page_title: Southwark
section_title: Geography
hierarchical_section_title: Southwark / Geography
caption_attribution_description: English: More London development and London City Hall by river Thames; Shard London Bridge in the background, Southwark district, London, England. Español: More London y el ayuntamiento de Londres junto al río Támesis; el Shard London Bridge al fondo, distrito de Southwark, Londres, Inglaterra.
context_page_description: Southwark is a district of Central London situated in the northwestern portion of the London Borough of Southwark. Centred 1 ¹⁄₂ miles east of Charing Cross, it fronts the River Thames and the City of London to the north. The oldest part of South London, it was at the lowest bridging point of the Thames in Roman Britain, providing a crossing from Londinium, and for centuries had the only Thames bridge in the area, until a bridge was built upstream more than 10 miles to the west. Its entertainment district, in its heyday at the time of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre has revived in the form of the Southbank which overspills imperceptibly into the ancient boundaries of Lambeth and commences at the post-1997 reinvention of the original theatre, Shakespeare's Globe, incorporating other smaller theatre spaces, an exhibition about Shakespeare's life and work and which neighbours Vinopolis and the London Dungeon.
context_section_description: In common with much of the south bank of the Thames, the Borough has seen extensive regeneration in the last decade. Declining wharfage trade, light industry and factories have given way to residential development, shops, restaurants, galleries, bars and most notably major office developments housing international headquarters of accountancy, legal and other professional services consultancies, most notably along London Bridge City and More London between Tooley Street and the riverside. The area is in easy walking distance of the City and the West End. As such it has become a major business centre with many national and international corporations, professional practices and publishers locating to the area. London's tallest skyscraper, the Shard, is next to London Bridge Station.
  To the north is the River Thames, London Bridge station and Southwark Cathedral. Borough Market is a well-developed visitor attraction and has grown in size. The adjacent units have been converted and form a gastronomic focus for London. Borough High Street runs roughly north to south from London Bridge towards Elephant and Castle. The Borough runs further to the south than realised; both St George's Cathedral and the Imperial War Museum are within the ancient boundaries, which border nearby Lambeth.
  The Borough is generally an area of mixed development, with council estates, major office developments, social housing and high value residential gated communities side by side with each other.
caption: View from Tower Bridge towards Southwark: City Hall and the rest of More London development in the foreground, and the Shard London Bridge skyscraper (under construction at the time of the photo) in the background.
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