Rotherhithe has always has close trading links with Scandanavia. There are three churches within this small area, Swedish, Norwegian and Finnish. We can see two of them.
There has been a Norwegian church in London since the late 17th century. The current church building, St Olav's, was consecrated in 1927, on a foundation stone laid the previous year by Prince Olav who would become King Olav V of Norway. Another king, Haakon VII and the Norwegian government in exile regularly worshipped at the church during World War II. The first church for the Swedish community in London opened in Princes Square in Wapping in 1728, but it was replaced and relocated in the early 20th century. The Swedish Seamen's Church was opened in 1905, but finally closed down in December 2012.The interiors a showcase for Swedish design, it also tells an interesting story of Anglo-Swedish links in architecture as well as trade.