Visit Gabriel’s Wharf, and the Boutique Shops & Restaurants on London’s Southbank

Photo: Craig Cross

Where?

Gabriel’s Wharf, Southbank · Web: southbanklondon.com

Time required?

A typical visit is 15 mins (but more if you want to stop for a drink)

Parking:

Nearby car parks

Buses:

381, RV1

Bus fares

Trains:

The closest station is Waterloo Bakerloo Jubilee Northern Wat&City

Other nearby stations: Southwark and Temple

Train fares

Craig’s review… Try and imagine a load of art students decamping to a windswept bit of rock five miles off the Irish coast, pounded with wind and rain and hail all day, and the only people who visited them were seagulls looking for somewhere to sit. They’d probably whittle knobby logs of art out of driftwood from the beach, and have shops selling pictures made out of seashells and string.

That’s what Gabriel’s Wharf seems like to me (in my head). That is the gist of the place. It’s an art and crafts town.

Photo: Craig Cross

Restaurants and shops at Gabriel’s Wharf

Half of the shops seem to sell old clothes, donated clothes or clothes put together by someone out the back. Some of the children’s stuff is obviously brand-new and there’s a handbag shop that probably belongs down Regent Street rather than here, but most of the shops are wooden shacks selling knick-knacks and bric-a-brac, with arty names like Nordic Nic Nac, Henrietta Park and House of Eunice.

Photo: Craig Cross

The central area is flogging a load of animal statues for your patio that somebody has spent hours carving out of logs. They’ve got a dolphin (I think), maybe a whale, a snail, some dogs, some blobs… all sorts of frozen poses. You can probably bring them back to life if you know the correct spell.

Riverside beach on Southbank

I don’t mind it, though – it’s all right. It has a nice seaside-feeling to it. A typical beach along the Thames is just a pile of slimy stones where the sun glints off bits of broken glass, but Gabriel’s Wharf actually has a few squawking seagulls wheeling around. This is one of the few places along the Southbank where there’s some actual sand to sit on. But we’re not talking Baywatch here. Pamela Anderson isn’t going to come running by any time soon. Half of the beach is yellow sand (good for building sandcastles) and the other half is tumbled chunks of concrete (good for building real castles).

Photo: Craig Cross

Every now and then a treasure hunter will clamber down the wet stairs and start flicking over the stones with his toes, hoping to reveal a barnacle-encrusted Iron Age sword that’s been washed-up by the water. I suppose it’s not impossible that something will be dislodged from the slodge at the bottom – this river’s been a tip since Roman times. The Museum of London probably found half of their exhibits in it.

Worth a visit? ★☆☆Value for money? n/aGood for kids? ☆☆☆Easy to get to? ★★★

I also recommend… If you enjoy this then try Borough Market (walk it in 20 mins or travel from Waterloo to London Bridge via tube); Hay’s Galleria (walk it in 24 mins or travel from Waterloo to London Bridge via tube) and Neal’s Yard (walk it in 18 mins or catch a tube from Waterloo to Covent Garden)

The author Craig Cross owns city-guide.london and has spent the last decade reviewing the capital’s landmarks, attractions and hotels. His guidebook London Squire is available from Amazon. This review was updated on 21st August 2023

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