Bankside is a district in the London Borough of Southwark. It is positioned on the southern bank of the River Thames, 2.4 km east of Charing Cross. It's part of the business improvement district generally known as Better Bankside.
Bankside is the riverside of the former liberties of the Clink and Paris Garden. In the course of the Elizabethan period, these places were outside the City of London’s jurisdiction so they became the homes of bear baiting pits and playhouses, including the Rose, the Swan and the Globe Theatre. There has been a lot of regeneration in recent years, becoming common with vacationers. The skyline of Bankside is accentuated by the former Bankside Power Station, that is now the Tate Modern.
The Bankside 1/2/3 complex on Southwark Street is the most significant new development within the district. The 3 buildings house about 5,000 personnel. Bankside One is also referred to as the Blue Fin Building and it is partially occupied by IPC Media, whilst Bankside 2 and 3 are occupied by the Omnicom Group Ltd.
From 2010, a lot of improvement schemes have transformed Blackfriars Road from the bridge to the south at St. George’s Circus and new buildings stand in place of post-World War II offices. These buildings are residential and hotel accommodation along its length, in particular at the junction with Stamford Street where lots of high rises have been constructed.