Southwark Cathedral sits at the south end of London Bridge, beside Borough Market, and holds London’s oldest Gothic church fabric. Christians have worshipped on this site for over a thousand years. Today pilgrims, historians and choral music fans come for its medieval stonework, its quiet interior and its sung services (source: [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southwark_Cathedral)).
The 13th-century retrochoir behind the high altar is the building’s oldest Gothic section, with slender clustered columns and pointed lancet windows. In the south aisle, an alabaster Shakespeare memorial reclines beneath a stained-glass window of his characters. Nearby lies the painted tomb of the poet John Gower. Lancelot Andrewes, a translator of the King James Bible, is buried near the high altar. The Harvard Chapel honours John Harvard, who was baptised here in 1607. When the choir sings Evensong, the stone vaulting carries the sound through the nave.
Visitor Highlights & Practical Info
Opening hours are 9am to 6pm Monday to Saturday and 8:30am to 5pm on Sunday (source: [Southwark Cathedral](https://cathedral.southwark.anglican.org/visiting/visitor-information/)). Entry is free, and donations are welcome (source: [ianVisits](https://www.ianvisits.co.uk/venues/southwark-cathedral/)). For the quietest visit, come on a weekday morning before the Borough Market lunch crowds arrive. Choral Evensong takes place most afternoons, but the choir’s schedule changes outside term time, so check the cathedral’s service calendar before you go. London Bridge station on the Jubilee and Northern lines is about three minutes’ walk away. Afterwards, the Golden Hinde replica and the Thames Path are just to the west.
