Southwark Cathedral

Priory, parish, cathedral

The cathedral began life in 1106 as the priory church of St Mary Overie — a name surviving from the medieval Southwark phrase "St Mary over the river," distinguishing the south-bank house from the City churches across London Bridge. It was founded by two Norman knights for the Augustinian canons. After the dissolution of the monasteries it became the parish church of St Saviour, serving the rough-and-ready Bankside community of inns, theatres and bear-pits. Only in 1905 was it raised to cathedral status as the seat of the new Anglican Diocese of Southwark.

A literary corner of London

The cathedral has long associations with the world of the Elizabethan playhouses that stood nearby. Edmund Shakespeare, the playwright's brother, was buried in the church in 1607, and a memorial to William Shakespeare himself reclines beneath the south aisle window, gazing toward the rebuilt Globe Theatre across the river.

What to see

• The retro-choir behind the altar, a fine example of early English Gothic.
• The Shakespeare memorial and stained-glass window.
• The 13th-century wooden effigy of a knight, one of the oldest in London.
• The medieval chapel of John Harvard, founder of Harvard University, baptised here in 1607.
• The cathedral garden and its herb beds beside Borough Market.

Visiting

Entry is free, with a suggested donation. Choral evensong is sung most weekday evenings during term, and the cathedral hosts regular lunchtime concerts. Combine a visit with lunch in Borough Market on its doorstep — Friday and Saturday are the best days for the full market.