Southwark Cathedral, Southwark, London

Southwark Cathedral never really did it for me . London has some beautiful and imposing buildings – but this isn’t really one of them in my opinion . It looks shabby and unimportant , the first time I saw it I didn’t know what it was until I saw the sign . I thought it was just an ordinary church . I’m not a christian but I am able to find feelings of awe and inspiration from great buildings . This one leaves me cold .

I understand that Shakespeare would at the odd time visit here; that from someone that lives in Borough, their family once old dockers from the year dot. I have never been to the theatre near there.

The cathedral is a nice place and undersold in comparison to its newer Wren build over the Thames water.

A truly beautiful cathedral wonderfully placed in the middle of the urbanised London Bridge area, not just a place for worshippers but all are welcome on the grassy gardens in summer months and it provides a lovely place to enjoy the food which can be found in the adjacent Borough Market.

The cathedral is lovely and quiet, a peaceful place to reflect. There are many beautiful pieces inside, and take your time to walk around and admire them slowly.

Also, at the back, there is a old wall displaying original roads from as early as 200 AD. Many people use this enclosure as a 'wishing well’ to toss coins into.

I walked past this on my way to St Pauls and because I was rushing late couldn’t visit it properly.
It sits below the level of the road so its size and grandness is a bit lost but it looked so amazing that we went in for a quick look.
Entry is free but they suggest a donation of £4.
Inside looked amazing and I intend to make a effort to go back and visit it properly.
A guide came over while we were standing in awe and was very helpful and gave us a leaflet to read later.

This is a beautiful cathederal and has its own shop to get momentos of your visit. There is a large grassy area outside that, when its warm, a large number of people sit and eat their lunch in or even just 'catch some rays’.
However, by not going inside, these people are missing out on a real treat.
The staff are warm and welcoming and encourage people to look around.
A real piece of Southwark history that everyone should see

Beautiful cathedral with nice grass area outside that people can sit on when the sun is shining. The cathedral is really peaceful and the gardens are beautiful (with passion flowers and figs)

Beautiful architecture and right next to Borough Market! =D

I visited shortly after having a tooth extracted, which is perhaps not the best time. But it turned out to be a very good idea indeed. First off I walked through the gardens, which are small, but tranquil in spite of their busy surroundings. They include a monument to a Native American chief buried there, and it’s nice to see some of his native spiritual symbols included and respected. Inside I was greeted by notices suggesting a £4 donation, and a greeter who pressed a leaflet on me.

The leaflet takes you on a walk around the cathedral visiting various things to look at. There’s a real range, from ancient tombs with figures in stone and wood, to modern sculptures. It’s worth keeping your eyes open for more though, as not everything is covered, and many things have short explanatory notices. I’m sure I missed lots. You get a real sense of the diversity of people who’ve been using this place for hundreds of years, and right up to the modern day.

The leaflet also contains suggestions for points to stop and pray and appropriate subjects. Though I’m not a Christian, I did stop and meditate where the subjects were ones I could relate to, and enjoyed it. With that, and the diversity of culture displayed, I felt a little less of a tourist than I usually do when visiting churches!

They also have a modern shop with lots of nice gifts (though not the cheapest), and a place you can look down into the under croft and see remains of previous buildings all layered and jumbled together and going back to roman times. There’s a café too I think, and I think there were music classes going on…

Overall a lovely, beautiful, very interesting and restful place to visit. And though I don’t always, I did give a donation. It was definitely worth it.

London’s ‘other’ cathedral is less well known than the iconic St Paul’s, and the surroundings are hardly encouraging: railway viaducts, offices and the back end of Borough Market. But then, this has always been the ‘colourful’ side of London.

The church’s history is hardly less colourful itself: a fire destroyed most of the Norman church in 1212 and another fire in 1390 led to the rebuilding of the tower and south transept in 1424. The nave roof collapsed in 1468, and the rest of the nave fell into such disrepair that it was completely rebuilt in 1890.

But enough remains for Southwark to claim itself ‘London’s oldest gothic building’. And certainly the choir, sanctuary, aisles, and retro-choir, dating from the initial rebuilding (1215-1273) are a fine example of the Early English gothic style. The crossing dates from the 14th and early 15th centuries, and the nave is a surprisingly sympathetic Victorian addition.

A 12th century Norman door and 13th century arcading survive in the Nave, as well as the superb tomb of John Gower (d. 1408), the poet and friend of Chaucer. The splendid Altar Screen of 1520 and a rare wooden effigy of a 13th century knight are found in the Choir, alongside the charming 17th century memorial to the Humble family.

There are numerous other tombs and memorials dating from the 16th-18th centuries, as well as some Roman mosaic tiles from a villa that once stood on the site. A more modern addition is the 19th-century memorial to Shakespeare, who spent much of his time in the area (the Globe theatre is a few minutes' walk away).

The church has a busy calendar of services and events, especially the excellent concerts and choir recitals, and the cathedral has an excellent cafe and shop. In contrast, the churchyard is a tranquil, and well-used, lunch-time retreat for office-workers.

Photos added: 25-09-2007