History of Bermondsey
Bermondsey is almost certainly one of the oldest parts of Southwark. It is believed that a Benedictine Monastery was based here doing Saxon times and evidence has been found of Roman occupation.
In 1089 a London Merchant, Alwyn Child, founded St Saviour's Monastery for the Cluniac Order. The Abbey was to develop into a very important body adn dominated the area for centuries. Initially it was run by French officials and the first English Prior was appointed as late as 1374. In 1338 Abbey Church was built and in 1399 it was confirmed as an Abbey by Pope Boniface IX, with its Abbots sitting in the House of Lords.
The Abbey was home to at least two Royals, Queen Catherine, consort of Henry V, died there in 1437 and Elizabeth Woodville, the Queen of Edward IV, died there in 1482. Both were there after a decline in their fortunes and were almost under house arrest. The Abbey was confiscated in 1539 by Henry VIII as part of his dispute with the Church and was then sold off to a private owner who then demolished the building.
Bermondsey was well known for its leather industry which began to establish itself in medieval times. The area, with freshwater tidal streams was ideal for the tanners and the area was also close to the London markets and had good transport links. The City of London perceived the Bermondsey industry as a threat and often tried to restrict the sale of goods within three miles of the City. Despite this by 1792 a third of the leather in the country emanated from Bermondsey. The decline began in the 19th century when hides began to be imported into the northern ports and many firms moved north.
In 1935 the Spa Road to Deptford railway opened up and it was soon extended to London Bridge and Greenwich. This opened Bermondsey up to industry but with that came overcrowding and poverty. In 1801 the population was 27,465, in 1854 it was 65,932 and by 1891 it had reached 136,660. Open sewers and poor quality housing was common. By 1900 the population was declining.
Alfred Salter was a doctor who got to know Bermondsey well when he was a student at Guys'. He was a brilliant student but chose to work in Bermondsey, charging 6p a visit but free to those who could not pay. He realised that if he wanted to make long term changes he would need to go into politics and in 1903 was elected to Bermondsey Council. In 1910 his wife Ada became the first female London Councillor and in 1922 she became the Mayor of Bermondsey while he became the Independent Labour Party MP for Bermondsey. This launched the council on a set of pioneering reforms, including a public health centre that predates the NHS by 20 years.
In the Second World War Bermondsey was one of the most heavily bombed parts of Britain with 709 civilians killed and thousands more injured, which lead to economic decline after war and in the 1970's the remaining docks closed their doors for the last time. In recent years Bermondsey has benefited from a lot of regeneration schemes and is now an area on the rise.
