[2][3] Construction of the first Southwark Bridge, designed by John Rennie the Elder, commenced in 1814, and it opened in 1819, having cost £700,000 to build, equivalent to £67.1 million in 2023.

In 1912 the City of London Corporation decided a wider replacement bridge was required, to accommodate increased traffic.

[10] The south end is near the Tate Modern, the Clink Prison Museum, the Globe Theatre, and the Financial Times and Ofcom buildings.

Below the bridge on the south side are some old steps, which were once used by Thames watermen as a place to moor their boats and wait for customers.

[11] Below the bridge on the south side is a pedestrian tunnel, part of the Queen's Walk Embankment, containing a frieze depicting the Thames frost fairs.