walk/tour
Garden Museum, 5 Lambeth Palace Road, SE1 7LB
A 2.5 hour walking tour showcasing unexpected and hidden architectural landmarks of the South Bank area, revealing the different ways in which spaces have been reclaimed, reused and revived. Two guided walks held on two dates. The first walk follows a route starting from the Garden Museum, and the second walk starts from St John's Waterloo church.
Waterloo
Waterloo
The tour routes are mostly step-free but have some changes of level.
There will be occasional opportunities to take a seat on public benches during the tours.
North Lambeth was historically low-lying, marshy and liable to flooding, making it unsuitable for extensive building. The area changed with the coming of the railways and the opening of the new Waterloo station in 1848. The tracks had to be elevated over the swampy ground by the construction of a series of viaducts and arches.
In the wake of the station's construction, churches, houses and places of entertainment were lost. However, in the 20th and 21st centuries, these spaces were reborn and revealed again by a change of use and new purposes.
Now one of London’s best-loved destinations, the South Bank riverside attracts visitors seeking culture and leisure attractions. Where only a few decades ago breweries, power stations and timber wharves operated, today stand some of the UK's most iconic cultural institutions, the likes of National Theatre and the Southbank Centre.
On this walk, we will reveal how South Bank's unique mix of buildings tell stories of South Bank's - and indeed of London's - past and present, and that also present visions for London's ambitions for the next century.
On the two different tours, visitors will be guided on a journey around parts of South Bank they may not have visited before, and along the way hear the unique stories behind South Bank's many famous buildings.
Tours will look at landmark buildings from a range of eras including the medieval, Edwardian, Victorian, Modernist and 21st Contemporary. We will be going inside some of these buildings to explore interior details that are not always accessible to the public and to see how these historic spaces have been repurposed.
Each tour ends with a visit to an artist studio, where visitors will hear more about the work of the many artists and makers who help make South Bank such as a creative area.
TUE 17 SEP, 11am–1:30pm
* Lost & Hidden Architecture Walk: From Palace to Pottery & Politics Past*
- Garden Museum (old St Mary's medieval church)
- Lambeth Palace Library
- St Thomas Hospital complex
- County Hall - including a visit to the County Hall Pottery studio
FRI 20 SEP 11am–1:30pm
*Lost & Hidden Architecture Walk: Between & Under Bridges*
- Sea Containers
- OXO Tower
- National Theatre
- Southbank Centre
- Topolski's Studio - the historic studio and archive of 20thC British-Polish artist Feliks Topolski
