South London - Definition and Overview

South London is the area of Greater London south of the River Thames. It has considerably fewer historic sites and important government and business sites than North London, because London grew out of the cities of Westminster and London, both north of the river.

South London

While it can not compete with the North, there are many notable places in South London. The south side of the Thames has the London Eye, Lambeth Palace, the Tate Modern gallery, and the South Bank complex, heart of the city's arts scene.

Further afield are:

• Brixton, known for clubbing and live music.
• Dulwich Picture Gallery, Britain's oldest public art gallery.
• Kennington Park, site of public execution and a 'speakers corner'.
• Kew Gardens
• Richmond Park, Europe's largest city park.
• Wimbledon, home of the tennis championship.
• The maritime history of Greenwich, with the Prime Meridian.

Some South Londoners complain that people from North London look down on and ignore them and their region. Peter Sellers famously joked about South London in his sketch Bal-ham: The Gateway To The South.

The London Underground network is largely concentrated in North London - there are only 30 stations south of the river compared to many times that north of it, despite roughly equal populations. Historically this has been due to the difficulty in tunnelling through the geology of South London. With the Jubilee Line extension in the late 1990s and the proposed East London Line Extension this disparity is being rectified.

South London consists of the boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Croydon, Greenwich, Kingston, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Southwark, Sutton, and Wandsworth. The London Borough of Richmond straddles the river.

See also: West End of London, East End of London, East London, North London, Inner London, Outer London