Category Archives: events

Our Own Low Line

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For those of you who have the actual nerve to travel outside greater Kennington, you might in your travels have encountered the Low Line, which is an urban regeneration business initiative created underneath railways arches from Bermondsey to London Bridge. If you’ve seen new arches (and a cinema) opening up in Borough Market and nearby Flat Iron Square then you’ve witnessed this initiative in action. So why are we telling you this little nugget of seemingly useless information?

  • Union Yard Arches, SE1
  • This is Battersea, but similar to how our arches will look

For two years a creative team have been at work to extend the Low Line from London Bridge to Battersea. This cuts right through our fair patch from Lambeth North right through Vauxhall and through to the nightmare urban sprawl that is Nine Elms. We are particularly excited about a plan to connect the area by a new cycling/walking route. Some of these arches are already occupied by great local business. However there are other arches, such as the sad lot in front of Newport St. Gallery, who could use some serious TLC.

  • The vision for the back of Pedlar’a Park
  • The vision for Goding St. Imagine no nitrous oxide canisters!

The Low Line in our neck of the woods is comprised of 299 (!) arches and a deep dive into the report indicates that that the planners are already aware that a range of independent businesses exist but others have had to move (eg Above the Stag Theatre) when Railtrack hiked the rents up. In the report  Lambeth and Wandsworth recognise that what makes our communities work are businesses such as the ones that have existed under these arches for many years. A good example are the Portugese places on Albert Embankment. A hike in rent means they might be no more and we’ll be stuck with the likes of Franco Manco or, god help us, Gail’s Bakery. This should all be kicking off in 2025 hopefully in the right direction. The Runoff are watching you, Lambeth and Wandsworth! 

If you want more information and you have a great deal of time on your hands you’re sick in bed, the detailed report can be found here

X Mas Tree Shopping?

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Instead of seeing us as the best mythical online publishing powerhouse in Britain, recently people seem to be confusing us with a girl at Waterloo station with a ’can I help’ sash. The question at hand is how to get your hands on a Christmas tree, as the lovely Abraham over at Bouquets and Beans in Kennington Cross is not doing them this year. We’re sensing a middle class existential spasm about to happen here, and we’re on hand to help as we love you.

We can confirm that Windmill Flowers currently have a bevy of Christmas trees outside of their shop, and they can be found in Kennington Cross. Also, an oddly named outfit ‘Clickmas Trees’ is back in the churchyard at St. Mark’s church in Oval. Both places also stock Christmas accessories such as wreaths.  If you know of any other places selling trees please put them in the comments section, as frankly we need to move on with our lives. 

The New Gallery at IWM

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Last week we attended the gala opening* of the spanking new Blavatnik Art, Film and Photography Galleries at the best museum we bet you’ve never been to, our very own Imperial War Museum. This permanent gallery is a valued addition to the Greater Kennington cultural landscape (it’s a thing, trust us) and includes works by Henry Moore, John Singer Sargent, Walter Sickert, Cecil Beaton, and Wyndham Lewis to name but a few. 

The galleries are laid out by themes and are chronological, from WW1 to 21st century conflicts. As with the other display areas at IWM, these new galleries don’t seek to glorify war but rather to explain it and how it can be avoided. This is achieved by a captivating mix of propaganda posters, photographs (the gallery own 12 million),  armaments, film clips, cameras, and first hand accounts. But the great achievement here are the paintings, with the highlight being the recently restored work ‘Gassed’ by Sargent (below). We could have probably spent several days in the gallery’s two screening rooms but the Runoff overlords would have none of it. The reel of clips range from footage of the D-day landings to advice about how to make a wartime compost heap. 

Gassed

Rather than being a historical record, the galleries include current work showcasing the conspicuous talent of artists such as Steve McQueen (the Oscar winning artist, not the formerly living action hero). He’s represented here by his artwork ‘Queen and Country’. Also in the mix are descriptions of anti war protests, marches, and attempts to avoid war. This is interesting in its own right, but especially when  considering the complex dynamics of what is transpiring in Gaza and Israel at the moment. But a celebration of war artists and photographers is the beating heart of these expansive and well thought out galleries.

You might be reading this and thinking that the IWM is nationalistic and not your cup of chai. We get that, but we are duly challenging you to get your Guardian reading, tofu buying  selves over to the IWM when you have a spare hour of two.  And as you’ll be in the neighbourhood anyway, why not check out the fascinating exhibit about spies and deception that we wrote about a few weeks ago? Did we mention that they have a stonking café with pretty cakes and sarnies? 

*We coincidently pitched up the day it opened 

World Food Night in Vauxhall this Saturday

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Goding Street is the unloved passage that sits between Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens and the railway tracks. One associates the place with visions of wheelie bins, nitrous oxide canisters, and gentlemen who enjoy an outdoor beverage. What one doesn’t associate with the place is a world food fest, but one is about happen on Saturday the 28th! It’s free and we all love free. Details below.

We don’t have a great deal of intel about this event but it’s being sponsored by the Mayor of London and the good folks over at Vauxhall One so it should be quite well organised. The vendors will be from all around London so not necessarily local, but nevertheless small businesses who could use our trade.  And hopefully it will be a mild night, allowing all of us to become people who enjoy an outdoor beverage. 

If you Google this event it will lead you to an Eventbrite page stating that it is sold out. Ignore that as its free and outdoors. 

Fun fact/useless information. A number of years ago we got to talking to some people who lived in the neighbourhood that was bulldozed in the 70’s to create the Vauxhall Gardens. Apparently Goding street is pronounced ‘Godding’ as opposed to ‘Godeing’. You’re welcome. 

Free Vauxhall History Tours

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We here at Runoff Towers love nothing more that an old fashioned tour, and we’re here to tell you about no fewer than seven free tours taking place this weekend (7 October) in Vauxhall. OK, it’s the same tour done seven times, but it sounds very interesting for history buffs and others who are just generally curious.  

The theme of the tour is ‘influencers of Vauxhall’. This puzzled us at first as you don’t really need to go on a tour to see people under the influence in Vauxhall, you just need hang out in front of the station for about five seconds. What it actually is about is the people and industries that established Vauxhall and made it the place we all know and love. So expect some interesting natter about Vauxhall Motors, Doulton Pottery, LGBTQI+ culture, spies, etc. 

If you can’t make the walk but Vauxhall history is something that interests you, you really don’t even need to leave the Runoff. Just click on the links to know more about Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens. Or information about why so many train stations in Russia are named Vaxuhall. The iconic cold storage/cruising site at St. George Wharf. Royal Doulton and Victorian Pottery in Vauxhall. The history of Brunswick House. Or our dinner at Brunswick House and an encounter with a hair flicking minor celebrity. 

And please be aware that while these tours are technically free, they do appreciate a tip. So at the end don’t just walk blissfully into the ether (as we know what you lot are like) but pop them a fiver. Tickets can be booked by following the links on this website.

Brunswick House

Van Gogh House

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We recently took advantage of a discount to make the bold and frankly quite terrifying decision to step out of Greater Kennington to visit the Van Gogh House on the Oval/Stockwell borders. The house isn’t really a museum per se, and was described by the perky and well drilled staff person as ‘a gallery space for people inspired by Van Gogh and other artists’. 

In a reality that might seem a bit surreal to the unaware, before becoming an artist Vincent Van Gogh did indeed live around the corner from the present day Lidl in Stockwell. The house outlines his life at the time through the letters that he prolifically wrote to his brother Theo, a few photos and drawings, and the efforts made to establish Vincent’s  residency in the home in the 1970’s. The rooms also offer a fascinating glimpse into a busy 19th century boarding house and school, where 11 people lived. 

On the gallery front,  the exhibit on now until 17 December is called ‘The Living House’ celebrating the 150 years since the great man’s residency. The exhibits explore the notion that the home is still inhabited in some manner and plays on the notion that the house is a collaborator in the artistic process and toys with the concept that art and living are entwined. And you even get a bar of soap for your cerebral efforts.  

Until 30 September Lambeth residents can visit Van Gogh museum for £4 and tickets can be nabbed here. If you live in Southwark then sorry, no discount for you. If you live in Wandsworth we’re not sure why you’re reading this site but should nevertheless be applauded for your profoundly good taste. 

If the sound of Van Gogh House makes you want to chop your ear off, you can instead go to the very tasty Van Gogh vegan café nearby, which has been rocking our top ten list © for a number of years. 

Amici Summer Party

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At the Runoff we pride ourselves on making our reviews totally anonymous, sometimes to the frustration of business owners, and don’t ask for freebies. So we lay our cards on the table and admit to kind of knowing Houman and Seti who run Kennington Cross restaurant staple Amici, and we’re here to tell you about their upcoming summer party because it’s fun and good value for money. 

Let’s face it, few restaurants in Greater Kennington appear to be flourishing at the minute and Amici is no exception. Amici has survived the dual indignities of a pandemic and a basement flood (three if you count the time they decided to sell clothes and jewellery) resulting in its closure for almost two years, leading to it almost going under. They’re back with a mixture of Mediterranean and Iranian dishes and a few events to get more people through the door. 

The Amici summer party is on Thursday, 21 September at the restaurant and costs £10. We think this is good value for money as it gets you two drinks in their cute pop up stalls in the back previously sponsored by Lillet and Beefeater, but apparently now with a rum twist. Houman and Seti will also be walking around with some of their Iranian greatest hits.* Additionally there will be a band and a host of neighbours to talk to. Tickets can be purchased here and the fun kicks off at 7pm. Your ticket also entitles you to 25% off future meals.

*We stand casually yet strategically near the kitchen to grab said delicacies as the platters emerge. 

Feel Good Festival

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Under the guise of us refusing to admit that summer is actually over, we have yet another fun and free festival happening this weekend (2 September) in Embassy Square in Vauxhall, and its called the ‘Feel Good Festival’. Now before your naughty brain gets the wrong idea (we know what you’re like), it is about wellness and not those other things that make us feel good. 

While most festivals we promote on the Runoff involve abusing your body in some form, the Feel Good festival is a whole day celebration of wellness including outdoor pilates, fitness classes, live music, well being workshops, healthy food and drink (read…no bar), market stalls, and games. While this event is free some of the courses being offered are more labour intensive and there is a fee, and tickets can be scored here

The Feel Good Festival is in Embassy Gardens this coming Saturday from 10:00 to 17:00 and is free, just turn up. If you’ve never heard of Embassy Gardens you can be forgiven because it only came into existence a few years ago, and is behind the US embassy. 

Victorian Vauxhall

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Fun Things to do Over the Bank Holiday #1

In the past we haven’t really covered this annual Greater Kennington event in Spring Gardens in Vauxhall because we thought it looked a bit corny and was geared towards kids. However, it seems more interesting this year by the breadth of activities and the involvement of the great pub  Jolly Gardeners and the lovely (but overpriced) beer hall Mother Kellys. 

The press release states that Victorian Vauxhall will ‘recreate the magic of the past with captivating performances, vintage displays and fun for all ages’. Also holding fort will be jesters, acrobats, a regency hair salon (!), and someone intriguingly called a ‘Bubbleologist’. And we’re sure many good local food stalls will be available to keep you full.  The press release also excitedly mentions the chance to go sky high in a hot air balloon. But to be honest, if you want to see people sky high in Vauxhall all you really need to do is stroll over there on any random Saturday night. 

Victorian Vauxhall is this Saturday, the 26th from 2 to 7 and is totally free. When we were sent the photo below our initial thought was that these men must be promoting some new fetish night at a Vauxhall nightclub. As it turns out, they’re portraying Victorian bodybuilders and they will also be present. 

City & Guilds Foundation Show

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Another milestone has arrived on the Greater Kennington cultural calendar (it’s a thing, trust us).   City and Guilds of London Art School is having its annual show and we’re on the case. These artists are completing their Foundation year, so the work is less advanced than the much grander Degree Show (we’ll get on to that in a tic). The students are studying a more proscribed range of styles than their more advanced counterparts but are much more experimental (read, slightly mad but very interesting). The themes this year seem to be 1. Saving the planet 2. Dirt 3. Saving the planet through dirt 4. Rocks. If you want to impress your friends, bring them along and when they invariably  ask ‘well, what DOES it mean’, try rolling your eyes and saying ‘it’s about IDENTITY’. Or make it newsworthy by saying ‘what’s wrong with you, it’s about THE PRICE OF EGGS’. 

24 to 30 June brings the mighty (we’re talking huge) Degree Show in the main buildings of the college. It showcases a range of up and coming artists arranged in small rooms, so you can see a larger selection of their works. What we find most interesting is that you can see the work of historic wood and stone carvers in the back garden area. Also of interest are the upper floor areas dealing with conservation and restoration. And if you don’t care for something keep your trap shut as chances are the artist is behind you. And there is an even bigger MA show from 2 to 9 September. 

`The Foundation show is open 18,19 and 20 May from 10 – 5 in the old telephone building in Kenning’s Way and is totally free. Of the three, we find this the most fun as you never know what you might encounter when you turn a corner. For example, an armchair sprouting grass (below) or fake children worshipping broken glass (also below).