For as long as the people of Bermondsey can remember, the area around the market on Southwark Park Road has been known as The Blue.
The Blue isn’t clearly defined but refers roughly to the area within a five-minute walk of the marketplace.
Most people know its name has something to do with The Blue Anchor pub on the corner but there’s more to it than that.
Religious beginnings
To understand the history of The Blue, it’s important to get to grips with the area’s religious underpinnings, both figurative and literal.
Just inches below the soil at the nearby Bermondsey Square lie the ruins of Bermondsey Abbey, some of which are visible through the glass floor of Lokma Restaurant.
The abbey was established in the 11th century and played a vital role in the area’s spiritual life until its dissolution by Henry VIII in 1537.
Although a twenty-minute walk away from the abbey itself, the land now known as The Blue also belonged to the abbey’s monks.
Many people believe the area’s name therefore has religious roots. The colour blue is often associated with religious symbolism such as heaven and the Virgin Mary.
But where does the ‘anchor’ part come from?
The Anchorite of Bermondsey
A map dating back to 1695 marks out a hostel called ‘The Blew Anchor’ on the site of today’s Blue Anchor pub.
Historians believe that the word ‘anchor’ could be a reference to a bizarre brand of religious zealot that proliferated Medieval England.
Anchorites were people, usually female, who withdrew from secular society to live intensely isolated, prayer-orientated lives.
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They often lived in tiny cells connected to churches and by the 13th century, roughly 200 anchorites were recorded in England.
Some say The Blue was home to an anchorite. Given that Southwark Park Road was a well-trodden route for pilgrims on their way to Canterbury, and anchorites often dispensed advice to pilgrims, it’s quite possible.
The ‘Blew Anchor’ hostel, popular with pilgrims, was replaced with a building on the same site in 1878. Today, it’s The Blue Anchor pub.
The Blue Today
The Blue had its heyday as a marketplace in the late 19th century when it had 200 stalls.
However, shifting shopping habits and the opening of the Surrey Quays Shopping Centre in 1988 led to the Blue’s gradual decline.
Today, efforts are being made to revive The Blue. In recent years, it has been rejuvenated using a £2 million investment from the Mayor of London’s Good Growth Fund.
There are now new stalls for traders and much-needed maintenance has been done.
A public space for community events has also been established and, at its centre, a new clock tower built.
