In the Printers Yard

West 180, Block K. ©Niall Connolly

Standing on the terrace of Block K quite recently, I wished that I had thought to make more panoramas of Bermondsey 'back in the day'. This panorama, looking generally west from Block K, would have looked dramatically different were you able to see the same view in, say, 1998. Large chunks of what is visible today simply didn't exist even 10 years ago.

The only two 'original' buildings in this view are on the extreme edges of the image. On the far left there is McNeill's warehouse with the white glazed brickwork and, on the far right, the lower (original) part of the building was the home of Sangorski&Sutcliffe and Zaehnsdorf, one of Britain's foremost bookbinders.

Close up on Morocco St

When I was scanning and preparing the Simmons Co photographs, I noticed that the corner of Bermondsey St and Morocco St was visible behind the staff group.

Section of the Simmons staff photo. Photographer unknown.

In this image it is possible to see that the building which was to become the bank, was, at the time of the photo, a far smaller building, probably occupying 1/3rd of the site which was occupied by the (Midland) bank in later years. The detailing of the garage building in Morocco St is clearly visible to the right.