Southwark Cathedral

Southwark Cathedral
Type:	Cathedral
Location:	Southwark
First appearance:	The Shakespeare Code
Appearances:	TV: The Lazarus Experiment TV: The Bells of Saint John

Southwark Cathedral was a cathedral in Southwark, London. (TV: The Lazarus Experiment)

It was one of the oldest churches in London. (TV: The Lazarus Experiment) A place of Christian worship had been established at this location on the south side of the River Thames by 1086, making it one of the oldest churches in London, although it did not become a cathedral until the early 20th century. (PROSE: The Time Travellers' Almanac)

The building itself was constructed between 1220 and 1420, and survived everything from the Great Fire of London to World War II. (PROSE: The Time Travellers' Almanac) It was present in Southwark in 1599. (TV: The Shakespeare Code)

During the London Blitz in the early 1940s, Southwark Cathedral became a place of refuge from the nightly bombing raids, with locals regularly sheltering there. (PROSE: The Time Travellers' Almanac) Richard Lazarus hid in the crypts. He again hid there in the 2000s. Martha Jones and the Tenth Doctor found him and he chased Martha up the bell tower. The Doctor used the cathedral's organ to distract him and he fell to his death. (TV: The Lazarus Experiment)

By 2013, the Shard had been built nearby, dwarfing the cathedral in comparison. It could be seen by the Eleventh Doctor as he travelled to the Shard to rescue Clara Oswald. (TV: The Bells of Saint John)

References

Penny Chapman likened the bigger-on-the-inside quality of the TARDIS to keeping Southwark Cathedral in a cupboard. The Eighth Doctor told her it was the best analogy he'd heard in years. (COMIC: The Curious Tale of Spring-Heeled Jack)

Behind the scenes

• Though exterior shots of Southwark Cathedral were used and the location identified by name in The Lazarus Experiment, the interior scenes were actually filmed at Wells Cathedral.