Moli Life Magazine

Bermondsey Street is a historical, central area of London, located just south of the Thames and within a short walking distance of the city’s most attractive cultural, tourist and social scenes. The Street itself is host to fashionable restaurants, historical landmarks (if you stand on your bed you might see Tower Bridge!) and hidden cultural gems like the Fashion museum and the British Film Institute. The area itself is a historical testament to the industrialization and the Victorian era of London’s history, though more and more people are recognizing it as an emerging trendy quartier.The streets are being modernized to accommodate for visitors and businessmen are recognizing the potential of its proximity to the bursting social scene of the South Bank and the relaxing vibe of Southwark Park.
There’s plenty to see, and lots to do; but first, here’s what the London Bridge Backyard was all about before we got here.

History
The area has a rich historical background. Originally the site of Roman, and later Anglo-Saxon, occupation, it has since transformed itself countless times. After the Great Fire of London in 1666, the area rose from the ashes to become a respected leisure resort, with gardens and spas, frequented by the snooty elite and the casual rich. By the 19 century, however, the area had become notoriously th impoverished, a slum, which legend has it served as the inspiration for the Oliver Twist novel and the several sightings of London’s phantom (and somewhat pathetic, the only distinctive skill being jumping really, really far) supervillain, Spring-heeled Jack.



Formerly an industrial area of London, some buildings with the distinctive Dickensian look still stand today.London Bridge station was the first hub of the city’s railroad system, which continues to be a major port of call. Several factories in the area have since closed down, but some still offer tours. The Peek Frean Factory, for example, has the distinct honour of being the production site of the first chocolate biscuit in 1875: the kind of thing you never care about until someone points at a building and tells you such a pointless, yet somehow fascinating, bit of trivia.
Today, Bermondsey isn’t as jubilant or mainstream as fashion-capital Carnaby Street, or pretentious punk-rock Mecca Camden, but thrives on the appeal of being increasingly trendy, yet less obvious to first-time visitors and Polaroid-happy tourists. Now that all proper introductions have been made, this guide will now take you to the best places to visit in your leisure, from shopping hotspots for the couture cats to the delicious culinary discoveries for the gourmet gentlemen.Information about places highlighted in bold can be found in the Directory on page 16. Enjoy!

While Bermondsey itself may not be bursting with recognizable London landmarks, it is within easy reach of snap-happy locations such as Tower Bridge, Southbank and St Paul’s cathedral. Perhaps mundane for the frequent traveller, below are some suggestions to our first-time visitors for that instant “ahhh… London feeling.
Our Top 5
1. Inevitably featured in every London-set film and as recognizable as the Arc De Triomphe in Paris, Tower Bridge is definitely the key place to see. Built in 1894, it is a testament to England’s booming Industrial Revolution years, and definitely worth the ten-minute walk from the flats.

2. For those of you unfamiliar with the twisted, guilty pleasures of British culture, the Bermondsey Square Antiques Market is a fascinating place to start. With shows such as Antiques Roadshow and Flog It! Littering daytime television, it’s no wonder this Friday morning market is so popular. For the best bargains, get there early – stalls are set up from (wait for it) 4am onwards. Bringing a torch is advisable. For more information, visit www.bermondseysquare.co.uk/antiques.html

3. For a bit of cheeky, strictly non-historical and non-factual fun, head down the road for the London Dungeon . Although aimed at kids, this is wholesome family entertainment of the “Horrible Histories” variety, appealing to our car-crash instincts to enjoy all things gruesome and scary. The indoor theme park plays on London’s legends (Sweeney Todd) and history (Great Fire, Jack the Ripper) alike. The only downside is the adult £22 entry fee,which, like everything touristey in London is grossly overpriced. Good immature fun though. For details, see www.thedungeons.com
4. If visiting in the warmer months, Southwark Park is definitely the place to spend a relaxing evening after a day of walking (shopping, sightseeing, sleeping off a night of partying). Vast open lawns, the picturesque band stand and duck-inhabited boating p ond is all you need for a fresh air picnic, potato salad, strawb erries and everything. There are also rose and wildlife gardens for the cu rious and a playground for the children. Breathe, enjoy… relax!
5. Let’s not side-step the history buffs: St Paul’s Cathedral is a powerful testament to the lengths to which Man has gone to worship his maker. The cathedral you see now is the latest in a th succession of edifices dating back to the Saxons and the 7 century.

The modern cathedral is a beautiful ornate creation, with a soberly white exterior and brilliant gold decorations and frescoes on the inside. The Christian concept of charitable giving notwithstanding, admission fee is £11 (opening times are from 8.30 am to 4pm) For information on worship, visit www.stpauls.co.uk What else? Of course, while our Top 5 are the most popular destinations in the area, they may not be to everyone’s taste. The Shad Thames is a lovely, picturesque way to take in the area’s sights w ithout being mobbed by tourists armed with Polaroids. It is a fragment of the Thames Path, where you will also find less mainstream cafés, as well as the Design Museum (see our “Culture Vulture” section). The eccentrics might be interested in the Glass Blowing Studio , a leading European workshop and gallery housed in what used to be the Bermondsey Leather Market. Come along to learn a completely futile skill, or purchase something quirky-looking for the sitting room back home. Not forgetting the little ones, tired of enforced architectural appreciation and endless walking, the Unicorn is a lovely modern theatre which always has something fun, friendly and creative going on.

Culture Vulture 
may have a monopoly on art of the Renaissance and Moscow’s Bolshoi is practically synonymous with the finest ballet in the world, but London thrives on its diversity. Strange and wonderful events of all shapes and sizes take place every week in a capital – just open a weekly events guide. Meanwhile, here are some permanent cultural instalments within close proximity: everything from fine art to theatre and film.




What else?
For a genuine taste of everything London has to offer, it is advisable to check for current, rather than permanent exhibitions and events. The capital has lots to offer for the culture vulture, including art fairs, gallery openings, open-air theatre and film screenings and talks – often completely free of charge.Other interesting places in the area include the Britain at War museum for the first-hand (albeit somewhat synthetic) experience of the Blitz; a bit pricey (£10-ish) and not very big, but fun for the aficionados. For better understanding the English obsession, which is relentlessly parodied in foreign media and even made its way into a pivotal scene in Alice in Wonderland, visit the Bramah Tea & Coffee Museum. And, to accompany it, the Coleman Project Space, which is currently devoted to the Bermondsey Peek Frean biscuit factory – thoroughly fascinating.

Next to Milan and Paris, London is indisputably a Fashion Capital. Iconic brands such as Topshop and Office have for decades beckoned local and visiting shoppers to make the extra effort to attain that London style. Off the high street, the capital is also renowned for stylish, fashionable and diverse markets, famed for vintage finds and bric-a-brac. For a theoretical approach to shopping, Bermondsey Street’s Fashion and Textile Museum is also a great place to visit for inspiration.


Our Top 5
1. The go-to shopping area in London is, without a doubt,Oxford Street, which houses almost every high-street retailer in England. Although the crowds are murderous on the weekend, a weekday shopping trip promises to be relaxing and fulfilling, particularly towards the Bond-St-side departments stores like Selfridges and Debenhams. Restaurants and fast food chains are liberally dotted around the area which means that, given the will and resources, you can probably make camp there indefinitely.Oxford St is easily accessible from London Bridge: simply take the northbound Jubilee line until Bond St station
2. For those looking for a quick but classy fashion fix on a tight schedule, look no further than Bermondsey Street itself. Although it can hardly compete with Oxford St, it accommodates several interesting, hidden gems, such as edgy clothes retailer Cockfighter of Bermondsey, or classy couture and accessories boutique, Pussy Willow.Bermondsey 167 (a store so happenin’ that their name is their address) offers menswear for the dandy, while lime-green shoe store United Nude reminds us why London is a fashion capital in the first place.
3.Brick Lane Market is the one-stop shop for the vintage-addicted Sienna Millers and Kate Mosses of London, as well as long-haired indie musicians on the hunt for discontinued Frank Zappa albums. The market has everything: fashion, fabric, fruit and even furniture. Definitely the place to be for those shunning the glitz and glamour of the high street, or mastering the art of dressing, decorating and designing on a budget. The atmosphere is fantastic, and it’s worth dedicating a good few hours to rummaging through the stockpiles looking for hidden treasures.The market is open every Sunday from 8am to 2pm. The nearest tube station is Aldgate East (take the District line and follow overground signs) 4. Had enough of Brick Lane, but still want more of what London’s markets have to offer? Head around the corner to Petticoat Lane for last season’s fashion must-haves, hot chestnuts, yester-year’s couture, and hands-on practice for your bargaining skills. Petticoat Lane is actually no longer the name of the street: uptight Victorian officials decided that a reference to female undergarments was too risqué, and ironically changed it to Middlesex Street. Over 1,000 stalls, weird hippies selling clocks, and old men in straw hats wandering the street, this is a great place to go for a slice of authentic London culture even if you’re not looking to buy anything.
5. Admittedly, crowd-weaving on the high street or rummaging through someone else’s cast-offs at a market stall isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. For those of you looking for a calmer atmosphere, a few shops and a café or two to relax in afterwards, there’s the Hay’s Galleria . Converted from a 19 century wharf, the space is t h architecturally beautiful (not to mention protected from England’s notorious weather conditions) and offers a few highstreet fashion retailers (Next, Boots, Accessorize) and some quirky (Absolutely Starving) as well as familiar (Starbucks) places to eat and drink. Its close location to London Bridge makes it the perfect stop-over on the way to further adventures. What else? So many shoppers make the pilgrimage to England’s capital every year because of the sheer variety of what’s on offer. Different shopping districts will cater to different styles, generations and budgets. There are the well-known, polished and prestigious areas,like the Westfield Shopping Centre(take the central line to Shepherd’s Bush) and the high-end shops dotted around King’s Road in Kensington, which gave birth to ‘60s fashion icons Mary Quant and Vivienne Westwood.For those looking to avoid global brands and mass-produced desi gns,see shopping as a social affair just can’t get enough of the go-fish vibe of vintage stalls, there’s much more to London than Petticoat and Brick Lanes. Spitalfields Market combines the retro vibe of market treasure-hunting with unconventional higher-end stores rooted around the area, including children’s fairytale-inspired clothing retailer Honeychild and the glam-fetish Fairy Goth Mother. For a taste of the busy Asian side of London, visit Whitechapel Market for spices, fresh produce and textiles.

the past Bermondsey was primarily an industrial hub, where the most haute cuisine you could have hoped for was a sandwich cart vendor, times are a-changin’. There are several modern, friendly and delicious places to pop into for lunch or dinner, right on your doorstep, and some media- praised establishments are within easy walking distance.
Top 5
1. Embodying everything right with London’s evolving experimental cuisine is Village East . The menu is so convoluted and creative that entire words have been created to describe the dishes. Truffled honey with caramelised beetroot? Why not. Squid salad? Coming right up. The restaurant has a wooden, minimalist atmosphere, the staff is friendly and the wine list is extensive. However, in a venue that lists wasabi peanuts as a bar snack, you can fully expect to leave a lot poorer than you went in: main courses are about £15.
2. Similar, but with a more comfortable, Mediterranean-style menu is Bermondsey Kitchen . Slightly more relaxed, with floral arrangements decorating the space and massive leather couches in place to enjoy snacks and drinks in maximum comfort. The menu is not exactly extensive, but the portions are generous and should cater to most tastes. Try the baked lemon sole (£15) washed down with some white wine. Cocktail happy hour is every day except Sunday from 5 to 7pm and includes everything from the classics (Cosmopolitan) to the inventive (Catalan Kiss).

3. If you’re simply looking for a place to relax and have a lazy afternoon drink without the décor and aplomb of a restaurant, try Bermondsey Street Coffee . Awesome interior, great music and friendly staff. Good sense of humour, too: the tip jar is a ship craftily made out of Lego. Nursing the consequences of a night out on the town? Try a Dirty Sanchez (white and dark chocolate, espresso and whipped cream: all for a measly £2.10)
4. By contrast, the place to go for couture cocktail dresses and Dalí-style moustaches is Delfina . Originally opened to feed the neighbourhood’s starving artists, it has now evolved into a classy affair with an unpredictable menu, which now supports the local fine arts crowd. The menu is appropriately slightly crazed: “caramelised quince” or “confit rabbit” are the kind of thing you can expect here. Mains are around £12 and the wine selection will please connoisseurs. The It place to impress a date, or do the dining equivalent of bungee jumping.
5. On the other side of the borough, Blueprint Café is the destination for those with an appreciation for views. Overlooking the Tower Bridge and Canary Wharf, this is the place for an illuminated dinner. It is located in the Design Museum, and is suitably inventive with its menu. Head Chef Jeremy Lee keeps the menu in flux, adapting his dishes for seasonal produce, fashion and subjective creativity. The dishes are familiar, safe, delicious and served in generous sizes: a main meat course, such as roast lamb chops, is just under £20. Great selection of desserts, too. What else? For those on the lookout for something more unusual and cheaper at the same time, there’s the Menier Chocolate Factory . Located a short distance from London Bridge, it was once an actual chocolate factory, but has since been converted into a restaurant and now hosts live shows, including music and plays. A bowl of tagliatelle is less than a tenner. For those who take their wine seriously (seriously enough to pay upwards of £60 for a meal and a tour), there’s Vinopolis , which also hosts wine tasting sessions and wine masterclasses. At the opposite end of the scale, All Bar One has a great selection of reasonably-priced wine and succulent burgers for only £5.95. If food is of no particular concerns beyond stale peanuts for the purposes of drinking games, quaintly-named Bang Bar (@ The Ivory) offers a cocktail list and a roomy, relaxed atmosphere, complete with bamboo bar. Finally, if all of this completely off the charts to what you were looking for, there are a number of places where you can get a quick bite or some good old fast food: there is a McDonald’s located right by Guy’s hospital, and if you continue down Bermondsey street, you will find several KFC-style take- outs. And, of course, there are several all-English, all-rustic pubs right outside your door.

All Bar One 26,London Bridge Street SE1 2SZ. tel: 0871 917 0007 www.all-bar-one.co.uk
Antiques Market Bermondsey Square, SE1 Fridays 4am-1pm bermondseysquare.co.uk /antiques.html
Bang Bar Ivory House, St.Katharine Docks E1W 1AT. tel: 020 7480 6116 12pm-12am (11.30pm Sun) www.ivorylondon.com /bangbar.htm
Bermondsey 167 167, Bermondsey St SE1. tel: 020 7407 3137 www.bermondsey167.com
Bermondsey Kitchen 194, Bermondsey Street SE1 3TQ. tel: 020 7407 5719 Mon-Fri: 12-3pm, 6.30-10.30pm Sat: 9.30-3.30pm, 6.30-10.30 Sun: 9.30-3.30pm www.bermondseykitchen.co.uk
Bermondsey Street Coffee 163, Bermondsey Street SE1 3UW. tel: 020 7403 7638 Mon-Sun 7am-8pm
Blueprint Café Design Museum, Shad Thames SE1 2YD. tel: 020 7378 7031 Mon-Sat: 12-3pm, 6-11pm Sun: 12-4pm www.blueprintcafe.co.uk
Brick Lane Market Brick Lane E1. tel: 020 7364 1717 Sun 8am-3pm
Britain at War 64, Tooley Street SE1 2TF. tel: 020 7403 3171 Every day 10am-4.30pm (5pm April-October) www.britainatwar.co.uk
Cockfighter of Bermondsey 96, Bermondsey Street SE1 3UB. tel: 020 7357 6482 11am-6pm most days www.cockandmagpie.com
Coleman Project Space 94, Webster Road SE16 4DF. tel: 020 7237 9120 Thu-Sun: 12-5pm www.colemanprojects.org.uk
Delfina 50, Bermondsey Street SE1. tel: 020 7357 0244 Mon-Fri: 12-3pm Fri: 12-3pm; 7-10pm www.delfina.org.uk
Design Museum 28, Shad Thames SE1 2YD. tel: 0870 833 9955 Daily 10am-5.45pm www.designmuseum.org
Fashion and Textile Museum 83, Bermondsey Street SE1 3XF. tel: 020 7407 8664 Wed-Sun: 11am-6pm www.ftmlondon.org
Glass Blowing Studio 7, Weston Street SE1 3ER. tel: 020 7403 2800 Mon-Fri 10am-5pm www.londonglassblowing.co.uk
Hay’s Galleria Tooley Street SE1 2HD, tel: 020 7403 3583 www.haysgalleria.co.uk
King’s Road Kensington, SW3 www.streetsensation.co.uk /kingsrd/kr_intro.htm
London Dungeon 28, Tooley St SE1 2SZ. tel: 020 7403 7221 Admission times seasonal; usually around 10am-6pm www.thedungeons.com
McDonald’s Boland House, London Bridge SE1 9RT. tel: 020 7378 6758 www.mcdonalds.co.uk
Menier Chocolate Factory 53, Southwark Street SE1 1RU. tel: 020 7407 4411 Tue-Sat: 12-3pm; 6-11pm Sun: 12-3pm menierchocolatefactory.com
Oxford Street Westminster, W1 www.oxfordstreet.co.uk
Petticoat Lane Around Middlesex St E1 7HT Sun 9am-2pm (Wentworth St also Mon-Fri 10am-2pm)
Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre 21, New Globe Walk SE1 9DT. tel: 020 7902 1400 www.shakespeares-globe.org