London Guide
The South Bank
For centuries London stopped southwards at the Thames; the South Bank was a marshy, uninhabitable place, a popular place for duck-shooting, but otherwise seldom visited. Then, in the eighteenth century, wharves began to be built along the riverbank, joined later by factories. Slums and overhead railway lines added to the grime until 1951, when a slice of Lambeth's badly bombed riverside was used as a venue for the Festival of Britain, the site eventually evolving into the Southbank Centre, a concrete arts complex that has never quite managed to win over Londoners.
Recently, however, more and more visitors (and locals) have discovered that the South Bank has, in fact, got a lot going for it. Since most of London sits on the north bank of the Thames, the views from the South Bank are the best. Even more importantly, you can explore the whole area on foot, free from the traffic noise and fumes that blight so much of central London, and then continue east along the riverside walkway into the regenerated districts of Bankside and Southwark. What helped kick-start the South Bank's rejuvenation was the arrival of the spectacular London Eye, the world's largest observation wheel, followed by the state-of-the-art BFI IMAX cinema, the renovation of the distinctive OXO Tower building; and the rejuvenation of the Hungerford Bridge which was flanked by a majestic symmetrical double-suspension footbridge.
Other popular attractions in the area include the London Aquarium, situated close to the London Eye, and, further inland, the Imperial War Museum, which harbours the country's only permanent exhibition devoted to the Holocaust. To find out about the latest events and exhibitions on the South Bank (and in neighbouring Southwark) visit www.london-se1.co.uk.