Surreptitiously observing Kennington, including the suburbs Vauxhall, Oval, Walworth, and Elephant since 2012. We're fiercely independent and never boring.
Cheap drink deals! Gay men! Canine photography! Human/Doggie yoga! A hot pub! When you think about it, what could POSSIBLY go wrong? This event on Sunday is brought to you by the Cock Tavern in partnership with the Hound Hut (which we thought was an S&M shop) in Oval. We know very little about this event and none of us have a dog or do yoga. However, we like to laugh this kind of odd thing is just up our street. See you there, although you don’t know who we are.
Even if you aren’t a gay dog owner who does yoga and likes to have their picture taken, the Cock is a quirky and inclusive place to chill and stare at the art on the wall. And apparently they serve pizza!
Doggie Sunday Social is this Sunday, 20 July at the Cock Tavern, from 5pm and is totally free. 340 Kennington Road.
As Observer regulars will be aware, we love few things more than attending/disrupting a planning consultation, so we recently headed over to the wonderful Vauxhall City Farm to attend a consultation about the development of the Bondway site in Vauxhall. The site is at the far end of the bus shelter (more on that later) and sits in front of the Versace designed DAMAC tower where for £13 million you too can live in front of the bins at Fire Nightclub. But we digress.
When we entered the consultation we were greeted with signs reading ‘A New Vision for Vauxhall Square’. Frankly we weren’t aware that a Vauxhall Square even existed, but we went along with it as part of the mythmaking. Through a series of posters it was explained that the project will centre on two very large residential towers, with the largest topping out at almost 700 feet. St. George Wharf tower is 590 feet. 35% of this will be dedicated as social and student housing at affordable rents. When we asked how they define ‘affordable’, lets just say the answer was less than direct.
If it can be pulled off, Vauxhall Square has the potential to be interesting. A developer droned on about the exciting inclusion of a medical centre, cinema, bars, restaurants, and a library. To be honest we slightly nodded off at this stage as we’ve heard the ‘we’re giving back to the community’ spiel a hundred times. However, when said developer started to talk about the redevelopment of the railway arches, your scribe perked up and pointed out that some of these arches house nightclubs and restaurants that have been there for decades. Said developer said that they will not be affected. OK
To wake us up fully, we moved over to a 3D model of Vauxhall and got chatting to the perky and positive architect. He said that one goal is to create more walking/cycling areas free of traffic, which we support. As the two towers could actually be lifted out of the 3D model, we asked the architect if the buildings could be lifted over to Pimilco. He took this opportunity to tell us about how the project is funding more affordable housing around Lambeth, and we started to nod off again. The project will be delivered by 2030-2032.
And yes, the bus shelter will be going to that massive bus depot in heaven, but this is has nothing to do with the development at Vauxhall Square. Lambeth sold that scrappy piece of land in front of the bus shelter in 2013 with the agreement that the shelter would go to creating more pedestrianised spaces. On the scrappy piece of land will be two towers, 53 and 42 stories respectively (below), designed by Zaha Hadid and Partners, called Vauxhall Cross Island. This is Vauxhall, people, blink and you see something new at every turn. May the bins of Fire be testament to a more innocent and down to earth Vauxhall.
And yes, you can leave a comment here. But be nice, people, as we know what you lot are like.
Some parts of Greater Kennington have survived for centuries, some were lost as a result of enemy action, and other parts bulldozed as a result of short term thinking and poor planning. Others are lost in plain sight as not many people know about them. Have you ever noticed the former Pelham Mission Hall in Lambeth Walk?
The quite striking Mission Hall was built on 1910 to a design by local architects Waring and Nicholson, who possibly collaborated on the stunning Doulton Pottery building (below) in Black Prince Road. It replaced something called a “beerhouse” of which little is known. The Hall was in fact a church, complete with an outdoor pulpit. One can imagine that it’s no coincidence that a church should supplant a beerhouse, and perhaps the Rector used his bully pulpit to warn the marketgoers in Lambeth Walk about the evils of drink and its associated lascivious behaviours.
The Mission Hall is one of those rare survivors of the bygone era of a Cockney Kennington tinged with deprivation and struggle. When the Hall was built Lambeth Walk had over 100 market stalls run by street sellers, or costermongers, who would hawk their wares in a melodic street patter which can still be heard in East Street market in Walworth. If you want to know more about the history or Lambeth Walk itself, check out our post from 2021.
Like the pawn shops and fruit sellers which once dominated Lambeth Walk to ease the hardship of people, there is no longer the need for a rector to be spouting the value of pious living for eternal salvation. Today the Hall has stopped saving souls but is a home to creating sculpture. The Henry Moore Sculpture Studio exists as a creative place for sculpture courses and a space for creating lovely things. They offer a range of courses in all aspects of sculpture which are not free, and periodic lectures which are. Check out their website for information about both.
OK people. You all voted with you feet and in 2020 the Pink Elephant Shopping Centre went to that great shopping mall in the sky, and they even took the erotic massage chairs. This is whats going to replace it, please tell us that you’re now happy.
It will be called Elephant and Castle Town Centre, and it reminds us a bit of Westfield. You know Westfield, the place you tell your friends you’ve never been but secretly find yourself there because ‘its just has everything’.
We’ve just donned our crimson berets and sunglasses to attended the opening of the degree show over at City and Guilds. For the unfamiliar, City and Guilds is our own world beating arts school in Kennington Park Road, and twice a year they fling open their painterly doors to allow us a glimpse into what their students get up to. And you can buy what you see, but buying is by no means obligatory.
The BA show is a celebration of the work of current students as well as current work from fellows of the institution. It tends to be more circumscribed than the huge and quite zany foundation show in the spring and concentrates its efforts not only on painting, but fascinating shows of woodwork, restoration, stonework, and carving. Themes often dominate these shows, and this year’s themes appear to focus on impending doom/raucous celebrations. And there’s something about people who don’t have eyes, but we couldn’t exactly pin that one down.
Along with the exhibits there are handy notes offering a bio of the artists and their approach to their craft. And if you don’t like what you’re looking at keep it to yourself, as the artist might be nearby – but very handy if you want to ask them anything. And if you have no idea what you’re looking at but what to look as if you do, take a long dramatic breath, look at your friend, and say ‘It’s about IDENTITY’. Then throw that crimson beret to the floor and march out of the room.
The City and Guilds degree Show 2025 is on now until Friday, 27 June. Hours are 11:00 to 18:00 Monday to Friday, 13:00 – 17:00 Saturday and 10:00am to 17:00 on Sunday, and open until 20:00 on Friday. They often have a bar on a Friday which is great fun. And of course, it’s free. Not the bar, sadly.
Anyone who has ever walked out of a Gail’s Bakery knows what it feels like to be miserable. But it might surprise you that there have been miserable people in Greater Kennington for centuries, and we’re here to tell you about one.
Joseph Cappur was born in 1727 in Cheshire into humble circumstances. At an early age, he came to London to begin an apprenticeship as a grocer before setting up his own shop in Whitechapel. Cappur soon prospered in his trade and, having been fortunate in various speculations, the lucky sod was able to retire in his 50’s.
Upon retiring, Cappur spent several days aimlessly walking around London searching for lodgings. His search eventually brought him to the beloved Horn’s Tavern in Kennington. It was located at Kennington Park Rd and Kennington Rd. Below you can see it in its Georgian version and then its Victorian version. The current version is actually now a Job Centre Plus, or as we like to call it ‘the ugliest building in Greater Kennington’. Soon to be replaced by the second ugliest, a giant skyscraper full of students. But we digress.
When he arrived at the Horns, Cappur ordered a pork chop in his usual blunt and demanding manner. As the evening progressed he demanded a bed, and he received an equally blunt refusal from the Landlord, in a style of not unlike that of Cappur himself. Cappur refused to accept this and after some altercation was accommodated with a bed. It was at this point that he determined to stay and ‘plague the growling fellow!’ Cappur talked a good game and and for many years he discussed quitting the Horns the following day. Unfortunately for the punters he lived there until the day of his death, twenty-five years later. At no stage was any agreement reached as to lodging or eating but wished to be considered as an inmate.
So methodical were Cappur’s habits that he would not drink his tea out of any other than his favourite cup, as well as using the same plate and cutlery. He rose at the same hour every day and would always sit in the same chair next to the fire. He was elected as the Steward of said fire, and if anyone were found daring enough to put a poker into it without permission, they incurred the risk of experiencing the weight of his cane. We rather respect the tenacity of Cappur as there are a great number of people in Kennington who we’d love to hit with a cane ourselves.
At breakfast Cappur arranged, in a particular way, the paraphernalia of the tea table, but first he would read the newspapers. At dinner, he observed a general rule and invariably drank a pint of wine and a quarter pint of rum with sugar, lemon peel and porter mixed together, the latter he saved from the pint he had the previous day.. So regular was he in his habits that his bill was always £4.18s every fortnight.
Cappur called himself the champion of government, and nothing angered him more than to hear anyone disparaging the British constitution. His favourite amusement, or some might call it a fetish, was killing flies with his cane, and while doing this he would tell a story about the perniciousness of all Frenchmen, whom, he said, ‘I hate and detest, and would knock down just the same as these flies.’ So if he were alive today he would likely vote Reform and read the Daily Mail.
When a new landlord took over the Horns, he found that Cappur came with the Tavern, and such was treated not unlike a pint glass or a stool. This led to a new understanding and acceptance of Cappur’s peculiar behaviour. Why the new landlord didn’t just say (cue Peggy Mitchell voice) ‘Get your poking cane and pint of wine out my pub’ is not recorded. Joseph Cappur died at the Horns on 6 Sept. 1804, at the age of seventy-seven.
When your scribe made a request to review the lunch options at Kennington Cross Chinese eatery Firecracker, the Observer finance director Adam said ‘you need to bring your own lunch’. When it was pointed out that a selection of rice or noodle dishes is just £8.50 or £10.00 if you add a soft drink or side dish he jumped out of seat and said ‘I’m your man’, and out of our secret office bunker we emerged.
On arrival at Firecracker we were greeted by a young waiter who had a ‘my parents own this gaff’ attitude to service. And to complement this swagger he had an amazing head of hair, reminding us somewhat of a Vileda mop. Adam was feeling spicy and chose belly pork and French bean with chilli bean sauce. He pronounced this properly spicy with plenty of beans and pork along with slightly sticky but lovely jasmine rice. Adam also decided, using his own words, to ‘splash out’ by ordering a side dish of prawn toast which was crunchy and abundant with sesame seeds.
Your scribe went old school and had sweet and sour chicken. The flavour profile was tangy and sweet, with the chicken very slightly battered and well combined with the tender vegetables. Between the rice bowls, noodle bowls and salads there were about 15 dishes to choose from, all at the same price. We didn’t tell Adam at the time, but given that the portions are perfectly decent you don’t need a side dish, even if some prawn toast did sound tempting. Not that offered us any, mind you.
Firecracker should be packed out but it was quiet on our visit on a Thursday lunchtime. Service was laid back in style, even a little sparse, but the food came quickly and was well presented. Let’s make this great Kennington lunch special more of a big deal and give the staff something to get excited about other than having great hair.
It’s our favourite weekend of the year at Observer towers! But unlike our other best weekends of the year this involves owls, bouncy castles for adults, and potatoes that look like Taylor Swift. Clutch your pearls folks, as we’re about to recommend something that involves leaving Greater Kennington.
The Lambeth Country Show (the term ‘country’ being used loosely as it’s in Herne Hill) is a yearly event held in the hilly enclaves of Brockwell Park and will be on Saturday and Sunday, 7&8 June, 1pm to 9pm, and it’s great fun. The fair is a wonderful mash up of Lambeth life including an eclectic (and loud) live stage featuring Jazz, disco and reggae. It has a fun fair for the kiddos, locally produced things to buy, and is totally free.
A real highlight of the show is the marquee featuring award winning vegetables, flowers and plants. If you see a scrum they’ll likely be huddled around the puntastic figures which depict topics of the day in veg form, and are so famous even the Gardening Museum is in on it. We had a particular soft spot for Tina Turnip in 2023. If you can’t make it to the fair until the end of a hot Sunday afternoon then I’d give this tent a miss as the award winning veg starts to resemble something you’d find in the back of your fridge after 5 weeks.
The animals are another real treat of the show and something we rarely get to see as urban dwellers (especially the kids). Sheep, owls, birds of prey are on hand to see and, umm.. smell and you might even get to play with them. And if you get homesick and forlorn when you’re down there just visit our friends at Vauxhall City Farm who usually have their alpacas
You will be cheating yourself if you don’t partake in a bit of jerk chicken action when you’re down in the park, as there are a million options and all the vendors are local. Having said that, its also a good idea to take your own food and drink to save time and money.
TOP TIP: We take the Number 3 and get off one stop after Brixton tube and then walk it.
We always enjoy the eccentric offerings offered up by the quirky Gasworks Gallery in Oval, and their current exhibition certainly doesn’t let us down. Previous shows have included a giant Styrofoam coffin, and another saw the space turned into a Hampstead Heath cruising area. The current show is called ‘throwers’ by Johannesburg based artist Noland Oswald Lewis and is an altogether more serious offering, but just as surreal.
In the first room we find a 3D printer furiously creating stones which appear to be large lumps of coal. When completed the stones are logged by Gasworks and either stored or put on display, creating what is called a ‘Black Earth Library’. The text on the walls place them as various rock samples extracted from settler communities in South Africa, Australia and the USA. As coal often turns into diamonds, to us it was redolent of how people have exploited indigenous lands for reasons of profit or settlement.
The second room is a bit more playful, and invert familiar representations of the globe. We encounter a globe next to a giant black planet which invites the viewer to consider all manner of interplanetary ideas. A meteor? A threat to white dominance? Along the long wall there is a vast mural (stick with us, people) which weaves together that represents a social history of ‘stones that move’ which includes data from near earth asteroids and their cosmic journey. Accompanying this is a playful archive of people throwing rocks. Hopefully the synthetic ones that won’t split your head open. A recurring theme throughout is that of a thrown rock, be it a giant rock in space headed to earth or the equally symbolic sight of a person throwing a stone in apartheid Soweto which threatens the established order.
Nolan Oswald Dennis – ‘throwers’ is on now until 22 June and is totally free. The gallery is only open towards the end of the week from 12 to 6 so over the bank holiday take a break and flex those brain muscles which have lied in repose for far too long. And you can be amogst the bewildered patrons below.
Mr. Charcoal is a very authentic Chinese in north Kennington focussing on dishes from northeast China and is by no means Cantonese takeaway fare. You might know it by its previous incarnation, Seveni. We recently paid a visit to see what the barbeque buzz is about. What first strikes the patron is the presence of cheesy Chinese pop music (tick), actual Chinese diners (triple tick), and enormous mutant looking fish in a tank (quadruple tick). In fact, it creates the almost immersive experience of being in a Beijing café.
As a starter new intern Nick and your scribe had chicken hearts. We’d never actually eaten heart before, and it can only be described as kind of like a crispy meatball. It was heavily seasoned with cumin (as a lot of dishes are), sesame, and a great deal of pepper. We contemplated ordering pig brain, aorta, intestines, or duck blood but then thought that the table would end up looking more like a crime scene. So we stuck with more mainstream dishes.
The main event for us was a shared stew pot described as Chinese sauerkraut with pork belly strips. Our server had helpfully advised that this was good to share so we teamed it with some egg fried rice. If you don’t like a lot of spice, this is a good choice: plenty of flavour in the cabbage, not exactly sauerkraut, a little more soup-like and the most delicious thin slices of pork belly somewhat of the fashion you might find floating in a bowl of Japanese ramen. This was sufficient for two people with the tasty egg fried rice also in a shareable portion. We also indulged on the lamb skewer. Forgetting protocol, Nick tried to split them in half until he realised, after your scribe stabbed him with a skewer, that Observer staff get more than interns. It was juicy, very cuminy, and melted in the mouth.
Half the tables at Mr. Charcoal come with BBQ’s at your table, but we weren’t that adventurous. Mr Charcoal can seem a little intimidating on first impressions, and there is not much of a website and what there is carries only a limited menu, half in Chinese and scant information beyond that, but that’s half the fun. Then, after an evening imagining ourselves to be in a little known café in Beijing with smiling locals eating every organ available, we were mercilessly disgorged onto a bus fumed Kennington Road where we almost got knocked down by a 59 bus. So much for dreaming.
