Until well into the seventeventh century, the only reason for north-bank residents to cross the Thames, to what is now LAMBETH and SOUTHWARK, was to visit the disreputable Bankside entertainment district around the south end of London Bridge, which lay outside the jurisdiction of the City. South London (a catch-all term for everything south of the river) still has a reputation, among north Londoners at least, as a boring, sprawling, residential district devoid of any local culture or life.

As it turns out, this is not too far from the truth: both boroughs are, for the most part, residential. However, Lambeth 's riverbank harbors several important cultural institutions, collectively known as the South Bank Centre . Although a mess architecturally, these galleries, theatres and concert halls, plus the nearby Imperial War Museum, draw large numbers across the river.

There are even more sights further east along Southwark's riverfront, most notably a reconstruction of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, and the new Tate Modern, housed in a converted power station. Another rash of popular museums can be found along Clink Street and Tooley Street, while further east still, Butler's Wharf is a thriving little warehouse development centered on the excellent Design Museum

London guide

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