Category Archives: People

Always Be Comedy – Tommyfield

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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

Mary Wollstonecraft in Greater Kennington

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Several parts of UK lay claim to the legacy of Mary Wollstonecraft. The  philosopher, writer, visionary, feminist and mother left tracks in Spitalfields, Yorkshire and there is a blue plaque in her honour just outside Greater Kennington. What is less reported is that she spent a number of her formative years living in Walworth, just off the Walworth Road.

By the mid to late 18th century what is now Elephant & Castle and Walworth became fashionable with the middle classes as it was surrounded by market gardens and provided easy access to the City. The result of moving around (and being female) meant that Mary was denied a systematic education, and this was the groundwork for her ultimate life defining work, ‘A Vindication of the Rights of Woman’. But living in our area made her more curious about the world around her, to the consternation of her father. 

In 1775 Mary was introduced to the Blood family who lived in Newington Butts. Her friend Fanny Blood evolved into an inspiration for Mary and over the next decade inspired her unconventional life. Mary managed to remain close to Fanny for a period until life with her father became too unbearable, and her mother found her lodgings at the home of translator Thomas Taylor in Manor Place, Walworth. 

After an abbreviated life of writing and advocacy Mary died at 38 and left a number of unfinished manuscripts and pieces of work. She also left a 11 year old daughter Mary Shelly, who would go on to write ‘Frankenstein’ when she was just 21. For over a century Mary’s personal life overshadowed her achievements in a manner that would not have happened if she was a man.

A few artefacts of Mary’s era exist in the Cuming Museum (which we wrote about in 2020) at the Walworth Heritage Centre a stone’s throw from her previous abode. Among them is a calling card that Mary left for the Cuming family. If you do happen to find yourself on Walworth Rd imbuing your life with the legacy of Wollstonecraft, we recommend that you take a break by visiting the yummy Shawarma Hut. The history books are unclear as to whether Mary herself actually dined at Shawarma Hut, but we like to think that she would have.

The Resurrection of Amici

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If you’re a frequent Runoff Reader (and if not you’re really missing out) you’ll be aware that we review places anonymously in order to avoid preferential treatment and to remain unbiased. So we have to put our cards on the table as we kind of know the proprietors of ‘Amici’ in Kennington Cross  so the information is not technically a review but just details.  

After mostly being closed for the past 2 ½ years, Amici is back in soft launch phase. They’re goal is to merge the classics from their (RIP) Persian restaurant Doost with the Mediterranean offerings of Amici. For a split second we had a nightmare vision of pomegranate pizza, but owner Houman explained that it’s just the greatest hits of each place, and as the kitchens get fitted it’s primarily Persian, which suited us just fine. 

Phil from IT had one of the specials, a meatball dish from the northern, Caspian region of Iran. It was markedly tart with a pomegranate and herb-based sauce, so a bit different from what we think of as “standard” Persian. It was served with fluffy basmati rice. Your scribe had a long grain rice dish with fresh prawns and calamari. And of course, served with loads of dill. It was light and had a slightly nutty tone to it. 

  • Fritata
  • Bruscetta

Our party of five weren’t planning to get starters, but co owner Sethi was able to tell us not only from where each dish originated and how it’s made, but even offered insight as how her family members have been making them for years. So we caved in and had a kind of Persian bruschetta topped with aubergine, and a spinach frittata. As this is just info we’re imparting, you’ll need to decide for yourselves if this is for you.  

Sethi also explained that they plan to re open the deli which briefly held sway at the front of the shop, and have themed nights such as Persian dancing and speakers. That sounds great, but Houman if you are reading this (and if not you’re really missing out) please do not again fill your restaurant with used books, clothes, tinned food and jewellery for sale. You might think it looked like a canny business move, but to the rest of us it just resembled aunt Mable’s loft after she’d kicked the bucket.   

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Roots and Shoots Goes Wild

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As our local climate slowly gravitates in the direction of semi normality after the drought, we could all use a little green patch in our lives. And what better than local institution Roots and Shoots and their annual open day called ‘Roots and Shoots Goes Wild!’. 

For those not in the know, Roots and Shoots is a registered charity and vocational hub dedicated to educating disaffected young people aged 16 -25 in Lambeth and Southwark and preparing them for the world of work through one year internships in areas such as horticulture and retail.  It’s also a green space for urban biodiversity and is frequently visited by school groups eager to learn more about plants and how much of our food is grown. In addition to all of this good work, it’s open to all for a wonder around its verdant and leafy half acre.

The Open Day is on Sunday, 9 October from 11-4. It features a display of Birds of Prey (don’t worry, they won’t prey on you), children’s storytelling, face painting, children’s art, and workshops. Also featured are beekeeping and floristry demonstrations which we saw several years ago and are very interesting indeed. There will also be food stalls and baked goods. We’re particularly interested in their promised ‘mechanical dragon’. This could refer simply to small dragonfly to enchant the kids, but we’re secretly hoping for a Komodo that pops out from behind an Oak, resulting in general chaos and people running out of the gates. 

We attended the Roots AGM a few years ago and they always have interesting things afoot. But, and we say this because we care, we hope that ‘going wild’ refers to plants and not the staff as this might result in more than a few broken hips. But, broken hips are not, these great volunteers will be on hand to answer all of your questions and ensure it’s a great day. 

Lambeth Palace Library

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Located at the very pinnacle of the Runoff catchment area, you might not know about Lambeth Palace Library. You’re probably thinking ‘say WHAT, there’s a nine storey library in Greater Kennington’ and you can be forgiven for the oversight. The massive structure has been carved out of just 3% of the archbishop’s garden and lies next to Archbishop’s Park, although it’s easy to miss. The structure is a victory of understatement with ponds and tweedy looking brick crosses. This belies the gravity of a building created as a protector of manuscripts and designed as a fortress against the pesky factors that threaten them such as light, water, and Greater Kennoingtonians. However, it is also a museum with rotating exhibits and the current offering is the fascinating and free ‘From Popish Plot to Civil Rights: Themes in Religious Archives’.

The current pop up exhibition highlights a range of subjects covered by the Library’s diverse collections of religious archives. To mark the Queen’s platinum jubilee, items on display relate to her coronation in 1953. Other material relates to the Church and other denominations and faiths, with exhibits illustrating relations with Roman Catholicism, such as the anti-Catholic agitator Titus Oates. Items on Jewish history include Hebrew manuscripts. A further theme covers the Church and race, including material relating to the civil rights movement, and to the first British Black Bishop, Wilfred Wood.

The areas open to the public are very small, and in fact the current exhibit only extends to four glass cases on the first floor. But fear not, as there are fun interactive boards on the ground floor. Also,  with a bit of planning you can nab tickets on a free tour. Failing that, the reading room is available if you obtain a free pass in advance. And failing that, the Lambeth Palace website is a handy and interesting resource. We were particularly interested in learning more about the ‘London Apocalypse’ but saddened to learn that it does not, in fact, relate to Vauxhall at 6am of a Sunday when the nightclubs have just closed. 

Edward Hollamby, the Architect of Greater Kennington

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A great deal of the built environment around us in Greater Kennington can be linked directly to architect and visionary Edward Hollamby (1921 – 1999). Like many architects of his generation, Hollamby was profoundly influenced by the values of William Morris. Namely, those relating to equitable living conditions and the universal right for people to work and live in places which allow them to flourish. There was no better way to execute these values that by working for local government, and Hollamby worked for both the LCC and Lambeth Council. 

Locally,  Hollamby is known primarily for being the lead architect of the Brandon Estate in Walworth (behind Kennington Park), which we wrote about last summer. His vision for the estate was to build a community which addressed the individual and changing needs of its residents, make shopping easier, while also creating large green spaces to allow people to relax and children to play. And to make the area more aesthetically pleasing he even convinced Lambeth to commission a sculpture by Henry Moore, which is very much still there.

As lead architect in Lambeth Hollamby hired Peter Finch, who designed the Cotton Gardens Estate in Kennington Lane (we are aware that these buildings remain a tad controversial). Hollamby/Finch’s thinking is that they wanted buildings which ‘danced around in different directions’ depending on how one looked at them. It’s often overlooked that at ground level they created green spaces in addition to bungalows and maisonettes for people who didn’t fancy  living in a high rise. A walk around Knight’s Walk around the foot of the buildings is a bit like a stroll in a park. And if the towers look very familiar to others in South London, that’s because they were all made from complex interlocking panels which were massed produced. 

Hollamby was also the brains behind the unusual and rather playful Lambeth Towers in Kennington Road, with the lead architect again being Finch. The building was started in 1964 with the intention of being mixed use, which it is to this day, and the box like design intended to allow each maisonette to be double aspect and have its own balcony. These buildings are classed as being ‘Brutalist’ but that name seems to stick to every 20thCentury building with a bit of exposed brick. Figuring out when a building becomes ‘brutal’ therefore becomes rather like an architectural game of Wordle. You may or may not find these estates to be beautiful, but Hollamby always made the needs and wishes of the residents paramount.

Sprout

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If you’re ever out and about in Kennington Cross you are probably aware that the hardest working man in the patch is Abraham over at Bouquets and Beans in front of St. Anselms, and we interviewed him in 2019. We are proud to announce that the second hardest working man in the Cross is Ned, who set up the fruit and veg stall ‘Sprout’ in March. Ned also works at Bouquets and Beans, and we recently had a chat with him about his spin off project. 

Ned’s passion is produce and cooking, and his day job is working in the catering industry with a view to starting his own catering business. Over the past 18 months the world of catering more or less evaporated as a result of you know what, so with more time on his hands Ned, with support from Abraham, identified a big vegetable shaped hole in the Greater Kennington market.  

Ned tries to use British suppliers but does not admit to letting a few Italian items populate his stall from time to time. The staples are heritage tomatoes, Sicilian lemons, courgettes, leeks, potatoes, salads, apples, and strawberries. He also likes to feature a couple of herbs such as dill or parsley. The Runoff staff have bought some very healthy vegetables at Sprout and managed to turn them into unimaginably unhealthy creations such as aubergine parmigiana, cauliflower curry and courgette lasagne. And now we would NEVER use this site as a platform for self promotion, but how did this raspberry tart end up getting photographed? 

On the practical side, Ned starts setting up his stall at 5:20am (!!!) rain or shine and is open on Friday 7:30 to 5 and Saturday 8:30 to 4. As a cook himself, Ned can also give you some inspiration about what to make. And what happens to the leftover veg at the end of the weekend, you ask? Well he supplies it to our friends over at The Jolly Gardeners in Black Prince Road.

St. Anselm’s Festival

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We don’t have a great degree of inside intel on the St. Anselm’s Festival, but we are aware that it is this Saturday, 11 September, in Cleaver Square. If it is the new iteration of the Cleaver Square Festival, and we think it is, then it’s certainly a highlight on the Greater Kennington social calendar. Recently this magical and hilarious festival has transported us to some mythical location 200 miles and 20 years from from Greater Kennington. A tipsy Vicar! A tombola! A wholly inappropriate Punch and Judy show! Kate Hoey giving out Brexit Flyers! Posh dudes in Barbour jackets slurring into their fifth Pimms! 

But aside from all the side splitting antics outlined above, it looks like the day will feature loads of great stuff for kids, a dog show, music and good food. But most importantly, it will likely feature local small businesses and people selling their wares (Kennington Tandoori and Bee Urban usually pop over) and people selling homemade cakes and pies. The Festival is from 12 to 4, and there is a Festival church service from 10 to 11 at St. Anselm’s itself with refreshments (probably not involving Pimms, but one lives in hope). 

Jadon Sancho, From Kennington with Love

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We have to admit that the Runoff does not possess a great deal of knowledge about sport, as it usually begins and ends with ‘what’s all that shouting from over Oval way….has there been some kind of accident’? However, we’re aware that there is a specific buzz in the Greater Kennington air at the moment and our crack team of investigators have established a link between the England team and our hallowed pocket, and his name is Jadon Sancho. 

England midfielder Sancho was born in Camberwell but spent his early and formative years in Kennington, stating ‘growing up in Kennington has made me the man I am today’. His pitch was what he refers to as the ‘Blue Park’ which we’ve deduced is Kennington Park Extension, where he played with older boys and his talent was discovered and nurtured. Follow the links to discover much more about young Jadon. 

In addition to being an excellent footballer and an all around well grounded and seemingly nice young man, we at the Runoff were inordinately excited to discover that Jadon has HIS VERY OWN LINE OF SE11 KENNINGTON THEMED FOOTWEAR! And not only that, he even has his own line of Kennington inspired clothing! Most of the staff here aren’t not exactly the ranges’ ‘target demographic’, but if you see someone strutting their stuff around Kennington Cross in Jadon’s clobber over the next few weeks it could just be one of us. Or somebody else as you don’t know what we look like. 

Best of luck to Jadon Sancho and all the other players on Sunday evening! Pass the Sancho sauce! 

An Elephant Springs Up

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Say what you will about the labyrinthine development at Elephant Park, but one thing that has emerged from site is a delightful little park that has all the relevant and cool people (and us) talking. It’s called ‘Elephant Springs’.

The Springs sprang to life a few weeks ago and is an unusual green and comfy space in an area in need of more greenery and fewer buildings. Perhaps picking up on themes of Africa and elephants, the park has sand, hammocks, lush greenery, cascading waterfalls, secluded spaces, and nooks for bats and birds. The main feature is the large, bubbling water park with water jets and slides. On the days we’ve been there this area has been overtaken with gangs of happy kiddos (at bottom), with  the greener areas populated by groups of people chatting or reading. We like to think the park is some small recognition of the diverse people of African origin who live nearby.

As our KR brains are almost constantly geared to eating, we have our eyes on south London micro chain ‘Four Hundred Rabbits’ which overlooks Elephant Springs. We haven’t been there yet, but our sources tell us that the sourdough pizzas, gelato, and craft beers are perfect on a summer’s day. As for the park, if you dare to question our objectivity, it is listed in hipster bible and ‘thank god I found it on the tube or else I’d have nothing to read’ magazine ‘Stylist’ as one of the best green spaces in London along with Hyde and Richmond Parks.

https://www.stylist.co.uk/travel/city-breaks/londons-best-free-parks/530399