Category Archives: North Kennington

The IWM Gets a Big Facelift

Today we visited the brand new £30 million Holocaust/World War 2 Galleries at our very own world class Imperial War Museum. The IWM has always dedicated galleries to these events, but when the museum was closed they worked tirelessly to transform the areas into a much larger (over 3000sq. metres) space with much more interactive content. What they have done well here is what the IWM has always excelled at. Namely, focussing on the lives of people impacted by an event as opposed to the event itself.  

The Holocaust galleries commence with an overview of Jewish life in central Europe in the 1920/30s. Brightly light rooms tell the stories of families and workers getting on with school, commuting and bar mitzvahs in the face of increasing discrimination. A transition room explains with frightening logic how Hitler became chancellor in 1933 and how life for Jews became incrementally more impossible as Germany grew closer to global conflict. The fate of Jews from 1939 to post war Europe is subsequently not presented in the graphic and grainy black and white images of death we have all seen before. Rather, we see photos of living  green fields which thrive in places like Sobibor and Treblinka in Poland. Interwoven is the lived experience of survivors whose collective memories will soon become extinct, but have been persevered by the IWM. 

The WW 2 galleries are a bit more of a task to take in, as they cover everything from action in the Africa to the Philippines. A whole museum could be dedicated to this, but IWM do their best to distil this into smaller elements focussed on human experiences on the front line and also people impacted on the home front. Various campaigns and victories are outlined and poignant detail is given to the efforts of troops and civilians on D Day. The huge scope of these galleries are made more accessible by the integration of devices such as a mock up of an early 40’s British home, clothing, music, air raid shelters, and the effect of the war on children who were evacuated from London. The final rooms are cogently dedicated to something usually overlooked by war memorials. Namely, how the world repaired itself after the event. 

For those of you who are reluctant to visit the IMW out of a concern that it celebrates conflict and warfare, let us assure you that it doesn’t. As the galleries above indicate, it is more of a museum dedicated to collective survival in times of crisis and individual resilience in times of oppression. As conflict and warfare very much exist on this planet as we speak, it also introduces concepts of how we can help war ravaged people in the present.  

The two galleries are permanent and free but are ticketed. You can get tickets on the day but to avoid waiting around it might be a good idea to book. If you are wondering about taking kids please not that these galleries are partially designed for children, but for under 11’s it might be a good idea to speak to them about what they are about to see.

While you’re swishing around the museum building brain cells you can also check out a small photographic exhibit from Oscar nominated photographer/filmmaker Wim Winders taken at ground zero in the weeks after the atrocity. The photos are large format and quite powerful. Afterwards we fully approve going to a Greater Kennington  pub to obliterate all of those brain cells you just obtained. 

The top ten best places to eat in Greater Kennington – no. 2 – Theo’s

The finish line is in sight and grabbing the number two spot is newish Elephant and Castle pizza restaurant ‘Theos’ . As with everything on our countdown, Theo’s is closed for ‘dining in’ customers but they do a very brisk delivery business (it is pizza after call) via Deliveroo and Uber Eats. Theo’s Elephant is the small brother to its big bro in Camberwell. As a small and local business in these troubled times, it needs our support now more than ever.

Hands down, we think that Theo’s is the best pizza place in Greater Kennington and one of the best in London. But don’t take our carb obsessed word for it, the secret is out and this is a sentiment shared by Time Out. The pizza is Neapolitan with a sourdough base that’s soft and chewy on top and crisp underneath. The power is in the dough at Theo’s, and those slightly charred bases makes the toppings almost secondary.

As with most good restaurants, the menu at Theos is very small and focusses squarely on the thing they do best. None of this pasta malarkey. I had the Napoli Salami pizza (below) which was spicy, full of cheese, and presented with a crust so fine that it had be eaten with a fork. My dining partner had the Nduja and Ricotta pizza. It featured sun dried tomatoes and golf ball mounds of ricotta. Also on offer is sone tasty Italian wines and cocktails.

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As you can see from the bill below, the price point is very reasonable, with pizzas coming in at £10 or less. As you can also see from the bill below our bar tab was more than the food bill, but don’t judge us. When Theo’s opens normally again you’ll encounter a youngish clientele but not so young that they shy away from playing 80’s music. The venue is bright, airy and staff very friendly.

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The top ten best places to eat in Greater Kennington – no. 9 – The Hercules

The number nine slot goes to new kid on the block ‘The Hercules’ located across from Lambeth North tube. The first of three gastropubs on our list, it’s made the list mostly due to it having the best selection of beers for a gastropub in Greater Kennington, with no fewer than 24  to choose from , and an impressive selection of spirits and wines. And a curious LED sign telling you about the rotating selection of beers on offer.

We thought it appropriate to go The Hercules with some tourist friends, as the crowd is a mix of thirty somethings with a melange of visitors wondering how the hell they ended up in Lambeth North when their hotel across the street is called ‘Waterloo’.  We went for Sunday roast, and one of us had beef and the other two pork belly. The portions were generous and the meat well cooked. The roast potatoes were also browned and just the right side of charred. The cauliflower cheese was commendable and the Yorkshire pud was huge and crispy.

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Aside from roasts, The Hercules offer other dishes that are more varied than most local gastropubs, and commendable  bar snacks. On another visit we snacked on spicy squid and Vietnamese chicken wings, and had some very juicy burgers and hake with chorizo. The place also opens at 8am if you fancy a fry up or a quick Merlot on the way to work. The atmosphere is the upmarket ‘old school meets new school’ of the White Bear and is relatively good value for money.

Finally, *expects egg throwing*  we are conscious that The Hercules is part of the Fuller’s pub chain, but even soulless chains can sometimes get things right. If it is just beer you fancy without the food, we recommend Mother Kelly’s under the arches in Vauxhall.

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A Brief History of Lambeth Workhouse

As promised, this next piece is about the ground around the Cinema Museum and its former life as Lambeth Workhouse. The workhouse was founded in Black Prince Road in 1726 and moved to Renfrew Road in 1871. The Cinema Museum occupies the former master’s house and chapel. The only other building of note is the water tower, which was converted into a bonkers house in 2011 and featured on ‘Grand Designs’. If you ever want to tour it, the home seems to be on sale about four times a year. You  can easily spot the tower in North Kennington

lambeth-workhouse

The Workhouse was a home to 800 inmates (as they were actually referred to) who entered the house as a result of abject destitution. People also came with children if they were unable to care for them. Charlie Chapin was one of these unfortunate lads. It was referred to as a ‘total institution’ as it provided accommodation, food, healthcare, vocational training and a school. Inmates could come and go but had to work some miserable tasks in order to keep a roof over their head.

While offering safety and food, The Lambeth Workhouse was a stifling place to live and deliberately so. Its small, dank rooms were intended discourage anyone except the truly needy from taking a bed. Some of the degrading tasks of the workhouse included breaking stones and crushing bones to produce fertiliser. Some found escape by actually learning a skills, but many languished at the Workhouse for years. Boys and girls who arrived without a parent had it a bit easier, as they were trained to either be domestic servants or join the navy.

About the time of WW1 the demographic of Lambeth Workhouse was evolving and was mostly populated by the elderly, infirm and sick as opposed to the poor, and from 1930 the day to day running of the Workhouse was handed down to Lambeth council.  From the Metropolitan Archives it appears that our workhouse was in operation until 1948 when the National Assistance Act saw that the last vestiges of workhouse life were dealt with, making Lambeth find more suitable places for it’s most vulnerable people to live. More about Workhouses can be found here.

The picture below is from inside the women’s section of the Workhouse

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Seveni Bar and Grill – The Real Chinese Deal

An underlooked gem on the gastronomic  landscape of greater Kennington is a newish place called Seveni Bar and Grill, at the top of Kennington Road across from the Imperial War Museum. Kennington Runoff has recently been to central China (not for this specific review, mind you, as the budget usually ends at tea bags) and we can assure you that this joint is the real deal, organs and all.

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What first strikes the patron is the presence of Chinese pop music (tick) and actual Chinese diners (triple tick). As a starter I had the lamb intestine. I’ve never actually eaten an intestine before, and I can only describe it as kind of like squid. It was heavily seasoned with cumin (as a lot of dishes are),  sesame, and a great deal of pepper. I thought about ordering the pig brain, aorta, or tongue but then thought that my table would end up looking more like a post mortem dissection, so I gave them a miss.

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For the main course I decided to go a bit more mainstream and order the stir fry sliced beef with sour pepper. I got the mild version (you can choose the hotness) but it was so hot that I had to order an extra 5 Tsingtao beers (oops). The peppers can be avoided to make it less hot, but it was excellent. Slightly fatty beef and a great combination of sour and slightly sweet and the portion was huge….And you ain’t gonna get that in Gerrard St, mister.

All of the tables are set up with BBQs for on table grilling and on the night I visited there was a  mix of couples and larger groups. So great for a date, work ‘do, or just ‘we don’t feel like cooking;’ night.

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The Mighty Hercules (Pub)

Up we go to the very northern fringe of Kennington, (formerly known as LAMBETH NORTH). Across from the tube there’s a new pub (OK it’s been there 5 weeks, but we’re busy) in a building that used to house the most depressing Chinese restaurant on earth. It’s called ‘The Hercules’ and KR gave it a visit on Sunday for some daytime boozing and roasting.

The Hercules features 24 cask beers (each described on a handy LED screen) and an impressive array of wines and spirits. For roasts, one of us had beef and the other pork belly. The portions were generous and the meat well cooked. The roast potatoes were also browned and just the right side of charred. The cauliflower cheese was commendable and the Yorkshire pud was huge and crispy. The butternut squash, however, was liquefied and didn’t work. As for the crowd, it’s a mix of youngish locals and tourists trying to figure out the contents of sticky toffee pudding while also figuring out how they ended up in Lambeth North when their hotel is advertised as ‘Waterloo’. The atmosphere is the upmarket ‘old school meets new school’ of the White Bear. Overall, great atmosphere and drinks, but there are better roasts in SE11 and environs. But try it out if you tire of your favourite roast.

Finally, *expects hate mail from millenials*  kale is lovely but it has no place in a Sunday roast. Bring us savoy cabbage!

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amazing old photos of Kennington

from the soon-to-be relaunched Lambeth Archives website

The Old Red Lion in the late 1930s

The Old Red Lion in the late 1930s

Kilner House protest squat, Clayton Street

Kilner House protest squat, Clayton Street – more info here – plus ca change

Methley Street, 1975 - nothing has changed except the cars

Methley Street, 1975 – nothing has changed except the cars

Kennington Road, 1950

Kennington Road, 1950

Cleaver Street, 1975 - bit of a different vibe from today

Cleaver Street, 1975 – bit of a different vibe from today

'Reclining Figure' by James Butler A.R.A. - bring this back to Cleaver Square please!

‘Reclining Figure’ by James Butler A.R.A. – bring this back to Cleaver Square please!

Brook Drive, 1985

Brook Drive, 1985 – looks tranquil right?

Bonnington Square, 1981 - the year the squatters moved in

Bonnington Square, 1981 – the year the squatters moved in

More soon.

 

Cupcakes & Shhht

The best thing about Cupcakes & Shhht is that they made the brave move to go totally vegan – the first such cafe/restaurant in the area – and they do great brunches and meat alternatives as well as cupcakes, so you won’t miss the meat or dairy.

Cupcakes & Shhht counter - kenningtonrunoff.com

This is their chicken burger – it’s not really chicken but it tastes pretty close:

Cupcakes & Shhht Ficken Burger - kenningtonrunoff.com

These are blueberry pancakes, topped with banana and cinnamon and drenched in syrup and Oatly cream:

Cupcakes & Shhht banana pancakes - kenningtonrunoff.com

You can eat in, but this being Artworks, there isn’t loads of space inside:

Cupcakes & Shhht interior - kenningtonrunoff.com

In better weather you can sit outside:

Cupcakes & Shhht exterior - kenningtonrunoff.com

Or you can take away or get Deliveroo, but bear in mind brunches don’t travel particularly well.

The worst thing about Cupcakes & Shhht is the name. It’s confusing – they are about so much more than cupcakes – and cringeworthy. It won’t stop us going along but it does make it harder to recommend it to people.

They’re open every day 9am to 5pm except Sunday 10am to 5pm.

Address: Unit 10, The Artworks, Elephant Road, Elephant and Castle SE17 1AY.

 

two of Kennington’s finest institutions are under threat

Read more about the threat to Bonnington Cafe and sign a petition here.

Read more about the threat to the Cinema Museum and sign a petition here.

Both of these institutions are magical, unique and irreplaceable. The area will be much worse off without them.

See our original piece about the Bonnington Cafe here.

Bonnington Square Cafe - kenningtonrunoff.com

See our original piece about the Cinema Museum here.

The bar and shop at the Cinema Museum - kenningtonrunoff.com

The Elephant & Castle pub

The Elephant & Castle pub in North Kennington has been on quite a journey these last 250 years but we’re confident its present incarnation is the best it has been.

The Elephant & Castle pub - exterior - kenningtonrunoff.com

Back in 2015 it had its license revoked after a series of alarming incidents. Then it was occupied by squatters and mooted to become a branch of Foxtons, which would have been the ultimate unwelcome symbol of the scorched earth gentrification of the area. Then it was declared an asset of community value and taken over by Antic Pubs who also run The Old Red Lion, and they’ve done a mighty fine job on it. It’s certainly a symbol of gentrification but a tasteful one that reflects the character of the building and the area. I mean, it has an actual sewage waste pipe exposed beneath the ceiling – how North Kennington is that?

The Elephant & Castle pub - sewage pipe - kenningtonrunoff.com

A lot of love and care has gone into the seventies-inspired interior:

The Elephant & Castle pub - table and decor - kenningtonrunoff.com

They have some good real ales on tap.

The Elephant & Castle pub - interior - kenningtonrunoff.com

The kitchen is now open and the food is a different level to any other pub in the area, somewhat filling the gap left by The Duchy Arms whose menu seems to have gone more lamestream recently.

The Elephant & Castle pub - kitchen - kenningtonrunoff.com

We had a starter of potato, leek and cheddar frittata:

Potato, leek and cheddar frittata at The Elephant & Castle pub - kenningtonrunoff.com

The Sunday menu has all the expected roasts but also plenty of veggie options including this mushroom, cheddar and parsley stuffed aubergine with trimmings including an excellent Yorkshire pudding:

Mushroom, cheddar and parlsey stuffed aubergine, trimmings at the Elephant & Castle pub - kenningtonrunoff.com

And these English vegetables with goats cheese, almonds and rapeseed oil:

English vegetable and goats cheese, almonds and rapeseed oil at The Elephant & Castle Pub - kenningtonrunoff.com

The Wolseley would been proud of this breaded chicken schnitzel with fries and lemon & sage butter:

Breaded chicken schnitzel, fries, lemon & sage butter at the Elephant & Castle pub - kenningtonrunoff.com

The beer garden certainly has atmosphere, although it could be London’s least green and most polluted.

The Elephant & Castle pub - beer yard - kenningtonrunoff.com

See here for more on the history of the pub and the area:

history of the Elephant & Castle pub - kenningtonrunoff.com

And if you’re wondering where this pub is, it’s on what was the North Roundabout, now The Bend. Look out for their rather amusing A-boards:

Voted best pub next to a bend sign at The Elephant & Castle pub - kenningtonrunoff.com

Address: 119 Newington Causeway, London SE1 6BN.

Telephone 02074038124