Southwark Cathedral, London

Southwark Cathedral, London

Visited October 2016

Southwark Cathedral, just south of London Bridge, is smaller than most cathedrals in England, due to starting out from humble origins. During its long history, it started as a Saxon church, became a priory in 1106 for the Augustinians, then became a parish church after the Reformation, as the church of St Saviour. In 1905 the church became a Cathedral.

Marking this long history, there's a wealth of memorials in the church, including a cadaver tomb depicting the deceased in a skeletal fashion, some wonderfully painted tombs and memorials (perhaps a little over-enthusiastically restored in the mid-20th century!), and plainer stones set in the floor and walls, many dating to the 18th century and earlier.

The cathedral is free to visit, although there's a £1 fee for photography which goes towards the upkeep of the building. It's well worth a visit, and if you're lucky you might even see the resident cat (who was lurking in the shadows when I visited!)

Tomb of Court Poet John Gower (15th century)

Cadaver tomb of Thomas Cure (d.1588)