London: 'A Modern Babylon'

Page 2 of 6

• 1. Early growth
• 2. Gateway to the south
• 3. Going up west, and east
• 4. Trainspotting
• 5. Feeling expansive
• 6. Find out more
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Gateway to the south

To the south, however, was the River Thames. It had formed a natural barrier between north and south for centuries and the south bank, although populated, had always been a place apart.

In 1700, it was the location for those industries banished from the city proper - tanneries, timber yards and factories making vinegar, dyes, soap and tallow. As a result, south London was smelly and - with its prisons, asylums and dodgy taverns - it had a bit of a reputation. It was also difficult to get to. How things change.

'Turning up its nose at the south bank was a luxury London could no longer afford.'

Turning up its nose at the south bank was a luxury London could no longer afford. The building of Westminster Bridge in 1750 and Blackfriars Bridge in 1769 opened it up, and roads were soon laid to Kennington and Elephant and Castle. The first inhabitant was heavy industry, with potteries, lime kilns and blacking factories springing up in the later 18th century.

The building of three toll-bridges, at Southwark, Waterloo and Vauxhall, also laid the ground for extensive house-building in places like Camberwell, Brixton, Clapham and Dulwich. Even so, large patches remained rough and dirty: George Gissing wrote of Southwark's 'evil smell... alcoholic fumes... [and] a miasma that caught the breath', and many Londoners (not just taxi-drivers) still viewed south of the river as somewhere to be avoided.

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Published: 2004-02-16