Historic Rotherhithe

Rotherhithe has been associated with the River Thames, shipbuilding and supporting trades from at least the 17th century and this walk examines some of this riverside history. The additional information, referenced by  letters in brackets, provides greater detail about the walk. 

[1] On leaving the centre cross the road and turn right.  Shortly after the church opposite Marley Street turn left along a pedestrian path and go straight on into Warndon Street.  At the main road (Rotherhithe New Road) cross at the pedestrian crossing on your left. Go straight ahead along the footpath alongside the school.  Cross Hawkstone Road using the zebra crossing.  Turn left and then right to enter Southwark Park (A). Cross the car park and inside the park railings take the left hand path.  Follow left hand path. Pass a children’s play area. At the lake ‘Boathouse’ keep straight on. Shortly bear right to go alongside lake. Pass the Rose Garden.  When the lakeside path rejoins main path turn right.   Carry straight on at the drive (be careful of traffic) and by the tennis courts take the right hand path towards the bowling green and turn left towards the bandstand (B). At the drinking fountain (C) bear right, taking the middle path, away from the bowling green, to the right hand corner of the park.  At park crossroads go straight across.  Pass the Albion Memorial Garden and a green ventilator shaft (D) for the Jubilee Line.

[2] Leave the park at Paradise Gate.  Use the zebra crossing to left of the gate to cross busy Jamaica Road. On far side turn right and immediately left into King’s Stairs Gardens (E). Take the left hand path.  At path crossroads fork left with a playground on your right.  Shortly the path emerges into Fulford Street.  Turn right and head for the River Thames waterfront (F) and towards a solitary house (G). Turn left along the waterfront passing the Angel Pub (H) and head for the Thames viewing area alongside, for a fine view of Tower Bridge and various other London Landmarks.  Note Dr Salter’s Day Dream (I) and on the other side of the road, the remains of King Edward III Manor House (J). 

[3]  Retrace your steps and continue along the riverside, passing another viewing area, keeping the river on your left.  Pass another section of open river front. Here you can see the EIIR column (K). Continue along river frontage through King Stairs Close.

If King Stairs Close is closed due to building works cut across grass (100 yards) following line of wall, or follow path round to playground and then turn left.  Exit gardens. Turn left into Elephant Lane. Head back to river to viewpoint.

At Elephant Lane go left to a viewpoint before continuing along Rotherhithe Street, between converted warehouse buildings with connecting bridges. Pass Hope Suffrage Wharf (L). You are now in Rotherhithe village.  Turn right at St Mary’s Church (M) into the churchyard. Pass the main entrance to church and straight ahead is the School House (N) and to the right, Watch House (O), St Mary’s Churchyard Garden (P) and the Engine House (Q). 

[4]  Turn left and continue round the church until a T-junction at the Mayflower Pub (R). Turn right past Grice’s Granary (S) and shortly on your right is Brunel’s Pumping Station (T).  Turn right down Railway Avenue.  Pass Kennington Street and continue straight ahead onto a footpath alongside Rotherhithe Station (U).  Use the pedestrian crossing on the left to cross Brunel Road and continue straight on along the path on the far side.  At T junction turn right into Albion Street.  Pass Clack Street and a school. Cross road as it narrows to turn left into Renforth Street. Pass Risdon Street.  Ahead on left is a chimney stack and Renforth Pump House (V).

[5] Just after a no entry sign turn right into an estate.  Bear right at the end of the car park with Calgary Court on your left.  Turn left by white concrete staircase to head into a garden square.  In the square fork right  and continue across it to exit beside Edmonton Court.  At road opposite Ritchie House (Moodkee Street) turn left and go straight into King George’s Field (W). Take the right hand path and leave the park opposite the Seven Seas Leisure Centre.  Use pedestrian crossing to cross to Leisure Centre and then turn left.  Immediately after the Leisure Centre turn right into Gomm Road, note plaque at number 36 (X).

[6] Continue into Southwark Park.  Just before the traffic barrier fork left, towards the lake. There is a playground to the left. Turn left at the lake. Follow the lakeside around to the right passing the Gallery.  At T-junction by ‘boathouse’ turn left. Shortly afterwards turn right to leave the park at Dilston Grove Church (Y). Turn left at Abbeyfield Road along a pedestrian path.  Bear left at end of the path continuing along Abbeyfield Road.  By house number 92 turn right to cut through to main Rotherhithe New Road. Use the pedestrian crossing on the right to cross road and on the far side turn left.  Turn right at Silwood Street.  Turn left at the railway and then left into Eugenia Road, to return to the centre.

This information sheet should be used in conjunction with the main route description to help get the most out of your walk. 

(A) Southwark Park - Opened in June 1869. (see ‘An Amble in Park’ Walk)

(B) Bandstand - Relocated in 1884 from the Royal Horticultural Society grounds at South Kensington, now the site of the Royal Albert Hall.  Demolished for scrap metal in WWII.  Exact replica now hosts a number of events and concerts throughout the summer.

(C) Drinking fountain 1884 - London's first public memorial to honour a working class man (Mr Jabez West 1810-1884, a member of a local Temperance Society.)

(D) Culling Road Ventilator Shaft - Jubilee Line ventilator shaft with random pre-patinated copper panels designed to allow subsequent natural weathering and complement the nearby funeral parlour. Architect Ian Ritchie.

(E)   Kings Stairs Gardens refers to Edward Ill who had a moated manor house nearby and used the stairs for access from the river.  (see information board for further details)

(F) Thames Waterfront - This part of Bermondsey has a history of settlement dating back some 3,500 years. The landscape at that time would have been very different, with low-lying islands and a much wider, constantly flooding Thames. The land was reclaimed from the river some 200 years ago by the building of the river walls.

(G)   Solitary House - 41 Rotherhlthe Street. Sole remaining terraced house from a whole row lining Thames. Former premises of Braithwaite & Dean, Lightermen

(H) Angel Pub - a restored 19th century hostelry on a 15th century site.   Originally run by monks from Bermondsey Abbey, clients included Pepys, Judge Jefferies as well as dockers, sailors, pirates, smugglers and pressgangs.

(I)   Dr. Salter’s Day Dream  - The 3 part sculpture  Man, daughter and cat by Diane Gorvin, 2001, commemorates Dr Albert Salter (1873-1945) who as MP did much to improve the conditions for local people.– see information board for more detail.

(J)   King Edward’s Moat House - Foundations of a manor house and moat built by King Edward III in the 14th century and lost for centuries beneath commercial buildings, until exposed in the early 1990s. (see information board for more details)

(K)  EIIR column - Jubilee Stone (1977 replaced 2002) Original unveiled by the Queen in her Silver Jubilee year and replaced at her Golden Jubilee by Southwark Council and unveiled on July 5th 2002 by the Duke and Duchess of Wessex.

(L) Hope Suffrage Wharf  - From Tudor times ships were required to discharge at legal quays between Billingsgate and the Tower. By the end of the 18th century these could not cope with the volume and suffrage wharves were added to handle lower value cargoes.

(M) St Mary’s is a Grade II listed building by John James, an associate of Wren, dating from the 14th century and rebuilt between 1715 and 1748. It has many associations with the Mayflower, which carried the Pilgrim fathers to the New World in 1620. It is the burial place of the captain, as noted by a blue plaque. It’s eight bells are in full working order. The interior was restyled by William Butterfield in 1873-6.

(N)   Old School House (1697) – School was established in 1613 by Master Mariner Peter Hills for the education of 8 sons of seaman and moved here in 1795. The figures of the schoolchildren are of Portland Stone.

(O)  Watch House (1821) - Served as a law enforcement centre prior to the formation of the Metropolitan Police in 1829 and also enabled a watch on new graves in case of body-snatchers.

(P)   Churchyard Garden  -  A small garden has been laid out. At back is the old mortuary building used 1895-1965. It had hooks in the ceiling and channels in the floor to deal with bodies fished from the river. It is now used by the Time & Talents Association.

(Q)   Engine House 1821 – Now just a frontage.  Contained the local fire appliance.

(R)  Mayflower Pub -  Dating from 1780 as The Spread Eagle and Crown, it was rebuilt after fire in the 19th century and again in 1958 after losing roof and upper floor to war-time bombing when it was renamed the Mayflower. It is the only English pub licensed to sell US and UK stamps having been a post office for the river.

(S)  Grice's Granary dates back to 1796-1800. It is now the home of Sands Films with a sound stage and costume hire department. The Picture Research Library (Costumes) is open to the public, as is a small 30 seater art-house cinema.

(T)  Brunel Engine House 1842 - Grade II listed building, which served as a pumping house for Marc Brunel’s Thames Tunnel (1825-1843). The first underwater tunnel in the world it suffered mishaps, flooding and lack of funds, before being opened as a pedestrian tunnel. Subsequently it was used by the East London Railway (steam) from 1869 (electrified 1913.). Now the Brunel Museum 

(U) Rotherhithe station – East London Railway and later London Underground - Opened 1884.  Now convered to London Overground railway and 8 coach trains.

(V) Renforth Pump House 1902-3 Grade ll Listed, now converted to flats - One of five pumping stations which provided hydraulic power for Central London and the docks. Lifts, hoists, cranes and even theatre safety curtains were powered from here, until closure in 1977.  The old pipework now carries fibre-optic cables for telecommunications.

(W) King George's Field - Site of All Saints Church Lower Road, destroyed during WWII. Now a public open space dedicated to memory of King George V (1865-1936).

(X) Richard Carr-Gomm (1922-2008) was a social reformer and housing provider. He founded the Abbeyfield Society in 1956, for older people and in 1965 the Carr-Gomm charity to combat isolation and mental health problems experienced by all ages. No 36 Gomm Road was the second house bought for the Abbeyfield Society.

(Y)   Dilston Grove 1911 (former Clare College Mission Church) designed by Michael Ayton was the first poured concrete church, is Grade II listed and scheduled for extensive refurbishment funded by a government grant. (see also An Amble in the Park Walk).

Route originally designed and developed by Brian Hunt, May 2009