Bankside is one of the oldest areas of London. The first London Bridge was built almost 2 millennia ago and was the only bridge across the Thames until Westminster Bridge opened in 1750.
Clink Street, is one of the oldest streets in London still in its original form, and the site of London's first prison. It was built around 860 AD and was owned by the Bishop of Winchester References from this period are everywhere in current property addresses such as Clink Wharf and Winchester Stables. This area is also the source of the expression ‘in the clink’.
In later years Bankside became a centre for iron founding, wire making, glass making and millenary. However, it was most famous for leather manufacturing. In 1805 there were 1500 tanners working in the area and evidence of this is again reflected in many of the addresses we see today including Tanners Yard, Leathermarket Court and Tanner Street.
The Thames and its Bankside docks were central to London's status as an important international port. But now the warehouses of yesteryear, each steeped in their own story, have been transformed into contemporary apartments. These are the envy of many a Londoner and the epitome of riverside loft living.