Low Line Walking Tour
A walking tour of three railway arches in Southwark retrofitted by local architecture studio TDO. The practice’s own studio on Great Suffolk Street, a railway arch converted in 2012, has set a precedent for recent developments which have reinvigorated redundant arches along the Low Line. The practice has installed re-purposed Nissen sheds within two arches along the Low Line, with a third arch soon to go on site. The projects have provided self-contained, demountable, reusable enclosures that can move to new arches, reducing future capital outlay, allowing cost savings to be passed on to the communities they serve. The design allows the atmospheric and generous vaulted spaces under the arches to be preserved and fully appreciated, whilst accommodating new uses which serve the local community and supporting local businesses. The projects are presented as case studies in ‘Bringing Railway Arches Back into Use: A Good Practice Guide’ to be published in the autumn, providing a toolkit to other boroughs, towns and cities to reinvigorate redundant railway infrastructure. This tour will commence at TDO’s studio and take in two of the completed arches: Ewer Street, which is now occupied by a business in residence; and Redcross Way, a new flexible performance and exhibition space. Tom Lewith, Founding Director, TDO, will lead the tour with Nicole Gordon, Better Bankside.
Led by knowledgeable, enthusiastic guides, this immersive tour offers a glimpse into the life of a 16th-century sailor. Hear the incredible tale of the first ship to circumnavigate the globe for the Kingdom of England. Climb aboard and allow the echoes of the past to guide you on a voyage through time on this remarkable ship
that embodies the spirit of adventure and exploration.
Each tour is approximately 30 minutes and suitable for all ages. Tours are included with admission.
Adult £6
Child £6
Group of 4: £18
For specific tour times, visit website.
Ticket Link: https://www.goldenhinde.co.uk/whats-on#activity-whats-on-9-family-469-summer-history-tours
This summer, from 7th – 13th August, step aboard The Golden Hinde for family fun and a piratical experience like no other.
It is time for our ultimate pirate take over event. Don your finest pirate attire, grab your eye patch and join us on this swash buckling adventure of discovery.
Meet our costumed historians as they unveil the history of pirates from around the world. Families can experience the life of a mariner onboard our 16th century ship or test your mettle by signing up to one of our “Pirate Training” sessions.
Included with standard admission:
-Uncover the real history of pirates from all around the world.
-Discover what life was really like on a 16th century ship.
-A voyage of discovery awaits.
Pirate Training sessions are an additional cost and are taking place at 11:00 and 13:00. Pirate Training workshop tickets include the Pirate Takeover talks. Get yourself shipshape and prepare to plunder. See website for further details.
Standard Admission for Pirate Takeover (no Pirate Training): £6 per person
Family Admission (4 people): £18
Ticket Link: https://www.goldenhinde.co.uk/whats-on#activity-whats-on-9-family-454-pirate-takeover-2
Travel through a thousand years of history, meeting William Shakespeare, medieval ‘Winchester Geese’ prostitutes, Charles Dickens, the ghost of a nineteenth century pub landlady, and the wonderfully named Doorkins Magnificat!
On our walking tour we’ll visit the areas around Borough and Bankside, which being outside the jurisdiction of the City of London were for centuries the site of seedy goings on.
Crossbones Graveyard is a unique place of peace and tranquility nestled in the heart of Bankside. It holds a deep cultural, historical and spiritual significance as it tells the history of London as seen from the bottom up.
As well as holding the mortal remains of 15,000 women, children and men, it also carries the memory of the Winchester Geese, the women who worked in the brothels and “stews” of the medieval Liberty of the Clink. Licensed by the Church to ply their prostitute trade but denied a Christian burial.
Join Jennifer Cooper, the Madam of Ceremonies at the Crossbones Vigil to Honour the Outcast, for a special tour of this fascinating garden of remembrance sharing stories of history, hypocrisy, poverty, riches, activism, spirituality and transformation!
Very Short Tours, only one hour, starting Over There (outside the Gates) and concluding Over ‘Ere (inside the Garden).
The tour is running on May 25th and June 1st from 12-1pm and June 8th and 15th from 5-6pm. Click here for more information and to book your free ticket.
An easter chocolate hunt like no other aboard The Golden Hinde this Easter Sunday.
Explore all of the decks of the ship to find Golden Coins.
Each session is for an hour and is suitable for all ages. Bring your own baskets/bags to take home your loot.
Stay aboard after the treasure hunt and join our Pirate Takeover talks (Pirate Training will not run on this day).
*Our facilities are not food allergen or gluten-free and we are not responsible for allergens. Customers with food allergies or other nutritional concerns are advised to notify the management before booking tickets.
The Hilton Bankside have created a fabulous map with local illustrator Rosie Brooks, inviting people to discover the some of the ‘Inspirational women of Bankside’. You can pick up copy from their concierge throughout the month of March, or you can download a copy here.
Freeze Frame – the Art of the Frost Fair
Between 1600 and 1814, the River Thames froze and local people spied an opportunity.
The resultant frost fairs combined both chaos and fun – involving jugglers and strongmen and cruel sports a-plenty. This was all fuelled by food and drink and some exciting new recipes inspired by the big freeze. 200 years on, London film-makers, video artists and augmented reality specialists have created site-specific installations across Bankside. Alongside them are cutting-edge works by renowned street artists including Mr Cenz, Dreph and Peachzz – each with their own sideways take on the frost fair story.
Join Blue Badge guide Mr Londoner to explore all the fun of the fair and discover some of the artistic responses to the Frost Fair art trail.
Meet outside Rabot, 2-4 Bedale St, London SE1 9AL
This tour is part of the Frost Fair which Better Bankside is running across December and January. Frost Fair is a homage to the area’s unique history, celebrating the characters and fascinating stories from past winters in the Southwark borough. There’s lots more happening across the area, find out more here.
Just six months before the Battle of Waterloo, London experienced its last ever frost fair.
A series of mini ice-ages, that kicked off in the late 7th century, caused the Thames and even the sea to freeze over. The thick ice brought river traffic and business to a standstill.
But threats create opportunities and frost fairs were devised by entrepreneurial locals from 1600 onwards. Designed to appeal to the senses, they became the epicentre of bawdy and surprising entertainment, food, drink – and even hunting on ice! Nobody realised that 1814 would see the final frost fair, a changing climate, on the very eve of the industrial revolution, meant the River would never freeze again.
Join Blue Badge guide Mr Londoner to explore all the fun of the fair and draw some parallels with our own times.
Meet outside Rabot, 2-4 Bedale St, London SE1 9AL
This tour is part of the Frost Fair which Better Bankside is running across December and January. Frost Fair is a homage to the area’s unique history, celebrating the characters and fascinating stories from past winters in the Southwark borough. There’s lots more happening across the area, find out more here.
Just six months before the Battle of Waterloo, London experienced its last ever frost fair.
A series of mini ice-ages, that kicked off in the late 7th century, caused the Thames and even the sea to freeze over. The thick ice brought river traffic and business to a standstill.
But threats create opportunities and frost fairs were devised by entrepreneurial locals from 1600 onwards. Designed to appeal to the senses, they became the epicentre of bawdy and surprising entertainment, food, drink – and even hunting on ice! Nobody realised that 1814 would see the final frost fair, a changing climate, on the very eve of the industrial revolution, meant the River would never freeze again.
Join Blue Badge guide Mr Londoner to explore all the fun of the fair and draw some parallels with our own times.
Meet outside Rabot, 2-4 Bedale St, London SE1 9AL
This tour is part of the Frost Fair which Better Bankside is running across December and January. Frost Fair is a homage to the area’s unique history, celebrating the characters and fascinating stories from past winters in the Southwark borough. There’s lots more happening across the area, find out more here.
Freeze Frame – the Art of the Frost Fair
Between 1600 and 1814, the River Thames froze and local people spied an opportunity.
The resultant frost fairs combined both chaos and fun – involving jugglers and strongmen and cruel sports a-plenty. This was all fuelled by food and drink and some exciting new recipes inspired by the big freeze. 200 years on, London film-makers, video artists and augmented reality specialists have created site-specific installations across Bankside. Alongside them are cutting-edge works by renowned street artists including Mr Cenz, Dreph and Peachzz – each with their own sideways take on the frost fair story.
Join Blue Badge guide Mr Londoner to explore all the fun of the fair and discover some of the artistic responses to the Frost Fair art trail.
Meet outside Rabot, 2-4 Bedale St, London SE1 9AL
This tour is part of the Frost Fair which Better Bankside is running across December and January. Frost Fair is a homage to the area’s unique history, celebrating the characters and fascinating stories from past winters in the Southwark borough. There’s lots more happening across the area, find out more here.
A “fast, slick and fresh” performance of Henry V comes to Bankside this winter.
Henry, the young and newly crowned king, is impatient to assert control over the people of England. Having received a humiliating gift from overseas, his bruised ego leads him to double down on a military invasion abroad in a bid to expand his green and pleasant land. But at what devastating cost?
Performed in the intimate, indoor Sam Wanamaker Playhouse for the first time, witness Henry’s bombastic pursuit of power, throwing into question what it really means to be English.
A production by Shakespeare’s Globe and Headlong, with Leeds Playhouse and Royal & Derngate, Northampton, directed by Headlong’s Artistic Director Holly Race Roughan (Corrina, Corrina, Liverpool Everyman; Metamorphoses, Shakespeare’s Globe).
This event is part of the Frost Fair which Better Bankside is running across December and January. Frost Fair is a homage to the area’s unique history, celebrating the characters and fascinating stories from past winters in the Southwark borough. There’s lots more happening across the area, find out more here.
Experience the magic of Christmas in the Globe Theatre with all the family, as our re-imagining of Hans Christian Andersen’s festive fairy tale The Fir Tree returns for a second year.
In a beautiful wood stands a little Fir Tree. Kept company by woodland creatures, it enjoys a peaceful life. But the Fir Tree is curious. It dreams of a world outside the forest, yearning for adventure. What will happen when it grows up? Where will it go? And will it be everything the Fir Tree wished for?
Let imaginations run wild as the Globe transforms into a hand-crafted forest. Meet friendly puppets made of cardboard – and make your own to bring to the performance! Take part in carol-singing and tree decorating, and keep cosy with a hot chocolate or mulled wine under the wintry star-lit sky.
15 – 31 December, times vary.
Celebrate the holiday season on a Festive Family Tour of the magical Globe Theatre. Hear how Christmas was observed in Shakespeare’s time and the folk traditions that people practiced to welcome in winter.
From wassailing to the winter solstice, ‘kissing boughs’ to proper mince pyes, this family-friendly guided tour will enchant, fascinate and warm even in the frostiest of Frost Fairs. But do still wrap up well – don’t forget our wooden ‘O’ is outdoor!”
Family-friendly but suitable for all ages.
19 December – 25 February, times vary
This tour is part of the Frost Fair which Better Bankside is running across December and January. Frost Fair is a homage to the area’s unique history, celebrating the characters and fascinating stories from past winters in the Southwark borough. There’s lots more happening across the area, find out more here.
Freeze Frame – the Art of the Frost Fair
Between 1600 and 1814, the River Thames froze and local people spied an opportunity.
The resultant frost fairs combined both chaos and fun – involving jugglers and strongmen and cruel sports a-plenty. This was all fuelled by food and drink and some exciting new recipes inspired by the big freeze. 200 years on, London film-makers, video artists and augmented reality specialists have created site-specific installations across Bankside. Alongside them are cutting-edge works by renowned street artists including Mr Cenz, Dreph and Peachzz – each with their own sideways take on the frost fair story.
Join Blue Badge guide Mr Londoner to explore all the fun of the fair and discover some of the artistic responses to the Frost Fair art trail.
Meet outside Rabot, 2-4 Bedale St, London SE1 9AL
This tour is part of the Frost Fair which Better Bankside is running across December and January. Frost Fair is a homage to the area’s unique history, celebrating the characters and fascinating stories from past winters in the Southwark borough. There’s lots more happening across the area, find out more here.
Just six months before the Battle of Waterloo, London experienced its last ever frost fair.
A series of mini ice-ages, that kicked off in the late 7th century, caused the Thames and even the sea to freeze over. The thick ice brought river traffic and business to a standstill.
But threats create opportunities and frost fairs were devised by entrepreneurial locals from 1600 onwards. Designed to appeal to the senses, they became the epicentre of bawdy and surprising entertainment, food, drink – and even hunting on ice! Nobody realised that 1814 would see the final frost fair, a changing climate, on the very eve of the industrial revolution, meant the River would never freeze again.
Join Blue Badge guide Mr Londoner to explore all the fun of the fair and draw some parallels with our own times.
Meet outside Rabot, 2-4 Bedale St, London SE1 9AL
This tour is part of the Frost Fair which Better Bankside is running across December and January. Frost Fair is a homage to the area’s unique history, celebrating the characters and fascinating stories from past winters in the Southwark borough. There’s lots more happening across the area, find out more here.
Freeze Frame – the Art of the Frost Fair
Between 1600 and 1814, the River Thames froze and local people spied an opportunity.
The resultant frost fairs combined both chaos and fun – involving jugglers and strongmen and cruel sports a-plenty. This was all fuelled by food and drink and some exciting new recipes inspired by the big freeze. 200 years on, London film-makers, video artists and augmented reality specialists have created site-specific installations across Bankside. Alongside them are cutting-edge works by renowned street artists including Mr Cenz, Dreph and Peachzz – each with their own sideways take on the frost fair story.
Join Blue Badge guide Mr Londoner to explore all the fun of the fair and discover some of the artistic responses to the Frost Fair art trail.
Meet outside Rabot, 2-4 Bedale St, London SE1 9AL
This tour is part of the Frost Fair which Better Bankside is running across December and January. Frost Fair is a homage to the area’s unique history, celebrating the characters and fascinating stories from past winters in the Southwark borough. There’s lots more happening across the area, find out more here.
Just six months before the Battle of Waterloo, London experienced its last ever frost fair.
A series of mini ice-ages, that kicked off in the late 7th century, caused the Thames and even the sea to freeze over. The thick ice brought river traffic and business to a standstill.
But threats create opportunities and frost fairs were devised by entrepreneurial locals from 1600 onwards. Designed to appeal to the senses, they became the epicentre of bawdy and surprising entertainment, food, drink – and even hunting on ice! Nobody realised that 1814 would see the final frost fair, a changing climate, on the very eve of the industrial revolution, meant the River would never freeze again.
Join Blue Badge guide Mr Londoner to explore all the fun of the fair and draw some parallels with our own times.
Meet outside Rabot, 2-4 Bedale St, London SE1 9AL
This tour is part of the Frost Fair which Better Bankside is running across December and January. Frost Fair is a homage to the area’s unique history, celebrating the characters and fascinating stories from past winters in the Southwark borough. There’s lots more happening across the area, find out more here.
Be transported back to a time of late-night cakes and ales, midnight revels and demons, and the revered ‘Kingdom of Night’ on our Twilight Walking Tour around the Bankside area and beyond.
Learn about the habit of ‘second sleeps’, imagine city life without streetlights and visit the locations of Shakespeare’s own night-time haunts across the River Thames on the Northbank, including the original site of his candlelit Blackfriars playhouse.
