Rotherhithe

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Location
Rotherhithe


OS grid reference:	TQ358796
Latitude:	51.49895845538194°
Longitude:	-0.0426386376516521°
Administration
London borough:	Southwark
County level:	Greater London
Region:	London
Constituent country:	England
Sovereign state:	United Kingdom
Other
Ceremonial county:	Greater London
Historic county:	Surrey
Services
Police force:	Metropolitan Police
Fire brigade:	London Fire Brigade
Ambulance service:	London Ambulance
Post office and telephone
Post town:	LONDON
Postal district:	SE16
Dialling code:	020
Politics
UK Parliament:	North Southwark and Bermondsey
London Assembly:	Lambeth and Southwark
European Parliament:	London
London \| List of places in London

St Olav's, Rotherhithe's Norwegian church. (February 2006)

Rotherhithe is a peninsula on the south bank of the Thames in South East London in the London Borough of Southwark, part of the Docklands, facing Wapping and the Isle of Dogs on the north bank. It has been a port since the 12th century or earlier, and a shipyard since Elizabethan times. It was the site from which the Mayflower set off on its journey to carry the Pilgrim Fathers to Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1620. The ship's captain, Christopher Jones, lived in Rotherhithe and was buried there in 1622.

1 History
2 Places of interest
3 Transport
4 Trivia
5 Gallery
6 External links
- 6.1 Maps

[edit] History

The name "Rotherhithe" derives from Anglo-Saxon hryðer-hȳð = "Landing-place for cattle". The first recorded use of this name is circa 1105, as Rederheia (A.D.Mills, Oxford Dictionary of English Place-Names, ISBN 0-19-282131-3).

Because much of Rotherhithe was covered by the now-defunct Surrey Commercial Docks, the district is often referred to as Surrey Docks or (since the late 1980s) Surrey Quays, though the latter name tends to be used more for the southern half of the peninsula. An eastern part, which became in effect an island when the docks were in use and locks open is called "Downtown". In the past Rotherhithe has also been known as the cognate "Redriff". It is part of the SE16 postal district. Electorally, the western half is Rotherhithe ward and the eastern half Surrey Docks ward.

Redriff was the fictional birthplace of Jonathan Swift's character Lemuel Gulliver, of Gulliver's Travels fame, and where his family waited for him.

Rotherhithe is joined to the north bank of the Thames by three tunnels. The Thames Tunnel to Wapping was the first underwater tunnel in the world, built by the Brunels as a pedestrian tunnel. It is now occupied by the East London Line of the London Underground. The later Rotherhithe Tunnel (opened 1908) carries a two-lane road to Limehouse. The Jubilee Line extension (opened 1999) has a railway tunnel to Canary Wharf in the Isle of Dogs.

Although the docks were closed and largely filled in during the 1980s, and have now been replaced by modern housing and commercial facilities, Rotherhithe is still dominated by its former maritime heritage. The largest surviving dock on the south bank, Greenland Dock, is the focal point for the southern part of the district, while preserved wharves dominate the riverside at the north end of Rotherhithe. St. Mary's Church dominates the old town centre, a short distance from the historic Brunel Engine House at the south end of the Thames Tunnel.

Because much of the former Surrey Docks had strong trade links to Scandinavia and the Baltic region the area is still home to a striving Scandinavian community. During World War II, in fact, it housed the Norwegian Government-in-Exile. Originally established as seafarers' missions, Rotherhithe is home to a Norwegian [1], a Finnish [2] and a Swedish [3] church. There are also a number of "community centres" for the Nordic community in London, including hostels, shops and cafés and even a sauna, mostly linked closely to the churches. Some of the redeveloped areas were also build by Nordic architects, such as the Greenland Passage development by Danish Company Kjaer & Richter [4]. This gives some areas a distinctly "Nordic" feel in terms of house and street design.

The relationship with Scandinavia and the Baltic is also reflected in the names of some of the buildings (such as the King Frederik IX Tower) [5], the street names (e.g. Sweden Quay, Norway Gate, Helsinki Square) or other place names (e.g. Greenland Dock). Another major influence factor was trade with Russia and Canada (mainly timber), reflected in names such as Canada Water [6] and the Russia Dock Woodland.

Rotherhithe is the traditional home of the football team, Fisher Athletic F.C., although the team currently groundshares in Dulwich Hamlet.

The engineering charity Sustrans has suggested the construction of a bicycle and pedestrian swing bridge from Rotherhithe to Canary Wharf.[7]

[edit] Places of interest

[edit] Transport

[edit] Nearest places

[edit] Nearest London Underground stations

[edit] Nearest mainline railway stations

[edit] River boat service piers

Docklands Hilton (Hilton to Canary Wharf Ferry)
Greenland Dock (Commuter Service)

[edit] Trivia

In the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies, Harmsworth Quays Printing was used as the scene for Carver's print works.
Max Bygraves was born in Rotherhithe , as was Michael Caine on 14 March 1933 as Maurice Joseph Micklewhite.
Princess Margaret met her husband-to-be, photographer Tony Armstrong-Jones, in a house in Rotherhithe.
Gulliver's wife in Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels, lived in Redriff.
Rotherhithe is alluded to in the British Sea Power song "Carrion" and the Elvis Costello song "New Amsterdam".
Adam Carter from Spooks supposedly lives in Canada Wharf on Rotherhithe Street, and much of the series is filmed on locations around Rotherhithe and the Docklands.