Tate Modern & South Bank
The South Bank has transformed from an ill-loved backwater into one of London’s must-see areas. A roll call of riverside sights lines the Thames, beginning with the London Eye, running past the cultural enclave of the Southbank Centre and on to the outstanding Tate Modern, Millennium Bridge, Shakespeare’s Globe, waterside pubs, a cathedral and one of London’s most-visited food markets.
Pre-booked ticket for the London Eye in hand, enjoy a leisurely revolution in the skies for astronomical city views (if the weather’s clear). Hop on a bus to the Imperial War Museum, where trench warfare, the Holocaust and London during the Blitz are brilliantly documented. Stop at the Anchor & Hope for lunch before making your way to the Tate Modern. Raise a cocktail to the staggering views over the Thames at Oblix before devouring exquisite mezzes at Arabica Bar & Kitchen. Theatre lovers should have tickets booked for the National Theatre or the Old Vic.
Getting There & Around
t Waterloo, Southwark and London Bridge are on the Jubilee Line. London Bridge and Waterloo are also served by the Northern Line (and National Rail).
g The Riverside RV1 runs around the South Bank and Bankside, linking all the main sights.
Top SightTate Modern
One of London’s most amazing attractions, this outstanding modern- and contemporary-art gallery is housed in the creatively revamped Bankside Power Station. A spellbinding synthesis of modern art and capacious industrial brick design, Tate Modern has been extraordinarily successful in bringing challenging work to the masses, both through its free permanent collection and fee-paying big-name temporary exhibitions.
MAP GOOGLE MAP
www.tate.org.uk
admission free
h10am-6pm Sun-Thu, to 10pm Fri & Sat
tBlackfriars, Southwark, London Bridge
yTop Tips
AAudio guides (in five languages) are available for £4. They contain explanations about 50 artworks across the galleries and offer suggested tours for adults or children.
AFree guided highlights tours depart at 11am, noon, 2pm and 3pm daily.
ABoiler House and Switch House are connected at levels 0, 1 and 4; get yourself a map (£1) to make navigating easier.
5Take a Break
If you’ve worked up an appetite while traipsing from Boiler House to Switch House, head to gastropub Anchor & Hope for fine Modern British fare.
For highly original cocktails and a little pizzazz, try Dandelyan (www.mondrianlondon.com; Mondrian London, 20 Upper Ground, SE1; h4pm-1am Mon-Wed, noon-2am Thu-Sat, to 12.30am Sun; 
W; tSouthwark).
Boiler House
The original gallery lies in what was once Bankside Power Station. Now called Boiler House, it is an imposing sight: a 200m-long building, made of 4.2 million bricks. Its conversion into an art gallery was a master stroke of design: the ‘Tate Modern effect’ is clearly as much about the building and its location (cue the ever popular balconies on level 3 with their magnificent views of St Paul’s) as it is about the mostly 20th-century art inside.
Turbine Hall
The first thing to greet you as you pour down the ramp off Holland St at the main entrance is the astounding 3300-sq-metre Turbine Hall. Originally housing the power station’s humungous electricity generators, this vast space has become the commanding venue for large-scale installation art and temporary exhibitions. Some art critics swipe at its populism, particularly the ‘participatory art’ (Carsten Höller’s funfair-like slides Test Site; Doris Salcedo’s enormous Shibboleth fissure in the floor; and Robert Morris’ climbable geometric sculpture), but others insist this makes art more accessible. Note, if you enter instead from the river entrance, you’ll end up on the more-muted level 1.
Permanent Collection
Tate Modern’s permanent collection is arranged by both theme and chronology on levels 2 and 4 of Boiler House and levels 0, 2, 3 and 4 of Switch House. The emphasis in the latter is on art from the 1960s onwards.
More than 60,000 works are on constant rotation, which can be frustrating if you’d like to see one particular piece, but keeps it thrilling for repeat visitors. Helpfully, you can check the excellent website to see whether a specific work is on display – and where.
The curators have at their disposal paintings by Georges Braque, Henri Matisse, Piet Mondrian, Andy Warhol, Mark Rothko and Jackson Pollock, as well as pieces by Joseph Beuys, Damien Hirst, Rebecca Horn, Claes Oldenburg and Auguste Rodin.
A great place to begin is the Start Display on level 2 of Boiler House: this small, specially curated ‘taster’ display features some of the best-loved works in the collection and gives visitors useful pointers for how to go about tackling unfamiliar (and an overwhelming amount of) art.
Switch House
The new Tate Modern extension takes its name from the former electrical substation that still occupies the southeast end of the site. To echo its sister building, it is also constructed of brick, although here these are slightly lighter and have been artistically laid out in a lattice to let light in (and out – the building looks stunning after dark).
The interior is rather stark, with raw, unpolished concrete (the original look of the Tanks) vaguely reminiscent of decrepit brutalist buildings, but the exhibition space is fantastic, giving the collection the room it deserves to breathe and shine.
The Tanks
The three huge subterranean tanks once stored fuel for the power station. These unusual circular spaces are now dedicated to showing live art, performance, installation and film, or ‘new art’ as the Tate calls it.
Tate of the Art
Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron scooped the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize for their transformation of empty Bankside Power Station, which closed in 1981. Leaving the building’s single central 99m-high chimney, adding a two-storey glass box onto the roof and employing the cavernous Turbine Hall as a dramatic entrance space were three strokes of genius. Herzog & de Meuron also designed the new Tate extension, Switch House.
Special Exhibitions
With the opening of Switch House, the Tate Modern has increased the number of special exhibitions it hosts. You will find the exhibits on levels 3 and 4 of Boiler House and level 2 of Switch House; all are subject to admission charges (adult tickets cost £12.50 to £18.50; children enter free).
Past special exhibitions have included retrospectives on Henri Matisse, Edward Hopper, Frida Kahlo, Roy Lichtenstein, August Strindberg, Nazism and ‘Degenerate’ Art, Joan Miró and Amedeo Modigliani.
1Top Sights
1Sights
Sights
1London Eye VIEWPOINT
Standing 135m high in a fairly flat city, the London Eye affords views 25 miles in every direction, weather permitting. Interactive tablets provide great information (in six languages) about landmarks as they appear in the skyline. Each rotation – or ‘flight’ – takes a gracefully slow 30 minutes. At peak times (July, August and school holidays) it can feel like you’ll spend more time in the queue than in the capsule; book premium fast-track tickets to jump the queue. (
%0871 222 4002; www.londoneye.com; adult/child £27/22; h11am-6pm Sep-May, 10am-8.30pm Jun-Aug; tWaterloo, Westminster)
1Shakespeare’s Globe HISTORIC BUILDING
Unlike other venues for Shakespearean plays, the new Globe was designed to resemble the original as closely as possible, which means having the arena open to the fickle London skies, leaving the 700 ‘groundlings’ (standing spectators) to weather London’s spectacular downpours. Visits to the Globe include tours of the theatre (half-hourly) as well as access to the exhibition space, which has fascinating exhibits on Shakespeare and theatre in the 17th century. (%020-7902 1500; www.shakespearesglobe.com; 21 New Globe Walk, SE1; adult/child £17/10; h9.30am-5pm; 
c; tBlackfriars, London Bridge)
1Borough Market MARKET
Located in this spot in some form or another since the 13th century (possibly since 1014), ‘London’s Larder’ has enjoyed an astonishing renaissance in the past 15 years. Always overflowing with food lovers, inveterate gastronomes, wide-eyed visitors and Londoners in search of inspiration for their dinner party, this fantastic market has become firmly established as a sight in its own right. The market specialises in high-end fresh products; there are also plenty of takeaway stalls and an almost unreasonable number of cake stalls. (www.boroughmarket.org.uk; 8 Southwark St, SE1; h10am-5pm Wed & Thu, 10am-6pm Fri, 8am-5pm Sat; tLondon Bridge)
Borough Market Freebies
Freeloaders, gastronomic bargain hunters and the irrepressibly peckish need to make a pilgrimage to Borough Market when the munchies strike: loads of freebie samples can be had from the stalls – from tasty titbits to exotic fare. And if freebies don’t cut it, plump for one of the numerous takeaway stalls.
1Imperial War Museum MUSEUM
Fronted by a pair of intimidating 15in naval guns, this riveting museum is housed in what was the Bethlehem Royal Hospital, a psychiatric hospital also known as Bedlam. Although the museum’s focus is on military action involving British or Commonwealth troops largely during the 20th century, it rolls out the carpet to war in the wider sense. Highlights include the state-of-the-art First World War Galleries and Witnesses to War in the forecourt and atrium above. (%020-7416 5000; www.iwm.org.uk; Lambeth Rd, SE1; admission free; h10am-6pm; tLambeth North)
1Southwark Cathedral CHURCH
The earliest surviving parts of this relatively small cathedral are the retrochoir at the eastern end, which contains four chapels and was part of the 13th-century Priory of St Mary Overie, some ancient arcading by the southwest door and an arch that dates to the original Norman church. But most of the cathedral is Victorian. Inside there are monuments galore, including a Shakespeare memorial. Catch evensong at 5.30pm on four weekdays a week, 4pm on Saturdays and 3pm on Sundays. (%020-7367 6700; www.cathedral.southwark.anglican.org; Montague Cl, SE1; h8am-6pm Mon-Fri, 8.30am-6pm Sat & Sun; tLondon Bridge)
1London Dungeon HISTORIC BUILDING
Older kids tend to love the London Dungeon, as the terrifying queues during school holidays and weekends testify. It’s all spooky music, ghostly boat rides, macabre hangman’s drop-rides, fake blood and actors dressed up as torturers and gory criminals (including Jack the Ripper and Sweeney Todd), with interactive scares galore. (www.thedungeons.com/london; County Hall, Westminster Bridge Rd, SE1; adult/child £30/24; h10am-4pm Mon-Wed & Fri, 11am-4pm Thu, 10am-6pm Sat, 10am-5pm Sun; c; tWaterloo, Westminster)
Tate-to-Tate Boat
For the most scenic of culture trips, take the Tate Boat (one-way adult/child £8.30/4.15) between the Bankside Pier at Tate Modern and the Millbank Pier at its sister museum, Tate Britain.
1Southbank Centre ARTS CENTRE
The flagship venue of the Southbank Centre, Europe’s largest centre for performing and visual arts, is the Royal Festival Hall. Its gently curved facade of glass and Portland stone is more humane than its 1970s brutalist neighbours. It is one of London’s leading music venues and the epicentre of life on this part of the South Bank, hosting cafes, restaurants, shops and bars. (%020-3879 9555; www.southbankcentre.co.uk; Belvedere Rd, SE1; c; tWaterloo, Embankment)
The South Bank
The South Bank can be split into three main ‘hubs’ for sights: the area right on its southwestern fringe, where the London Eye and Southbank Centre are located; the area known as ‘Bankside’, where you’ll find the Tate Modern, Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre and Borough Market; and finally the stretch between London Bridge and Tower Bridge, where landmarks such as the Shard, HMS Belfast and City Hall congregate.
1Old Operating Theatre Museum & Herb Garret MUSEUM
This unique museum, 32 steps up a spiral stairway in the tower of St Thomas Church (1703), is the unlikely home of Britain’s oldest operating theatre. Rediscovered in 1956, the garret was used by the apothecary of St Thomas’s Hospital to store medicinal herbs. The museum looks back at the horror of 19th-century medicine – all pre-anaesthetic and pre-antiseptic. You can browse the natural remedies, including snail water for venereal disease, and recoil at the fiendish array of amputation knives and blades. (www.oldoperatingtheatre.com; 9a St Thomas St, SE1; adult/child £6.50/3.50; h10.30am-5pm; tLondon Bridge)
1HMS Belfast SHIP
HMS Belfast is a magnet for kids of all ages. This large, light cruiser – launched in 1938 – served in WWII, helping to sink the German battleship Scharnhorst, shelling the Normandy coast on D-Day and later participating in the Korean War. Its 6in guns could bombard a target 14 land miles distant. Displays offer a great insight into what life on board was like, in peace times and during military engagements. (www.iwm.org.uk/visits/hms-belfast; Queen’s Walk, SE1; adult/child £15.45/7.70; h10am-5pm; tLondon Bridge)
1Millennium Bridge BRIDGE
The elegant steel, aluminium and concrete Millennium Bridge staples the south bank of the Thames, in front of Tate Modern, to the north bank, at the steps of Peter’s Hill below St Paul’s Cathedral. The low-slung frame designed by Sir Norman Foster and Antony Caro looks spectacular, particularly when lit up at night with fibre optics, and the view of St Paul’s from the South Bank has become one of London’s iconic images. (tSt Paul’s, Blackfriars)
1Shard NOTABLE BUILDING
Puncturing the skies above London, the dramatic splinter-like form of the Shard has rapidly become an icon of London. The viewing platforms on floors 69 and 72 are open to the public and the views are, as you’d expect from a 244m vantage point, sweeping, but they come at a hefty price – book online at least a day in advance to make a big saving. (www.theviewfromtheshard.com; 32 London Bridge St, SE1; adult/child £31/25; h10am-10pm; tLondon Bridge)
Eating
5Padella ITALIAN £
MAP GOOGLE MAPYet another fantastic addition to the foodie enclave of Borough Market, Padella is a small, energetic bistro specialising in handmade pasta dishes, inspired by the owners’ extensive culinary adventures in Italy. The portions are small, which means that, joy of joys, you can (and should!) have more than one dish. Outstanding. (www.padella.co; 6 Southwark St, SE1; dishes £4-11.50; hnoon-3.45pm & 5-10pm Mon-Sat, noon-3.45pm & 5-9pm Sun; 
v; tLondon Bridge)
Pie & Mash
Those curious to find out how Londoners ate before everything went chic and ethnic should visit a traditional pie-’n’-mash shop. M Manze (MAP; www.manze.co.uk; 87 Tower Bridge Rd, SE1; mains from £2.95; h11am-2pm Mon, 10.30am-2pm Tue-Thu, 10am-2.30pm Fri, to 2.45pm Sat; tBorough) dates to 1902 and is a classic operation, from the ageing tile work to the traditional worker’s menu (with prices from £2.95): pie and mash or pie and liquor. You can take your eels jellied or stewed.
5Watch House CAFE £
Saying that the Watch House nails the sandwich wouldn’t really do justice to this tip-top cafe: the sandwiches really are delicious, and use artisan breads from a local baker. But there is also great coffee, and treats for the sweet-toothed. The small but lovely setting is a renovated 19th-century watch-house from where guards looked out for grave robbers in the next-door cemetery. (www.thewatchhouse.com; 199 Bermondsey St, SE1; mains from £4.95; h7am-6pm Mon-Fri, 8am-6pm Sat, 9am-5pm Sun; v; tBorough, London Bridge)
5Maltby Street Market MARKET £
Started as an alternative to the juggernaut that is Borough Market, Maltby Street Market is becoming a victim of its own success, with brick-and-mortar shops and restaurants replacing the old workshops, and throngs of visitors. That said, it boasts some original – and all top-notch – food stalls selling smoked salmon from East London, African burgers, seafood and lots of pastries. (www.maltby.st; Maltby St, SE1; dishes £5-10; h9am-4pm Sat, 11am-4pm Sun; tBermondsey)
5Skylon MODERN EUROPEAN ££
MAP GOOGLE MAPThis excellent restaurant inside the Royal Festival Hall is divided into grill and fine-dining sections by a large bar. The decor is cutting-edge 1950s: muted colours and period chairs (trendy then, trendier now), while floor-to-ceiling windows bathe you in magnificent views of the Thames and the city. Booking is advised. (%020-7654 7800; www.skylon-restaurant.co.uk; 3rd fl, Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, Belvedere Rd, SE1; 3-course menu grill/restaurant £25/30; hgrill noon-11pm Mon-Sat, to 10.30pm Sun, restaurant noon-2.30pm & 5-10.30pm Mon-Sat, 11.30am-4pm Sun; W; tWaterloo)
5Anchor & Hope GASTROPUB ££
A stalwart of the South Bank food scene, the Anchor & Hope is a quintessential gastropub: elegant but not formal, and utterly delicious (European fare with a British twist). The menu changes daily but think salt-marsh lamb shoulder cooked for seven hours; wild rabbit with anchovies, almonds and rocket; and panna cotta with rhubarb compote. (www.anchorandhopepub.co.uk; 36 The Cut, SE1; mains £12-20; hnoon-2.30pm Tue-Sat, 6-10.30pm Mon-Sat, 12.30-3.15pm Sun; tSouthwark)
5Baltic EASTERN EUROPEAN ££
In a bright and airy, high-ceilinged dining room with glass roof and wooden beams, Baltic is travel on a plate: dill and beetroot, dumplings and blini, pickle and smoke, rich stews and braised meat. From Polish to Georgian, the flavours are authentic and the dishes beautifully presented. The wine and vodka lists are equally diverse. (%020-7928 1111; www.balticrestaurant.co.uk; 74 Blackfriars Rd, SE1; mains £11.50-22, 2-course lunch menu £17.50; hnoon-3pm & 5.30-11.15pm Tue-Sat, noon-4.30pm & 5.30-10.30pm Sun, 5.30-11.15pm Mon; v; tSouthwark)
5Arabica Bar & Kitchen MIDDLE EASTERN £££
Pan–Middle Eastern cuisine is a well-rehearsed classic these days, but Arabica Bar & Kitchen has managed to bring something fresh to its table: the decor is contemporary and bright, the food delicate and light, and there’s an emphasis on sharing (two to three small dishes per person). The downside of this tapas approach is that the bill adds up quickly. (%020-3011 5151; www.arabicabarandkitchen.com; 3 Rochester Walk, Borough Market, SE1; dishes £6-14; hnoon-11pm Mon-Fri, 9am-11.30pm Sat, noon-9pm Sun; v; tLondon Bridge)
Drinking
6Oblix BAR
MAP GOOGLE MAPOn the 32nd floor of the Shard, Oblix offers mesmerising vistas of London. You can come for anything from a coffee (£3.50) to a cocktail (from £13.50) and enjoy virtually the same views as the official viewing galleries of the Shard (but at a reduced cost and with the added bonus of a drink). Live music every night from 7pm. (www.oblixrestaurant.com; 32nd fl, Shard, 31 St Thomas St, SE1; hnoon-11pm; tLondon Bridge)
6King’s Arms PUB
Relaxed and charming, this neighbourhood boozer at the corner of a terraced Waterloo backstreet was a funeral parlour in a previous life. The large traditional bar area, complete with open fire in winter, serves up a good selection of ales and bitters. It gets packed with after-work crowds between 6pm and 8pm. (%020-7207 0784; www.thekingsarmslondon.co.uk; 25 Roupell St, SE1; h11am-11pm Mon-Fri, noon-11pm Sat, noon-10.30pm Sun; tWaterloo)
6Coffee House COFFEE
This addition to the Bankside coffee scene is a godsend, and for barista-worshipping coffee lovers it’s the place to come. There may be a slight whiff of pretension about the Mac-wielding media types who choose to hang out here, but it’s still a top spot with enough space to linger peacefully over a flat white. (The Gentlemen Baristas; www.thegentlemenbaristas.com; 63 Union St, SE1; coffee £1.50-2.90; h7am-6pm Mon-Fri, 8.30am-5pm Sat, 10am-4pm Sun; W; tLondon Bridge, Borough)
6George Inn PUB
Owned and leased by the National Trust, this magnificent old boozer is London’s last surviving galleried coaching inn, dating from 1677 (after a fire destroyed it the year before) and mentioned in Dickens’ Little Dorrit. It is on the site of the Tabard Inn, where the pilgrims in Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales gathered before setting out on the road to Canterbury, Kent. (NT; %020-7407 2056; www.nationaltrust.org.uk/george-inn; 77 Borough High St, SE1; h11am-11pm; tLondon Bridge)
Bermondsey Beer Mile
Craft beer is having its moment in London, and Bermondsey is at the epicentre of this revival, with seven microbreweries within just over a mile, welcoming discerning drinkers on Friday nights and Saturdays generally from 11am to 5pm (sometimes later).
Try Southwark Brewing Company (www.southwarkbrewing.co.uk; 46 Druid St, SE1; h5-10pm Fri, 11am-6pm Sat, to 4pm Sun; tLondon Bridge), located in a hangar-like space kitted out with big tables and sofas. Also worthy is Anspach & Hobday (www.anspachandhobday.com; 118 Druid St, SE1; h5-9.30pm Fri, 10.30am-6.30pm Sat, 12.30-5pm Sun; tLondon Bridge), which has a nice outdoor seating area. Porter (a dark, roasted beer) is the name of the game here.
6Aqua Shard BAR
MAP GOOGLE MAPEntry to this classy three-storey bar and restaurant gets you the mesmeric view from the Shard, without the sky-high viewing-platform admission fee. There are often queues, and the bar doesn’t take bookings (though the restaurant does), so come early (for coffee) or very late (close to midnight) if you want to avoid a wait. Children are welcome until 6pm. (www.aquashard.co.uk; 31st fl, 31 St Thomas St, SE1; h10.30am-1am Sun-Thu, to 3am Fri & Sat; tLondon Bridge)
6Anchor Bankside PUB
A mainstay recommendation – but with good reason – this riverside boozer dates back to the 17th century. Trips to the terrace are rewarded with superb views across the Thames but brace for a constant deluge of drinkers. Eighteenth-century dictionary writer Samuel Johnson, whose brewer friend owned the joint, drank here, as did diarist Samuel Pepys before that. (34 Park St, SE1; h11am-11pm Sun-Wed, to midnight Thu-Sat; tLondon Bridge)
Entertainment
3Shakespeare’s Globe THEATRE
MAP GOOGLE MAPIf you love Shakespeare and the theatre, the Globe will knock your theatrical socks off. This authentic Shakespearean theatre is a wooden ‘O’ without a roof over the central stage area, and although there are covered wooden bench seats in tiers around the stage, many people (there’s room for 700) do as 17th-century ‘groundlings’ did, and stand in front of the stage. (%020-7401 9919; www.shakespearesglobe.com; 21 New Globe Walk, SE1; seats £20-45, standing £5; tBlackfriars, London Bridge)
3National Theatre THEATRE
England’s flagship theatre showcases a mix of classic and contemporary plays performed by excellent casts in three theatres (Olivier, Lyttelton and Dorfman). Artistic director Rufus Norris, who started in April 2015, made headlines in 2016 for announcing plans to stage a Brexit-based drama. (Royal National Theatre; %020-7452 3000; www.nationaltheatre.org.uk; South Bank, SE1; tWaterloo)
3Unicorn Theatre THEATRE
It seems only natural that one of the first theatres dedicated to young audiences would make its home in a neighbourhood of heavy-hitting theatres. Its rationale is that the best theatre for children should be judged against the same standards as the best theatre for adults. The productions are therefore excellent, wide-ranging and perfectly tailored to their target audience. (%020-7645 0560; www.unicorntheatre.com; 147 Tooley St, SE1; tLondon Bridge)
3Old Vic THEATRE
American actor Kevin Spacey took the theatrical helm of this London theatre in 2003. He was succeeded in April 2015 by Matthew Warchus (who directed Matilda the Musical and the film Pride), whose aim is to bring eclectic programming to the theatre: expect new writing, as well as dynamic revivals of old works and musicals. (%0844 871 7628; www.oldvictheatre.com; The Cut, SE1; tWaterloo)
3Southbank Centre CONCERT VENUE
MAP GOOGLE MAPThe Southbank Centre comprises several venues – Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall and Purcell Room – hosting a wide range of performing arts. As well as regular programming, it organises fantastic festivals, including London Wonderground (circus and cabaret), Udderbelly (a festival of comedy in all its guises) and Meltdown (a music event curated by the best and most eclectic names in music). (%0844 875 0073; www.southbankcentre.co.uk; Belvedere Rd, SE1; tWaterloo)
3Royal Festival Hall CONCERT VENUE
Royal Festival Hall’s amphitheatre seats 2500 and is one of the best places for catching world- and classical-music artists. The sound is fantastic, the programming impeccable and there are frequent free gigs in the wonderfully expansive foyer. (%020-7960 4200; www.southbankcentre.co.uk; Southbank Centre, Belvedere Rd, SE1; W; tWaterloo)
3Queen Elizabeth Hall CONCERT VENUE
This concert hall hosts music and dance performances on a smaller scale to the nearby Royal Festival Hall, both part of the Southbank Centre. The Hall reopened in April 2018 after its 21st-century facelift. (QEH; www.southbankcentre.co.uk; Southbank Centre, Belvedere Rd, SE1; tWaterloo)
3Rambert Dance Company DANCE
The innovative Rambert Dance Company is the UK’s foremost contemporary dance troupe, performing at venues across London, the UK and abroad. (%020-8630 0600; www.rambert.org.uk; 99 Upper Ground, SE1)
Shopping
7Lovely & British GIFTS & SOUVENIRS
As the name suggests, this gorgeous Bermondsey boutique prides itself on stocking prints, jewellery and homewares (crockery especially) from British designers. It’s an eclectic mix of wares, with very reasonable prices, which make lovely presents or souvenirs. (%020-7378 6570; www.facebook.com/LovelyandBritish; 132a Bermondsey St, SE1; h10am-6pm Mon-Fri, to 7pm Sat, 11am-5pm Sun; tLondon Bridge)
7Utobeer FOOD & DRINKS
MAP GOOGLE MAPThis beer shop inside Borough Market stocks around 700 international bottled beers, with a large selection of both American and European brews to take away. Its sister pub, The Rake, is located just outside the market. (www.utobeer.co.uk; Borough Market, Unit 24, Middle Row, SE1; h11am-5.30pm Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm Sat; tLondon Bridge)