The next section of my walk towards Blackfriars takes me along the river past Cannon St Railway Bridge, with Cannon St Station at its north end and on towards Southwark Bridge, with our first glimpse of St Pauls Cathedral behind it.
Soon I reach the Globe Theatre, a reconstruction of an Elizabethan Playhouse. The Southbank had become the entertainment area for London as it was outside the strict control of the City of London authorities and housed a number of theatres including the original Globe, where some of Shakespeare’s plays were performed. Built in the 1590s it was burnt down in 1613 when a cannon being used in a production misfired and set light to the building. It was rebuilt the following year. In 1642 it was closed down along with all London theatres and was pulled down a couple of years later. The modern reconstruction was the dream of film maker Sam Wannamaker and is based on documents depicting the the building as it was in 1599. It opened in 1997 on a site as near as was possible to the site of the original theatre.
Next I come to Millennium Bridge, a pedestrian bridge across the Thames. Built in 1998-2000 it was known in London as the ‘Wibbly Wobbly Bridge’ as on the first day it was opened the large number of people using caused it to sway and move. The authorities moved quickly and closed the bridge on the first afternoon and it did not reopen for 2 years and only after significant work had been completed to ensure its stability.
Here I also find the Tate Modern art gallery,. The building was originally the Bankside power station, built in 1891 to supply power to the City of London and Southwark. It was extended a number of times and was rebuilt in 1947 and was designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, one of the leading architects of the day. It was built alongside the original station so there was no loss of power supply. The original power station, designated Bankside A was decommissioned in 1959 and construction of the new station was completed in 1963. it continued to supply power to the surrounding area until it closed in 1981. Although a number of plans were put forward for alternative use it seemed that none were financially viable and the government made plans to sell it off for development. Eventually in 1994, the Tate Gallery announced that it would be the home for a new art gallery, the Tate Modern. The conversion of the building cost £134 million. and was completed in 2000.
The Southbank is a popular site for performance art
And so I arrive at Blackfriars Railway Bridge and Station. The original station had been at the north side of the bridge but was redeveloped in 2009 to increase its capacity as part of the cross London Thameslink service. The new station spans the bridge and offers wonderful views of the river.
