Churches and Cathedrals in Southwark

"Westminster Cathedral is the most important Catholic church in Central London that’s located just minutes from both Buckingham Palace and the equally as striking Westminster Abbey. Built during Victorian times, it’s famed for its red and white striped brick exteriors and oriental-style domes. Indoors, you’ll find Westminster Cathedral’s huge central nave (which can seat a whopping 1000 people!) decorated with smooth marble, mosaics and glittering gold detailing."

"The mother church of the Catholic Church in England and Wales, Westminster Cathedral is the seat of the Archbishop of Westminster. Opening in 1903, the building is in a neo-Byzantine style, filled with attractive decorative mosaics and constructed from a blend of brick and concrete. The Grand Organ, constructed between 1922-1932, is considered one of the most successful and impressive of its kind."

"A post shared by marilyneb (@marilyneb1) on May 24, 2017 at 12:34am PDT. Wander over to the picture-perfect Westminster Cathedral near Victoria Station. As the mother church for Roman Catholics in England and Wales, this cathedral is a vibrant place of worship and offers Holy Mass more than 40 times a week."

"Day 1: Arrive in London, Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour, the London EyeDay 2: Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Whitehall, Covent GardenDay 3: Tower of London, Tower Bridge, Borough Market, Tate Modern, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Sky GardenDay 4: National Gallery, Greenwich, Prime Meridian, Up at the O2Day 5: British Museum, Portobello Road Market, Victoria and Albert Museum, Harrod’s"

"Year Built: 675 CE Location: Byward Street, City of London Purpose:  Church (Current Denomination – Church of England) Still Standing:  Yes. photo source: Wikimedia Commons. Although St. Bride’s Church is considered older, All Hallows by the Tower often cites itself as the oldest church in the City of London – unlike other early churches, All Hallows has a definitive founding date backed up by well-kept records."

"Reconstruction during 1955, after extensive damage in the Blitz. Image source: Ben Brooksbank / CC BY-SA 2.0. Located on the doorstep of the Tower of London, this church has buried the bodies of numerous victims sentenced to death on Tower Hill, including those of Thomas More, Bishop John Fisher and Archbishop Laud."

"Temple Church in Central London is the physical embodiment of the Knights Templar, a religious order that also trained as warrior monks. This is history that is strong on narrative and bursting with battles and blood-lust. Temple Church was built by the Knights Templar, the order of crusading monks who sought to protect pilgrims on their journeys to Jerusalem in the 12th century."

"This church belongs to the Inner and Middle Temple, two of England’s ancient societies of lawyers. Located in the heart of the city between River Thames and Flee Street, the Temple Church’s origin dates back to 12th century. Built by Knights Templar, this church showcases a typical round structure."

"There was a church on this site during the time of the Romans.Some believe that St Bridget, an Irish saint, established the first Christian church on the site in the 6th century. During the Great Plague of 1665, a plague pit was dug within the churchyard. Pepys mentions having to bribe the gravedigger in order to find room to bury his brother."

"He is thought to have been inspired by illustrations of the Tower of the Winds in Vitruvius. However, it is best known for its lasting influence on weddings. This originated when a Mr Rich, an 18th-century pastrycook of Fleet Street, modelled his famous wedding cakes on the spire."

"St Mary Woolnoth was said to have been founded originally by Wulfnoth, a Saxon noble, on a Roman Temple to Concord. The church is famous among architects. It was built by Nicholas Hawksmoor in 1716-1721."

"This bizarre looking Anglican church was designed by Hawksmoor – his only City of London church. The original dated back to Norman times"

"This church was initially built in the 13th century when it was known as St Olave-towards-the-Tower, dedicated to the patron saint of Norway, King Olaf II. It was a favourite place of worship of the diarist Samuel Pepys, and he and his wife Elizabeth are both buried in the nave of the church. The present building was erected in 1450, and survived the Great Fire in 1666 thanks to Sir William Penn (whose son would found Pennsylvania) and his men from the local naval yard."

"As one of several churches in London with Scandinavian connections, St Olave Hart Street is often claimed to have been established as early as 1056. However, this may be true, as the memories of Olaf’s London adventures were at their best during this period. Furthermore, it was just a short period of time before Norway attempted to invade England in 1066."

"It was one of a small number to survive the Great Fire of London. It suffered far greater damage during the London Blitz of World War II, and the 15th century body of the church was restored by the mid-1950s. It’s a small church with a wealth of history."

"St Mary le Bow was historically one of the most important City of London churches, and was one of the first to be rebuilt by Sir Christopher Wren after the Great Fire. It’s another beautiful Baroque church with an elegant tower which houses the famous Bow Bells. According to London tradition, a true Cockney can only be born within earshot of these bells, which are a 200-metre walk around the corner from St Paul’s Cathedral on Cheapside."

"St Mary-Le-Bow Church, in Cheapside, was designed by Sir Christopher Wren. It used to house the Great Bell of Bow, of the nursery rhyme “Oranges and Lemons”, and it is claimed that when Whittington ran away from London he heard the bells ringing out and returned to the city. Traditionally, anyone born within the sounds of the Bow bells is said to be a true cockney or Londoner."

"Valentines Mansion & Gardens is a Grade II on the National Heritage List for both building and garden. Built in 1696, the mansion was for the widow of Archbishop of Canterbury John Tillotson's widow, Lady Tillotson. It later was the home of Sir Charles Raymond."

"15 Lowndes Street, SW1X 9EY Zafferano is the original Italian rustic trattoria, seamlessly transported to Belgravia. Inside, there's a palpable buzz, but despite having more than a dash of Italian bella figura, this place is discreet, non-flashy and as classy as they come. Signature dishes include linguine with lobster, veal Milanese and zafferano (saffron) risotto."

"Restaurants Italian Snaresbrook. It’s too late for upmarket Snaresbrook to turn hipster, but its residents can still enjoy a hip meal out. Bombetta features scuffed walls, neon signage and Banksy-inspired modern art, plus an on-trend small plates menu of lovingly updated classics."

"Where: Notting Hill, Fulham, West Hampstead, Camberwell, Selfridges Food Hall. In normal times, you can even learn how to make your own hand rolls with Feng Sushi’s classes - but for delivery, you’re in the hands of their chefs who turn out well-priced sushi. They offer regularly changing specials - like nori tacos or a seaweed tiger roll - alongside more recognisable options."

"‘If the only rule is making the most delicious thing you can think of, then who says what should or shouldn’t be on a pizza?. ’ That’s the ethos at Mike’s, a new venture from the team behind The Camberwell Arms and Peckham’s much-loved rooftop bar (also named after a man with a one-syllable name) Frank’s. Serving up pizza by the slice, you won’t find your bog-standard pepperoni here – expect flavours like smoked pancetta, artichoke, smoked provola, burrata and salted chilli as well as pineapple, mozzarella, scotch bonnet onions and mortadella."

"Unit 4.1 Copeland Park, 133 Copeland Rd, Peckham, London SE15 3SN Why should you care?. This new pizzeria in Peckham's Copeland Park is aiming to serving up what they say is London-style pizza - with no delicious topping taboo."