London Planner MAGAZINES - LP SEPTEMBER 15

DISCOVER
MALTBY STREET MARKET © TAVI IONESCU; BERMONDSEY ANTIQUES MARKET © WWW.BERMONDSEYSQUARE.NET; BERMONDSEY STREET FESTIVAL © AMBRA VERNUCCIO; RIVIERA STYLE COURTESY OF FASHION AND TEXTILE
MUSEUM; ILLUSTRATIONS BY KERRY HYNDMAN
SE1
Bermondsey
As the Bermondsey Street Festival kicks off, Paul Critcher takes a stroll
around a historic area that is now home to trendy markets and arty venues
Once the site of an
Anglo-Saxon monastery,
Bermondsey is also
listed in the Domesday
Book. And it’s seen
many changes, from
a smart suburb in
the 17th century to
a notorious slum in
the 19th century. The
industrialisation in the
late-19th century gave
it large warehouses and
tanneries. In the 20th
century, it became
somewhat forgotten,
but the large-scale
redevelopment of the
Docklands in the 1980s
led to the building of
many new homes and
the area was revitalised.
Today, Bermondsey is
popular with a young
crowd attracted to its
markets and art venues.
The annual Bermondsey
Street Festival (19 Sep)
represents all that is
popular about the area,
with live bands, street
fashion, arts and crafts
and lots of food stalls.
1
Fashion and
Textile Museum
Fans of high fashion will
enjoy the iconic British
designer Zandra
Rhodes’ Fashion and
Textile Museum, which
pays homage to all
things sartorial. Even
its building, designed
by architect Ricardo
Legorreta, is suitably
trendy. The current
exhibition, Riviera Style:
Resort & Swimwear
Since 1900 (to 13 Sep),
shows the progression
of swimsuits, from
playsuits to bikinis.
The permanent
collection covers
fashion from 1947 to
the present day and
includes wonderful
pieces from Christian
Dior, Mary Quant and
Vivienne Westwood.
LAMB WALK
4
1
BERMONDSEY ST
ABBEY ST
3
TANNER ST
TANNER STREET
PARK
ST. MARY MAGDALEN
CHURCHYARD
2
Maltby Street
Market
Given its renaissance
from derelict wharves
to trendy hangouts,
it’s no surprise that
Bermondsey should
be the location of an
up-and-coming market.
Maltby Street Market
has become the choice
of many artisan food
and drink producers.
The railway arches
under Tower Bridge are
packed every Sunday
with foodies in search
of everything from
sourdough flatbreads
to freshly carved jamon.
POPE ST
PURBROOK ST
DRUID ST
TANNER
Opposite page (clockwise from top): Maltby Street
Market; Bermondsey antiques market; Bermondsey Street
Festival; Riviera Style at Fashion and Textile Museum
RILEY RD
ST
FAIR ST
2
MALTBY ST
3
White Cube
This sugar lump of a
gallery is a sweet treat
for contemporary art
lovers. The White Cube
is owned by dealer Jay
Jopling and is renowned
for the quality of its
exhibitions and its
size – the building was
formerly a warehouse
and has more than
5,440 square metres of
space. Past exhibitions
have included Tracey
Emin and Antony
Gormley. The gallery
is showing The Toxic
Sublime (to 13 Sep),
an exhibition of
Marc Quinn’s threedimensional
seascapes.
4 Antiques
market
Bermondsey Square’s
antiques market is a
definite nod to the past.
Show up early for the
pick of the best. The
bustling market opens
from 6am to 2pm every
Friday and you can
expect china, jewellery
and period furniture.
The dealers are real
authorities on the
antiques being traded
but there is still scope
for tourists to snap up
a bargain.
SEPTEMBER 2015 | 23