The Future of 409 Kennington Road

Posted on October 29, 2024 by Kennington Runoff

The Runoff recently attended a consultation for the proposed development of what is probably the ugliest building in Greater Kennington. That of course is the Job Centre Plus at the corner of Kennington Road and Kennington Park Road, across from the post office. However, it appears that the new erection might just be uglier than the one it replaced, but we’ll leave that up to you.

409 Kennington Road is the name of the project proposed by Standard Securities Ltd, who now own the site, and their concept is to provide 200 student rooms over 16 floors. After consultation (this is where you come in) the build will commence in 2028 with completion the following year. The general rule of these developers is that that they sweeten the deal by telling local stakeholders that in a sense the building will be benefitting them. So with classic Runoff candour, at the consultation we handled this head on.

Developers – The ground floor will be commercial. Probably something like local businesses.

Us – You mean like Papa Johns? That’s a local business.

Developers – Ummm no. More like a place where local people can get together.

Us – Oh you mean like Starbucks?

Developers – Umm….no.

As a rule the Runoff doesn’t lodge an opinion on planning matters as we want to leave it up to our readers. However, as nice as it is to see rosy cheeked 20 years bopping around with their youthful exuberance and great hair, they don’t exactly contribute much to our community and have a niggling habit of moving on after a few years. There is already an abundance of student housing in Greater Kennington and we wonder if this is another example of cramming as many people as possible into a small space. In addition to the building being, well, brown.

The 409 Kennington team want to hear your thoughts, and this can be undertaken by giving feedback at the bottom of their website or emailing them at 409kenningtonroad@kandaConsulting.co.uk . But before you go all full Guardian reading NIMBY mode, remember that real people read these emails and the most effective course of action is subtle discretion. Just like us at the Runoff.

For the history buffs amongst you, for centuries the site was home to the beautiful Horns Tavern and a massive, 1000 seat assembly hall (where the present day Nisa foods current resides) next to it. A community gathering spot and the place where Surrey cricket club was founded, the Horns was rebuilt several times, most recently in 1887. It was bombed during the Blitz but the damaged building remained well into the 1960’s. But unlike mini skirts, Victorian architecture wasn’t exactly in vogue in 60’s Britain and the building was destroyed.

Is Taro Still Tops?

Posted on August 16, 2024 by Kennington Runoff

Taro has been in Kennington for four years now and has established itself as a local favourite, and this was certainly in evidence when we visited on a busy Thursday night. We’re currently revisiting our ‘Top Ten List of Best Places to Eat in Greater Kennington 2024’ winners to see what has fallen out of favour or improved, and Taro nabbed the #10 spot. We love Taro for consistently serving up authentic ‘Izakaya’ fare, roughly meaning, ‘pub food’, but are they still worthy of their noble accolade? We can imagine they’re shaking in their sushi right now awaiting our answer.

On this visit we focused on the sushi section of the menu. The Taro sushi board offered a great mix of different nigiri and couple of rolls, a great option if you want a variety and feel overwhelmed with choice. We also ordered a rainbow roll, a visually arresting inside out roll with crab. The mango roll was an accidental order, where mango is around the outside of the roll. That’s great if you are a mango fan, less so if you don’t usually mix savoury and sweet. We branched out most with the tempura roll. This was a sushi roll, and in this case with prawn and avocado, delicately friend in a light sushi batter. That sounds heavier than it is and generally got the thumbs up as something different.

We would definitely advise venturing into the vegetable-focused side dish areas of the menu. The agedashi tofu in soy sauce wass silky and delicate. The seaweed salad was a mix of different seaweeds with a dressing forward in wasabi. We know this reads like we’re binge eating, and you might have a point.

What makes Taro work is its commitment to quality Japanese food at a moderate price point. If you want a big occasion meal, you’ll probably venture that small distance to the West End, and good luck with that. What Kenningtonians demand is something that’s good quality and reliable that won’t break the bank…..Oh, and serves cocktails….

Taro, if you’re reading this (and if not you’re missing out) our only note of guidance is to find a way around the unedifying presence of balaclava hooded ‘Just Eat’ delivery drivers in the restaurant, as it rather cheapens the experience. And no one wants to be cheap.

Gasworks & Camera Club

Posted on February 14, 2024 by Kennington Runoff

Gasworks

Do you like knitwear? Do you like exhibition spaces that are never boring? Then you’re in luck as we just saw the thought provoking show ‘Holes’ at Gasworks Gallery in Oval by UK based Ukrainian artist Anna Perach

Using the medium of knitted wool, Perach explores how the female body is viewed by a male patriarchy as something that transgresses nature and morality, a good example being 17^th century witch trials. This is about control, and Perach most vividly captures this in a richly decorated anatomical Venus sculpture in the middle of the room. Even without interpretation, the textiles are a sight to behold and even the doors are knitted. We suggest handling the doors carefully to avoid being told off, as we were.

At its core, Holes is about women having agency and gaining control of their bodies and presented in a way that transcends flesh. We’re aware that this all sounds like a very heavy buzzkill, but the textiles are really quite beautiful and a pleasing way to build some brain cells. It also smells nice.

Holes is on now until 26 April and is totally free. Gasworks is open Wed – Sun 12 to 6.

Camera Club

We also recently visited the show ‘Hortus Maximus’ at the little known Camera Club off Kennington Cross. The exhibit is about vegetables and was originally created as a site specific installation for the walls of Cinnamon Kitchen in Bishopsgate by the artist Cinnamon Faye. We’re not exactly sure if she was named after the restaurant but we’re looking into it.

In a world of Tesco meal deals and Frankenfoods, this exhibit is a celebration of edible plants and the remarkable shapes they possess. Shot in large format monochrome using natural light, the foods are printed to resemble etchings of fossils or petrified wood. Faye has focussed on chilis and other foods known for their healing properties, with a few bendy gourds that look nice under a camera. The show also features women from around the world presenting themselves to the planet while holding vegetables.

As obscure as the Camera Club is to most of us, it is one of the longest running photographic societies in the world. We know this to be true as we read it online. Hortus Maximus is open now until 23 Feb and is totally free. The Camera club is open daily from 11:00am to 10:00pm and weekends from 10:00am to 6:00pm. And we have no idea why they’re open over 70 hours a week.

Kennington Tandoori v. Ghandis?

Posted on October 17, 2023 by Kennington Runoff

The lively debate throughout Runoff Towers is frequently ‘when in Kennington Cross is it Kennington Tandoori or Ghandi’s’? While we do enjoy the retro kitchness of Ghandis with window photos of celebrities from a different era (Richard! Judy!), we equally appreciate the low lights, dark wood and high server to diner ratio on offer at KT. But we’re here for the food, so purely for our Top Ten list © research purposes, we recently paid KT a long overdue visit.

New recruit Gaz from the tech team chose the biryani for his mains and was pleased to see this arrive with an intact thin pastry top. Keen to impart knowledge in the real world, he noted that the pasty wasn’t really for eating (although can be) but instead for sealing the flavour during a gentle cooking process, giving it a super delicious taste. Gaz opted for the lamb version (chicken or vegetable also available). As his mouth was full of rice and Cobra beer, he proffered a thumbs up to the generous chunks of lamb in amongst the rice, vegetables and spices. When he was able to speak Gaz encouraged folks to add a serving of dahl for that rice-and-lentil magic.

Your scribe opted for the Bombay parsi chicken dansak. It was a spicy and sweet balanced chicken, cooked very slowly and mixed with jaggery (Indian cane sugar), lentils, garlic, roasted cumin and sprinkled with kaffir lime leaves. A good degree of spice warmth came through as did the tang of yoghurt for a soft, fragrant dish. Overall very warming and pleasing for a rainy autumnal evening. And we started the affair with chicken stuffed momos. As they are from Nepal they have nothing to do with Indian but as what KT serves is north Indian food we thought ‘close enough’. And Gaz was in agreement as he was getting a free meal out of the equation.

As frequent readers are aware we often complain about the (first world problem alert) extortionate price of wine in restaurants. At KT you can bring your own for a £10 corkage fee, which isn’t great but if you can stand a £6 bottle from Tesco you’ll find yourself quids in. As for the KT versus Ghandi’s debate, in order to ascertain our pick we’re afraid you’ll need to wait until our highly subjective yet totally scientific Top Ten list © is unveiled in February.

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Fridas

Posted on September 20, 2023 by Kennington Runoff

Kennington Cross has recently been endowed with our area’s second local outlet of micro chain Mexican Fridas. Eagle eyed readers will be aware that there is a second one in Vauxhall at the base of one of those ~~hideous~~ dominant buildings in Albert Embankment and we reviewed it last year. And if you live in one of those buildings we hope you’re very happy.

Your reporter is a particular fan of a meaty burrito, and what was chosen was the free range chicken option. On the plus side, it was stuffed with mounds of fresh chicken and some spicy pico de gallo. One could say that the copious amount of rice could have been replaced with more creative additions or cheese, but that’s just us. A real standout for both the burrito and the tortilla chips was the addition of real, straight from the avocado guacamole with a kick of coriander and lime. We can affirm that it was made fresh as your reporter accidently stuck their neck into the food prep area.

As Phil from accounts is finally meeting his targets, we treated him to the cochinita pork pibil tacos, which he sparingly described as ‘excellent’. They consisted of two yellow corn soft tortillas profusely topped with a modestly spiced slow cooked pork (think pulled pork but spicier), along with a small amount of grated red cabbage and carrot and a dollop of sour cream. The tops were adorned with pink picked onion and coriander, creating a delightfully colourful concoction. It’s £11.50 for two, but they are of a size where that seemed reasonable. The burrito came in at £11.90.

Fridas is owned by the same people who ran Rare Burger Co. on the same site and are evidence that running a restaurant is no mean feat, so they could use our support. They’ve given an admirable stab at transforming a burger joint into a maximalist, slightly bonkers yet endearing Mexican canteen, and on a previous visit we hugely enjoyed their cocktails. We can particularly recommend their cruise ship potency/stumble-down-the-road-afterwards margaritas.

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The Future Lambeth County Court

Posted on September 15, 2023 by Kennington Runoff

If you’ve ever waltzed down Cleaver Street (the street connecting Cleaver Square to Kennington Cross) you will have stumbled upon the majestic Lambeth County Court building, which served our community loyally for 90 years until it was decommissioned in 2017. Since then it’s been shut to the public, opening its doors only tantalisingly for art exhibits, such as the one we covered in 2019. But change is afoot and we’re here to tell you all about it.

First a potted history. In 2020 owners Duchy of Cornwall appointed property developers to transform our lovely bit of early 20^th century architecture to…you guessed it…. luxury flats. We saw the proposals in 2021 and it involved adding floors to the top, destroying the insides, and adding a huge wing to the back. Thanks to the unceasing exertions of neighbourhood groups and the strongarm of the 20^th century society, listed buildings consent was granted at the end of 2021 which fortunately squashed the overambitious dreams of said developers.

During a recent open day inside the court building, we had conversations with folks from Fathom Architects, Rolfe Judd Planning, and most importantly an advisor on heritage who is ensuring that folks adhere to Grade II listed building guidelines. What is planned is the creation of two offices (non retail) on the ground floor and then nine flats above. This will be achieved by adding an additional floor (not easily visible from street level) and an addition at the back. The courtrooms will retain their original look with one flat built entirely inside one of the courtrooms. Most importantly, the lovely curved stairway will be retained. Full details can be seen here.

Our new neighbours will be living in nine flats that range in size from 500 to 1800 (!) square feet, with the lucky sods on top having roof terraces. When I asked how much these unaffordable flats will cost, the Rolfe Judd guy squirmed in manner which we’ll call ‘contorted’, and replied ‘300 to 400, with the top ones going for a 1.5 million’. So ending up in a courtroom is really lucky for some people. Ground will probably break on the project after planning consent later next year with a 12 to 18 month construction window after that. And please don’t ask us to wade in on planning permission, as we did that in 2021 and still can’t calm the shitstorm that ensued.

The Three Stage Life of Imperial Court

Posted on January 20, 2023 by Kennington Runoff

From the archives, the second edition of our month of best history posts

Fixate your eyes girls and boys, as we’re about to give you a little potted history of a lovely neo Classical institution in Kennington Lane with a funny badge on the front of it; Imperial Court.

1. The Licensed Victuallers School, Kennington Green

In 1794 the Friendly Society of Licensed Victuallers was established to educate the children of publicans affected by long term illness, incapacity, or poverty (take it from Peggy Mitchell, running a pub isn’t easy). As this was the era that proceeded free public education, publicans were keen to ensure their children’s education and well being. The school was so popular that admission was granted exclusively on the basis of a lottery, but over time the school was so oversubscribed that a larger building was required.

The original school was demolished in 1835 and the core of the building we have inherited was erected in 1836 (with extensions in 1890). The school was now able to expand its enrollment from 100 to 250 pupils, both boys and girls. The children were generally taught apprenticeships and educated from the age of 7-12 until they were 15, and then sent on their way with a small bonus for good conduct. The school moved to Slough in 1921.

NAAFI

Following WW1 The comprehensive welfare of Forces was put into sharp focus, and from 1921 to 1992 Imperial Court again served the public proudly as the headquarters of the Navy, Army, and Air Forces Institutes, or ‘NAAFI’. NAAFI existed (and on a much smaller scale still does) to provide catering and recreational activities needed by the British Armed Forces and their families posted overseas. This included mess services, selling British goods, and organising entertainment and activities.

Providing non combat services to troops and families required trained staff, on a voluntary and on a paid basis. To this extent NAAFI in Kennington served as a training centre for cooks, cleaners, caterers, and people interested in the logistics of getting auxiliary services to people overseas. Training at NAAFI was often undertaken by women, and their work in the war effort is duly celebrated at the Imperial War Museum (keeping it local).

3. Flats

Imperial Court was Grade 2* listed in 1980, so it is luckily beyond the grasp of the wrecking ball. After it was sold in 1992 it was converted into flats and now functions as a home to your neighbours.

Always Be Comedy – Tommyfield

Posted on November 21, 2022 by Kennington Runoff

Did you know that we have a top flight comedy night right here in Greater Kennington? It’s called Always be Comedy, and is a favourite here at Runoff Towers after a stressful day of faxing and stapling . It takes place upstairs at the Tommyfield pub and is MC’ed by the effervescent James Gill. In addition to the comedy, James lays on fun games such as ‘who has the posher name’ (no mean feat with that lot)

On previous outings we’ve seen the likes of Mo Gilligan, Harry Hill, Joe Lycett, Katherine Ryan, Russell Howard, Romesh Ranganathan, Josh Widdecombe (whoops – better pick up those names we just dropped!), all for £12. And some before they became famous. The only trick is you need to be quick off the mark, and also some are billed as ‘secret’ so it is probably a good idea to be on their mailing list. And if you’ve never heard of the comedian, you might discover somebody new and only exerted a walk over and stumble back from Kennington Cross in the process.

The crowd at ABC makes you feel a bit like you’ve stumbled across an audition for the next season of ‘The Apprentice’, but if you can move beyond that (and the pricey pints) then it’s a fun night. If you plan to make a night of it, for food we would give the Tommyfield a miss and suggest the excellent Korean/Japanese joint ‘Kuma’ a few doors down. ABC also do a night in Wandsworth, but that isn’t Greater Kennington so who cares.

There are people with actual full heads of hair at these shows

Charlie’s Home Movie

Posted on November 17, 2022 by Kennington Runoff

We’d like to share with you a fascinating clip of our local Tramp Charlie Chaplin visiting his old homes in central Kennington in 1959, where he lived in at least four places. In this home movie (at bottom) made by his wife, he first visits 287 Kennington Road, just behind the Doghouse Pub. The next home is at 3 Pownall Terrace, a now nonexistent row of homes just behind the Texaco in Kennington Road (and if your friends tell you that he lived in Pownell Terrace at the back of Kennington Park – smugly correct them). This flat is mentioned many times in his memoirs. And after a few scenes in West Square, Chaplin finds himself by a very different looking Methley Street where Chaplin, with his mum and brother, lived in the garret at number 39. Chaplin also famously lived at the Lambeth Workhouse which we wrote about in 2019.

287 Kennington Lane
A petrol forecourt
39 Methley in middle

This video gives us a snippet of our hallowed patch in the 1950’s and is an interesting testament to how things change but at the same time remain constant. After two minutes the video morphs into more of a traditional home movie, showing scenes of a rather dismal and tophatted London still recovering from bomb damage. And the brightest of you (which is most, as you’ve read this far), will see a brief glimpse of Chaplin’s old school, now the Lycee flats in Kennington Lane.

The Ten Best Restaurants in Greater Kennington #5

Posted on February 11, 2022 by Kennington Runoff

(+ One Sunday Roast)

Kuma

We are back in Kennington Cross and this time at quirky haunt Kuma which makes its third appearance on the list. We were there last night ~~as we are slightly obsessed with the place~~ to ensure standards haven’t slipped. As we know some of you prefer takeaways to physical dining, the review below was made during the last lockdown. However, if you go in the flesh you will be treated to a background of K-pop music and extremely friendly staff. And Kuma, please never do away with your water served in Korean athletic sports bottles.

It’s Saturday night and time for a takeaway! Astute readers will be cognizant of our love of the Korean/Japanese joint ‘Kuma’ in Kennington Cross. We recently had a takeaway from there and, while not achieving the olfactory heights of being in the restaurant, is definitely worth a Saturday nosh. But Kuma, if you’re reading this we need to have a serious conversation about your excessive use of Styrofoam. Moving on..

Naughty styrofoam and delicious fried chicken

Your zealous scribe started with the painfully bang on trend Korean Fried Chicken. Kuma has three options; traditional, spicy, and we opted for the sticky soy garlic. The medium portion was huge and suitable for two. It had a great crispy crunch and slathered in a sticky soy garlic sauce. For the mains your scribe opted for the chicken bulgogi (say it like a pro…..Boo-GOH-gee) which were very thin strips of chicken grilled on a BBQ coated with a very good sauce called gochujang. Spring onion featured and it was consumed in lettuce wraps. It was billed as ‘hot’ and it certainly was, and so generous that your scribe couldn’t finish it.

My associate had the Kimchi Bokkumbap as a main, a Korean fried rice dish with the national ingredient kimchi (spiced fermented cabbage) topped with barbecued beef strips. A bit like Chinese stir fry rice with a heavy dose of red chilli sauce. It was topped with a fried egg and came with miso soup, and again was a very generous portion.

Kennington Runoff

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

Category Archives: Central Kennington