Toast 2,000 years of Southwark's vibrant history! Explore iconic pubs like the 17th-century George Inn, learn about brewing and prisons, and sample authentic ales on this fascinating walking tour. Uncover hidden stories, visit Borough Market, Shakespeare's Globe and raise a glass to Southwark's vibrant past and present!

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Gothic style architecture of the exterior.

The location of Southwark, nestled alongside the River Thames, boats 2,000 years of living liquid history, and that includes the booze!

Come and explore Southwark’s vibrant pub culture and visit some of London’s oldest taverns while learning about its sometimes bloody past and rich social history.

On your private pub history tour, we shall visit:

At least two pubs for drinks (others are optional)—London's oldest riverside tavern with a unique asset for tourists, and London’s last surviving galleried Inn.
The site of an old brewery to learn about the distillery process with many amusing anecdotes.

The early Victorian exterior with customers enjoying a drink.

London’s last Ferryman’s Seat, and you can try it for size.
A world famous market, also noted for its pubs and movie site locations.
An historical building, famous for storing the hops transported from the so-called ‘Garden of England’.

Engage with some great storytelling from your host:

Compelling stories about (at least) two pubs we visit, plus the many pubs we pass by on this journey.
Tales of drunkards and doctors, and how they once overlapped.
How the beer in times past was much safer to drink than the water.

Guard with axe outside stone cell with eerie green light.

Learn about two of the most feared prisons in historic London, plus the Borough Compter punishment cell.
Account of the Great Fire of Southwark.
How pubs got their names, pub architecture and pub signs.

Blue painted bar with dark decor and customers ordering drinks.

Make yourselves at home in some of these traditional watering holes, and sample a variety of authentic British ales, stouts, ciders or even wine (underage drinkers can enjoy a variety of soft drinks).

Duration: 3 hours
Type: Walking Tour
Exclusives: Walking tour with Rob Woodford—an experienced, qualified London Black Cab Driver
Price: £240 total (up to 15 guests). Prices do not include attraction tickets.
Languages: English
Pick up: Southwark Tube Station

Starting Point: Southwark Tube Station

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River Thames and Thames Path: Gabriel’s Wharf, Oxo Tower, Tate Modern, Millennium Bridge, Shakespeare’s Globe, Ferryman’s Seat, Jubilee Walkway, The Anchor Bankside (Visit)

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Park Street

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(Site of) Barclays Brewery

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Clink Street: Clink Prison Museum, Winchester Palace, Pickford’s Wharf

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Golden Hinde

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Old Thameside Inn

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Montague Close: Southwark Cathedral, Mudlark Pub, Nancy’s Steps

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London Bridge & The Barrowboy and Banker Pub

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Findlater’s Corner

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St. Thomas’s Street: The Shard, Guys Hospital, King’s College Campus, (Site of) St. Thomas’s Hospital, Old Operating Theatre, The Grapes Pub

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Borough Market: Bedale Street, The Globe Pub, The Ginger Pig, Stoney Street, Market Porter Pub, Leaky Cauldron (Harry Potter), The Wheatsheaf Pub

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Southwark Street: Southwark Tavern Pub, Hop Exchange (Visit),

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Winchester Geese Memorial

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(Site of) Marshalsea Prison

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Tabard Street

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Newcomen Street

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The Kings Arms Pub

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Borough High Street: St. George the Martyr, The Whisky Exchange, John Harvard Library & Plaque, The George Inn Pub (Visit), St. Christopher’s Inn Pub, Southwark War Memorial, St. Margaret’s Churchyard

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Talbot Yard