Sinners, Saints and Saviours THAMES FESTIVAL

Southwark…Most know it today for the tourist destinations of Borough Market, Southwark cathedral, London Bridge, The Globe, among others. But behind the bustling Bankside streets there is a much more sordid and dark history.

For over two millennia ‘south of the river’ has always been a wild place of debauchery and vice. From the Roman occupation, through to the Medieval and Elizabethan eras and right up to the 20th century, Southwark has rightly earned its reputation as a "Foul dene, rather than a Fairy garden" (unknown, 17th century).

We know the men behind this history: Shakespeare, Sir Francis Drake, King Henry VIII, the Bishops of Winchester. But what about the women?

Enter: "Lydia Chlamydia". Your local Roman Whore Guide, who is here to correct this imbalance! Lydia has left her long slumber in the spirit world to guide you through Southwark’s HERstory and bring to life Southwark’s colourful past.  …