Bankside
Bankside is a district in the London Borough of Southwark. It is positioned around the southern bank of the River Thames, 2.4 km east of Charing Cross. It is part of the business improvement district called Better Bankside.
Bankside is the riverside of the former liberties of the Clink and Paris Garden. For the duration of the Elizabethan period, these regions were out of the City of London’s jurisdiction so they became the homes of bear baiting pits and playhouses, such as the Rose, the Swan and the Globe Theatre. There has been lots of regeneration in recent years, becoming popular with tourists. The skyline of Bankside is accentuated by the former Bankside Power Station, which 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 workers. Bankside One is also referred to as the Blue Fin Building and is partially occupied by IPC Media, whilst Bankside 2 and Three are occupied by the Omnicom Group Ltd.
From 2010, lots of development schemes have transformed Blackfriars Road from the bridge towards 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, specifically at the junction with Stamford Street where plenty of high rises have already been built.
