Bermondsey
Bermondsey (
History
Toponymy
Bermondsey may be understood to mean Beornmund's island; but, while Beornmund represents an
Anglo-Saxon and Norman period
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bc/Marcus_Gheeraerts_the_Elder_-_Festival_at_Bermondsey.png/290px-Marcus_Gheeraerts_the_Elder_-_Festival_at_Bermondsey.png)
Bermondsey appears in the Domesday Book as Bermundesy and Bermundesye, in the Hundred of Brixton within the County of Surrey.[5] It was then held by King William, though a small part was in the hands of Robert, Count of Mortain, the king's half brother, and younger brother of Odo of Bayeux, then earl of Kent. Its Domesday assets were recorded as including 13 hides, 'a new and handsome church', 5 ploughs, 20 acres (8 hectares) of meadow, and woodland for 5 pigs. It rendered £15 in total. It also included interests in London, in respect of which 13 burgesses paid 44d (£0.18).[6]
The church mentioned in Domesday Book was presumably the nascent Bermondsey Abbey, which was founded as a Cluniac priory in 1082, and was dedicated to St Saviour. Monks from the abbey began the development of the area, cultivating the land and embanking the riverside. They turned an adjacent tidal inlet at the mouth of the River Neckinger into a dock, named St Saviour's Dock after their abbey. But Bermondsey then was little more than a high street ribbon (the modern Bermondsey Street), leading from the southern bank of the Thames, at Tooley Street, up to the abbey close.
The
14th century
King Edward III built a manor house close to the Thames in Bermondsey in 1353. The excavated foundations are visible next to Bermondsey Wall East, close to the famous Angel public house.[8]
Early Modern period
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1c/AlaskaBuildingsBermondsey.jpg/220px-AlaskaBuildingsBermondsey.jpg)
As it developed over the centuries, Bermondsey underwent some striking changes. After the
A rare surviving building from this period is
In the 18th century, the discovery of a spring from the
Industrial era
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d8/Former_Municipal_Buildings%2C_Spa_Road_%28geograph_4986924%29.jpg/220px-Former_Municipal_Buildings%2C_Spa_Road_%28geograph_4986924%29.jpg)
It was from the Bermondsey riverside that the painter J. M. W. Turner executed his famous painting of The Fighting "Temeraire" Tugged to her Last Berth to be Broken Up (1839), depicting the veteran warship being towed to Rotherhithe to be scrapped.
By the mid-19th century factories sprang up, most notably Alaska chocolate, Salt, cheese and Hartley's Jam. Parts of Bermondsey, especially along the riverside, had become notorious slums with the arrival of industrial plants, docks and immigrant housing. The area around St. Saviour's Dock, known as Jacob's Island, was one of the worst in London. It was immortalised in Charles Dickens's novel Oliver Twist, in which the villain, Bill Sikes, meets his end in the mud of 'Folly Ditch', in reference to Hickman's Folly, which surrounded Jacob's Island.[10][11] Dickens provides a vivid description of what it was like:[12]
... crazy wooden galleries common to the backs of half a dozen houses, with holes from which to look upon the slime beneath; windows, broken and patched, with poles thrust out, on which to dry the linen that is never there; rooms so small, so filthy, so confined, that the air would seem to be too tainted even for the dirt and squalor which they shelter; wooden chambers thrusting themselves out above the mud and threatening to fall into it—as some have done; dirt-besmeared walls and decaying foundations, every repulsive lineament of poverty, every loathsome indication of filth, rot, and garbage: all these ornament the banks of Jacob's Island.
Bermondsey
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4d/London_Leather%2C_Hide_%26_Wool_Exchange.jpg/220px-London_Leather%2C_Hide_%26_Wool_Exchange.jpg)
The industrial boom of the 19th century was an extension of Bermondsey's manufacturing role in earlier eras. As in the
Peek, Frean and Co was established in 1857 at Dockhead, Bermondsey by James Peek and George Hender Frean. They moved to a larger plant in Clements Road in 1866, leading to the nickname 'Biscuit Town' for Bermondsey, where they continued baking until the brand was discontinued in 1989.[14][15][16]
Bermondsey, specifically Blue Anchor Lane, was also the location of the world's first food canning business, established in 1812, by Donkin, Hall and Gamble.[17][18]
20th century
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0e/Courage_Brewery%2C_Horseleydown_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1411712.jpg/220px-Courage_Brewery%2C_Horseleydown_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1411712.jpg)
To the east of Tower Bridge, Bermondsey's 3+1⁄2 mi (5.6 km) of riverside were lined with warehouses and wharves, of which the best known is Butler's Wharf. They suffered severe damage in World War II bombing and became redundant in the 1960s following the collapse of the river trade. After standing derelict for some years, many of the wharves were redeveloped under the aegis of the London Docklands Development Corporation during the 1980s. They have now been converted into a mixture of residential and commercial accommodations and have become some of the most upmarket and expensive properties in London. In 1997, US President Bill Clinton and Prime Minister Tony Blair visited the area to dine at the Le Pont de la Tour restaurant at Butler's Wharf.
At the same time more everyday housing was constructed in the areas north of the Old Kent Road, including several council estates.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2b/Bermondsey_fashion_museum_1.jpg/220px-Bermondsey_fashion_museum_1.jpg)
Bermondsey was served by London's first railway, from Spa Road railway station, as part of the London Bridge to Greenwich line, and the junction of lines from Croydon and Kent at South Bermondsey. However, reorganisation of lines and temporary closure of stations left Bermondsey's transport links with the rest of London poorer in the late Twentieth Century. This was improved in 2000 with the opening of Bermondsey Underground station on the London Underground's Jubilee Line Extension and the East London Line extension as part of the London Overground.
The Blue serves as the central market place for Bermondsey as a whole.
Wee Willie Harris, known as "Britain's wild man of rock 'n' roll", came from Bermondsey[19] and had worked as a pudding mixer at Peek Freans.[20] He is usually credited as the first British rock and roll player.[21]
Local government
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e4/BermondseyAntiquesMarket.jpg/220px-BermondseyAntiquesMarket.jpg)
The first 'Bermondsey' is that known as the location of an
Governance
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a9/Bermondsey_Met._B_Ward_Map_1916.svg/220px-Bermondsey_Met._B_Ward_Map_1916.svg.png)
Southwark London Borough Council has divided the borough into a number of community council areas. The wards of London Bridge and West bermondsey, North Bermondsey and South Bermondsey form the Bermondsey Community Council area.[25]
Bermondsey's parliamentary representation has fluctuated with its population. Since at least the 13th century, it had formed part of the Surrey County seat until the 1868 Reform Act when it became part of Southwark constituency. From 1885 to 1918, a separate Bermondsey constituency existed, which included part of the older Southwark constituency. 1918 saw the seat split between two new constituencies: Rotherhithe and Bermondsey West, both of which were in place until the 1950 general election when the old Bermondsey seat was recreated.
In 1983, the area played host to a famous
Sport
Geography
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5e/MandelaWayT34.jpg/220px-MandelaWayT34.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7b/Church_of_Saint_James%2C_Bermondsey_%28Southwest_View_-_03%29.jpg/220px-Church_of_Saint_James%2C_Bermondsey_%28Southwest_View_-_03%29.jpg)
Places of interest
- Maltby Street Market
- Bermondsey antiques market
- Fashion and Textile Museum
- Shad Thames
- Mandela Way T-34 Tank
- Miloco Studios
- Bermondsey Spa Gardens
- Kagyu Samye Dzong, Tibetan Buddhist Centre
- Millwall F.C.
- HMS Belfast
- Rouel Road[27]
- Tower Bridge
Nearest places
- City of London
- Whitechapel
- Borough
- Peckham
- Canary Wharf
- Deptford
- Poplar
- Rotherhithe
- New Cross
- Wapping
- Camberwell
- Walworth
Transport
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/70/Violet_Alice_Tritton_Drinking_Fountain%2C_Bermondsey_%28I%29.jpg/220px-Violet_Alice_Tritton_Drinking_Fountain%2C_Bermondsey_%28I%29.jpg)
Rail
There are several railway stations in and around Bermondsey. Bermondsey is in London Zone 2, but nearby London Bridge and Borough stations are in travelcard Zone 1. Oyster Cards can be used for travel from stations in Bermondsey to other stations in the London region.
London Underground
The Jubilee line passes through Bermondsey, calling at Bermondsey and Canada Water stations. London Bridge station on the Jubilee and Northern lines, and Borough on the Northern line are also nearby.
The Jubilee line provides a direct link from Bermondsey to Canary Wharf and Stratford in London's East End, and to Waterloo, the West End, Baker Street and north west London towards Willesden and Stanmore. The Northern line from London Bridge links the area to Kennington, Clapham and Morden in the south west. Northbound services travel through the City of London, King's Cross St Pancras and Camden Town, towards Edgware or High Barnet.[28]
National Rail & London Overground
The East London line, South London line and South Eastern Main Line all pass through Bermondsey, providing frequent rail connections to Central London and South East England.[28]
South Bermondsey is served by Southern trains from London Bridge to South London, with direct connections to Beckenham Junction, Crystal Palace and Croydon.
Rotherhithe, Canada Water and Surrey Quays are all served by London Overground trains. These stations link Bermondsey with Dalston and Highbury & Islington to the north. To the south, Bermondsey is linked directly to New Cross, West Croydon, Crystal Palace, and Clapham Junction.
Queens Road Peckham & Peckham Rye stations, just south of Bermondsey, Peckham Rye is also an interchange served by London Overground, Southeastern, Thameslink and Southern, with direct trains to London Victoria station.[28] While Queens Road Peckham station is in-between Peckham Rye and South Bermondsey stations providing London Overground and Southern services.
Bus connections
Road
Several of London's arterial routes pass through Bermondsey, including:
- ;
- ;
- the A2 (Great Dover Street/Old Kent Road) – to the M25, destinations in Kent and the Channel Tunnel;
- Jamaica Road/Lower Road) – to London Bridge and Deptford;
- the A202 (New Kent Road) – the London Inner Ring Road towards Elephant & Castle and the A3;
- the A2206(Southwark Park Road);
- the A2208(Rotherhithe New Road).
Bricklayer's Arms is a busy road junction between the London Inner Ring Road (A100/A202) and the A2, where routes from London Bridge meet with routes towards the East End, Surrey and Kent.
The southern portal of the Rotherhithe Tunnel (A101) is in Bermondsey. The Tunnel was completed in 1908 and carries vehicle traffic from Bermondsey directly to the East End. In 2003, the Tunnel was rated the tenth most dangerous tunnel in Europe, owing in parts to its age and lack of safety features.[30]
The London Borough of Southwark maintains most roads, particularly residential streets, but Transport for London (TfL) manages certain routes: the A100; the A101 (Rotherhithe Tunnel); the A2; the A200; the A202.[31]
Air pollution
The local authority say that vehicle exhaust fumes are the main source of air pollution in Southwark.[32] Roadside air pollution levels are monitored by the local authority in Bermondsey.[33] Results from 2017 suggest that Bermondsey has some of the highest nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels in the Borough. NO2 concentration was particularly high near the Rotherhithe Tunnel, along Jamaica Road and on Old Kent Road:
Diffusion tube location | 2017 Average NO2 level ( μg /m3)
|
---|---|
SDT 4 – Rotherhithe Old Road | 55.99 |
SDT 62 – Bosco College, Jamaica Road | 70.43 |
SDT 63 – Rotherhithe Tunnel Approach | 94.31 |
SDT 88 – Lamppost 52, Jamaica Road | 61.41 |
SDT 90 – 375, Old Kent Road | 62.02 |
All the above sites failed to meet national air quality objectives.[34]
A monitoring site on Old Kent Road registered an annual mean 22 μg/m-3 in 2017 for
Cycling
Bermondsey is well connected to the London and National Cycle networks, with several signed routes passing through the area. With several routes passing through Bermondsey, cycling infrastructure is maintained by both Transport for London (TfL) and Southwark Council. Most routes run through Bermondsey in an east–west direction.
Route | Westbound | Eastbound | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
![]() |
London Bridge, Bankside and Millbank
Terminus: Fishguard, West Wales |
Rotherhithe
Terminus: Greenwich, London |
NCN 4 runs east–west across Bermondsey. The route is predominantly carried by residential streets or shared-use paths. It is a signed route, running in parallel to the River Thames.[35]
|
National Cycle Route 425 (NCN 425) | Camberwell | Rotherhithe | NCN 425 runs southwest–northeast across Bermondsey. The route is predominantly carried by residential streets or shared-use paths. It is a signed route, running non-stop from Camberwell to Rotherhithe.[36] |
EuroVelo 2 – "The Capitals Route" (EV2) | London Bridge, Bankside and Millbank
Terminus: Galway, Ireland |
Rotherhithe, Greenwich and the Lea Valley
Terminus: Moscow, Russia |
EV2 follows the course of NCN 4 through Bermondsey, predominantly on residential streets or shared-use paths. It is part of the EuroVelo network of cycle routes, running non-stop in the UK between Holyhead and Harwich.[37][38] |
Cycle Superhighway 4 (CS4) – Under Construction | Tower Bridge | Deptford, Greenwich | Transport for London (TfL) are currently building a continuous cycle route on two-way segregated cycle track between Tower Bridge and Greenwich, via Jamaica Road and Lower Street. Work began in 2019.[39]
|
Quietway 1 (Q1) | Borough
Terminus: Waterloo Bridge |
Deptford
Terminus: Greenwich |
Q1 (South) runs from Waterloo Bridge to Greenwich through Bermondsey, non-stop. The route uses residential streets and quieter roads. Q1 passes to the south of South Bermondsey railway station.[40] |
Quietway 14 (Q14) | Borough
Terminus: Blackfriars Bridge |
Rotherhithe, Canada Water
Terminus: Folkestone Gardens |
Q14 runs non-stop between Blackfriars Bridge and Folkestone Gardens, Deptford on residential streets and quieter roads. The route is signed.[41] |
Santander Cycles bicycle sharing was extended to the area in 2020 with five new docking stations, serving the Cycleway 4 route that will connect Tower Bridge and Greenwich.[42]
See also
- List of people from Southwark
- List of schools in Southwark
- Bermondsey Market
References
- ^ Malden, H E, ed. (1912). "Parishes: Bermondsey". A History of the County of Surrey. Vol. 4. London: Victoria County History. pp. 17–24.
- ^ Ekwall, E., The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place-Names, 4th edn., Oxford University Press, 1960, pp. 39, 161 (for "eg").
- ^ See e.g. Stenton, F.M., 'Medeshamstede and its Colonies', in Stenton, D.M. (ed.), Preparatory to Anglo-Saxon England Being the Collected Papers of Frank Merry Stenton, Oxford University Press, 1970, and Blair, J., 'Frithuwold's kingdom and the origins of Surrey', in Bassett, S. (ed.), The Origins of Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms, Leicester University Press, 1989.
- JSTOR 43858024.
- ^ Open Domesday Online: Bermondsey, accessed January 2020.
- ^ Williams, A. & Martin, G.H. (eds.), Domesday Book A Complete Translation, Penguin, 2002, pp. 72, 80.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-917561-07-8.
- ^ Staff. The London Borough of Southwark English Heritage. (cached) "This page provides an overview of the Borough's fascinating archaeology..."
- ^ Bermondsey Spa Gardens, Sean Spurr, Bermondsey.org, Accessed 5 August 2012
- ^ Dance, Caecilia (10 November 2013). "Filth, disease and Dickens: Jacob's Island, a London slum". Dances Historical Miscellany. Retrieved 4 August 2018.
- ^ Somerville, Howard. "Jacob's Island". Howard Somerville's MECCANO Site. Retrieved 4 August 2018.
- ^ Dickens, Charles (1996). "Chapter 50: The Pursuit and Escape". Oliver Twist; or, the Parish Boy's Progress – via Project Gutenberg.
- ^ "Search Research Reports | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
- ^ "Peek Frean's Biscuit Factory – The location of the old sweet smelling biscuit factory!". The Shady Old Lady. Retrieved 27 February 2012.Peek Frean's Biscuit Factory in Bermondsey, London
- ^ Hibbert, Colette (8 February 2005). "Biscuit factory makes 'comeback'". BBC News. Retrieved 27 February 2012.Biscuit Factory Makes 'Comeback', BBC News, 8 Feb 2005
- ^ "Bermondsey blue plaques". Blue Plaques. Southwark Council. Retrieved 27 February 2012.
- ISBN 978-0-9934680-1-8.
- ISBN 0-8493-3775-5.
- ^ Wee Willie Harris, Rockin' At The Two I's
- ^ Tobler, John (1992). NME Rock 'N' Roll Years (1st ed.). London: Reed International Books Ltd. p. 49. CN 5585.
- ^ R. Unterberger, "British Rock & Roll Before the Beatles", AllMusic retrieved 24 July 1209.
- ^ en Bermondeshey en Southwark entry 1381- 82 referring to location of a tenement in Rotuli Parliamentorum III, 130: and in John Stow's Survey of London II, 142, 66–68 he describes St Mary Magdalen Church, Bermondsey as lying in the borough of Southwarke
- ^ Farrell, Jerome: Big in Bermondsey: Colonel Sam Bevington, in the Leathersellers' Review, 2009–10, pp 16–17
- ^ Boothroyd, David. "Greater London Council Election results: Southwark". United Kingdom Election Results. Archived from the original on 24 March 2016. Retrieved 17 September 2013.
- ^ "Welcome to your Bermondsey Community Council". Southwark London Borough Council. Archived from the original on 10 August 2009. Retrieved 3 March 2010.
- ^ "Guardian Simon Hughes". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 10 May 2014. Retrieved 25 March 2001.
- ^ "Untitled Document". Archived from the original on 26 April 2012.
- ^ a b c "London's Rail & Tube Services" (PDF). Transport for London (TfL). Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 February 2019.
- ^ "Top 10 stations in Great Britain". Office of Rail and Road (ORR). Archived from the original on 7 April 2019.
- ^ "UK's 'dangerous' road tunnels". 24 April 2003. Archived from the original on 14 January 2018. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
- ^ "TfL Base Map – Master" (PDF). Transport for London (TfL). Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 February 2018.
- ^ "The main causes of air pollution". Southwark Council. Archived from the original on 8 April 2019.
- ^ a b "Nitrogen Dioxide Data, 2012-2017". Southwark Council. Archived from the original on 8 April 2019.
- ^ a b "Air Quality Annual Status Report, 2017" (PDF). Southwark Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 April 2019.
- ^ "Route 4 – Map". Sustrans. Archived from the original on 30 December 2018.
- ^ "Route 425 – Map". Sustrans. Archived from the original on 30 December 2018.
- ^ "EuroVelo 2". eurovelo.com. Archived from the original on 8 April 2019.
- ^ "United Kingdom – Eurovélo 2". eurovelo.com. Archived from the original on 8 April 2019.
- ^ "Cycle Superhighway 4". Transport for London. Archived from the original on 8 April 2019. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
- ^ "Quietway 1 (South): Waterloo to Greenwich" (PDF). Transport for London (TfL). Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 June 2018.
- ^ "Quietway 14: Southwark to Deptford" (PDF). Transport for London (TfL). Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 October 2018.
- ^ "Find a docking station". Transport for London. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
External links
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