Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44The savoury and at times unsavoury history of London’s south side by Alice McCool the river’s edge hough a less established hang-out than its more commercial neighbour South Bank, Bankside has a rich and exciting history which can be felt in its cultural atmosphere today. Running to the east of South Bank from Blackfriars Bridge to London Bridge, Bankside’s wonders are easily reachable by bus, on foot, or train and tube via London Bridge, Waterloo, Southwark and Blackfriars. And the completion of the extension of Bankside Pier this June means more boats will be transporting Londoners and tourists to the area. According to historian John Constable, in the 1500s and 1600s Bankside gained a reputation as a “hotbed of creativity, dissent and loose living”. Renowned as the home of The Globe Theatre, the area inspired not only Shakespeare but the likes of Dickens and Blake - and has hosted a number of other historic theatres such as The Swan, The Hope and now renovated Rose Playhouse (on Rose Alley). Along with the theatres Shakespeare watches on as a bear is led into the fighting pits. Painting by William Hatherell.