Tag Archives: Kennington Lane

old photos of Central Kennington

Last photos for now from the soon-to-be relaunched Lambeth Archives website

Kennington Cross, 1960. That lady looks like she’s moving at a leisurely pace. No way she’s going to make it all the way across in one journey.

from Kennington Cross towards Imperial Court, 1930

the Elephant end of Kennington Lane, 1970

pretty much the other side of the top of Kennington Lane, 1905

The Windmill Fish Bar, 1972 – they should have kept that wonderful frontage

Kennington Theatre, later a cinema, now a block of flats, Kennington Park Road, 1930

The Salvation Army Citadel, 93 Kennington Lane, 1966

what is now Pelican Nursery at Kennington Cross, 1972

more shops at Kennington Cross, 1972

amazing mural depicting a mediaeval village scene in Durning Library, 1952

Granada Bingo, Kennington Road, 1960, now Tesco Express

Yoga at The Tommyfield

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The Tommyfield has cranked its boutique hotel credentials up a notch with an intimate in-house yoga session every Monday evening from local teacher Tim Mosley.

Tim offers a dynamic vinyasa flow class in the first floor Master Room. It’s a nice, calm space, usually used for the ABC comedy night or private events. You may even find a sprinkle of 40th birthday party confetti alongside your mat as a neat reminder of why you’re there in the first place. We have been along a couple of times and Tim is attentive and will provide a quick head massage at the end of the class if he thinks you’ve been spending too long at the blogging coalface.

Kennington is pretty well-served for yoga, including long-standing favourite Yogabelle at the RIBA Award-winning Siobhan Davies Studios, and Kennington Osteopaths for a gentler class (that is a bit of a tight squeeze – not one for the claustrophobic yogi).

yoga

Yoga @ The Tommyfield

Every Monday 6.30-7.45 pm

Limited mats available, £10 per class

Tim Mosley is also available for private lessons.

Tiffany Bar – Korean Bistro and karaoke bar

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There are so many interesting, little known establishments in Kennington and we’re still discovering new ones. Did you know the rather unpromising looking Tiffany Bar on the West end of Kennington Lane is a karaoke bar and rather good Korean restaurant? Or at least it was when we scheduled this post, but now it’s under new ownership, with a new name, Jihwaja, although still doing Korean food and karaoke, and it’s opening tomorrow.

Jihwaja shopfront newly installed - kenningtonrunoff.com

Anyway, in case you want to read about what Tiffany was like…

The very friendly owner is a big fan of the Audrey Hepburn film Breakfast At Tiffany’s, hence the name, and an interior decoration theme that is almost as incongruous as Pop Art Sushi’s.

If you ask nicely and they’re not too busy they will seat you in a private karaoke room for dinner, even if you’re not planning to sing.

Naturally we ordered a Korean pale lager called Hite, and a sweet drink (if only we could remember what that was).

The vegetable kimchi was really good and spicy.

The seafood noodle soup was so rich we struggled to finish it.

We mentioned Pop Art Sushi above and there are some similarities with Tiffany Bar – both are in West Kennington, undiscovered, rather odd as concepts, but with really superior food. ~~Give them a try.~~ (It’s too late to try Tiffany Bar – it has closed)

Address: 353 Kennington Lane, London SE11 5QY

Shalimar (formerly Soma Books)

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Long before Vanilla Black and Finishing Touch, and decades before even Kennington Bookshop (RIP), Kennington already had a bookshop – Shalimar, formerly Soma Books:

They’ve been at 38 Kennington Lane, SE11 4LS for around 30 years, and the proprietor appears to have been growing his beard for that long. He remembers the days when Jamyang Buddhist Centre was a courthouse, and Shalimar was part of a cluster of shops including a greengrocer – but apart from that, he says the area hasn’t changed that much.

They started out selling children’s books, which they still do, but they have diversified into African, South Asian and Caribbean books on a variety of subjects including spirituality, many of which you won’t find anywhere else in the UK.

Nowadays their core business is distributing Indian books to UK shops, which probably explains why Shalimar isn’t open on weekends (on weekdays, you have to ring a bell then wait some time to gain entrance).

They also sell folk craft and art from India and beyond, and a selection of greetings cards.

It’s a real gem packed with intriguing items, and not quite like any other shop we’ve been to. Let’s hope it stays open for another few decades.

Finishing Touch bookshop and barber shop

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The day before the Kennington Bookshop was reborn as Vanilla Black Coffee and Books, another bookshop also opened just up the road. Finishing Touch, which flung wide its doors to the public on 1st November with a Day of the Dead celebration, is a bookshop, gallery and project space based in an old barbershop on Kennington Lane.

Finishing Touch launch event - kenningtonrunoff.com

the opening event at Finishing Touch

It will remain until February 2016, at which point, presumably, the person who bought the property will start converting it into something less exciting. The barbershop which preceded it operated at the extreme end of ‘by appointment only’ (we never saw a single client in there for well over five years), but this new incarnation is playing host to the very welcoming Open Barbers, hairdressing for all genders and sexualities.

Finishing Touch will programme a series of events, screenings, exhibitions and performances, inviting artists to work with them in the spirit of the ‘salon’.

Run by the team behind Luminous Books, it supplies a well-curated selection of art and theory books and is perfect for a highbrow gift or two.

They even sell tasteful marbled paper to wrap it all in. Oh, and tote bags of course.

As a pop-up opening hours may change from week to week. You are advised to check their Facebook page for up to date opening times.

Address: 147 Kennington Lane, London SE11 4HQ

hello@finishingtouchshop.org.uk

openbarbers@gmail.com (Greygory – 07712090553 Felix – 07920832320)

The Top Ten Best Restaurants in Kennington – no. 3 – The Lobster Pot

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Positives: Everyone should go to The Lobster Pot at least once. The lobster is sensational, and so is the nautical-themed decor:

Negatives: Last year’s winner has slipped to no. 3 this year because it’s not the kind of restaurants we feel drawn to time and time again – it’s pricey (mains start at £20.50), and you do have to be in the right mood. Also, the use of inverted commas in this advert:

Hygiene rating: 5 out of 5

Address: 3 Kennington Lane, London SE11 4RG

Come back next Sunday to find out the number 2.

Ninja Tune Records

Ninja Tune Records, one of the UK’s leading independent record labels, is based on Kennington Lane.

Kennington Runoff

Surreptitiously exploring Kennington, including the suburbs Vauxhall, Oval, Walworth, and Elephant, since 2012

Tag Archives: Kennington Lane

old photos of Central Kennington

Yoga at The Tommyfield

Tiffany Bar – Korean Bistro and karaoke bar

Shalimar (formerly Soma Books)

Finishing Touch bookshop and barber shop

The Top Ten Best Restaurants in Kennington – no. 3 – The Lobster Pot

Ninja Tune Records