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.^[2] 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.^[3]

Anglo-Saxon and Norman period

A Fête at Bermondsey (1571)^[4] by Marcus Gheeraerts the Elder, with the Tower of London in the distance at left.

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 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.^[7] 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.^[8]

Early Modern period

Former Alaska factory in Bermondsey

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.^[7]

A rare surviving building from this period is St Mary Magdalen Church 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.

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.^[9] A new church was built for the growing population of the area, and named St John Horsleydown.

Industrial era

The former Bermondsey Town Hall

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.^[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 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.

Leather, Hide and Wool Exchange, at left and Leather Market at right

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 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 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 Queen Anne to gain a monopoly of trading and training of apprentices for within 30 miles (50 kilometres) of the ancient parish, similar to a City livery company, the Bermondsey tanners.

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.^[13][14][15]

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.^[16][17]

20th century

Butler's Wharf and Courage Brewery, 1971

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.

Bermondsey Fashion and Textiles Museum (March 2007)

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^[18] and had worked as a pudding mixer at Peek Freans.^[19] He is usually credited as the first British rock and roll player.^[20]

Local government

Bermondsey Antiques Market

The first 'Bermondsey' is that known as the location of an Anglo-Saxon monastery, and known from later charters to be the area around the 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".[^[21]] A later, Victorian civil parish of Bermondsey did not include Rotherhithe or St Olave's; this was the arrangement under the Metropolis Management Act 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.^[22] This borough was incorporated into the London Borough of Southwark, in the Greater London reorganisation of 1965. For elections to the Greater London Council, Bermondsey was part of the Southwark electoral division until 1973 and then the Bermondsey electoral division until 1986.^[23]

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^[26]
• Tower Bridge

Nearest places

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

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.

Bus connections

London Buses routes 1; 42; 47; 78; 188; 381; C10 and P12 and night routes N1; N47; N199 and N381 all serve the Bermondsey and South Bermondsey area.

Road

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

• the A100 (Tower Bridge Road) – the London Inner Ring Road towards the City and Tower Bridge;
• the A101 (Rotherhithe Tunnel) – to Limehouse, Canary Wharf, the A13 and destinations in Essex;
• the A2 (Great Dover Street/Old Kent Road) – to the M25, destinations in Kent and the Channel Tunnel;
• the A200 (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.^[29]

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.^[30]

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.

List of cycle routes in Bermondsey

Route	Westbound	Eastbound	Notes
National Cycle Route 4 (NCN 4)	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.[34]
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.[35]
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.[36][37]
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.[38]
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.[39]
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.[40]

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.^[41]