Why you should experience Bankside in London, England.
Bankside is a renowned South Bank neighborhood where Shakespearean theatre, medieval commerce, industrial reinvention, and world-class cultural institutions have transformed the south bank of the Thames into one of London's most influential creative districts.
Positioned between Southwark, Blackfriars, and Borough, this historic riverside neighborhood combines internationally celebrated museums, reconstructed Elizabethan theatres, landmark cathedrals, riverfront promenades, and striking contemporary architecture that collectively preserve one of London's richest cultural landscapes. From medieval entertainment liberties beyond the City's jurisdiction to one of Europe's foremost arts destinations, Bankside has continually reinvented itself while remaining a place where creativity defines the urban fabric. The result is a neighborhood defined by artistic innovation, historic continuity, and one of London's greatest concentrations of cultural landmarks.
What you should know about Bankside.
Bankside is best known for serving as Elizabethan London's principal entertainment district, where William Shakespeare's Globe Theatre opened in 1599 using timbers salvaged from The Theatre in Shoreditch, establishing the south bank of the Thames as the heart of English drama alongside bear-baiting arenas, inns, and playhouses before the district later evolved through industrial expansion into one of the world's most celebrated cultural regeneration success stories anchored by Tate Modern, which opened in 2000 inside Sir Giles Gilbert Scott's former Bankside Power Station following its transformation by Herzog & de Meuron. Because Bankside lay outside the authority of the City of London, it became the preferred location for theatres, animal-baiting venues, taverns, and other entertainments prohibited north of the river, creating an extraordinary concentration of popular culture during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Shakespeare's Globe premiered many of his greatest plays here until the original theatre burned during a performance of Henry VIII in 1613, was rebuilt in 1614, and ultimately demolished following the Puritan closure of theatres in 1644. Southwark Cathedral, whose origins date to the twelfth century and whose predecessor served medieval pilgrims traveling to Canterbury, became closely associated with Shakespeare and later commemorated him through one of London's most significant literary memorials. The neighborhood subsequently emerged as a center of warehousing, river trade, and heavy industry, culminating in the construction of Bankside Power Station between 1947 and 1963 to designs by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, also architect of Battersea Power Station and Liverpool Cathedral. After the power station closed in 1981, an international architectural competition selected Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron to convert the grand structure into Tate Modern, opening in May 2000 and fundamentally reshaping London's cultural geography. The museum's later Switch House extension, designed by the same architects and completed in 2016, further established Bankside as one of Europe's leading destinations for contemporary art while accelerating wider regeneration throughout the South Bank.
Today, Bankside seamlessly layers eight centuries of history into one of London's most compelling urban environments. The reconstructed Shakespeare's Globe faithfully revives Elizabethan theatrical traditions using historically informed materials and craftsmanship only a short distance from the original site, while Tate Modern ranks among the world's most visited modern art museums. The Thames Path connects riverside landmarks through a continuous public promenade linking galleries, historic pubs, markets, public art, and panoramic views across to St. Paul's Cathedral. Carefully preserved industrial buildings stand beside award-winning contemporary architecture, reflecting a neighborhood where conservation and innovation coexist with remarkable success. Every street reveals another chapter in London's evolution, from medieval ecclesiastical life and Renaissance theatre to industrial engineering and global contemporary culture, making Bankside one of the capital's most historically layered and internationally significant neighborhoods.
How to fold Bankside into your trip.
Bankside is best experienced as an exploration through London's theatrical heritage, contemporary art, and historic riverside architecture.
Begin at Shakespeare's Globe, where England's greatest dramatic tradition immediately establishes Bankside's extraordinary cultural legacy before exploring the surrounding riverfront. Continue to Tate Modern, whose internationally renowned collections and grand architecture demonstrate the neighborhood's remarkable reinvention from industrial powerhouse to global cultural destination. Conclude at Southwark Cathedral, where medieval architecture, literary history, and centuries of riverside worship provide a memorable finale celebrating the neighborhood's enduring historical significance. The progression moves naturally from Elizabethan theatre to contemporary art before concluding within one of London's oldest Gothic churches, revealing why Bankside remains one of the world's great cultural neighborhoods.
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