The London Bridge and Borough Market area is a multi-ethnic and international spot, frequented by tourists, with a popular backpacker hostel and student accommodation nearby.
An Australian and two French nationals were among the 48 people taken to hospital after the attack, in which seven people were killed.
The stabbings occurred at Borough Market, a food market that dates back centuries and is housed in an elegant 19th century structure surrounded by trendy bars and restaurants filled with young revellers.
The market is next to Southwark Cathedral, which dates back to the 12th century, and at the southern end of London Bridge where the attackers ploughed their van into pedestrians.
The modern bridge was built in the 1970s, replacing earlier crossings in the same area going back to the Roman era, and is the subject of the old nursery rhyme "London Bridge is Falling Down".
The area's cobbled streets contrast with the skyscrapers cropping up in the area, including The Shard - a towering glass structure which at 309.7 metres is Britain's tallest building.
"It's an area that has completely transformed in the last 15, 20 years," Peter John, the leader of Southwark Council, told the BBC.
"It's such a vibrant part of our city that has been impacted in this way. It's horrific."
But he added: "This is an amazingly diverse borough and nothing will change."
Read More:
- Seven killed in London terror attack
- May condemns 'evil ideology'
- LIVE: Updates from London
- London Attack: What we know so far
- World leaders condemn attack in London
We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences
According to a picture taken by Italian documentary filmmaker and photographer Gabriele Sciotto (below), the three attackers were shot dead between the Wheatsheaf pub and a fruit and vegetable stall at Borough Market.
Minutes earlier the trio had smashed through pedestrians in a hired white van, stopping outside The Barrowboy & Banker, another pub on Borough High Street whose name evokes the area's strong links with the City of London financial hub across the river.
Among the eyewitness videos uploaded in the hours after the attack, one showed police shouting at revellers in Katzenjammers - a Bavarian-style beer house near Borough market - to lie on the floor.
Another video showed armed police with guns drawn and dogs patrolling in the dark lanes around Southwark Cathedral and several showed revellers coming out of bars and restaurants under police escort following a lockdown with their hands on their heads.
