Southwark Historic Pubs and River Walk

Take a walk into London's wild side with pub expert and blogger, Niall.
Niall was born the son of Irish landlords in London and spent his early years living over a pub. This sparked a life long fascination and led to him starting a cult instagram page @Proper_Boozers that celebrates real London pubs.

Explore Southwark through this lenses with four stops in some of the areas most iconic pubs.

Uncover the vibrant history of Southwark, London’s southern gateway. Stroll the Thames where the original London Bridge once stood, explore Borough Market’s thousand years of trade, and hear the tale of the Winchester Geese. Step into historic pubs to relive stories of press gangs, body snatchers, and lively locals. A perfect tour for history enthusiasts and curious travellers keen to discover the gritty, colourful past that shaped this unique district.

Meeting Point

SE1 1TQ

Southwark St, London SE1 1TQ, UK

Under the main gate of Borough Market - 6 Southwark St, London SE1 1TQ

What's included:

• Expert Guide

What to expect:

Duration: 3 hours

Thames River

, , London

We begin on the banks of the River Thames, the lifeblood of London for nearly two millennia. Here we uncover how the river shaped the city — from Roman crossings and medieval marvels to executions, sayings like “one for the road”, and the darker side of Southwark life.

10 minutes

London Bridge

London, EC4R 9HA

Discover the many lives of London Bridge: once a medieval wonder lined with houses, shops, and pubs; later a stage for grisly executions with traitors’ heads displayed on spikes. We’ll trace its decline, its surprising sale to an American businessman, and how part of it now stands in Arizona.

10 minutes

Borough Market

8 Southwark Street, , London, SE1 1TL

London’s larder for a thousand years. Once the rowdy domain of traders, porters, and early-opening boozers, Borough Market fell into decline in the late 20th century before reinventing itself as today’s foodie mecca. Still noisy, still chaotic — just swap fish heads for focaccia.

10 minutes

Crossbones Graveyard & Garden of Remembrance

Junction of Redcross Way and Union Street, Entrance by the Golden Gates on Union Street, London, SE1 1TA

Crossbones Graveyard on Redcross Way is where the unlicensed, the unloved, and the unrecorded of Southwark were buried — especially the Winchester Geese. Once a byword for vice, now a place of remembrance, it stands as a haunting marker of the stories London tried to forget.

20 minutes

Kings Arms

23 Poland Street, London, W1F 8QJ

The King’s Arms is one of Borough’s best-kept secrets: a little timber-fronted pub that’s been serving pints since Shakespeare’s day. It’s the kind of place where you can actually feel London’s drinking history seeping out of the walls — and the beer’s not half bad either.

30 minutes

The Royal Oak

73 Columbia Road, , London, E2 7RG

The Royal Oak is one of Southwark’s great old-school boozers. Tucked away on Tabard Street, it’s a Georgian-era pub with a real Victorian feel inside — dark wood, tiled floors, and a warm welcome. Long associated with the brewery tradition of the area, it’s now famed for serving Harvey’s ales direct from the cask, keeping the Sussex brewery’s name alive in the heart of London.

30 minutes

Marshalsea Prison South Wall

Angel Pl., London SE1 1JA, UK

The Marshalsea was Southwark’s debtors’ prison — a grim place where you could end up locked away for life just for being broke. Dickens’ dad did time here, and the memory haunted him into his writing. Today, only fragments of the wall remain, but the stories still hang heavy in the air.

10 minutes

The Gladstone Arms

64 Lant Street, London, SE1 1QN

The Glad is a proper Southwark survivor — a Victorian pub named after Prime Minister Gladstone, nearly knocked down a few times but always brought back to life. These days it’s all about good beer, good music, and that snug, old-school charm you only get in a neighbourhood boozer.

30 minutes

Lord Clyde Southwark

27 Clennam St, London SE1 1ER, UK

We save the best for last: the Lord Clyde. A gem of a Victorian pub on London’s shortest street. Beautifully tiled outside, warm and welcoming inside, it’s the perfect spot to raise a final glass and toast Southwark’s drinking past.

30 minutes