Secret Southwark and Blackfriars

Intimately linked as twin hubs of the Elizabethan entertainment industry north and south of the Thames, Blackfriars’ and Southwark’s shared history emerged from opposing forces and ancient geographic personalities. First settled by the Romans, and surviving numerous invasions and conflagrations, the ‘Town of Southwark’ enjoyed independent self-government until granted to the City of London by King...