Join ghost signs expert Sam Roberts for a leisurely stroll through Bankside, learning about the area's fading painted signs. Sam will tell the stories of the signs and the companies they advertised, supported by a collection of archival photography and other contextual images.
Join Katie Wignall, Blue Badge Tourist Guide and Founder of Look Up London on a walk revealing the exciting, inspiring and courageous women of Bankside.
The walk will explore the stories of woman who lived and worked in Bankside, from social pioneers like Octavia Hill, to famous writers like Mary Wollstonecraft and Mary Shelley as well as shedding light on lesser known women like unsung heroines Alice Ayres and Janet Johnson.
Wander the backstreets and beautiful hidden gardens of Bankside as you discover the street names, plaques and hidden details that reveal these incredible women.
Spring is the perfect excuse to step outside and explore. Join our Spring Wellbeing Walk through the Bankside neighbourhood and discover hidden corners, green spaces, and historical stories designed to lift your mood.
There is strong evidence supporting the mental and physical benefits of walking making this the perfect opportunity to connect with your surroundings, spend time with colleagues, and make new friends in this fascinating and multi-layered area.
On the walk, you'll explore a beautiful haven for wildlife and people. You'll also visit a former school that once served Bankside's most disadvantaged children, before following the Low-Line beneath the railway arches to admire diverse architectural styles and the independent businesses revitalising this former industrial quarter.
Most importantly, this is your chance to take a much needed screen break, stretch your legs, and embrace the unique wonders of Bankside as the neighbourhood comes alive in spring.
[post_title] => 21 May - Spring Wellbeing walk with Mrs Londoner [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => closed [ping_status] => closed [post_password] => [post_name] => spring-wellbeing-walk-with-mrs-londoner [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2026-04-08 12:01:15 [post_modified_gmt] => 2026-04-08 11:01:15 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://betterbankside.co.uk/?post_type=event&p=7042 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => event [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) [5] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 6697 [post_author] => 33 [post_date] => 2025-11-04 11:45:46 [post_date_gmt] => 2025-11-04 11:45:46 [post_content] => Join us for a fun sketching session at the Kirkaldy Testing Works where we will visually explore the geometry of Victorian engineering. Observing angles, shapes and textures of the machinery we will play with composition to create lively sketches. You will be guided through creative exercises using pencil and pens and turn mechanical forms into expressive linework, with interesting perspectives or abstract patterns. Artists have been fascinated and inspired by machinery where mechanical objects become artistic subjects. Kirkaldy’s historic testing machines will be providing inspiration for this session! No experience is necessary, all levels are welcome and drawing materials are provided. About the Kirkaldy We know Bankside today as a place of innovation and creativity, but step inside Kirkaldy’s Testing Works at 99 Southwark Street and you will see that's nothing new! Just a stone’s throw from Tate Modern, this authentic 1874 materials testing workshop houses Victorian engineer David Kirkaldy's mighty 116-ton Universal Testing Machine — so important in testing the materials that built Britain, not to mention Australia, the USA and Germany, it is now protected with a Grade II* Listing. Materials like wrought iron and steel powered the Victorian engineering boom: they opened up new possibilities, but they also brought new challenges. David Kirkaldy was a Scottish engineer who discovered his talent for accurate testing and measurement while an apprentice at Napier’s shipyard in Glasgow. He was convinced of the importance of ‘Facts not Opinions’ that he designed, patented and commissioned his mighty Universal Testing Machine and moved to Bankside — where his purpose-built Testing & Experimenting works still declares his motto above the door. Appropriately, David Kirkaldy also had a talent for drawing as well as data collection: in 1861 his drawing of RMS Persia was the first engineering drawing to be exhibited as a work of art at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition. [post_title] => 1 Dec- Sketching Urban Interiors at Kirkaldy’s Testing Works [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => closed [ping_status] => closed [post_password] => [post_name] => sketching-urban-interiors-at-the-kirkaldy-museum [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2025-11-27 16:03:54 [post_modified_gmt] => 2025-11-27 16:03:54 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://betterbankside.co.uk/?post_type=event&p=6697 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => event [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) [6] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 6617 [post_author] => 14 [post_date] => 2025-09-16 06:51:26 [post_date_gmt] => 2025-09-16 05:51:26 [post_content] => Why are the words ‘Facts not Opinions’ carved over the door at 99 Southwark Street? This is Kirkaldy’s Testing and Experimenting Works, and it was the world’s first independent commercial materials testing house, right here in Bankside’s original innovation district. From the day it opened on 1 January 1874 huge samples of bridges and other engineering structures arrived here from around the world to be tested to destruction on David Kirkaldy’s patented 116-ton ‘Universal Testing Machine’. Kirkaldy’s ‘facts’ were transforming the ‘opinions’ that underpinned Victorian cities. Today, thanks to a small group of passionate volunteers, you can still experience David Kirkaldy’s single-minded ingenuity. Take the tour and you will see – and smell – the authentic workshop with its working machines, bringing the story of materials testing and the Kirkaldy family to life. It’s a direct link with a pioneering age of engineering and thanks to an education programme being developed with local schools, now it is inspiring future generations. Go and visit - you might even get to break something yourself! [post_title] => 23 Oct - Kirkaldy Testing Works tour [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => closed [ping_status] => closed [post_password] => [post_name] => 23oct-kirkaldy-testing-works-tour [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2025-09-16 06:51:26 [post_modified_gmt] => 2025-09-16 05:51:26 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://betterbankside.co.uk/?post_type=event&p=6617 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => event [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) [7] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 6398 [post_author] => 11 [post_date] => 2025-06-10 16:18:08 [post_date_gmt] => 2025-06-10 15:18:08 [post_content] =>Why are the words ‘Facts not Opinions’ carved over the door at 99 Southwark Street?
This is Kirkaldy’s Testing and Experimenting Works, and it was the world’s first independent commercial materials testing house, right here in Bankside’s original innovation district. From the day it opened on 1 January 1874 huge samples of bridges and other engineering structures arrived here from around the world to be tested to destruction on David Kirkaldy’s patented 116-ton ‘Universal Testing Machine’. Kirkaldy’s ‘facts’ were transforming the ‘opinions’ that underpinned Victorian cities.
Today, thanks to a small group of passionate volunteers, you can still experience David Kirkaldy’s single-minded ingenuity. Take the tour and you will see – and smell – the authentic workshop with its working machines, bringing the story of materials testing and the Kirkaldy family to life. It’s a direct link with a pioneering age of engineering and thanks to an education programme being developed with local schools, now it is inspiring future generations. Go and visit - you might even get to break something yourself!
[post_title] => 5 Aug - Kirkaldy Testing Works tour [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => closed [ping_status] => closed [post_password] => [post_name] => 5-aug-kirkaldy-testing-works-tour [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2025-06-20 01:20:39 [post_modified_gmt] => 2025-06-20 00:20:39 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://betterbankside.co.uk/?post_type=event&p=6398 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => event [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) [8] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 6394 [post_author] => 11 [post_date] => 2025-06-10 16:13:08 [post_date_gmt] => 2025-06-10 15:13:08 [post_content] =>Join ghost signs expert Sam Roberts for a leisurely stroll through Bankside, learning about the area's fading painted signs. Sam will tell the stories of the signs and the companies they advertised, supported by a collection of archival photography and other contextual images.
Join Katie Wignall, Blue Badge Tourist Guide and Founder of Look Up London on a walk revealing the exciting, inspiring and courageous women of Bankside.
The walk will explore the stories of woman who lived and worked in Bankside, from social pioneers like Octavia Hill, to famous writers like Mary Wollstonecraft and Mary Shelley as well as shedding light on lesser known women like unsung heroines Alice Ayres and Janet Johnson.
Wander the backstreets and beautiful hidden gardens of Bankside as you discover the street names, plaques and hidden details that reveal these incredible women.
Meet at Southwark Station - WhatThreeWords - exact location.
Join ghost signs expert Sam Roberts for a leisurely stroll through Bankside, learning about the area's fading painted signs. Sam will tell the stories of the signs and the companies they advertised, supported by a collection of archival photography and other contextual images.
