Hay's Galleria

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Hay's Galleria

View from the City (on north side of the Thames)

Hay's Galleria is a riverside shopping arcade and entertainment venue in the London Borough of Southwark situated on the south bank of the River Thames. It is a converted wharf, built in 1856 by Sir William Cubitt and originally known as Hay's Wharf, named after its owner, the merchant Alexander Hay.

During the 19th century, the wharf was one of the chief delivery points for ships bringing tea and cheese to the Pool of London. At its height, 80% of the dry produce imported to Great Britain passed through the wharf, and on this account the Wharf was nicknamed 'the Larder of London'. It was in use continually for over a century, although trade declined drastically after the Second World War and the surrounding area became increasingly economically depressed. In 1987, with the increasing urban regeneration of the Thames Corridor and nearby London Docklands, the wharf was filled in and the tea warehouses surrounding it refurbished, by Twigg Brown Architects as part of the London Bridge City masterplan, to provide office accommodation and shops. The UK Social Work regulator, the General Social Care Council, and the Social Care Institute for Excellence both have their main offices in these converted buildings.

Because of its location on the southern Thames Path, its panoramic views over the City of London from the riverside, and the location between London City Hall and Southwark Cathedral the Galleria is also a major tourist attraction. It is very close to the London Dungeon, HMS Belfast, and London Bridge, and within easy reach of other attractions including the Monument and the Tate Modern art gallery. In a fountain at the centre of the Galleria is an acclaimed 60ft moving bronze sculpture of a ship, called 'The Navigators' by sculptor David Kemp, unveiled in 1987 to commemorate the Galleria's shipping heritage.