Bermondsey station westbound look east.JPG

Bermondsey () is a district in southeast London, part of the London Borough of Southwark, England, southeast of Charing Cross. To the west of Bermondsey lies Southwark, to the east Rotherhithe and Deptford, to the south Walworth and Peckham, and to the north is Wapping across the River Thames. It lies within the historic county boundaries of Surrey.

History

Toponymy

Bermondsey may be understood to mean ''Beornmund''s island; but, while ''Beornmund'' represents an Old English personal name, identifying an individual once associated with the place, the element "-ey" represents Old English ''eg'', for "island", "piece of firm land in a fen", or simply a "place by a stream or river". Thus Bermondsey need not have been an island as such in the Anglo-Saxon period, and is as likely to have been a higher, drier spot in an otherwise marshy area. Though Bermondsey's earliest written appearance is in the Domesday Book of 1086, it also appears in a source which, though surviving only in a copy written at Peterborough Abbey in the 12th century, claiming "ancient rights" unproven purporting to be a transcription of a letter of Pope Constantine (708–715), in which he grants privileges to a monastery at ''Vermundesei'', then in the hands of the abbot of Medeshamstede, as Peterborough was known at the time.

Anglo-Saxon and Norman period

Bermondsey appears in the Domesday Book as ''Bermundesy'' and ''Bermundesye'', in the Hundred of Brixton within the County of Surrey.Open Domesday Online: Bermondsey
accessed January 2020. 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, 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).

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 Knights Templar also owned land here and gave their names to one of the most distinctive streets in London: Shad Thames (a corruption of "St John at Thames"). Other ecclesiastical properties stood nearby at Tooley Street (a corruption of " St Olave's"), owned by the priors of Lewes, St Augustine's, and Canterbury, as well as the abbot of Battle. These properties are located within the Archbishop of Canterbury's manor of Southwark, where wealthy citizens and clerics had their houses.

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.

17th century

As it developed over the centuries, Bermondsey underwent some striking changes. After the Great Fire of London, it was settled by the well-to-do, and took on the character of a garden suburb especially along the line of Grange Road and Bermondsey Wall East as it became more urbanised. A pleasure garden was constructed during the Restoration period in the 17th century, commemorated by the Cherry Garden Pier. Samuel Pepys once visited here.

Though not many buildings survive from this period, one notable exception is the church of St Mary Magdalen in Bermondsey Street, completed in 1690 (although a church has been recorded on this site from the 13th century). This church survived the 19th-century redevelopment phase and the Blitz unscathed. It is an unusual survivor for Bermondsey as buildings of this period are relative rarities in Inner London in general.

18th century

In the 18th century, the discovery of a spring from the river Neckinger in the area led to the development of Bermondsey Spa, as the area between Grange and Jamaica Roads called Spa Road commemorates. A new church was built for the growing population of the area, and named St John Horsleydown.

19th century

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, 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. Dickens provides a vivid description of what it was like:

Bermondsey vestry hall was built on Spa Road in 1881 but blitzed in 1941. The original vestry hall was extended to create the Bermondsey Town Hall in 1930. The area was extensively redeveloped during the 19th century and early 20th century with the expansion of the river trade and the arrival of the railways. London's first passenger railway terminus was built by the London to Greenwich Railway in 1836 at London Bridge. The first section to be used was between the Spa Road Station and Deptford High Street. This local station had closed by 1915.

The industrial boom of the 19th century was an extension of Bermondsey's manufacturing role in earlier eras. As in the East End, industries that were deemed too noisome to be carried on within the narrow confines of the City of London had been located here — one such that came to dominate central Bermondsey, away from the riverfront, was the processing and trading of leather and Hide (skin), hides. Many of the warehouse buildings from this era survive around Bermondsey Street, Tanner Street, Morocco Street and Leathermarket Street including the huge Leather Market of 1833 and the Leather, Hide and Wool Exchange of 1878; virtually all are now residential and small work spaces or offices. Hepburn and Gale's Tanning (leather), tannery (disused as of early 2007) on Long Lane is also a substantial surviving building of the leather trade. The Exchange building had a fine private club, effectively a gentlemen's club for the leading merchants and manufacturers. In 1703 they had acquired a royal charter from Anne, Queen of Great Britain, Queen Anne to gain a monopoly of trading and training of apprentices for within of the ancient parish, similar to a City livery company, the Bermondsey tanners, Bermondsey Tanners.

Peek Freans, 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.

Bermondsey, specifically Blue Anchor Lane, was also the location of the world's first food canning business, established in 1812, by Bryan Donkin, Donkin, John Hall (engineer), Hall and Gamble.

20th century

To the east of Tower Bridge, Bermondsey's 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.

Bermondsey had been host to 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, the Brunels Rotherhithe foot-tunnel was converted into part of the East London Railway with original connections from Liverpool Street Station via Whitechapel to New Cross and New Cross Gate. 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 remedied in 2000 with the opening of Bermondsey tube station, Bermondsey Underground station on the London Underground's Jubilee Line Extension and the East London Line forms part of the new London Overground system reopening direct links with the City and north London.

The Blue serves as the central market place for Bermondsey as a whole.

Wee Willie Harris, known as "Britain's wild man of Rock and roll, rock 'n' roll", came from BermondseyWee Willie Harris, Rockin' At The Two I's
/ref> and had worked as a pudding mixer at Peek Freans. He is usually credited as the first British rock and roll player.R. Unterberger, [ "British Rock & Roll Before the Beatles"], ''Allmusic'' retrieved 24 July 1209.

Local government

The first 'Bermondsey' is that known as the location of an History of Anglo-Saxon England, Anglo-Saxon monastery, and known from later charters to be the area around the Norman conquest of England, post-Conquest Bermondsey Abbey and its manor, which was in turn part of the medieval parish. References in the Parliamentary Rolls describe it as "in Southwark".[] A later, Victorian civil parishes in England, civil parish of Bermondsey did not include Rotherhithe or St Olave's; this was the arrangement under the Metropolis Management Act of 1855. The Southwark parishes of St Olave's and St John's Horsleydown (the latter a 'daughter' of the former) with St Thomas's formed a parish union ('District Board of Works') known as 'St Olave's' from that date. This was the arrangement within the London County from 1889. In 1899 St Olave and St Thomas's District was created as a single civil parish and the next year, following London government reorganisation, this was merged with Rotherhithe and part of Deptford to form, with Bermondsey civil parish, the Metropolitan Borough of Bermondsey. The Borough's first Mayor was Samuel Bourne Bevington (1832–1907), leather producer and one of the area's largest employers; his statue still stands in Tooley Street. This Borough disappeared into the London Borough of Southwark, in the Greater London reorganisation of 1964.

Governance

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.

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 (UK Parliament constituency), Southwark constituency. From 1885 to 1918, a separate Bermondsey (UK Parliament constituency), Bermondsey constituency existed, which included part of the older Southwark constituency. 1918 saw the seat split between two new constituencies: Rotherhithe (UK Parliament constituency), Rotherhithe and Bermondsey West (UK Parliament constituency), 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 the famous 1983 Bermondsey by-election, Bermondsey by-election in which Labour Party (UK), Labour's Peter Tatchell lost the previously safe Labour seat to the Liberal Simon Hughes on a Swing (politics), swing of 44%, which even now remains the largest by-election swing in British political history. Hughes represented the area until 2015 when he was defeated by the Labour candidate Neil Coyle. At the 1983 general election that took place several months after the by-election, a new Southwark and Bermondsey (UK Parliament constituency), Southwark and Bermondsey constituency was created, becoming North Southwark and Bermondsey (UK Parliament constituency), North Southwark and Bermondsey in 1997, and in 2010 Bermondsey and Old Southwark (UK Parliament constituency), Bermondsey and Old Southwark (although a small part of south east Bermondsey is transferred to Camberwell and Peckham in the 2010 changes).

Sport

Millwall F.C., Millwall Football Club was originally formed in 1885, in Millwall on the Isle of Dogs, East London. They retained the name, even though they moved across the river to New Cross, South East (London sub region), South East London in 1910. In 1993 they moved to their current stadium, The Den. The team has a strong local following, but has never been based in Bermondsey. The stadium lies right on the border of Southwark, but falls under the London Borough of Lewisham, Borough of Lewisham. The nearest railway station is at South Bermondsey railway station, South Bermondsey, which is a five-minute walk away.

Geography

Places of interest

*Maltby Street Market
*Bermondsey Market, Bermondsey antiques market
* Fashion and Textile Museum
* Shad Thames
* Mandela Way T-34 Tank
* Miloco Studios
* Bermondsey Spa Gardens
* Kagyu Samye Dzong London, Kagyu Samye Dzong, Tibetan Buddhist Centre
* Millwall F.C.
* HMS Belfast (C35), HMS ''Belfast''
* Tower Bridge

Nearest places

* City of London
* Whitechapel
* Borough
* Peckham
* Canary Wharf
* Deptford
* Poplar, London, Poplar
* Rotherhithe
* New Cross
* Wapping
* Camberwell
* Walworth

Transport

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 card, 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 tube station, Bermondsey and Canada Water station, Canada Water stations. London Bridge station, London Bridge station on the Jubilee and Northern line, Northern lines, and Borough tube station, Borough on the Northern line are also nearby.

The Jubilee line provides a direct link from Bermondsey to Canary Wharf tube station, Canary Wharf and Stratford station, Stratford in London's East End of London, East End, and to Waterloo tube station, Waterloo, the West End of London, West End, Baker Street tube station, Baker Street and North London, north west London towards Willesden Green tube station, Willesden and Stanmore tube station, Stanmore. The Northern line from London Bridge links the area to Kennington tube station, Kennington, Clapham and Morden tube station, Morden in the south west. Northbound services travel through the City of London, King's Cross St Pancras tube station, King's Cross St Pancras and Camden Town tube station, Camden Town, towards Edgware tube station, Edgware or High Barnet tube station, High Barnet.

National Rail & London Overground

The East London line, East London Line, South 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.

London Bridge is the busiest station in the locale, and UK railway stations, fourth busiest station in the UK, with 48.5 million passenger entries and exits in 2017–18. Services from London Bridge are provided by Southeastern (train operating company), Southeastern, Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern franchise, Thameslink and Southern (train operating company), Southern. London Bridge connects Bermondsey directly to destinations in Central London, including Waterloo East railway station, Waterloo, Charing Cross railway station, Charing Cross, Cannon Street station, Cannon Street, Farringdon station, Farringdon and St Pancras railway station, St Pancras International. Beyond London, trains travel direct to Gatwick Airport, Gatwick and Luton Airport, Luton airports, and destinations including Bedford railway station, Bedford, Brighton railway station, Brighton, Cambridge railway station, Cambridge, Dover railway station, Dover, Peterborough railway station, Peterborough and Sevenoaks railway station, Sevenoaks.

South Bermondsey railway station, South Bermondsey is served by Southern trains from London Bridge to South London, with direct connections to Beckenham Junction station, Beckenham Junction, Crystal Palace railway station, Crystal Palace and Croydon.

Rotherhithe railway station, Rotherhithe, Canada Water station, Canada Water and Surrey Quays railway station, Surrey Quays are all served by London Overground trains. These stations link Bermondsey with Dalston Junction railway station, Dalston and Highbury & Islington station, Highbury & Islington to the north. To the south, Bermondsey is linked directly to New Cross railway station, New Cross, West Croydon station, West Croydon, Crystal Palace, and Clapham Junction railway station, Clapham Junction.

Queens Road Peckham railway station, Queens Road Peckham & Peckham Rye railway station, 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. While Queens Road Peckham station is in-between Peckham Rye and South Bermondsey stations providing London Overground and Southern services.

Bus connections

London Buses routes London Buses route 1, 1; London Buses route 42, 42; London Buses route 47, 47; London Buses route 78, 78; London Buses route 188, 188; London Buses route 381, 381; London Buses route C10, C10 and London Buses route P12, P12 and night routes London Buses route N1, N1; London Buses route N47, N47; List of night buses in London#N199, N199 and London Buses route N381, N381 all serve the Bermondsey and South Bermondsey area.

Road

Several of London's arterial routes pass through Bermondsey, including:

* A100 road (England), the A100 (Tower Bridge Road) - the London Inner Ring Road towards the City of London, City and Tower Bridge;
* A101 road, the A101 (Rotherhithe Tunnel) - to Limehouse, Canary Wharf, A13 road (England), the A13 and destinations in Essex;
* A2 road (England), the A2 (Great Dover Street/Old Kent Road) - to M25 motorway, the M25, destinations in Kent and the Channel Tunnel;
* A200 road, the A200 (Jamaica Road/Lower Road) - to London Bridge and Deptford;
* A202 road, the A202 (New Kent Road) - the London Inner Ring Road towards Elephant and Castle, Elephant & Castle and A3 road, the A3;
* A2206 road (Great Britain), the A2206 (Southwark Park Road);
* A2208 road, the A2208 (Rotherhithe New Road).

Bricklayers Arms, 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 of London, 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 List of tunnels in the United Kingdom, tunnel in Europe, owing in parts to its age and lack of safety features.

London Borough of Southwark, 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.

Air pollution

The local authority say that vehicle exhaust fumes are the main source of air pollution in Southwark. Roadside air pollution levels are monitored by the local authority in Bermondsey.Results
from 2017 suggest that Bermondsey has some of the highest Nitrogen Dioxide, Nitrogen Dioxide (NO₂) levels in the Borough. NO₂ concentration was particularly high near the Rotherhithe Tunnel, along Jamaica Road and on Old Kent Road:

All the above sites failed to meet national air quality objectives.

A monitoring site on Old Kent Road registered an annual mean 22 μg/m-3 in 2017 for PM10 (particulates often found in exhaust), which meets national air quality objectives.

Cycling

Bermondsey is well connected to the List of cycle routes in London, London and National Cycle Network, 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.

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.

See also

*List of people from Southwark
*List of schools in Southwark

References

External links

Southwark London Borough Council – Bermondsey

{{Authority control

Bermondsey,
Areas of London
Districts of London on the River Thames
Districts of the London Borough of Southwark
Port of London