an administrative unit when local government in the metropolitan area of London was reformed in 1855. The parish came within the new Metropolitan Board of Works area and was joined with the parish of St Saviour (including the Clink) to form the St Saviour's District. Christchurch Vestry nominated 15 members to sit on the Board of Works of the St Saviour's District. The district board in turn nominated one member to sit on the Metropolitan Board of Works.

The parish became part of the newly formed County of London in 1889 and the Metropolitan Board of Works was replaced by the London County Council. In 1895 the Christchurch vestry petitioned the Corporation of London for inclusion (with the parish of St Saviour) within an expanded City of London. In 1897 the vestry of Christchurch joined with that of St John, St Olave and St Thomas to promote a bill in parliament to abolish the St Saviour's and the St Olave's districts and include their former areas within the City of London. The city corporation did not support the bill and it did not pass into law because of considerable opposition. In 1900 Christchurch became part of the Metropolitan Borough of Southwark. Southwark Metropolitan Borough Council replaced the Christchurch Vestry and the St Saviours District Board of Works. The Christchurch parish continued to be used for the election of poor law guardians until this practice ended in 1930.

Geography

The northern boundary was in the middle of the River Thames between Old Barge House Stairs and Falcon Dock. When Blackfriars Bridge opened in 1769 the entire bridge was included within the City of London. The rest of the boundary was formed by a looping stream. It was low lying and formed part of the floodplain of the Thames. The area was not heavily built upon until after 1809 when the Surrey and Kent Commissioners for Sewers obtained the legal powers necessary to construct sewers.

Newington

• -- St George's Cathedral, Southwark

Southwark

• -- Southwark Cathedral

St Savior

Southwark St Saviour (/ˈsʌðərk/ ⓘ SUDH-ərk) was a civil parish in the metropolitan area of London, England, and part of the ancient Borough of Southwark. It was formed in 1541 from the union of the parishes of St Margaret and St Mary. It was abolished in 1930, however residents of the former parish receive a rebate against local taxation because of the presence of Borough Market. It included the Liberty of the Clink which was a special jurisdiction until 1889.

Administration

It was created in 1541 from the former area of the parish of St Margaret and the smaller parish of St Mary, which covered the precinct of the Southwark Priory. It included the Liberty of the Clink that had been part of St Saviour's parish.

In 1855 it was grouped with Southwark Christchurch into the St Saviour's District of the Metropolis. It became part of the County of London in 1889. The Saviour's District was abolished in 1900 and Southwark St Saviour became part of the Metropolitan Borough of Southwark. The parish was absorbed by Southwark in 1930.

The parish was unusual in that its affairs were under the control of the Corporation of Wardens of St Saviour's Parish. The corporation was established by act of parliament in 1541, replacing the Guild of the Assumption of St Margaret's Church. The London Government Act 1899 removed governance functions from the body but it retained its charitable purpose. It is still in existence as the United St Saviour's Charity.

Borough Market

The parish contained the large wholesale food market Borough Market. The trustees of the market have been appointed by the parish since 1756. Additionally, any profit from the operation of the market must be repaid to the local authority and used to offset local taxation. This arrangement has outlasted the abolition of the parish in 1930 and council tax payers in the former parish receive a rebate against their Council Tax.

Geography

To the north the parish had a long boundary fronting the River Thames and the City of London. It stretched, in modern terms, to include the whole of the Bankside Power Station in the west and fell just short of London Bridge station in the east. Half of the current site of Guy's Hospital was within the parish, with Great Maze Pond broadly marking the boundary with St Olave. Parts of what is now Newcomen Street, Little Dorrit Court and Southwark Bridge Road broadly marked the irregular southern boundary with St George the Martyr parish. In the west there was a boundary with Southwark Christchurch (formerly the liberty of Paris Garden) that followed, but fell short of, what is now Great Suffolk Street, Sumner Street, and Holland Street.