GREAT BRITAIN - Best of Europe 2014 - page 814

as history's most successful pirate. The original is long gone, but this boat has logged more
than 100,000 miles, including a voyage around the world. While the ship is fun to see, its
interior is not worth touring.
Cost and Hours: £6, daily 10:00-17:30, sometimes closed for private events, Tube:
London Bridge, ticket office just up Pickfords Wharf from the ship, tel. [phone],
www.goldenhinde.com .
▲ Southwark Cathedral
While made a cathedral only in 1905, it's been the neighborhood church since the 13th
century, and comes with some interesting history. The enthusiastic docents give impromptu
tours if you ask.
Cost and Hours: Free, but donation requested (you'll likely be approached about the
donation, so be prepared with at least £1 or a simple “No”), daily 8:00-18:00—though
only the back of the nave is open to discreet sightseers during frequent services, last entry
30 minutes before closing, £3.50 guidebook, no photos without permission, Tube: London
Bridge. Tel. [phone], http://cathedral.southwark.anglican.org .
Music: The cathedral hosts services weekdays at 17:30 and Sat at 16:00—sometimes
spoken, sometimes evensong, so call or check the website for details; Sun choral Eucharist
at 11:00 and evensong at 15:00. They also host organ recitals Mon at 13:10 and music recit-
als Tue at 15:15 (call to confirm both).
▲ Old Operating Theatre Museum and Herb Garret
Climb a tight and creaky wooden spiral staircase to a church attic where you'll find a garret
used to dry medicinal herbs, a fascinating exhibit on Victorian surgery, cases of well-de-
scribed 19th-century medical paraphernalia, and a special look at “anesthesia, the defeat of
pain.”ThenyoustumbleuponBritain'soldestoperatingtheater,wherelimbsweresawedoff
way back in 1821. The museum occasionally offers “demonstrations.” While fun and inter-
esting to some, they can be distressing to those who are squeamish or have a vivid imagina-
tion.
Cost and Hours: £6, cash only, borrowable laminated descriptions, ask about planned
audioguide, daily 10:30-16:45, closed Dec 15-Jan 5, 9a St. Thomas Street, Tube: London
Bridge, tel. [phone], www.thegarret.org.uk .
The Shard
Rocketing dramatically 1,020 feet above the south end of the London Bridge, this recent
addition to London's skyline is by far the tallest building in Western Europe. Designed by
Renzo Piano (best known as the co-architect of Paris' Pompidou Center), the glass-clad
building shimmers in the sun and its prickly top glows like the city's nightlight after dark.