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77-473: Southwark itself had been an ancient borough from at least the 12th century until the 19th century. However, for most of its history it was a manorial property of the neighbouring City of London rather than being a self-governing borough with its own corporation. From 1856 the area of the modern borough was governed by the Metropolitan Board of Works , which was established to provide services across

154-408: A "leader and cabinet", or a "committee system". The type of arrangement used determines how decisions will be made within the council. In councils which use the elected mayor system, the mayor is directly elected by the electorate to provide political leadership for the council and has power to make executive decisions. In councils which use the leader and cabinet model (the most commonly used model),

231-655: A channel following a similar course was used to drain the Thames to allowing building work on London Bridge. Southwark and in particular the Bridge, proved a formidable obstacle against William the Conqueror in 1066. He failed to force the bridge during the Norman conquest of England , but Southwark was devastated . At Domesday, the area's assets were: Bishop Odo of Bayeux held the monastery (the site of modern Southwark Cathedral ) and

308-456: A council was under the control of a particular party, local media would commonly refer to the leader of the controlling party as being the 'Leader of the Council'. It was also generally recognised that the most powerful political position on a council was the person who chaired the main policy-making committee, which in most councils was called the policy and resources committee. Usually, the leader of

385-642: A large number of buildings between Tooley Street and the Thames, including those around Hays Wharf (later replaced by Hays Galleria ) and blocks to the west almost as far as St Olave's Church . The first deep-level underground tube line in London was the City and South London Railway , now the Bank branch of the Northern line , opened in 1890, running from King William Street south through Borough to Stockwell . Southwark, since 1999,

462-655: A link, having paid for a memorial chapel within Southwark Cathedral (his family's parish church), and where its UK-based alumni hold services. John Harvard's mother's house is in Stratford-upon-Avon . In 1836 the first railway in the London area was created, the London and Greenwich Railway , originally terminating at Spa Road and later extended west to London Bridge . In 1861, another great fire in Southwark destroyed

539-481: A single parish in 1896. The ancient borough of Southwark, was traditionally known simply as The Borough – or Borough – to distinguish it from 'The City', and this name has persisted as an alternative name for the area. The medieval heart of Southwark was also, simultaneously, referred to as the ward of Bridge Without when administered by the city (from 1550 to 1900) and as an aldermanry until 1978. The local government arrangements were reorganised in 1900 with

616-577: A way that allowed his boats to avoid the heavily defended London Bridge. In so doing he hoped to cut London off from river borne resupply from upstream. The Dane's efforts to recapture London were in vain, until he defeated Ethelred at the Battle of Assandun in Essex later that year, and became King of England. It is thought that the section of the Kent Road, at Lock Bridge, was Canute's Trench . In May, 1016, In 1173,

693-444: A year. Tenants who have been on Universal Credit for 15 months underpay rent by 7% on average. The report claims, "For now, the government must acknowledge that the current system is unworkable and broken. We strongly argue that the rollout of UC should be halted until radical steps are taken to fix the ongoing issues outlined in this research." Also use of food banks in Southwark has risen by 30% from 2017 to 2018 since Universal Credit

770-437: Is a local education authority and is also responsible for council housing , social services, libraries, waste collection and disposal, traffic, and most roads and environmental health. The council has been under Labour majority control since 2010. The first election was held in 1964, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until it came into its powers on 1 April 1965. Political control of

847-529: 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 . Its entertainment district, in its heyday at

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924-508: Is also now served by Southwark , Bermondsey and London Bridge stations on the Jubilee line . Southwark is thought to have become a burh in 886. The area appears in the Domesday Book of 1086 within the hundred of Brixton as held by several Surrey manors . The ancient borough of Southwark, enfranchised in 1295, initially consisted of the pre-existing Surrey parishes of St George

1001-541: Is based at 160 Tooley Street . The building comprises several converted Victorian warehouses facing the street, with a modern six-storey office building behind, which was completed in 2008. The council moved in during 2009. It initially rented the building, before purchasing it for £170   million in 2012. Prior to 2009 the council was based at Southwark Town Hall, formerly called Camberwell Town Hall , at 31 Peckham Road in Camberwell, which had been completed in 1934 for

1078-555: 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

1155-410: Is nominated, as was the case prior to 2000, the chair of the council's main policy committee may be informally deemed to be the council's de facto leader. Some councils operate governance arrangements which have the characteristics of more than one formal governance option. For example, an authority operating under conventional executive arrangements but whose overview and scrutiny committees operate in

1232-459: Is now Borough High Street . For centuries London Bridge was the only Thames bridge in the area, until a bridge was built upstream more than 10 miles (16 km) to the west. In February 2022, archaeologists from the Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA) announced the discovery of a well-preserved massive Roman mosaic which is believed to date from A.D. 175–225. The dining room ( triclinium ) mosaic

1309-523: Is reflected in the alternative name of the area, as Borough . The ancient borough of Southwark's river frontage extended from the modern borough boundary, just to the west of the Oxo Tower , to St Saviour's Dock (originally the mouth of the River Neckinger ) in the east. In the 16th century, parts of Southwark near London Bridge became a formal City ward, Bridge Without . The urban area expanded over

1386-607: Is the "Mayor and Burgesses of the London Borough of Southwark", but it styles itself Southwark Council. From 1965 until 1986 the council was a lower-tier authority, with upper-tier functions provided by the Greater London Council . The split of powers and functions meant that the Greater London Council was responsible for "wide area" services such as fire, ambulance, flood prevention , and refuse disposal ; with

1463-419: Is the area known as Borough , which has an eclectic covered and semi-covered market and numerous food and drink venues as well as the skyscraper The Shard . 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. Leader of the council Executive mayor elected by

1540-585: The Burghal Hidage and means "fort of the men of Surrey " or "the defensive work of the men of Surrey". Southwark is recorded in the 1086 Domesday Book as Sudweca . The name means "southern defensive work" and is formed from the Old English sūþ (south) and weorc (work). The southern location is in reference to the City of London to the north, Southwark being at the southern end of London Bridge . In Old English , Surrey means "southern district (or

1617-584: The Greater London Authority has taken some responsibility for highways and planning control from the council, but within the English local government system the council remains a "most purpose" authority in terms of the available range of powers and functions. In 2003 and 2004 the Southwark Council threatened the small community of houseboat dwellers at Downings Roads Moorings with eviction, which

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1694-524: The Local Government Act 2000 . It consists of the leader and the cabinet itself, which is usually formed by the majority party in the local authority , where there is one, or by a coalition which comes together to elect a leader. The council elects the leader, and the leader appoints the other members of the cabinet. Each cabinet member holds a separate portfolio, such as housing, finance, economic development, or education. Decisions may be delegated to

1771-485: The London Government Act 1963 , with the first election held in 1964 . For its first year the council acted as a shadow authority alongside the area's three outgoing authorities, being the metropolitan borough councils of Southwark, Bermondsey and Camberwell. The new council formally came into its powers on 1 April 1965, at which point the old boroughs and their councils were abolished. The council's full legal name

1848-588: The metropolis of London. In 1889 the Metropolitan Board of Works' area was made the County of London . From 1856 until 1900 the lower tier of local government within the metropolis comprised various parish vestries and district boards . In 1900 the lower tier was reorganised into metropolitan boroughs , three of which were Bermondsey , Camberwell and Southwark , each with a borough council. The larger London Borough of Southwark and its council were created under

1925-463: The 1920's. St Olaf House (part of London Bridge Hospital ), named after the church and its saint, stands on the spot. Tooley Street , being a corruption of St Olave's Street , also takes its name from the former church. Cnut returned in 1016, but capturing the city was a great challenge. To cut London off from upstream riverborne supplies, Cnut dug a trench around Southwark, so that he could sail or drag his ships around Southwark and get upstream in

2002-745: The Alderman was appointed by the Court of Aldermen and no Common Councilmen were ever elected. This ward was constituted of the original Guildable Manor and the properties previously held by the church, under a charter of Edward VI , latterly called the King's Manor or Great Liberty. These manors are still constituted by the City under a Bailiff and Steward with their Courts Leet and View of Frankpledge Juries and Officers which still meet—their annual assembly being held in November under

2079-570: The Borough Gaol) and eventually at Horsemonger Lane Gaol . One other local family is of note, the Harvards. John Harvard went to the local parish free school of St Saviour's and on to Cambridge University . He migrated to the Massachusetts Colony and left his library and the residue of his will to the new college there, named after him as its first benefactor. Harvard University maintains

2156-566: The City freemen or by the Southwark electorate but appointed by the Court of Aldermen. The Borough and Bankside Community Council corresponds to the Southwark electoral wards of Cathedrals and Chaucer. They are part of the Bermondsey and Old Southwark Parliament constituency whose Member of Parliament is Neil Coyle . It is within the Lambeth and Southwark London Assembly constituency. Until 2022 Southwark

2233-525: The Clink manor, which was never controlled by the city, but was held under the Bishopric of Winchester 's nominal authority. This lack of oversight helped the area become the entertainment district for London, with a concentration of sometimes disreputable attractions such as bull and bear-baiting , taverns, theatre and brothels . In the 1580s, Reasonable Blackman worked as a silk weaver in Southwark, as one of

2310-610: The Council was unsuccessful in its claim against IBM for breach of contract. The local authority derives its powers and functions from the London Government Act 1963 and subsequent legislation, and has the powers and functions of a London borough council. It sets council tax and as a billing authority also collects precepts for Greater London Authority functions and business rates. It sets planning policies which complement Greater London Authority and national policies, and decides on almost all planning applications accordingly. It

2387-556: The Council', albeit without the same powers as a leader under the leader and cabinet model. From the establishment of elected local authorities in England in the nineteenth century until the Local Government Act 2000 , councils used a system of committees for decision making. There was no legislative requirement for any councillor to be declared the leader, with the principle being that all the elected councillors were equal in status. In practice, political groups had their own leaders, and when

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2464-595: The Local Government Act 2000 allowed district councils in two tier areas, with populations under 85,000, to propose alternative executive arrangements. This was superseded by the changes made by the Localism Act 2011 and the renewed availability of the committee system to all local authorities. Under the Localism Act 2011, principal authorities (such as unitary authorities, county councils, and district councils) were allowed to return to decision-making by committees,

2541-463: The Martyr , St Olave , St Margaret and St Mary . St Margaret and St Mary were abolished in 1541 and their former area combined to create Southwark St Saviour . Around 1555 Southwark St Thomas was split off from St Olave, and in 1733 Southwark St John Horsleydown was also split off. In 1855 the parishes came into the area of responsibility of the Metropolitan Board of Works . The large St George

2618-616: The Martyr . William Hogarth depicted this fair in his engraving of Southwark Fair (1733). Southwark was also the location of several prisons , including those of the Crown or Prerogative Courts, the Marshalsea and King's Bench prisons, those of the local manors' courts, e.g., Borough Compter , The Clink and the Surrey county gaol originally housed at the White Lion Inn (also informally called

2695-528: The Martyr parish was governed by its own administrative vestry, but the smaller St John Horsleydown, St Olave and St Thomas parishes were grouped together to form the St Olave District . St Saviour was combined with Southwark Christchurch (the former liberty of Paris Garden) to form the St Saviour's District . In 1889 the area became part of the new County of London . St Olave and St Thomas were combined as

2772-693: The Rose. In 1599 the Globe Theatre , in which Shakespeare was a shareholder, was erected on the Bankside in the Liberty of the Clink. It burned down in 1613, and was rebuilt in 1614, only to be closed by the Puritans in 1642 and subsequently pulled down not long thereafter. A modern replica, called Shakespeare's Globe , has been built near the original site. The impresario in the later Elizabethan period for these entertainments

2849-512: The Thames in Roman Britain , it determined the position of Londinium ; without London Bridge there is unlikely to have been a settlement of any importance in the area; previously the main crossing had been a ford near Vauxhall Bridge . Because of the bridge and the establishment of London, the Romans routed two Roman roads into Southwark: Stane Street and Watling Street which met in what in what

2926-452: The authority at regular meetings. One or more overview and scrutiny committees holds the cabinet to account for its decisions and is responsible that the democratic checks and balances are maintained. The principal executive decisions taken by the council as a whole are to appoint the leader, to approve the leader's budget, to adopt development plan documents, and to agree on the council's constitution. Beyond that, it may raise issues, urge

3003-549: The boroughs (including Southwark) responsible for "personal" services such as social care, libraries, cemeteries and refuse collection . The Greater London Council was abolished in 1986 and its functions passed to the London Boroughs, with some services provided through joint committees. Southwark became a local education authority in 1990 when the Inner London Education Authority was dissolved. Since 2000

3080-508: The bridge making it all but impregnable to the modest Royalist force. On 26 May 1676, ten years after the Great Fire of London , a great fire broke out, which continued for 17 hours before houses were blown up to create fire breaks. King Charles II and his brother, James , Duke of York , oversaw the effort. There was also a famous fair in Southwark which took place near the Church of St George

3157-519: The bridge, but according to Snorri Sturleson's saga, Edgar and Olaf tied ropes from the bridge's supporting posts and pulled it into the river, together with the Danish army, allowing Ethelred to recapture London. This may be the origin of the nursery rhyme " London Bridge Is Falling Down ". There was a church, St Olave's Church , dedicated to St Olaf before the Norman Conquest and this survived until

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3234-548: The connection with the City of London. In 1327 the city acquired from Edward III the original vill of Southwark and this was also described as "the borough". In 1536 Henry VIII acquired the Bermondsey Priory properties and in 1538 that of the Archbishop. In 1550 these were sold to the city. After many decades of petitioning, in 1550 Southwark was incorporated into the City of London as the ward of Bridge Without . However,

3311-571: The council since 1965 has been as follows: The role of Mayor of Southwark is largely ceremonial. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader of the council . The leaders since 1965 have been: Following the 2022 election the composition of the council was: The next election is due in May 2026. Since the last boundary changes in 2018 the council has comprised 63 councillors representing 23 wards , with each ward electing two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years. The council

3388-555: The creation of the Metropolitan Borough of Southwark . It comprised the parishes of Southwark Christchurch, Southwark St Saviours, Southwark St George the Martyr and Newington . The Metropolitan Borough of Southwark was based at the former Newington Vestry Hall, now known as Walworth Town Hall . The eastern parishes that had formed the St Olave District instead became part of the Metropolitan Borough of Bermondsey . In 1965

3465-459: The elected councillors choose one of their number to be the Leader of the Council , and that person provides political leadership and can make executive decisions. Where the committee system is used, executive power is exercised through various committees rather than being focussed on one person. Many councils which use the committee system still nominate one of the councillors to hold the title 'Leader of

3542-432: The first bridge. London's historic core, the City of London , lay north of the bridge and for centuries the area of Southwark just south of the bridge was partially governed by the City, while other areas of the district were more loosely governed. The section known as Liberty of the Clink became a place of entertainment. By the 12th century Southwark had been incorporated as an ancient borough , and this historic status

3619-456: The first people of African heritage to work as independent business owners in London in that era. In 1587, Southwark's first playhouse theatre, The Rose , opened. The Rose was set up by Philip Henslowe , and soon became a popular place of entertainment for all classes of Londoners. Both Christopher Marlowe and William Shakespeare , two of the finest writers of the Elizabethan age, worked at

3696-448: The individual members, or taken by the cabinet as a whole. These decisions are scrutinised by one or more "overview and scrutiny" committees, which may be dedicated to one or more service areas. The leader and cabinet are responsible for policies, plans, and strategies, which must be within the budget adopted by the full council. These will be reported to the overall "full" council, which is convened to bring together all elected members of

3773-468: The largest party would chair that committee. Some councils explicitly acknowledged the existence of a leader of the council, others did not. The role of Leader of the Council in that regard was similar to that of the British prime minister ; the post had not been explicitly created, but gradually emerged. The Local Government Act 2000 sought to strengthen public engagement with local democracy, and streamline

3850-407: 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

3927-408: The leader, cabinet, or cabinet members to take actions, or pass a vote of no confidence in the leader. In addition, the compliance of councillors with their code of conduct may be overseen by a standards committee, although since the coming into effect of the Localism Act 2011 this can be dispensed with and its functions can be delegated to a monitoring officer. The elected mayor and cabinet model

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4004-449: The main settlement of London to the north of the bridge, had been more or less abandoned, a little earlier, by the end of the fourth century. {{{annotations}}} Southwark appears to recover only during the time of King Alfred and his successors. Sometime about 886, the burh of Southwark was created and the Roman city area reoccupied. It was probably fortified to defend the bridge and hence

4081-413: The men of the southern district)", so the change from "southern district work" to the latter "southern work" may be an evolution based on the elision of the single syllable ge element, meaning district. Recent excavation has revealed pre-Roman activity including evidence of early ploughing , burial mounds and ritual activity. The natural geography of Southwark (now much altered by human activity),

4158-461: The method of local government administration for all councils prior to 2000. Under this model power is exercised, alongside full council, by a number of committees, made up of councillors in proportion to their parties' representation on the council. Such councils may choose to nominate a councillor as Leader of the Council for the purposes of representing the political leadership of the council, particularly in relations with external bodies. If no leader

4235-473: The north-western part of the wider modern London Borough of Southwark . The district, which is the oldest part of South London , developed due to its position at the southern end of the early versions of London Bridge , for centuries the only dry crossing on the river. Around 43 AD, engineers of the Roman Empire found the geographic features of the south bank here suitable for the placement and construction of

4312-609: The old Camberwell Borough Council. Southwark was one of the first areas where Universal Credit was fully introduced. The Council issued a report in 2018 which was strongly critical of Universal Credit. Rent arrears among council tenants on Universal Credit are much higher than arrears among tenants on traditional benefits. Among two groups of council tenants investigated increase in arrears per claimant averaged between £586 and £309. The report disputed claims by ministers that rent arrears are temporary and notes that there are also arrears from tenants who have been on Universal Credit for over

4389-463: The people, elected legislative City council Council - Manager Executive leader elected by the council from among themselves Elected mayor and cabinet Executive mayor elected by the people Committee system Executive leader and executive committees elected by the council from among themselves In England, local authorities are required to adopt one of three types of executive arrangements , having an "elected mayor and cabinet ",

4466-633: The present High Steward (the Recorder of London ). The Ward and Aldermanry were effectively abolished in 1978, by merging it with the Ward of Bridge Within. These manorial courts were preserved under the Administration of Justice Act 1977. Therefore, between 1750 and 1978 Southwark had two persons (the Alderman and the Recorder) who were members of the city's Court of Aldermen and Common Council who were elected neither by

4543-410: The pressure on our services. This situation is echoed across the country. The government needs to take rapid steps to fix universal credit or acknowledge that they have created a system that is unworkable and broken." Southwark Southwark ( / ˈ s ʌ ð ər k / SUDH -ərk ) is a district of Central London situated on the south bank of the River Thames , forming

4620-540: The reemerging City of London to the north. This defensive role is highlighted by the role of the bridge in the 1014-1016 war between King Ethelred the Unready and his ally Olaf II Haraldsson (later King of Norway, and afterwards known as St Olaf , or St Olave ) on one side, and Sweyn Forkbeard and his son Cnut (later King Cnut), on the other. London submitted to Swein in 1014, but on Swein's death, Ethelred returned, with Olaf in support. Swein had fortified London and

4697-643: The regulation of the city's Livery Companies . In 1327 the City obtained control from King Edward III of the manor next to the south side of London Bridge known as the Town of Southwark (called latterly the Guildable Manor —i.e., the place of taxes and tolls). The Livery Companies also ensured that they had jurisdiction over the area. From the Norman period manorial organisation obtained through major lay and ecclesiastic magnates. Southwark still has vestiges of this because of

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4774-417: The system of committees, introducing the models of directly elected mayors and cabinets, leaders and cabinets, as well as a third option for an elected mayor and council manager, which was only adopted by one authority and was later withdrawn. Additionally, lower tier authorities with a population under 85,000 were allowed to continue to use a committee system. The leader and cabinet model was introduced under

4851-407: The tideway, which still exists as St Mary Overie dock; the King owned the church (probably St Olave's ) and its tidal stream (St Olave's Dock); the dues of the waterway or mooring place were shared between King William I and Earl Godwin ; the King also had the toll of the strand; and "men of Southwark" had the right to "a haw and its toll". Southwark's value to the King was £ 16. Much of Southwark

4928-494: The time of Shakespeare 's Globe Theatre (which stood 1599–1642) has revived in the form of 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 . The Southbank area, primarily in Lambeth but shared with Southwark also hosts many artistic venues. At its heart

5005-491: The two boroughs were combined with the Metropolitan Borough of Camberwell to form the current London Borough of Southwark . A new Diocese of Southwark was established in 1905 from parts of the Diocese of Rochester ; the diocese serves large parts of south London and Surrey. Southwark was outside of the control of the City of London and was a haven for criminals and free traders, who would sell goods and conduct trades outside

5082-455: The years and Southwark was completely separated administratively from the City in 1900. Local points of interest include Southwark Cathedral , Borough Market , Shakespeare's Globe theatre, The Shard , Tower Bridge , Butler's Wharf and the Tate Modern museum. The name Suthriganaweorc or Suthringa geweorche is recorded for the area in the 10th-century Anglo-Saxon document known as

5159-481: Was Shakespeare's colleague Edward Alleyn , who left many local charitable endowments, most notably Dulwich College . During the Second English Civil War , a force of Kentish Royalist Rebels approached London, hoping the lightly defended city might fall to them, or that the citizens would rise in their favour, however their hopes were quashed when Philip Skippon , in charge of the defence swiftly fortified

5236-418: Was appealed and ultimately quashed. From 2006, Southwark commenced implementation of a master data management system in conjunction with IBM UK Ltd. , intending to rationalise "a number of disparate computerised systems" in use across the range of functions for which the Council was responsible. The project was abandoned after concerns that the recommended system adopted by Southwark was not satisfactory, but

5313-526: Was controlled by the city's officers—it was later removed in order to improve traffic to the Bridge, under a separate Trust by Act of Parliament of 1756 as the Borough Market on the present site. The area was renowned for its inns, especially The Tabard , from which Geoffrey Chaucer 's pilgrims set off on their journey in The Canterbury Tales . The continuing defensive importance of London Bridge

5390-405: Was demonstrated by its important role in thwarting Jack Cade's Rebellion in 1450; Cade's army tried to force its way across the bridge to enter the City, but was foiled in a battle which cost 200 lives. The bridge was also closed during the Siege of London in 1471, helping to foil attempts by the Bastard of Fauconberg to cross and capture the City. Just west of the Bridge was the Liberty of

5467-425: Was introduced by the Local Government Act 2000. Councils currently operating the mayoral model include: The elected mayor and council manager option was also introduced by the Local Government Act 2000, but withdrawn by the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 . The only local authority to adopt the model was Stoke-on-Trent City Council , reverting to leader and cabinet in 2008. Section 31 of

5544-440: Was introduced there and 80% of the increase is attributed to Universal Credit. Victoria Mills of Southwark Council said, "Any delay to payments for those who are already under immense financial pressure will result in unrecoverable debt and unacceptable stress on people's lives. (...) A year on from our first research, the issues have simply got worse. We have to act on this evidence now and look at how we can support our residents and

5621-399: Was mostly made up of a series of often marshy tidal islands in the Thames, with some of the waterways between these island formed by branches of the River Neckinger , a tributary of the Thames. A narrow strip of higher firmer ground ran on a N-S alignment and, even at high tide, provided a much narrower stretch of water, enabling the Romans to bridge the river. As the lowest bridging point of

5698-459: Was originally owned by the church – the greatest reminder of monastic London is Southwark Cathedral , originally the priory of St Mary Overie. During the early Middle Ages , Southwark developed and was one of the four Surrey towns which returned Members of Parliament for the first commons assembly in 1295. An important market occupied the High Street from some time in the 13th century, which

5775-501: Was patterned with knot patterns known as the Solomon's knot and dark red and blue floral and geometric shapes known as guilloche . Archaeological work at Tabard Street in 2004 discovered a plaque with the earliest reference to 'Londoners' from the Roman period on it. Londinium was abandoned at the end of the Roman occupation in the early 5th century and both the city and its bridge collapsed in decay. The settlement at Southwark, like

5852-601: Was the location of City Hall , the administrative headquarters of the Greater London Authority and the meeting place of the London Assembly and Mayor of London . Since 2009, Southwark London Borough Council has its main offices at 160 Tooley Street , having moved administrative staff from the Camberwell Town Hall . In common with much of the south bank of the Thames , the Borough has seen extensive regeneration in

5929-483: Was the principal determining factor for the location of London Bridge, and therefore London itself. Until relatively recent times, the Thames in central London was much wider and shallower at high tide. The natural shoreline of the City Of London was a short distance further back than it is now, and the high tide shoreline on the Southwark side was much further back, except for the area around London Bridge. Southwark

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