- Women only
- Friendship, not dating
- Free to join
- Local guide
- October 21, 2026
Make Friends After 40 in Southwark while single and loving it
In a third of Southwark homes one person lives alone, and late gallery openings in the borough give single women in their forties plenty of evenings out.
40,300+
Southwark people in their forties, Office for National Statistics estimate for mid-2025
13%
Southwark’s proportion in their forties, one point under London (ONS, 2025)
33%
Southwark households with a single resident, compared with 29% in London (2021 Census, ONS)
Southwark keeps its galleries open late
If you are single at 40-something in Southwark, there are plenty of ways to fill an evening on your own terms. The South London Gallery in Camberwell charges nothing and opens late on Wednesdays, Tate Modern stays open into the evening on Fridays and Saturdays, and the council’s adult learning centre runs pottery, painting and woodwork, with evening courses. Gofrendly helps single Southwark women find others nearby for those evenings.
Single and 40-something in Southwark: FAQ
Which Southwark galleries open late?
The South London Gallery on Peckham Road in Camberwell charges no entry and opens until 9pm on Wednesdays, closing at 6pm from Thursday to Sunday. Tate Modern at Bankside stays open until 9pm on Friday and Saturday evenings. Both make an easy Southwark evening out alone or with a new friend.
Can women in their forties study in the evening in Southwark?
Southwark Adult Learning Service at the Thomas Calton Centre runs painting, woodwork, pottery, fitness, dance and music, with courses in the daytime, evenings and at weekends. In term the centre keeps its doors open to 8.30pm on Mondays and Wednesdays for Southwark learners.
Can you join a guided cemetery walk in Southwark?
The Friends of Nunhead Cemetery lead guided tours at 2pm on many weekend afternoons, often with no booking needed, and volunteers help care for the nature reserve and its monuments. A tour is a gentle outing for Southwark residents who enjoy history and green space.
How do single women in Southwark meet new friends?
Gofrendly, a women-only friendship app, helps single women in Southwark spot neighbours and send a quick note to suggest a plan. A Wednesday evening at the South London Gallery or a walk in Dulwich Park is a relaxed first meeting.
Single in Southwark: making friends after 40
Southwark runs from Bankside and Bermondsey on the river through Elephant and Castle, Walworth and Camberwell to Peckham, Nunhead and Dulwich. Some 40,300 people in Southwark are forty-somethings, one point under the capital, and a third of local homes have a single occupant. If you are single, you are in good company, so to make friends after 40 in Southwark you can lean on the borough’s galleries, classes and parks rather than waiting for invitations from friends who are busy elsewhere.
Weekends solo can turn lonely while friends are busy with families. A late gallery evening, a pottery class or a Saturday run gets you out of the flat with a good chance of a conversation. Southwark has three Saturday parkruns besides Burgess Park, two major galleries with late openings and Nunhead Cemetery, where volunteers lead free guided tours on weekend afternoons. A few places worth a try in Southwark:
1
The Thomas Calton Centre, the council’s base for adult pottery, painting and woodwork.
2
South London Gallery in Camberwell, free and open late on Wednesdays.
3
Tate Modern at Bankside, which stays open late at the end of the week.
4
Dulwich parkrun in Dulwich Park, every Saturday at 9am.
5
Friends of Nunhead Cemetery, who lead guided tours on weekend afternoons.
LOCAL TIP
Book a Wednesday evening at the South London Gallery and invite someone new.
How to
Southwark: how single women meet people after 40
1
Take a term of pottery at the Thomas Calton Centre.
2
Join a free guided tour with the Friends of Nunhead Cemetery.
3
Contact single Southwark women on Gofrendly for a Friday evening at the Tate.
4
Run or walk Dulwich parkrun and find the café afterwards.
Reading for women on their own
Southwark page for solo women
Our editors and Gofrendly founders Claudia Gård and Ulrika Lilja wrote the Southwark page with solo women in their forties in mind, who want company for evenings and weekends.
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Friendship looks different at every stage
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