Southwark Cathedral

Southwark Cathedral stands on a site of intense, layered history that stretches back far beyond its current structure. Excavations here have uncovered evidence of a first century Roman road running directly through the cathedral grounds, tracing a path toward the river where it once met the historic crossing point of the Thames. Long before it became a formal cathedral in 1905, the site functioned as an Augustinian priory founded by two Norman knights in 1106. In its medieval life, the priory was so closely linked to the powerful Bishops of Winchester that it served as the heart of their private liberty, an area infamous for its connection to the city's theaters and its thriving, illicit trade.