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Local area

 

Rotherhithe facts

  • Rotherhithe has been a port since the 12th century or earlier.
  • The name Rotherhithe means "landing-place for cattle" or "sailor haven".
  • Rotherhithe (or Redriff as it was known) was the fictional birthplace of Jonathan Swift's character Lemuel Gulliver in Gulliver's Travels.
  • The Thames tunnel, running from Rotherhithe to Wapping, was the first tunnel known to successfully have been constructed under a navigable river. The Brunel Museum and engine house are open to the public.
  • In July 1620 the Mayflower sailed from Rotherhithe for Southampton, before setting sail to New England with the Pilgrim Fathers.
  • A church has existed on the site of St Mary's, Rotherhithe, since at least 1282.