Lambeth County Court

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Do you like architecture? Do you like site specific art stuff? Well the Runoff loves both, and if you are a kindred spirit you’re in double luck. We’ve just noticed that the old Lambeth County Court building in Cleaver Street, which closed forever at the end of 2017 after 90 years hard service as a housing court, is hosting a site specific art installation and it is open both this weekend (1-2 June) and next weekend. This will probably be your last ever chance to see the 92 year old art deco beaut  before it is handed over to developers and probably turned into _______  ________ (I’ll leave you to fill in the blanks, but it isn’t ‘subsidised housing’).

The artist in question is called Greta Alfaro and the show is called ‘I Will Not Hesitate to React Spiritually’. I’ll let the website do the talking about the content of the show. Meanwhile, open to Kenningtonians is the main reception area, the stairwell, a courtroom, and a further room which features a video installation of a person in a powdered wig and a veil tap dancing on a table. Enjoy!

I also accidentally opened the doors to some other rooms which were unlocked, but I couldn’t possibly recommend that you do likewise. Photos below…..Image-5.pngImage-1.pngImage-2.pngImage-4.png

How a Beefeater Ended Up In Kennington

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Most of you are aware that the world famous Beefeater Gin is distilled right here in mighty Kennington, but have you ever wondered why? Well we’re about to tell you.

As Gin became newly acceptable and ‘on trend’ in the 1860’s (much like the 2010’s) a pharmacist named James Burrough bought an old school distillery in Chelsea and decided to add ‘London’ and ‘Beefeater’ to it’s name as a break from the past and as an homage to it’s origin. By 1908 the factory in Chelsea was proving too cramped and they packed up and moved near the Royal Douton factories in Black Prince Road. The move was strategic, as Doulton made many of the kilns in which the ‘mother’s ruin’ was brewed.

By the mid 1950’s the premesis was again proving too old and cramped and Beefeater decided to move to an old pickle factory in Montford Place, where it remains to this day (this is not how we get the phrase ‘getting pickled’, but wouldn’t that be fun). This is when Beefeater really took off and became a global brand. At the time the site was much larger as Beefeater also bottled it’s gin on site. In 1988 the Burrough family sold out to a brewing chain who quickly moved the bottling facility to Scotland. This left a lot of excess land, which was sold to Tesco (and then to Berkeley Homes but lets not open that can of worms again). The company is now owned by French giant Pernod Ricard.

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A number of years ago we visited the distillery, before the visitor centre and shop were introduced in 2016. It is a fascinating place. Apparently it employs ‘about 5 people’ which might explain the desolate atmosphere around the place. However, The £15 charge for touring the place might also explain the desolate atmosphere around the place. On the upside, the shop offers a range of unusual gins that you won’t find in places elsewhere in London. Shame more Kennington pubs don’t fly the Beefeater banner proudly!

City and Guilds Foundation Show

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It’s that time of year again! The ever expanding City and Guilds of London Art School in Kennington Park Road is having it’s annual Foundation Show right now and as we love you so much we decided to take a break from Loose Women working to investigate it for you.

The artists are completing their foundation year, so the work is less advanced than the much grander Degree Show (I’ll get on to that in a sec). The students are studying a more proscribed range of styles than their more advanced counterparts but are much more experimental (read, slightly mad). The themes this year seem to be 1. Saving the planet   2. Nudity   3. Saving the planet through nudity  4. Rocks

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The Foundation show is on tomorrow (Friday) from 10 – 5 and Saturday 10 – 5. It is in the old telephone building in Kenning’s Way

Coming up from 26 June to 30 June is 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 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 is the areas dealing with conservation and restoration on the upper floors. And if you don’t care for something keep your trap shut as chances are the artist is within earshot. Ta!

Ghost Signs

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Next time you are out and about in SE11, SE17 or SE1 look up and you might detect something slightly less fading than the value of your home. They’re called Ghost Signs, and we are the lucky recipient of fast least three of them (and I challenge you to find others). The most intriguing is for a motorbike shop called ‘Ariel’, and it once inhabited the small courtyard next to  Durning Library. The image below is old, as the sign now has now faded almost into obscurity. There are whole websites, blogs, apps and even tours dedicated to fading signs. The most comprehensive is called ‘Ghost Signs’, 

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There are two more Ghost Signs that we’ve found with images below. The top is to be found at the top of Brixton Road and advocates the virtues of smoking,  The other is to be found in Iliffe Street in Walworth.

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Seveni Bar and Grill – The Real Chinese Deal

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An underlooked gem on the gastronomic  landscape of greater Kennington is a newish place called Seveni Bar and Grill, at the top of Kennington Road across from the Imperial War Museum. Kennington Runoff has recently been to central China (not for this specific review, mind you, as the budget usually ends at tea bags) and we can assure you that this joint is the real deal, organs and all.

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What first strikes the patron is the presence of Chinese pop music (tick) and actual Chinese diners (triple tick). As a starter I had the lamb intestine. I’ve never actually eaten an intestine before, and I can only describe it as kind of like squid. It was heavily seasoned with cumin (as a lot of dishes are),  sesame, and a great deal of pepper. I thought about ordering the pig brain, aorta, or tongue but then thought that my table would end up looking more like a post mortem dissection, so I gave them a miss.

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For the main course I decided to go a bit more mainstream and order the stir fry sliced beef with sour pepper. I got the mild version (you can choose the hotness) but it was so hot that I had to order an extra 5 Tsingtao beers (oops). The peppers can be avoided to make it less hot, but it was excellent. Slightly fatty beef and a great combination of sour and slightly sweet and the portion was huge….And you ain’t gonna get that in Gerrard St, mister.

All of the tables are set up with BBQs for on table grilling and on the night I visited there was a  mix of couples and larger groups. So great for a date, work ‘do, or just ‘we don’t feel like cooking;’ night.

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The Great Stink of Kennington

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We imagine that a on a daily basis a large number of you think ‘will the Runoff EVER do a feature on sewage and foul smells’? Well dear reader, your time HAS COME!

 

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The Victorians gave London many architectural gems; the Houses of Parliament and St. Pancras to name a few. In Kennington they endowed us with probably London’s most attractive example of a  Stinkpipe, and it’s right above your nose in central Kennington. If you’re wondering what we’re talking about, the Victorians solved many problems but struggled with sewage for years. This was called The Great Stink of London and resulted in some radical methods to solve it.. Stinkpipes were one such method and were installed around London to divert the smell of poo and their more noxious byproducts. The idea was to elevate the odours from sewers and subterranean rivers above sensitive Victorian noses.

So while the Great Stink might have been deplorable, it realised great advancements later in the industrial age, such the creation of the Embankment and cleaning up of the Thames. More recently the Stink has also been credited with a number of interesting and slightly unsettling blogs dedicated to Stinkpipes and other above ground sewage devices.

Abraham – the Friendliest Man in Kennington

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While passing through Kennington central of a morning you might have passed a marquee selling coffee and other items. It is ‘Bouquets and Beans’ and is the brawns and brains of creator Abraham (below), who is on hand to deliver coffee, tea, hot chocolate, cake and a friendly chat to passing Kenningtonians from Tuesday to Saturday, 7:30 to 4:00.

The core element of Bouquet and Beans is floral services, and they provide the flowers to Winkworth and the Doghouse, in addition to services offered online. However, B&B is increasingly servicing the coffee and cake addiction of Kennington by selling 100-150 cups from 7:30-10. Abraham describes himself as a ‘people’s person’ and the best part of his job is talking to people as they buy their cuppa enroute to destinations beyond our cherished area. He also loves the ‘community feel’ of Kennington and tries to be here as often as possible, including the Kennington Fete.

If you’ve ever wondered why there is a kind of ‘Scandi noir’ feel in front of St. Anselm’s in December that’s because Bouquets and Beans also sell Christmas trees, and KR has bought several of them. They are of very high quality and if you ask the right questions Abraham’s burly assistants can even deliver them to your door for free.

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We Are the Lambeth Boys

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You could probably spend a day few days, or in our case years, exploring the BFI Film Archive of old films about London. We recently discovered this treasure called ‘We Are the Lambeth Boys’ and it gives a fascinating insight into Kennington circa 1959.

The film depicts the lives of the girls and boys of Alford House youth club, which still flourishes in Aveline Street, pictured below. To 2019 eyes the 49 minute film appears slightly condescending, but it was in fact intended to dispel conceptions of ‘Teddy Boys’ (hence the conversation about apparel early in the film) and the culture of youth clubs in general.

Examining the (nerd alert!) outside shots of the estates, we think they were filmed around Newburn Street. If you are a fellow fan of ‘ohh, I know where that is’ viewing, scroll to (nerd alert 2!) 33:30 for a distinct view of 50’s Kennington Cross (shown below). If you’re still on board scroll back to (nerd alert 3!) to 26:10 for a glimpse of Cleaver Street toward Cleaver Sq. If you have any further nerd revelations please drop them in the comments box….

I need some nicer clothes…..

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Gasworks

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Gasworks

Moving on briskly to something overlooking the gasholders that’s a tad less controversial, Gasworks is a petite, pint size powerhouse of a gallery in Vauxhall St. dedicated to visual arts. It prides itself on being cutting edge and gives artists a chance to test new (and sometimes challenging)  ideas . Process and development are keywords, and there are an impressive stable of artists who’ve displayed there over the past 25 years.

We just checked out the latest exhibition and it’s called ‘It Bites Back’ and it’s about….               …..wait for it…..…..mosquitos. More specifically it’s a video installation from a Brazilian artist who draws parallels between the Zika virus and the rise of authoritarian politics, while drawing in notions of love and intimacy. Not the most ‘feel good’ show we’ve seen there, but intriguing nonetheless.

Gasworks in open Wed to Sat from 12-6 and is located at 155 Vauxhall St. The exhibits change every three months or so and are a great way to build a few cultural brain cells.

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Ta Ta Tesco

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For those of you new to the area, or those who are of a forgetful disposition as we are, you might not be aware that Tesco Kennington Lane will be closing forever in June. It will be replaced by a Tesco (probably the Metro variety) in the soon to vanish car park.

How can this be happening, you ask? Well several years ago Berkeley Homes purchased the Tesco site and the redundant gas holders behind it. After several years planning permission was granted for the construction of 728  new homes ranging from 4 to 17 stories, and 23, 000 sq. feet of commercial space. And taking a page out the King’s Cross book, one of the gas holders will have flats in it. The Lambeth planning application  (great for insomniacs) indicates that this will take 30 months (a gentle way of saying 2.5 years) but the Berkeley homes website indicates ‘Phase 1’ will take 40 months.

Not to worry, dear reader, when all is said and done there will be a new all singing and dancing Tesco, and a pic of it is below. The footprint is slightly smaller than the old store, but according to a consultation I went to last year it will be better laid out. Precisely how Berkeley Homes know how Tesco will lay out its store I’m not exactly sure.

If you want to make yourself feel all warm inside about our neighbourhood, have a gander at the slightly fictionalised description of Kennington/Oval on the Berkeley Homes website . Oval Village beckons!

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