Southwark [key], inner borough (1991 pop. 196,500) of Greater London, SE England, on the Thames River. Printing, engineering, and furniture manufacture are the main industries. The Camberwell dist. of Southwark is mainly residential. The old Southwark area is situated at the convergence of roads to London. It had a number of famous inns, including the Tabard Inn; the George Inn (17th cent.), owned by the National Trust, is still in operation. The Bankside district of Southwark contains the Globe Theatre and other places associated with Shakespeare. It was also the location of the Clink Prison, once used for the detention of heretics. Dulwich College, a public school that opened in 1619, is located within the borough, as are notable art galleries, including the Tate Modern, the new London city hall, and the Shard, a pyramidal skyscraper that is one of Europe's tallest buildings (1,016 ft/309.6 m).
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