{On the modern plaque above:}
The Ferryman's seat located on previous buildings at this site was constructed for the convenience of Bankside watermen who operated ferrying services across the river. The seat's age is unknown but it is thought to have ancient origins.
Historic Southwark
Site: wherrymen seat (1 memorial)
SE1, Bankside, Riverside House
From the middle ages on, the south bank, lying outside the area regulated by the City, tended to be the place of recreation: theatres, brothels and bear-baiting (as you do). The City became even stricter in 1572 when theatres and players were banned entirely from the City - well illustrated in this map of Elizabethan theatres. To reach these southern pleasures the residents of London, mostly living to the north, had to be ferried across the river. Hence the need for watermen, or wherrymen, and seats where they could rest while their fares partook of the entertainments. The seats must have started gathering dust in 1642 when the Puritans closed all theatres. And brothels and bear-baiting pits as well, we imagine.
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