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Location: Waterloo Road, London, England, United Kingdom.
South Bank:
The South Bank is an area of Central London, England located immediately adjacent to the southern bank of the River Thames opposite the City of Westminster. It forms a long and narrow section of riverside development within the London Borough of Lambeth and the London Borough of Southwark where it joins Bankside. The pedestrian embankment is the Queen's Walk.
South Bank developed much more slowly than the north bank of the river due to adverse conditions, and throughout its history has twice functioned as an entertainment district, separated by a hundred years of use as a location for industry.[2] Change to the current use of the area began in 1917 with the construction of County Hall at Lambeth replacing the Lion Brewery, its Coade stone symbol was retained and placed on a pedestal at Westminster Bridge and is known as the 'South Bank Lion'.
In 1951 the Festival of Britain redefined the area as a place for arts and entertainment. It now forms a significant tourist district in central London, stretching from the Blackfriars Bridge in the east to Westminster Bridge in the west. A series of central London bridges connect the area to the northern bank of the Thames Golden Jubilee and Waterloo Bridge.
History of South Bank:
The south bank of the River Thames was slower to develop than the north bank, alongside the City of London and the Westminster, because sunlight favours the north bank and the deep channel of the Thames was alongside it. During the Middle Ages the south bank developed as a place of entertainment outside the formal regulation of the City of London on the north bank; this included theatres, prostitution and bear-baiting.
By the 18th century the more genteel entertainment of the pleasure gardens had developed. The shallow bank and mud flats of the south bank were ideal locations for industry and docks. The south bank went on to develop as an industrial location in a patchwork of private ownership, with the riverside cut off from the public access.
There was a shift in use when the London County Council required a new County Hall, which was built between 1917 and 1922 on the south bank near North Lambeth's Lower Marsh.[2] The construction of County Hall returned the first section of river frontage to public use. This was extended eastwards in 1951 when the Festival of Britain caused a considerable area to be redeveloped.
It was renamed 'South Bank' as part of promoting the Festival. The legacy of the festival was mixed, with buildings and exhibits demolished to make way for Jubilee Gardens, whilst the Royal Festival Hall and The Queen's Walk were retained as part of the Southbank Centre.[2] During the years following the festival the arts and entertainment complex grew with additional facilities, including the Queen Elizabeth Hall, and other arts venues opened along the river such as the Royal National Theatre.
