Southwark Cathedral

Southwark Cathedral may not be as famous at St Paul's but it is nevertheless one of the most important spiritual centres of London.

The cathedral resides on a site where a church is believed to have stood for over 1000 years and prior to that a Roman villa stood on the site.  A college of priests was founded on the site of the cathedral by the Bishop of Winchester between 852 and 867, a new church was founded in 1106 by two knights and was named St Mary Overie; the church went on to hold an important function within the community as it had its own wharf for unloading river goods.

The home of the Bishop, Winchester Palace, was just a two minute walk from the cathedral allowing the cathedral to rely on the patronage of the Bishop, the palace was in use up until 1626 and remains of the building are even today in existence and viewable to the general public. St Mary Overie was badly damaged in 1212 when an almighty fire engulfed Southwark, the cathedral was rebuilt, but in the 1390's yet another fire caused serious damage meaning that, once again, the church was in need of urgent reconstruction, this work was not completed until 1420.

The reformation brought great change to the church; men were sentenced to death within its walls and for a while it was rented out as a bakery and pigsty! Buildings were sold off and residential homes were built around it. An act of Parliament in the 16th Century made the church a parish church, of St Saviour, Southwark and in 1614 the parishioners banded together and bought the church from James I. During this time the church stood in the midst of Shakespearean England and homage is paid to its link with Elizabethan theatre with monuments to Edmund Shakespeare, John Fletcher and Phillip Massinger.

The church once again came under threat by the reconstruction of the Old London Bridge, parishioners fought a battle to save the church as many had already written it off as a 'damp old monastery', the church was eventually saved despite the demolition of several Chapels. Throughout the 19th Century however, the church fell into a state of disrepair as the nave roof was demolished leaving the church open to the elements for seven years, after a new nave was completed and the repairs finished St Saviour's became the pro-cathedral of South London and Parliament created the new diocese of Southwark and the first Bishop of Southwark was enthroned.

Today the Cathedral is not only a beautiful place of worship; it is a site of historical significance, educational centre and venue for concerts and festivals. The cathedral is open to visitors  from 8am to 6pm although main visiting times are from 10am until 4.30pm there is a mandatory charge for group visits, individuals are asked to make a voluntary contribution.

The cathedral does occasionally hold family and music events, you can find out more about these in our Family and Music sections. Find out more about Southwark Cathedral.

How to get there

The closest tube stations are at London Bridge or Southwark. If travelling by bus the 21, 35, 40, 133, 343 and C10 serve London Bridge and Borough High Street.

Images reproduced with the kind permission of the Dean and Chapter of Southwark.