Rotherhithe
It is hard to believe that once upon a time Rotherhithe was no more than an uninhabited area of marshy land. It isn't mentioned in the Domesday Book but there is every possibility it was regarded as a small village which was attached to Bermondsey. Situated on the banks of the Thames, about a mile and a half below London-bridge, Rotherhithe obtained its name from the Saxon words rother, a sailor, and hyth, a landing place.
Rotherhithe's St Mary's church dates back to the 12th century although it is said that a church may have been on the site in Saxon times. St Mary's was later rebuilt by shipbuilders, and thought to be buried in the grounds is the very last victim of the Great Plague of 1679.
Throughout history Rotherhithe has had a close relationship with the sea, and indeed was home to some of the finest shipbuilders in the world. Seafarers such as Captain Christopher Jones of The Mayflower resided there and in 1613 a school which helped the children of destitute sailors was founded by two of the local Master mariners Peter Hills and Roger Booth.
The Aaron Manby was the first iron ship to be constructed in Rotherhithe along with some of the very first steamships. As well as the iron works, other industries associated with shipbuilding, such as the manufacturing of gunpowder, were springing up in the area. It is thought that Guy Fawkes obtained the gunpowder used in the Gunpowder Plot from Rotherhithe.
HMS Temeraire the 98 gun ship played a prominent part in the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 after which she was known as 'The Fighting Temeraire'. She was decommisioned in 1838 and towed from Sheerness to Rotherhithe to be broken up in Beatson's yard. The ship's last journey up the Thames is the subject of Turner's famous painting. Turner's aim was to inspire a sense of loss and the painting is very apt in representing the decline of Britain's naval power.
The sea-faring era was fast coming to a close and as transport improved the population of Rotherhithe rose. From 10,000 people in 1801, a hundred years later the figure was to rise to over 38,000, and whilst the rich enjoyed comfortable lifestyle the poor were subjected to the very worst condtions. In fact Charles Dickens was said to have described Rotherhithe as ‘a vile slum’.
Rotherhithe is still home to The Ship which was the last pub to have been built in London before the arrival of World War Two. Thought to have dated from the 1800's it was moved to new premises in 1939.
The Docks were destroyed during the Blitz and much of Rotherhithe was damaged however, during the 40's and 50's trade quickly recovered. Sadly this was to be a short-lived revival and eventually in 1970 the Docks were closed.
Nowadays redevelopment has put an end to poor housing conditions, and although its village like origins can still be seen, Rotherhithe is fast developing into an up-market area of London. The Surrey Quays Shopping Centre being the major attraction for shoppers.
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