I imagine most older people like myself still think of Rotherhithe, directly to the east of Bermondsey, as Surrey Docks. As a child, I regarded it as part of the same neighborhood. I believe Michael Caine was born there, in St. Olave’s Hospital, which I don’t think exists any more. The Mayflower, which took the Pilgrim Fathers to America, also started its journey from the docks in Rotherhithe.
I came across this photo of London’s last horse-drawn tram, taken in 1913. Its route included the Old Kent Rd. We moved to a new maisonette in the Old Kent Rd. in 1967.
This photo is of the serious flooding that occurred in Rotherhithe, and in many other low-lying areas of London, in 1928. Thousands of people were made homeless.
To deal with the flooding problem, the government finally built the Thames Barrier. It was completed in 1984. For those unfamiliar with it, it is worth reading about (go here).
With fears of the effects of global warming growing, the idea of constructing much bigger flood defenses is being mooted.
The Barrow Boy 