The Southwark Mysteries

The Liberty of the Clink dates back to 1107 when the Bishop of Winchester was granted a stretch of the Southwark Bankside, which lay outside the law of the City of London. The whores of The Liberty were known as Winchester Geese.

The Vision Books of The Southwark Mysteries were first revealed by The Goose to John Crow, at Crossbones, the whores’ graveyard unearthed during work on the Jubilee Line Extension. She initiates him into a secret history spanning 2,000 years – a vision of the Spirit in the flesh, the Sacred in the profane, Eternity in time.

The Mystery Plays were performed in Shakespeare’s Globe and Southwark Cathedral on Easter Sunday, 23rd April 2000 - with a new production in Southwark Cathedral in 2010. The third part of the work is a Glossolalia of local history and esoteric lore to be read in conjunction with the poems and plays.

On the south bank of the Thames, outside the jurisdiction of the City of London, Bankside has long been known as a hotbed of creativity, dissent and loose living. With its brothels and bear-pits, prisons and pubs, the area has inspired the nation's greatest writers - Chaucer, Shakespeare, Dickens, Keats, and Blake - and been home to its famous theatres - The Globe, The Rose, The Old Vic and The National.

Writer John Constable is well known for his walks around this fascinating area. The eight walks collected here are among his most popular. Packed with social history and local lore, they are witty, insightful and hugely entertaining.