Bankside is a district in the London Borough of Southwark. It's positioned around the southern bank of the River Thames, 2.4 km east of Charing Cross. It is 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. During the Elizabethan period, these areas were outside 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 a great deal of regeneration in recent years, becoming well known with tourists. 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 inside the district. The three buildings house about 5,000 staff. Bankside One is also generally known as the Blue Fin Building and is partially occupied by IPC Media, while Bankside 2 and 3 are occupied by the Omnicom Group Ltd.
From 2010, several 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, especially at the junction with Stamford Street exactly where plenty of high rises have been built.