Name: Bards, Poets and Playwrights: A Literary Tour of Southwark Cathedral
Start: 2026-05-29T11:00:00+01:00
End: 2026-05-29T12:00:00+01:00
Location: Southwark Cathedral

Bards, Poets and Playwrights: A Literary Tour of Southwark Cathedral

Join one of our knowledgeable Guides to learn about the literary figures associated with the Cathedral.
About this Event

Southwark Cathedral has had a long and distinguished history. In over 900 years of Christian witness and mission, the church has seen the events of history unfold around it. Your tour with a Cathedral Guide will uncover this rich and colourful history in a both informative and entertaining manner.

Discover the many literary figures who are associated with the Southwark Cathedral. Uncover the life of John Gower, an important English court poet and friend of Chaucer. Explore the world of the 17th century theatre from Shakespeare to Massinger. Learn about Dickens' visit here.

The tour is 1 hour long.

Please meet by the Welcome Desk via the Millennium Courtyard at Southwark Cathedral.

About our Guides

Our Cathedral Guides undertake extensive training to learn 900 years of Cathedral history and volunteer their time to deliver tour and walks for the Cathedral. Many of them also work as City of London Guides and Greenwich Guides and are very knowledgeable on a wide range of subjects that they share with those who attend their tours.

Spaces are strictly limited so early booking is recommended. Please email [email protected] if you have any access requirements.

Accessibility

All tours involve standing for the duration of the tour, there may be opportunities within the tour to be seated.

Please note, currently there are certain areas of the Cathedral that are not accessible to wheelchair users, but we are working to improve our facilities. There is a platform lift to access the Cathedral. The Nave is accessible for wheelchairs from the Millennium Courtyard entrance via a platform lift. There are ramps into the South Transept. Access to the Retrochoir, High Altar and Choir is via the doors from the South Transept, into the Churchyard and back into the Cathedral via the Parish Door.

Visitors who require assistance due to disability are able to book a carer/companion ticket free of charge.

Accessible toilet facilities are located on the Ground Floor at the end of Lancelot’s Link, other is in the basement near to the Cathedral Café and can be accessed by the passenger lift. Both toilets need a radar key which can be obtained from a Cathedral team member.

Service animals are permitted.