London Bridge to Rotherhithe

A Bank Holiday stroll

The early May Bank Holiday this year was unusually warm and sunny, and like many Londoners (and visitors to the capital) we headed to the river to make the most of the weather.

We started our walk at London Bridge station, crossing Tooley Street (look up for a view of the Shard!) to reach Hay’s Galleria. This is a former warehouse and Port of London wharf which, like so many in this area, was redeveloped in the 1980s. Many have been turned into (expensive) apartments, but this one has a mix of shops, restaurants, offices and flats. The central walkway covers what was once the dock and to mark that heritage there is a bronze sculpture of a ship, called 'The Navigators', in the centre.

Entrance to Hay's Galleria

As you emerge on to the river bank there are some great views of the City of London opposite, of the Tower of London, and of HMS Belfast, a former WWII Royal Navy ship now moored here and open as a museum. We visited years ago – it’s very well done and worth seeing if you have any interest in naval history or indeed in history in general.

Today though we were more interested in heading east to the open space just east of City Hall known as Potters Fields. This small park takes its name from the Dutch potters who settled near here in the early 17th century after fleeing religious persecution at home. They established the Pickleherring Pottery on this site, which was later replaced by granaries and still later by warehouses. This park was created during the regeneration of the area in the 1980s when the by-then abandoned and dilapidated wharves and associated buildings were redeveloped. Today the park is often used for events and today was the venue for a Polish festival. There were lots of food stalls but we had already eaten lunch, so we just stopped for a short while to soak up the atmosphere.

Just beyond Potters Fields the riverside path runs under the southern end of Tower Bridge. Emerging on the other side you are among the warehouses of Butler’s Wharf which were converted for (mainly) residential use. I remember coming here just before the redevelopment began, when the smell of spices still hung in the air, as an echo of the Port of London’s past. The path runs between them along Shad Thames, the river views cut off for a short stretch. There is an estate agents here if you want to check out the prices of these exclusive apartments – note how much more expensive it is to buy a place directly overlooking the water!

Very soon you can turn left, along a narrow passageway with the intriguing name of Maggie Blake's Cause, to reach the river bank again. Maggie Blake was a local community activist who, together with other Bermondsey residents, campaigned to retain access to the river front for both locals and visitors. Access was threatened by the redevelopment of Butler’s Wharf and adjacent warehouses. The developers wanted to limit riverfront access to those would occupy the smart new apartments and riverside restaurants. But Maggie Blake and her supporters thought otherwise and fought a spirited campaign which saved the historic riverfront and its wonderful views of Tower Bridge for anyone who cares to explore this area.

Following the river bank again now, you will pass some restaurants and the old Design Museum building (it has now moved to Kensington) before reaching a small dock. The main path turns away from the river to go around this, but there is a modern steel footbridge across the water which we crossed to reach another group of converted warehouses, New Concordia Wharf. Despite the ‘gentrification’ there are still signs of this area’s past history; the buildings have lots of character and little details will no doubt catch your eye.

Old sign

There is still development going on here – at one point we had to turn away from the river as the route was blocked by hoardings around a building site. But soon you will come to a more open area. On the right is a small grassy square – unassuming now but look carefully and you will see the remains of a couple of walls half-buried in the grass. This was once the Manor House of King Edward III, the king who started the Hundred Years War and ruled during the period of the Black Death. Surprisingly, he chose Rotherhithe as a place to build a royal residence – surprising because in those days it was just a small hamlet set in low-lying marshland. The house was built on a small island directly next to the River Thames and consisted of a range of stone buildings around a central courtyard. There was a moat on three sides of the property, with its north side being completely open to the River Thames, allowing the king to arrive here by boat. It is not known for certain why he chose to build a house in this location, but the most popular theory is that he came here to practice falconry, with the birds being able to stay within eye sight as they flew across the flat marshlands and the River Thames.

The ruins are, as I said, very insignificant – so much so that I neglected to take a photo. But you can see what they look like, and read much more about the house, on the informative Historic UK website: https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryMagazine/DestinationsUK/Edward-IIIs-Manor-House-Rotherhithe/

Opposite this grassy area is a spot offering some great views back towards Tower Bridge and some seating from which to enjoy them.

When we were here this seating was full of people enjoying drinks from the nearby pub, the Angel, but before being tempted to join them it’s worth taking a look at a group of statues here, collectively known as Dr Salter’s Daydream. Alfred Salter was a doctor and Labour Party politician who practiced medicine in Bermondsey in the early years of the 20th century, when poverty here was widespread. Most local men worked as casual labour in the docks and Salter and his wife Ada worked hard to improve their lives and those of their families. Among other things, he offered free medical care to those who couldn’t afford to pay for it, paving the way for the as-yet unestablished National Health Service. He became MP for Bermondsey in 1922, and in the same year Ada was elected Mayor of the borough – the first female mayor in London and the first female Labour mayor anywhere in Britain. A detailed information board here tells the story of their lives, explaining:

‘She and Alfred launched what was later called the “Bermondsey Revolution”, an experiment in municipal government that attracted attention throughout Europe.

Alfred promoted free medical treatment using modern methods: a health centre, a solarium for TB sufferers, and educational films about hygiene shown from vans on street corners. By 1935 infant mortality had fallen from 150 to 69 per year, and not one mother died in childbirth. This was his “NHS before the NHS”.

Meanwhile Ada’ Beautification Committee transformed the slums. She planted 9,000 trees, offered prizes for best window boxes or gardens, and filled all public spaces with playgrounds, musical events and sports. She was a “Green before the Greens”….

The Salters destroyed the worst of Bermondsey’s slums. Alfred pushed through a vast slum-clearance programme admired all over the country, while Ada was in charge of designing the model council houses still to be seen in Wilson Grove.'

But as the sign goes on to explain, their personal lives were not happy, as they lost their only child, Joyce, to scarlet fever at the age of just eight. ‘To win trust, and to avoid privilege, they had chosen to live amongst the disease-ridden slums and have their daughter educated locally, but the cost proved high. Though Joyce’s death bonded the Salters forever with the people of Bermondsey, they were inconsolable.’

A statue to commemorate Dr Salter was first commissioned in 1991 and moved here from a previous location nearby in 2003. It consisted of three pieces – the doctor himself, Joyce and their pet cat. But in 2011 the statue of the doctor, which sat on a park bench, was stolen (probably for the value of the metal from which it was shaped). Joyce and the cat were put into safe storage and local people campaigned and fund raised to replace the work and add a sculpture of Ada. The local council match-funded the money raised. In 2014 the new statues were unveiled. Rather than a park bench Dr Salter now sits on a granite one looking towards his daughter leaning against the embankment wall. Further down the cat sits on the wall, and Ada walks, with spade in hand, from the planting beds towards her daughter. The idea was to show Dr Salter in his old age, sitting remembering Joyce as she was when still alive. Ada is represented with a spade because she was so active in tree and planting schemes for the area, and her left hand is designed to hold real flowers. Knowing their story makes an already interesting grouping of statues more poignant.

But I mentioned the Angel pub nearby. On this sunny holiday weekend it was unsurprisingly busy, with most drinkers choosing to sit or stand outside. A queue to be served half-blocked the doorway but we decided it would be worth the wait. When we did eventually get our drinks, we opted to enjoy them inside – partly for a break from the sun and partly because it meant we could have glasses made of glass, rather than the plastic variety (drinks never taste as good from the latter). Checking the first floor we found an almost-deserted room with fantastic views of the river and a pleasant breeze drifting in through the open windows. We grabbed the best positioned table – in a corner with windows on two sides and the best view in the house! What a great spot in which to enjoy a relaxing break on our walk.

After leaving the pub we continued east and soon came to another open space, King’s Stairs Gardens, where local families were enjoying picnics and ball games. There were more good views here across the river to Wapping, where we had been walking quite recently (I will blog about that in a future entry no doubt). Approaching the main part of Rotherhithe the path again leaves the river’s edge and the views are blocked by houses. No matter though, as there is plenty to see in this small patch of London. Again, I will focus on Rotherhithe more in a future entry, as it merits proper exploration. But on this occasion we just meandered around taking a few photos of the church and surrounding area.

Old warehouse in Rotherhithe

This church, dedicated to St Mary the Virgin, was built in 1716 to replace an earlier 12th century one on this site. It was designed by John James, an associate of Sir Christopher Wren. I have never managed to go inside – today as on previous occasions it was locked. It is best known for its connection to the Pilgrim Fathers, but that too is a tale for another entry …