Bawdy Borough: poverty, prostitutes and playhouses

Southwark is always called 'the Borough' by Londoners as it has been a borough since the 12th century and returned two members to Parliament.

It was for several centuries the only 'borough', adjacent to the cities of London and Westminster. Borough was outside of the jurisdiction of the City of London and therefore became an area where activities which were suppressed in the City could flourish openly. Therefore gaming houses, bowling alleys, theatres and brothels were plentiful.

We will be exploring this area's fascinating history and discover the people who lived and died here during the past few centuries.

This is a circular walk and we'll make our way back to London Bridge.

★ TOUR HIGHLIGHTS ★

• "a very rude and nasty pleasure"
• who were the Winchester Geese?
• A philanthropist remembered
• An international 'incident'
• A famous theatre destroyed in 1645
  all this and much more

So please join me for this guided walk in a friendly group. If this is your first walk with this group or with Meetup, you will be made very welcome.

★ NEAREST STATION ★
London Bridge mainline and tube station. We will meet outside the station on the corner of Joiner Street and Tooley Street. See photo below.

★ SCHEDULE ★
12.15pm – Meet outside London Bridge station
12.30pm – Start tour (approx 75-90 minutes)
2.00pm – Finish (approx time)

★ PAYMENT DETAILS ★
Meetup fee: £8 (payable in CASH ONLY on the day at the start of the tour). If you have 'unpaid' by your name, please ignore.

★ COVID-19 GUIDANCE ★
We will be adhering to the latest government Covid-19 guidance.
Wearing of masks outdoors is optional.
Do not attend if you have symptoms in 14 days before this event.

★ IMPORTANT ★
Please change your RSVP to 'not going' if you cannot make it whether you are on the going list or the waiting list. There’s no need to write a message. We leave at 12.30pm promptly. Thank you.

Any questions, please ask. Look forward to meeting you!