Southwark Cathedral

Beautiful cathedral! No food or drinks allowed inside. It’s a very large church and the entrance is hidden on the side next to a small street next to Borough Market. It’s great for walking around after you eat and drink. They also have small events, music, and singing. If you want to see an old church with the stain glass, old carvings and many intricacies that were required a thousand years ago, then this is the place. This beautiful art has truly been lost on modern churches.

Yes I really enjoyed the Sunday service at 11am. I was in the area as I had won tickets to the theatre nearby.
There are lots of nice cafes nearby and I was in one of these when the bells of the cathedral started ringing — so lovely to hear. There are some benches outside the cathedral in the grounds. A friendly smile greeted me at the entrance and I was pleased that the service was really quite full in this day and age.
One is given a service sheet particular to the day and also a hymn sheet. If I can be bothered to get out of bed early on a Sunday then I like to go to church. It has to be traditional and an old-​fashioned building for me and not a happy clappy.
I don’t take cold showers everyday, I smoke tobacco and enjoy the casino but I believe in God and the supernatural and I find it very uplifting. There was a news article a few years ago saying that regular church-​goers generally lived to an older age. I like paying my respects to the Almighty every now and again!

London Southwark Cathedral is a lovely, beautiful, very interesting and restful place to visit. And though I don’t always, I did give a donation. It was definitely worth it. I enjoy (
) this place very much!

Southwark Cathedral: not as fancy as many other cathedrals and certainly more overlooked that some of its London siblings, but a lovely place nonetheless. Wander around, appreciate the beautiful light, pet the cat.
Yes, there is a cathedral cat. Coolest. Cathedral. Ever.

Around since 600 AD with a solid history,
I stumbled across this church on the way to Borough Market.
The free tour is marked with informative displays. Admire the beauty of this old church, and imagine Shakespeare and his actors hanging out here for a boost of inspiration.
Join the mass of day workers on the lawn for lunch with any awesome treat you might procur from Borough market.

I was born and raised a good old Catholic girl and as much as Mama P tries to drag me to church now I’m older and wiser, I doth protest and only do special occasions and Christmas and Easter but I have to admit I do love a church /​cathedral (especially when I’m travelling abroad and have seen some beautiful ones), etc, for their beauty, calm and the ability for you to be able to admire and recollect your thoughts and find some tranquility in usually a bustling place — and boy is this area, London Bridge and Borough Market, a crazy area!
I’ve wanted to go here for years and I finally went in the other weekend when I was waiting for my friend to meet me for a jaunt at Borough Market. I did feel a little overwhelmed on first entering I felt a tad overwhelmed, but the more you walk through, it becomes more and more impressive and beautiful.
The staff were great, friendly and polite and I could hear them giving informative tours to other visitors which would have been interesting if I’d have had more time to spare.
I do have to say it kind of annoys me that so many people hang out in the grounds of the Cathedral as an overflow for Borough Market but maybe that’s just me.
Definitely a must see and I would love to go here for a service.

If you go to Borough Market, you cannot miss the Cathedral, as its grounds offer a great place to sit with your newly purchased, begging to be consumed snacks.
The volunteer staff are really friendly and want to help teach you about the building (in a very non-​proselytizing way, so never fear if you aren’t religious at all.
I have sung at the Cathedral on numerous occasions, and while it isn’t the BEST acoustic to sing in, it is nice to hear choirs sing in the space. The Cathedral choirs are both pretty good (they have both a boys and a girls choir) and worth listening to.
The best part about the Cathedral, however, is the cat. There is a cat that lives there, and he has his bed on one of the high-​backed throne-​like chairs that are behind the alter. So cute! My choir sang there the other night, and mid Bach the cat strolls out in front of the audience. Mew!!!

This is going to sound quite ridiculous but I try to avoid anything even vaguely religious. I haven’t been brought up to follow any particular faith and while I respect the individual beliefs of most I generally give the topic a wide berth. I have no idea why this is, for some reason it just makes me uncomfortable.
I was in Borough Market with my sister recently and she was determined I should see the inside of Southwark Cathedral. She works at a local school and they’re often holding services in there so after she’d given me free reign to graze the foodie market and eat a bratwurst mit sauerkraut (YUM!) she marched me defiantly through the Cathedral doors for a quick gander.
Fantastic Gothic architecture and stunning altar below beautiful stained glass windows, it really is quite unbelievable to think this sanctuary of peacefulness and calm is a stones throw from the bustling, tourist-​ridden mayhem outside!
I have absolutely promised to try and make my sister’s Christmas carol service so I’m sure I will be returning soon. I have to say the religious-​aspect will always sit uneasy with me and I have this uncontrollable fear of being preached at by the ladies who volunteer there and were hovering — ready to answer questions I guess — however, the Cathedral is a feast for the eyes and just to sit and take it all in was enough to convince me to return. I’ll be delving into the history of the building before I do — I hear it’s the oldest Cathedral building in London! You learn something new every day!

Southwark Cathedral never really did it for me. London has some beautiful and imposing buildings but this isn’t really one of them in my opinion. It looks shabby and unimportant, the first time I saw it I didn’t know what it was until I saw the sign. I thought it was just an ordinary church. I’m not a christian but I am able to find feelings of awe and inspiration from great buildings. This one leaves me cold.

I understand that Shakespeare would at the odd time visit here; that from someone that lives in Borough, their family once old dockers from the year dot. I have never been to the theatre near there.
The cathedral is a nice place and undersold in comparison to its newer Wren build over the Thames water.

A truly beautiful cathedral wonderfully placed in the middle of the urbanised London Bridge area, not just a place for worshippers but all are welcome on the grassy gardens in summer months and it provides a lovely place to enjoy the food which can be found in the adjacent Borough Market.

Having walked past the Cathedral many a times, I recently used it’s venue function for a seminar session for 20 people. I have to say that it is one of the most accomodating venues I’ve used. The catering staff are particularly friendly and helpful, as was the venue staff. The atmosphere as you walk in is incredibly relaxed and even though our numbers went up due to last minute bookings, everyone made an effort to supply what was needed.
There were a couple of glitches in the day including a power cut and one incorrect delivery times of tea/​coffee but these were quickly remedied.
Although the prices are a little steep — £650 for a room (beautiful as it is) for 20 people classroom style, I will definitely be going back there!

Very friendly clergy. This little-​known cathedral has some great treasures, including the Harvard Chapel (where Harvard’s founder was baptized), several monuments to belletrists (people forget that Shakespeare’s Globe was OUTSIDE of London proper — and his wooden likeness is here), and distinguished churchmen (including Lancelot Andrews, one of the translators of the KJV/​AV). The high altar is lovely, and if you go for morning Eucharist (even if you don’t commune), you won’t be sorry — or charged for admission. There’s a great breakfast place right up from there, so you can have a good fry-​up right after the service and not miss a beat on south London venues (like the Tower).
Also, if you can arrange it, visit when the Merbecke Choir is performing. With the 12^th c. walls, the gothic arrangements, the fine acoustics, you’ll be transported back 500 years!

The cathedral is lovely and quiet, a peaceful place to reflect. There are many beautiful pieces inside, and take your time to walk around and admire them slowly.
Also, at the back, there is a old wall displaying original roads from as early as 200 AD. Many people use this enclosure as a ‘wishing well’ to toss coins into.

Southwark Cathedral cannot be missed. It’s a huge, really beautiful cathedral that overlooks Borough Market. Often people can be found sitting outside and wandering around with food in hand from the market itself.
The Cathedral does nice Christmas services as I found out recently. I’m not religious by my Mother really wanted to do something religious /​visit a church or cathedral for Christmas recently as she was visiting for the festive period.
The service was lovely and it really made me feel all festive. If this is your kind of thing then attending a religious event here will definitely be for you…

Southwark Cathedral is a beautiful gothic cathedral in the midst of Borough Market and is a tranquil retreat for anybody visiting either Borough Market or the Southbank.
In the summer months, we often go and sit in the church yard with a box of fish and chips from Fish! and some Chegworth Valley apple juice and classily spectate weddings as they unravel in front of us. It would be an amazing place to get married, though I’m not sure how keen I would be to have a whole load of tourists eating pies watching.

I walked past this on my way to St Pauls and because I was rushing late couldn’t visit it properly.
It sits below the level of the road so its size and grandness is a bit lost but it looked so amazing that we went in for a quick look.
Entry is free but they suggest a donation of £4.
Inside looked amazing and I intend to make a effort to go back and visit it properly.
A guide came over while we were standing in awe and was very helpful and gave us a leaflet to read later.

Yarrr. I’ve rambled many a’ time past this ‘ere cathedral. It’s in the area of my maiden vessel. At first sight, I was so agog that I had to remove me eye patch to get a better view. YAAARRR. I scratched me head with me hooked hand in wonder. Beautiful as the sea after a raging storm. Yarrr.
I never entered ye here treasure trove until recently. But one day, when my peg leg was feeling sturdy, I walked into the cathedral. And by Blackbeard’s beard if this here church wasn’t as lovely as pillaging a boat full of gleaming booty. YAR! YAR! ‘Tis a mighty fine cathedral. Gothic she be, but of a warm light. Gothic cathedrals be usually cold and ominous, foreboding as a red sky in morning, but this here cathedral felt cozy as the little bunk I share with my parrot Polly.
Polly wanted to take the wall behind the altar for our vessel. It’s all covered in beautiful statues like lichen covers an old ship. It’s more than a sight for sore eyes. It’s a sight to warm this broken seaman’s heart.
Ye should take your shipmates thar. Maybe ye should claim it as booty for your captain. It be mighty fine place. You should go see it for yar self.

Sin duda uno de mis lugares favoritos de Londres! Y no lo digo por el interior de la catedral, sino por su maravilloso jardincito.
Esta catedral se sitúa a orillas de Támesis, en la zona de Southwark. Recomiendo a todos los que decidan visitar Londres que se den un pequeño paseo, partiendo del Millenium Bridge hasta el Tower Bridge, por la orillita del río hay docenas de bares trendy para tomar algo, braserias para cenar, pequeñas tiendas Ofrece sin duda un precioso panorama de la ciudad, me encantaba!
Esta catedral, recientemente renovada, cuenta como acabo de decir con un pequeño jardín con bancos de madera, perfectos para sentarse a leer y descansar un poco. Es un lugar muy tranquilo en medio del bullicio de Londres, al sentarse allí uno se cree en el claustro de un college de Oxford o Cambridge más que en el propio Londres!

I visited shortly after having a tooth extracted, which is perhaps not the best time. But it turned out to be a very good idea indeed. First off I walked through the gardens, which are small, but tranquil in spite of their busy surroundings. They include a monument to a Native American chief buried there, and it’s nice to see some of his native spiritual symbols included and respected. Inside I was greeted by notices suggesting a £4 donation, and a greeter who pressed a leaflet on me.
The leaflet takes you on a walk around the cathedral visiting various things to look at. There’s a real range, from ancient tombs with figures in stone and wood, to modern sculptures. It’s worth keeping your eyes open for more though, as not everything is covered, and many things have short explanatory notices. I’m sure I missed lots. You get a real sense of the diversity of people who’ve been using this place for hundreds of years, and right up to the modern day.
The leaflet also contains suggestions for points to stop and pray and appropriate subjects. Though I’m not a Christian, I did stop and meditate where the subjects were ones I could relate to, and enjoyed it. With that, and the diversity of culture displayed, I felt a little less of a tourist than I usually do when visiting churches!
They also have a modern shop with lots of nice gifts (though not the cheapest), and a place you can look down into the under croft and see remains of previous buildings all layered and jumbled together and going back to roman times. There’s a café too I think, and I think there were music classes going on
Overall a lovely, beautiful, very interesting and restful place to visit. And though I don’t always, I did give a donation. It was definitely worth it.

Sehr unvermutet findet sich hier im Dickicht aus alten Bahntrassen, dem Borough Market, einigen neueren Touristen-​Attraktionen London’s «andere» Kathedrale. Für einen Besuch empfohlen.

London’s ‘other’ cathedral is less well known than the iconic St Paul’s, and the surroundings are hardly encouraging: railway viaducts, offices and the back end of Borough Market. But then, this has always been the ‘colourful’ side of London.
The church’s history is hardly less colourful itself: a fire destroyed most of the Norman church in 1212 and another fire in 1390 led to the rebuilding of the tower and south transept in 1424. The nave roof collapsed in 1468, and the rest of the nave fell into such disrepair that it was completely rebuilt in 1890.
But enough remains for Southwark to claim itself ‘London’s oldest gothic building’. And certainly the choir, sanctuary, aisles, and retro-​choir, dating from the initial rebuilding (1215 – 1273) are a fine example of the Early English gothic style. The crossing dates from the 14^th and early 15^th centuries, and the nave is a surprisingly sympathetic Victorian addition.
A 12^th century Norman door and 13^th century arcading survive in the Nave, as well as the superb tomb of John Gower (d. 1408), the poet and friend of Chaucer. The splendid Altar Screen of 1520 and a rare wooden effigy of a 13^th century knight are found in the Choir, alongside the charming 17^th century memorial to the Humble family.
There are numerous other tombs and memorials dating from the 16^th-​18^th centuries, as well as some Roman mosaic tiles from a villa that once stood on the site. A more modern addition is the 19^th-​century memorial to Shakespeare, who spent much of his time in the area (the Globe theatre is a few minutes’ walk away).
The church has a busy calendar of services and events, especially the excellent concerts and choir recitals, and the cathedral has an excellent café and shop. In contrast, the churchyard is a tranquil, and well-​used, lunch-​time retreat for office-​workers.
Photos added: 25-​09-​2007