Situated a few streets back from the Thames in south-eastern London, this neighbourhood area sits just to the east of Borough and incorporates the busy Bricklayers Arms Roundabout. Bordered by Elephant and Castle and Bermondsey, residents are hardly at a loss for entertainment options, like nearby Borough Market or Tabard Gardens, and there’s certainly no shortage of transport options with three tube stations nearby. There are an overwhelming number of bars and restaurants in this neighbourhood and its surrounding areas to choose from, but popular local favourites include M. Manze for British cuisine and Ole Navarro for late night Spanish food. The neighbourhood has a mixed range of property, including period houses and converted flats, warehouse conversions, discreet new developments, and social housing, which can accommodate the dense and diverse population. This neighbourhood is a great choice for young professionals, artists, and even families who want to access all the amenities London has to offer.

This area of Southwark has been a significant settlement in its own right for the last one thousand years and is situated on a previously marshy area south of the River Thames. It began as the southern foot bridge for the Romans over the Thames to Londinium, and recent excavation has revealed prehistoric activity including evidence of early ploughing, burial mounds and ritual activity. For much of its early history, this neighbourhood and its surrounding area provided London with some of its more disreputable entertainment and unseemly services. For example, in the 17th century, Bankside was the home of London’s public theatres and for centuries before that housed its red-light district. Southwark was also home to numerous prisons such as the Clink, the King’s Bench and the Marshalsea and had a reputation for crime, but both of these areas have now grown into lively and vibrant neighbourhoods.

The M. Manze restaurant was established in 1902 and you can still get jellied or stewed eels there today. They use the same recipes today for the pies and liquor that were used back in 1902.

Bridget Jones’ Diary and Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban include scenes filmed around this area, especially at the top of the street near Borough Market. The Dover Castle bar is also a feature of this end of Great Dover Street which will be familiar to students of King’s College London looking to destress in the evening. Many of these students live on the same road as Great Dover Street apartments are one of the university’s largest accommodations.

The local council released a long-term plan in 2011 that aimed to further protect, enhance and regenerate this neighbourhood by building and encouraging new businesses, shops, housing and cultural facilities, as well as new and improved community and youth facilities. They estimate that the area will see 1,900 new homes and 25,000 new jobs by the end of this period. A new residential development at 175 Long Lane was recently completed although this postcode has received less interest from developers than its surroundings with little in the way of proposed future developments.