"Which is London's longest Street?"

London has many streets and roads, but which is the longest?

There are a few contenders, depending on what criteria you are assessing it against.

1. A1 road, which passes through London, has a length of 410 miles (659 kms) and extends to Edinburgh, though it changes names multiple times.
2. Garratt Lane, Wandsworth, is also noted for its significant length at roughly 2.5 miles (4 kms).
3. Green Lanes, the longest thoroughfare, is sometimes cited as the longest, as this road runs for roughly 7.45 miles (12 kms) from Newington Green to Winchmore Hill, though it is not a 'street' in the same localised sense.
4. Streatham High Road is a major, very long, linear road stretching for 1.8 miles (2.9 kms) as part of the A23. 

However, Rotherhithe Street, Southwark, is generally recognised as the longest continuously-named street in London. It stretches for approximately 1.5 miles (2.4 kms), following the River Thames in a meandering semi-circle along a historical route.

So, let's explore London's longest street.

Starting at Rotherhithe Street's western end you enter a narrow pedestrianised path, sandwiched between the converted warehouses of Bombay Wharf and Hope Wharf, before you arrive at the historic St Mary's Church. 

There has been a church on this site since Saxon times, but this current building dates from 1715, with the stone spire being added in 1739. In 1876 restoration work was undertaken, where the north and south galleries were removed, the pulpit was lowered and new seating arrangements were made. The altar, in the Lady Chapel, and the two bishop's chairs, in the north aisle, were constructed from timber from the 'Fighting Temeraire'. Plaques inform you that Captain Christopher Jones, along with three of the part-owners of the 'Mayflower', were buried in the churchyard, in 1622.

Across from the church is 'The Mayflower' pub, which isn't as historic as many make out. Although various pubs have stood on this site, 'The Mayflower' wasn't built until 1958, being built on the site of 'The Spread Eagle and Crown', which had stood here from 1790. Its roof and upper floor having been destroyed in World War II. It was named 'The Mayflower', as the ship of the same name set sail from just east of its position, close to Cumberland Wharf.

A little further on, and across from 'The Mayflower', is the Brunel Museum, which uses the original engine house, where Marc and Isambard Kingdom Brunel built the world's first tunnel beneath a navigable body of water. If you enter the museum you can descend into the tunnel shaft, beneath which the Windrush line now travels.

Continuing east various stairs lead down to small beaches, while to the south residential buildings populate the land between Rotherhithe Street and Salter Road.

As you approach Surrey Basin Lock, you will notice the Rotherhithe Tunnel ventilation shaft number 2, before you cross the Surrey Basin Bascule Bridge. It's hard to believe, now, that up until the late 1980s there would have been water on both sides of the street, as Surrey Docks took up most of this peninsula.

'The Salt Quay' pub stands on the eastern entrance to Surrey Basin Lock, offering  panoramic views along the River Thames and across to the Prospect of Whitby, Wapping. Although looking like it has been here for decades, with its timber balconies surrounding a red-brick building, with warehouse-style windows, the pub only opened in 2003. A previous pub, 'The Surrey Dock Tavern', was located at this address until 1901. However, that pub was sited where the aforementioned ventilation shaft is now found.

Continuing onward the 'new' builds become more commonplace, set either side of the various locks and entrance-ways that now lie unused along the river, while to the south large expanses of green space and residential and commercial properties cover what was once a collection of docks that had been here since the late 1600s.

Rotherhithe Street now meanders south, following the River Thames. 'The Blacksmiths Arms', a pub that was quite popular with Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, is next on the route. This pub has been around, in one form or another, since at least 1793 and is wonderfully maintained, with a Tudor-style and flower baskets that brighten even the dreariest of days.

A little further on and is 'Nelson House', which is sandwiched between Old Dock Columbia Wharf and Old Nelson Dock. 'Nelson House' is the only remaining shipbuilders' house in Rotherhithe and is Grade II* listed. The Old Nelson Dock was in use for the construction of warships and clippers from the late 1600s until 1968.

The street continues south, passing more wharves and stairs to the River Thames, before it deviates around Surrey Docks Farm, where it comes to an end when it joins Oscar Court.