• London SE1
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Bankside

Bankside is perhaps the part of SE1 with the highest profile, largely thanks to the arrival in 2000 of Tate Modern in the former Bankside Power Station. A visit to the full-size replica of Shakespeare's Globe just yards from its original site is also a leading attraction in the area. An ideal complement to the Globe is the Rose Theatre Exhibition, a chance to explore the history of Bankside in an audio-visual presentation on the site of the remains of the first Bankside playhouse.

Crossing the river onto Bankside is now easier thanks to the Millennium Bridge (finally open to the public), whilst the Jubilee Bridge Trust has plans to add a river crossing, to be known as the Cannon Footbridge, for pedestrians to the existing Cannon Street Railway Bridge.

An established artistic institution in the Tate's shadow is the Bankside Gallery, which along with Purdy Hicks and the Marcus Campbell Art Bookshop put Bankside firmly on London's visual art map.

Nearby hotels include the Express by Holiday Inn and the Mercure London City Bankside (both on Southwark Street), the Premier Travel Inn in Park Street, and the Southwark Rose Hotel and Novotel London City South on Southwark Bridge Road. During the summer the London School of Economics opens Bankside House to the public. A flurry of recent residential development includes the Bankside Lofts in Hopton Street and Anchor Terrace near Southwark Bridge.

Other Bankside landmarks include the Provost's Lodging (where the Dean of Southwark lives) and Cardinal's Wharf between the Globe and Tate Modern. Cardinal's Wharf probably takes its name from Cardinal Wolsey, who was Bishop of Winchester in 1529-30.

Near the Golden Hinde in St Mary Overie Dock, the round window of the Great Hall of 13th century Winchester Palace is an important landmark in Clink Street. Now cared for by English Heritage, the Palace was once the London home of the Bishop of Winchester, who had personal jurisdiction over the area, including the famous Clink Prison. It was damaged by fire in 1814.

A major participant in the regeneration of the area is the Bankside Residents' Forum which exists to bring together residents of Bankside to deal with the issues facing the area today and represent their interests to Southwark Council and other decision-makers.

Better Bankside is a business improvement district (BID) funded by a levy on business rates.

Some Bankside photographs by John Butler.

You can discuss Bankside issues in the London SE1 Forum