The South Bank and Bankside: the back story

About The South Bank and Bankside: the back story

By the ULTIMATE London Editorial Team

Editor-in-Chief: Jai Michael

The south bank of the Thames, from Westminster Bridge to London Bridge, is one long walk of theatres, galleries, concert halls, markets and views.

The Festival of Britain

In 1951 the Festival of Britain transformed a bomb-damaged stretch of riverside into a showcase of modern design. Its one permanent building, the Royal Festival Hall, became the heart of the Southbank Centre.

The arts centres

The National Theatre followed in 1976, alongside the Hayward Gallery and the BFI under Waterloo Bridge. The London Eye arrived in 2000 to mark the millennium.

The South Bank is London’s cultural front room, open to everyone who walks along the river.

Bankside

Further east, Bankside was once the City’s playground of theatres and taverns. Shakespeare’s Globe was rebuilt here in 1997, and the old Bankside Power Station became Tate Modern in 2000.

London Bridge

Around London Bridge are Borough Market, Southwark Cathedral, Hay’s Galleria and The Shard, completed in 2012.

Our advice: walk the riverside from the London Eye to Tower Bridge, stopping at the Southbank Centre, Tate Modern and Borough Market; it takes a leisurely day.

Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with The South Bank and Bankside: the back story before you go.