Surreptitiously observing Kennington, including the suburbs Vauxhall, Oval, Walworth, and Elephant since 2012. We're fiercely independent and never boring.
From the archives, the third edition of our month of best history posts.
If you’re the observant or, in our case, intrusive sort you’ve probably noticed some unconventional appearing railings outside some estates in Greater Kennington. These didn’t start their life as estate railings, but rather as devices to save people’s lives.
Our little railings atop an emergency vehicle
At the beginning of World War 2 London was stripped of many of its railings in order to be melted down for use as armaments. Whether they were actually used for this purpose or just an elaborate morale boosting PR stunt remains a point of debate. Ironically, the iron railings were removed at the same time as 600,000 iron stretchers were being mass produced in order to ferry away casualties from bombsites. Fortunately not nearly that many were ever needed or would be in future, so London had a whole lot of beds on her hands….
The WW2 stretchers produced during the war were cast iron and couldn’t be melted down into anything more practical afterwards, so in a rationed post war Britain someone devised the clever idea of sticking the stretchers on their sides, welding them together, and repurposing them for use as railings outside of public buildings. In this very early version of upcycling, they were reborn as fencing and exist in our estates to this day. Today our railings attract interest from around the world but sadly, like most of the staff here at the Runoff, are not being cared for properly and are in a sorry state of repair.
Kennings Way, Kennington Alverstone House, Oval
Stretcher railings are a very unique part of London’s quirky street furniture and we are fortunate to possess the lion’s share right here in our anointed patch. So next time you get a pesky little idea about going to the West End for a bit of culture, just pop over to your nearest estate. There is even a stretcher railing society for those of you who have a fence fetish. But if you do join, we suggest that you keep that one to yourself.
From the March, 2020 Covid archives, the second edition of our month of best of history posts
History has an unusual system of circularity, and The Event that has engulfed the world is in many respects very similar to one experienced in early Victorian Greater Kennington. So bring those sparklingly clean hands forward boys and girls, as we are going to tell you about another misunderstood epidemic borne out of a need for greater hygiene.
In the first half of the nineteenth century Lambeth’s waterfront was the industrial hub of London, with factories such Royal Doulton lining the waterfront between Black Prince Road and Spring Gardens and disgorging pollutants into the air and water. The area behind the factories was populated primary by migrants from the countryside and a famine stricken Ireland (and now ironically populated by multizillion pound flats, but moving on..) who struggled for survival and lacked basic sanitation. As the area was built haphazardly on damp marshland (this was before the embankment of the Thames) there were no standpipes for water and the folks had no choice but to obtain their drinking water directly from the Thames. And we’ll leave it up to you to imagine what kinds of matter were deposited in the river at the time.
A headstone of the time of cholera
The Thames was the source of contagion when cholera struck Lambeth in October, 1848, resulting in the death of almost 2000 local men, women and children. At the time it was believed that cholera was transmitted through the air in foul smells, and foul smells were abundant in this industrial wasteland. Our patch of Lambeth was one of the first places studied by pioneering epidemiologist John Snow who, after seeing people dipping pails into the river for drinking water, began his path to discovering that cholera was a water borne illness. Proof that science can prevail over fearmongers in times of darkness.
Of the people who perished, many were buried in unmarked graves in the cemetery of St. Mary’s church (now the Gardening Museum). The graveyard is now Old Paradise Park and is a little gem of solitude behind the high rises. On your daily and now unlimited walk, stop to notice the headstones of the many residents of Lambeth who were contemporaries of those 2000 who perished, but who had a more dignified send off. And in the middle of Paradise Gardens you’ll encounter a solitary standpipe, which acts as a fitting monument to those buried beneath it.
From the archives, the first edition of our month of best of history posts
From Baths to Boxing to Buddhism
UPDATE JANUARY 2026 – Manor Place baths has just been reinvented as a free indoor skate park/mini football pitch with space for emerging artists to show their work. This is wonderful as we thought it would end up being unaffordable housing. It is, however, owned by a collab of Nike and fashion brand Palace. Which proves that you can’t always get what you want in this world.
Victorians are well known for many things. We know they were sanctimonious and strived to make our minds pure, and the natural progression was to have clean bodies and clothes, so for the health and hygiene of all the mortal bodies of Walworth, in 1895 work got underway to create Manor Place Baths. In addition to offering showers, it also had three swimming pools, private changing cubicles and large do it yourself laundry facilities. Think of it as kind of a Victorian water park.
Over the years the Baths became more of a community centre and also a place for people to obtain a bit of privacy in an era where privacy was at a premium. Women could trade children’s clothes, men could catch up in the men’s pool, and even children could come along. As the pools weren’t heated and our Greater Kennington forebears didn’t fancy losing their toes to frostbite, the men’s and women’s pools were covered over with wooden flooring in the wintertime, which gave said forebears a brilliant idea……Use it in the winter as a boxing venue.
Manor Place saw its first bout in 1908 and went on to host a roll-call of the famous and infamous, including the Kray twins. It became so well known that when the BBC began to broadcast boxing they chose our little Baths as their first venue. For more than 40 years, The Metropolitan Borough of Southwark’s Charity Boxing Committee organised the bouts, which saw the cream of the boxing world come to Walworth, giving locals the chance to see top-flight, professional boxing on their own doorstep
Fast forward to the 1970’s. By then the now sadly extinct Heygate Estate had been built and most people had their own bathrooms. Domestic labour saving washing machines were now commonplace and those who didn’t found that newly opened laundrettes would do quite nicely. The final nail in coffin of Manor Place came when the new Elephant and Castle Leisure Centre opened in 1972, which put into sharp focus just how deteriorated and outdated Manor Place had become.
Later in life our Baths were used as offices for Southwark Council and later rented out by a Buddhist organisation for use as a meditation facility. It was purchased by Notting Hill Housing Trust in 2017 and it is currently being developed into market rate flats and ‘affordable’ housing. The reason this is taking so long is that the building is, thank baby Jesus, Grade II listed and Notting Hill have to be very careful as to how it is adapted.
Ahead of our highly scientific yet wholly subjective countdown of the Top Ten Best Places to eat in Greater Kennington we recently revisited Mc & Sons in Vauxhall with our self appointed ‘one man party’ Phil from accounts. Mc & Sons if you’re reading this (and if not you’re missing out) we love your dark woods, quiet atmosphere, and maximalist design aesthetic as it brings to mind a trad pub in Dublin and is possibly the most visibly appealing joint in our manor. Well done.
Phil was invited on this excursion primarily because a pub was involved, but also because he’s been banging on about his recent trip to Thailand on an almost daily basis. And Thai street food is indeed the cuisine of choice at Mc & Sons and your scribe ordered the stir fry duck. Served in a lovely pewter bowl, it came with fresh basil and chilli blended with a fried egg mixed with very sticky rice. Flavour profiles included hoisin and plum sauce, orange, honey, and a fare shake of black bean. It was plentiful, not too spicy, and a good sweet/sour Thai balance.
Phil ordered the drunken noodles and upon ordering flashed us a cheeky smile and said ‘what do you thinks in it. Vodka? Gin?’ When we pointed out that the name pertains to curing hangovers and there’s no actual alcohol in it, Phil appeared at once crestfallen and perplexed. Nevertheless, he enjoyed his noodles with a refreshing pale ale(s) that took the edge off the heat. Overall, Phil thought Mc & Sons offered a good approximation of the drunken noodles in Thailand: thick rice noodles with chicken, prawns and vegetable stir fried in a sauce with all the classic spicy-salty-sweet elements. You have to be a spice-lover to enjoy this dish.
Mc & Sons is a nice, cosy spot to spend time even if you’re not eating. We noticed a high proportion of the clientele were drinking Guinness, which is fitting as the surroundings feel like a proper, cosy family pub which doesn’t scream “check us out we’re IRISH!” like an O’Neill’s chain pub; this is done with a bit more warmth. Just don’t expect to get tipsy from the noodles.
In our furious pursuit of gastronomic excellence ahead of our Top 10 Best Places to Eat in February, we’ve decided to visit a fast food joint in Elephant and Castle. Filishack is a Filipino street food outfit in Sayer St. The tale begins with two brothers and a food truck situated outside Peckham library in 2014. After seven years of serving Fili burritos to passing pedestrians they opened their first bricks and mortar in 2021 followed our branch in 2024. 2025 has even seen them opening at White City, which we hear is a shopping mall. Or something.
Joining us was our in house Ombudsman Diane, who selected a burrito on the basis that she enjoys Mexican food and wanted to see if the Filipino take on a burrito was any different. Diane proclaimed regally, after her signature hair flick, “while this conforms approximately to the size and shape of a Chipotle style mega-burrito (burritos are not a particularly Mexican thing but Diane didn’t need to know this), this Filipino burrito has a distinctly different flavour profile”. Diane put this down to her choice of chicken adobo filling. Generous chicken thigh pieces were smothered in a prolific spicy sauce with a slight vinegar and soy kick. If that sounds odd, it’s actually delicious. Some salad and garlic rice filled out the burrito but it was the abundant chicken adobo that dominated.
Your scribe opted for the grilled chicken inasal ricebox. Inasal is a Filipino chicken that’s been marinated for hours giving it a distinct orange hue and a citrussy, almost lemongrass hit. You can choose from a range of salad additions including onion, cucumber, and lettuce. And of course the sauce on top is king, and a yougurt/garlic was chosen. Everything mixed together swimmingly and was almost too much to consume. At £7.95 for a medium box or burrito, this is very reasonable. Going for the large is unnecessary unless you haven’t eaten in a couple of days or have a tapeworm. And if you want to research ‘inasal’ by Googling, try to be VERY careful how you spell ‘inasal’ as the results might be more than you bargained for.
Looking into our cracked Observer crystal ball, we have a feeling that once the shopping centre opens the rents in Sayer Street with skyrocket, pricing out small businesses such as Filishack. But of course, if having two outlets of ‘Joe and the Juice’ in the same street is your vision of paradise then you might just be in luck.
It’s the weekend after Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring as they’ve had too many Ferrero Roche, Lambrini, and M&S mini chorizo bites. Well were going to get that metabolism going again by taking a stroll down the fascinating Renfew Road on the Kennington/Elephant border. Care to join us?
On the eastern side of Renfrew Road there remains a cluster of buildings which reflect a variety of life in our patch in the late 1800’s. The first offering off Kennington Lane is the Grade II listed old fire station. Built in 1868, the station served an area which was by that time bursting with industries that needed fires, such as kilns. In an era before IPhone 17’s and Snapchat, a turret was the quickest way to detect a local flame and it still exists. Although expanded in 1897, by 1920 there must have been a few too many fires in Greater Kennington as it was abandoned and used by the Guardians for the Poor in St. Mary’s Parish. Presumably to assist those who had been turfed out of the recently closed Workhouse next door (we’ll get to that).
Next we move merrily along to Lambeth Magistrates’ Court, which from 1978 has been home to Jamyang London Buddhist Centre. Built in 1869, it’s also Grade II listed, designed in the Gothic Revival style, and is the earliest surviving example of a Criminal Magistrates Court in London. In the 1960’s it was converted to a maximum security court for special remands, including IRA terrorists, the Kray twins, and members of the gang who seized the Iranian Embassy. If you look closely you can still see bars on some of the windows (not used for unruly Buddhists). Some might recall that in 2021 part of the courthouse housed a lovely café owned by the folks who run Little Louie in Elephant Park. We reviewed glowingly it in 2021 and it then promptly closed. We like to call this the ‘Observer effect’.
Moving on, behind the Courthouse we see the remains of the once mighty Lambeth Workhouse. It moved to Renfew Road in 1871 and was once the home of Charlie Chaplin and his mum. The place was a refuge, especially for women, and in spite of its reputation provided healthcare and job training. However, many tasks were degrading and intended to get people out of the Workhouse as quickly as possible. The former Governor’s house remains and is now home to the delightful Cinema Museum. The water tower which remains was built because such institutions needed water storage in the event of fire. Its unrecorded how the poor firemen next door felt about this. The tower undertook a bonkers renovation in 2012, and was featured on Grand Designs. In the video the new owner speaks lovingly about jumping off the building if it doesn’t work. We would too if we had to walk up 100 feet to get to our living room. For a deeper dive into the Workhouse we wrote about it in 2019.
This is not the actual house, just A house in Vauxhall
Vauxhall of the 1880’s was a functional and dirty place; where London relegated the things it didn’t want but nevertheless needed. This included timber wharves, vinegar works, potteries, breweries, and lead works. In a true example of history repeating, Vauxhall is once again filled with things it doesn’t need in the guise of £15,000,000 flats, but we digress. And a dark and wet Vauxhall in 1880 is the perfect guise for a Christmas ghost story. We bring you The Old House in Vauxhall Walk.
For those of you who prefer your ghost stories on the move, it’s also on Spotify. For a more immersive experience, listen to it while walking in front of Fire nightclub in Vauxhall at closing time, where you can also see hallucinating, ghostly figures emerging and stumbling into the night. And we hope your Christmas is more prosperous than ours, as when we inquired about our Christmas bonus, head of Finance Steve lobbed a handful of Celebrations into our cubicle and proclaimed ‘there’s your bonus’.
Orchestral music is often inaccessible to many people for a variety of reasons, but this weekend we’re about to be blessed yet again in the Brandon and China Walk estates for Christmassy concerts which are free and open for everyone (that means you)!
Brixton Chamber Orchestra is a diverse group of 25 Brixton based instrumentalists who provide and create music across a range of genres including…wait for it….classical, disco, gospel, grime, rap, swing, pop, drum & bass and others, and often have guest vocalists. They usually ply their trade in community halls and churches in Brixton, but two times a year they hoist their trumpets northward to grace our soil.
Funded by Arts Council England and, surprisingly, by Lambeth Council, BCO is in the midst of a Christmas estates tour of 11 estates in Lambeth. They will be gracing us with their presence on Saturday at Jack Hobbs Hall in Brandon Estate (those large buildings at the back of Kennington Park) and inside Chandler Hall in Lambeth Walk.
BRANDON ESTATE Sat 20th December @ 3:00 PM Jack Hobbs Club Hall Maddock Way, London SE17 3NH
CHINA WALK ESTATE Sat 20TH December @ 7:00 PM Chandler Hall 15 Lambeth Walk, London SE11 6DU
These events are indoors but might be chilly so dress accordingly and buy your warming tipple from a local corner shop.
We attended this event in 2023 and it was great fun. Each show is unique and they’ve been known to feature guests musicians. They also encourage folks to get up and sing along, which should be made easier with that bottle you bought from the offie. And if this is sounding like a kids event, trust us it isn’t. Not that there is anything wrong with kids, as a few Observer staff were once kids themselves. If you can’t make it or shockingly don’t live in Greater Kennington there are more dates on their website.
Did we mention it’s free? Did we add that we love free? The clip below is the streetband gigging around Brixton recently, which we equally love.
If you like carols, or indeed if your name is Carol, you’ll be please to know that the annual Cleaver Square ‘Carols in the Square’ takes place this Tuesday (16th) from 19:00 and the best part is that you don’t even have to live in Cleaver Square to take part! Or even look like you live in Cleaver Square. It is open to everyone and has raised over £10,000 over the years for local charities, so bring a few extra pounds if you can, but they also have a card reader. Also bring your mug to save the hard working volunteers a bit of time.
We attended the Carols last year and it was great fun. We were treated to homemade mince pies, mulled wine, and sang along with the lovely Fever Pitch choir, who will be performing at 19:30. One of the traditions at the Cleaver Christmas Carols is funny hats. We’ve used funny hats and glasses to deflect from the tedium and underpayment of Observer life for years, so you can imagine we’ve accumulated quite a few. Office staff will be sporting these on the night so good luck spotting us. If you’re struggling locate the team, one of the hats retains bloodstains from last week’s Christmas ‘do when Phil from accounts face planted in Kennington Lane after downing five Spicy Palomas.
Before we commence our mega mix of how you can buy gifts for people you love/put up with this Christmas, let’s think about the Greater Kenningtonians out there who are struggling to put food on the table in these difficult times. This year we’re again supporting the Secret Santa campaign run by our friends over at the Kennington Association. Last year KA raised funds to give shopping vouchers to 140 local households, with the families chosen by local early needs professionals. To find out more and to donate, click here. If you like the more hands on approach, Tesco in Kennington Lane has food and collection boxes located handily next to the exit.
FOOD AND DRINK
Italo Vauxhall and Nosh at Marcellos (formerly Mimi’s Deli) both have a range of Italian foodie gift ideas including wines, beers, spices, panettone (that’s Italian for ‘stale cake’), oils, spirits, cheeses and even posh sauces. Mimi’s and Italo also can concoct a mean Italian lunch if you’re shopping feet get tired. Mimi’s also do custom made hampers. As you can see below, both joints are rammed with goodies.
Oval Farmer’s Market Ever thought about buying an edible Christmas gift from our own beloved country market? They stock many things that won’t perish under the tree such as chorizo, chocolates and wine. We’re also concerned that the Market is kind of dying and we need to prevent this. You have two Saturdays before Christmas!
Beefeater Gin Distillery has a lovely but totally deserted gift shop offering unusual, limited run gins and gin accessories. You can also buy a gift voucher to tour the distillery (we can confirm it’s great fun). Perfect for your loved one who likes a nice holiday tipple or to get your annoying uncle Fred to nod off before the turkey is served. We understand Beefeater’s parent company Pernot Ricard is the opposite of independent, but it’s Christmas so don’t judge us.
Orbit Brewery is our own hidden away little gem of a brewery in Walworth. Online or in person you can buy a range of their lagers, cioders, ales, porters, and even socks. And the rumour is true, they sell tzatziki flavoured beer that we can only describe as, well, ‘adventurous’.
Didi and Franc have gone full tilt in 2025 and are selling custom made hampers to fill with their gorgeous goods. But if, like us, you don’t fit their demographic, you can just buy one of their baskets and fill it with things from the corner shop. And while you’re there you can pick up a panettone at I due Amici next door. Panettone being of course the food that you never actually eat, but just regift at a Christmas party you’ve been invited to.
NON FOOD
The Book Elephant For those of you young enough to never buy anything in an actual shop, new kid the Book Elephant in Sayer Street can probably get a book in quicker than you can buy it online. Its also a fun place to get inspiration. Plus they also sell coffee and wine. Need we say more?
Castle Square When you think of Christmas shopping the first thing that springs to mind probably isn’t ‘ooh, lets go to the place behind Elephant Station where they keep the bins’. But if you venture there you’ll discover a clutch of independent shops that used to exist in the shopping centre. Great for your younger folk looking for baseball caps, hoodies, clothes, or undergarments to make your bum look either smaller or larger. While there pop over to the retro video game emporium 4 Quarters?
SoLo Craft Fair is a collective of online artists and creatives who run a bricks and mortar shop in Elephant Park. Sixty small businesses have their work shown on rotation and in 2025 they are again stocking affordable jewellery, handbags, baskets, cards, scarves, bath salts, prints and T-shirts. And as Elephant is now trendy in a non-ironic way they even sell Elephant and Castle merch.
Hound Hut TRIGGER WARNING. If the dog in your life is vegan or interested in becoming vegan then this not the place for them. Known by us as the ‘Harrods of doggie treats’, here you can treat your pooch to doggie spag bol, camel wraps, cow hooves, snouts, and the deliciously sounding bladder twists. And they also have a lot of leads and things to throw at/to your pooch. And for those who obtained a pooch during lockdown but now find they have to be in an actual dog free office, there is doggy daycare.
Pretty Shiny Shop sits next to the Hound Hut and they swaggeringly claim to be Greater Kennington’s Christmas Shop (steady) and they stock a range or cards, houseware items, and Christmas tree goodies, and small pieces of jewellery. It’s like a giant Christmas explosion in that place. They have loads of fun, subversive Christmas cards.
Windmill Flowers stocks not just flowers but also collectables and houseware accessories and Mary is in charge to show you the way forward. Mary also has some Christmas trees and accessories for those who haven’t got their s*it together quite yet.
Jumping Bean is another gift shop new to the 2025 Greater Kennington scene and a great place to inspect for gift inspiration. They have everything from Christmas baubles to clothes, toys, pencils, games, cards, more toys, hand cream, self heating patches, and cheesecake nail filing sets. Whew.
The Cafe @ Park College is a little known veggie lunch spot that we visited a few months ago. it resides inside Park College next to Kennington Park. The cafe is staffed by young people with additional needs such as autism, and they have an adorbs selection of homemade cards and other crafts on sale. And you only THINK you don’t need a handbag fashioned from Walkers Crisp bags. They’re also having a Winter Fair on Friday (the 12th) and we’re all invited.
Vanilla Black in addition to books also has some nice gift ideas such as cards and stockings and a few food items. We think VB secretly hate us but we’ve moved on with our lives and are plugging them anyway because this is the time for charity. Or something.
QueArts is a sterling little arts and crafts store across from Kennington Park and they also undertake framing. Great for your creative or just bored friends.
Bee Urban is bee based charity in the middle of Kennington Park (behind the cafe) selling all sorts of honey and honey related things such as candles, fragrances, soaps and even cards. An interesting place to check out even if you don’t buy anything. And they sell Kennington honey!
Walworth Garden and Urban Botanica While perhaps not the easiest thing to wrap, have you ever considered the gift of houseplants? The charity and juggernaut of horticulture, Walworth Garden are selling cacti, cards and other things in their geodesic dome. While over in Kennington Cross, UB is one of the few places on earth where you can sip your Minor Figures chai latte while browsing Boston ferns.
Umber Works We’ve never seen an actual human being inside Umber Works in Kennington Park Road, but accordingly to their website they run a range of pottery workshops and offer gift vouchers. Of course, the downside of this is that you might be getting useless ceramic ashtrays for the next five years.
