Free entry…Builtifull church….Near to the Brough Market…

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