I somehow managed to avoid visiting London on four separate trips to Great Britain. I had seen the airport, the bus station, even Westminster Abbey from the window of a bus dawdling in traffic, but I’d never truly seen the city. I suppose you could say I was saving London for later. In the end it became a meeting point for me and my parents. They were on their way to South Africa, and I could get a direct flight to London from Bilbao, where I was living at the time. It was the most convenient half-way point for all of us. I’ve been again since, with tour group in tow, but I must say that one of my favourite things is to lazily stroll along the banks of the broad and beautiful, though murky, River Thames.
The outdoors is a fantastic break from all the first class museums and galleries London has to offer, but you should be prepared for the weather. I was inappropriately dressed on my first visit to the city (despite checking the forecast). I rectified that error the next time, but in my experience, London can be very windy and rainy, so brace yourself!
A Virtual Visit
Thanks to modern technology you don’t have to be in London to stroll along the Thames! Pandemic, work, or whatever is keeping you home, you can follow this route on Google Maps street view. Just drop the little man down and keep moving him along with your mouse. If it gets stuck just start again. I have used this trick in preparation for tours to refresh my memory on dead ends and other obstacles!
The Route
There are so many things to see along the banks of the Thames. Many tourist attractions are along the river or very close to it. You really could choose to walk along the river at various starting points, but I’ve chosen to start at Millennium Bridge and walk to Tower Bridge along the South Bank. Just have a look at the map and determine what sights you’d like to see and plan from there. For my walk one can start on the North Bank at Millennium Bridge (just down from St. Paul’s Cathedral), or if using public transportation you can get off the underground at Blackfriars, turn left at the main entrance, go down the stairs to the river bank and keep walking until you get to Millennium Bridge.
What You'll See Along the Way
All along your walk you’ll catch glimpses of the Shard, an elegant glass skyscraper designed by Renzo Piano. It has a viewing gallery for observing the city and offers an alternative to the London Eye (prices are comparable for standard tickets).
1. St. Paul’s Cathedral: Just before you cross Millennium Bridge, look back to see the façade of St. Paul’s. The cathedral is a Sir Christopher Wren design constructed between 1675 and 1710 at the highest point in the city of London. This “new” church was built because the earlier St. Paul’s was destroyed in the Great Fire of London (1666). Fun fact: Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson (Battle of Trafalgar) and the Duke of Wellington (Battle of Waterloo) are buried in the crypt at St. Paul’s.
2. Millennium Bridge: Cross over this steel suspension footbridge opened in 2000. Originally dubbed the Wobbly Bridge because it swayed as people walked across (a bit of a disconcerting feeling, I imagine). Authorities closed it for two years to fix the movement of the bridge. As you walk across the bridge look down. What were once blobs of people’s discarded chewing gum (very discourteous, indeed), are now miniature works of art thanks to Ben Wilson who has painted detailed images onto each of the sticky globules trampled by thousands of feet. Here is an article about the tiny works of art. Fun fact: You can see Millennium Bridge in various films, including Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince.
3. Tate Modern: On the other side of the Millennium Bridge you are confronted with one of the most important modern art galleries in the world, the Tate Modern (note the Tate has multiple museums in London). This is the second most visited museum in the United Kingdom. Fun fact: The architecture of the building itself may not lead you to believe a world-class modern art collection is contained within. The building used to be the Bankside Power Station.
4. Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre: Keep the river on your left and keep walking to the reconstruction of the Elizabethan playhouse dating to 1599. The new Shakespeare’s Globe opened in 1997, and is located about 200 metres from where the original theatre was located. The Globe has guided tours, plays, and workshops available to the public. If you’re doing a virtual walk along the Thames, don’t stay outside, you can do a virtual tour of the inside of the theatre. Fun fact: In 1613 the original Globe Theatre burned to the ground when, during a performance of Henry VIII, the thatched roof caught fire.
Cross over Southwark Bridge (staying on the South Bank). At the next bridge veer to the right to go through a tunnel under the bridge. Just before entering the tunnel you’ll find a colourful mural of Shakespeare, a popular spot to snap a shot for Instagram.
5. Clink Street: Passing through the dark tunnel you are on Clink Street, where a notorious prison was once located. Now there is a museum for the curious who wish to revisit those days. The Clink was a prison in operation from the 12th – 18th centuries owned by the Bishop of Winchester, whose palace (or what remains of it) is just up the street. The prison was used as a debtors’ prison and for heretics who opposed the views of the Bishop. Fun fact (maybe?): The prison was burned down in 1450 during riots in which tax collecting clerics were murdered and prisoners were released from their cells. The prison was later rebuilt.
6. Winchester Palace: Next you will come across the ruins of Winchester Palace, founded in the 12th century to house the powerful Bishops of Winchester when they visited London. The palace was used until the 17th century and then converted into tenements and warehouses. It was destroyed by fire in 1814. Fun fact: Sorry, I’ve run out!
7. Golden Hinde – Ahead you’ll find a replica of the Golden Hinde (which sounds like something from Harry Potter, but it’s not), a ship which now serves as a museum. Sir Francis Drake circumnavigated the globe (1577-1580) in a ship originally called the Pelican, but during the voyage the name was changed to the Golden Hinde. Hinde is a word for a female deer. When Drake and his crew returned to London, the ship was put into dry dock and it eventually rotted. The replica ship launched in 1973 and has travelled farther than the original ship. Fun fact: The Golden Hinde made an appearance in the miniseries Shogun in 1979 (novel by James Clavell). Another fun fact, I neglected to take a picture of the Golden Hinde. Sorry!
You’ll have to veer away from the Thames at the Golden Hinde.
8. Southwark Cathedral: Southwark Cathedral had many names over the centuries. In 1905, what was St. Saviour’s Church became Southwark Cathedral. This church was once the property of King Henry VIII and he rented the space to the congregation. In 1611 the church was purchased from James I for 800£. Fun fact: William Shakespeare’s brother, Edmund, was buried here at a cost of 20 shillings.
9. Borough Market: Just past the Southwark Cathedral there is a bustling market. If you have managed not to eat anything along the way, congratulations! Your reward is a plethora of food stalls with eye-catching culinary treats. Sadly, I have never arrived at Borough Market with an empty stomach and thus I have had to look but not partake of the bounty offered here. On my next visit I have every intention of sampling the fare. This is truly a paradise for the more gluttonous among us. Local and international, there’s a little bit of everything. Fun fact: The rise of supermarkets and the creation of the New Covent Garden in the 1970s brought about the demise of Borough Market, which had been around for 1000 years! In the 1990s the entrepreneurial spirit of artisan food businesses helped bring the market back to life and it is now open six days per week (closed on Sundays).
Pass back beside the Cathedral towards the river. Pass under London Bridge. Turn left along St. Olaf Stairs (no stairs here) to return to the Thames. Here you can look back at London Bridge.
10. London Bridge: London Bridge should bring to mind the famous nursery rhyme, “London Bridge is Falling Down”. You are probably thinking London Bridge looks quite unremarkable for being so famous. That’s because this is not the original bridge. The London Bridge you are looking at opened to traffic in 1973 (not exactly a renowned period for architecture, if we’re being honest). Prior to this, there was a 19th century construction called the “New Bridge” (1831-1967). It started to sink on one side in the 1920s and needed to be replaced. The City of London put the bridge up for sale in the 60s and Robert McCullough bought it for 2.5 million USD (some say he thought he was buying the iconic Tower Bridge). It was reconstructed in Lake Havasu City, Arizona. Fun fact (actually not fun at all): The “Old Bridge” (1209-1831) was lined with houses and shops with private and public latrines that discharged directly into the river. The heads of traitors would be impaled on pikes and displayed at the south end. The 1st head displayed was William Wallace (Braveheart). Other famous heads: Thomas Cromwell and Thomas More.
As you continue along you can look across the river at the high rises. One building stands out and has been nicknamed the Walkie Talkie because of its shape. There are quite a few creative nicknames for buildings in London.
11. Hay’s Galleria: On your right you will find Hay’s Galleria. Once a wharf, built in 1856, it is now a commercial area with shops and restaurants. The moving sculpture of a ship (with a bit of a steampunk feel to it) inside Hay’s Galleria was created by David Kemp and displayed in 1987 to remind visitors of the shipping heritage of the location. Fun fact: The nickname of the dock was the “Larder of London” because 80% of dry goods imported to London passed through this wharf.
Across the river you can see the famous Gherkin, another skyscraper with a nickname, designed by Norman Foster. A Gherkin is a type of pickle.
12. HMS Belfast: Right on the Thames you can see the HMS Belfast, a Royal Naval light cruiser that today houses one of the collections of the Imperial War Museums. She was launched on St. Patrick’s Day in 1938 and commissioned by the Royal Navy in 1939. She participated in D-Day and was in active service for 25 years. Fun fact: The HMS Belfast is one of only three surviving bombardment vessels from the D-Day invasions (the only one in the UK). The vibration from the guns firing on D-Day was so strong it cracked the crew’s toilets!
The futuristic (I say this because the style is actually Neo-futurism) building on your right is London’s City Hall also designed by Norman Foster (a good name to remember for London architecture). It is the City Hall for the Greater London Area.
13. Tower Bridge: You can’t help but notice that you’ve arrived at London’s most iconic bridge, Tower Bridge, a late 19th century bascule and suspension bridge originally operated via hydraulics powered by steam. Today, it is still a hydraulic bridge, but powered by oil and electricity instead of steam. Ships can pass when the bascules are raised, and if you are visiting in person you can check the schedule to see the bridge in action. There is also a museum that gives you access to the engine rooms and walkway above the bridge. Fun fact: The bascules take only one minute to rise to their maximum height.
14. Tower of London: If you cross Tower Bridge you find yourself confronted by the vast Tower of London complex, a UNESCO World Heritage site. After the Norman conquest of England, William the Conqueror built the White Tower in the 1070s. Much of the construction we see today dates to the 13th century when the complex was expanded. Although we often think of this site as a famous prison, which it was, the primary purpose was as a royal residence. There are many legends associated with the Tower of London, one of the most famous being the story of the Princes in the Tower. Edward V (too young to rule) and his brother Richard were confined to the tower and supposedly ordered to be murdered by their uncle, who would become Richard III. In 1674 the skeletons of two children were found and were believed to be the princes killed in the 15th century. Another famous event at the Tower of London was the execution of Anne Boleyn in 1536. Fun fact: There must be six (currently there are seven – heirs and a spare?) resident ravens at the Tower of London because it is said that if they leave the fortress the Tower and the kingdom will fall. There is a Ravenmaster responsible for the care of the birds. The names of the ravens are Jubilee, Harris, Gripp, Rocky, Erin, Poppy, and Merlina.
Note: As you walk along the Thames you may see people right down on the embankment staring intently at the muddy ground rather than at their surroundings. These people are probably mudlarkers, searching for artifacts that may appear when the river is at low tide (there are several thousand years of human occupation here after all!). As an archaeologist, this sounds like a fantastic Sunday activity to me! You do need a permit for both surface collection and digging, so make sure you obey the city laws! Read more about mudlarking.
Looks like you’ve made it to the end of the stroll along the Thames! Thanks for reading this far. I know it was a long post! I imagine at this point you are tired of the tourist hordes and in need of a coffee or tea break. Well, since you stuck around until the end, here’s my tip on a small oasis near the Tower of London (or at least I think it’s a bit of an oasis), where you can sit down and sip a coffee or whatever beverage suits your desires. There are public washrooms here as well!
After crossing Tower Bridge, veer to your right away from the Tower of London. Go through an alleyway and you’ll find yourself at St. Katharine’s Docks, where the Queen keeps her Diamond Jubilee rowbarge.
I sat on the patio at White Mulberries, a charming little café at the docks, and drank my chai latte in peace and quiet. A small luxury after a long walk. I hope you have enjoyed this visit to London. If you’re craving a bit of London at home, check out my post on Cream Tea without Crossing the Pond!
Gee, I’ve been to London several times and now feel as if I haven’t seen the city. If you want a traveling companion, call me. What a terrific blog.
Sound good and thank you for your comments! Let’s see when we can start travelling again!