Critical Art Theory @ Gasworks Gallery

Posted on August 18, 2025 by Kennington Observer

We always enjoy the eccentric offerings at the quirky Gasworks Gallery in Oval, and their current exhibition certainly doesn’t disappoint. Previous shows have featured a giant Styrofoam coffin, and another saw the space turned into a Hampstead Heath cruising area. So we popped open the subterranean port hole to our office and went to inspect the latest offering.

And the offering is ‘Critical Art Theory’ by the very vivacious 87 year old Japanese/American artist Ben Sakoguchi. The artists’ earliest memories were of being held in an internment camp during WW2 with his family. This trauma informed his view of history only being developed by white American/European men, and their failings being conveniently forgotten. We hope our CEO Kevin is reading this.

The 67 paintings in the show draw a rough chronological timeline from cave paintings up to the invention of photography. Using primarily painters from the canon (read…white dudes) he turns their view of the world on its head by comparisons to metal band KISS, Back to the Future, and Teenage Mutant Turtles, as you do. And if you’re thinking ‘Pop Art’ then you’ve hit the nose on the head and you get a prize. Occupants of the White House are also not spared a satirical eye. God knows with the current one he has enough material to fill fifty galleries.

When we saw these paintings online we thought they were collages and stencilled letters. In reality they are meticulously drawn paintings reminding us of detailed Japanese prints. Some of the pictures within pictures also look like film posters. They could also spring to mind cartoons that your grandad sketched in anger after a few too many brandies on Christmas day.

Many of the paintings on show engage directly with racial subjugation and gender bias. And while Critical Art Theory might lack the side splittingly humorous appeal of a Styrofoam coffin, it’s an intriguing journey into how the world has been shaped by the white male gaze for millennia, as viewed by artists who we’ve learned not to question.

Critical Art Theory is open now until 7 September and is totally free. But please remember that if you want to take part in the fun it is only open Wed-Sun 12 to 6. If you want even more fun they are having an artist open day on 6 September and details can be found here.

RVT Sports Day in Spring Gardens

Posted on August 13, 2025 by Kennington Observer

Looking for a fun distraction on what will probably be the last weekend of this steamy summer? Of course you are and so are we, and we can recommend nothing better than the charity raising and inclusive Royal Vauxhall Tavern Sports Day at the back of Spring Gardens on Monday 25 August from 1pm. Because we’re all about charity.

For the uninitiated, Sports Day is our own little Notting Hill carnival, with soca and steel drums substituted with handbag throwing, tug of war and drag queens. The event is composed of approximately 10 teams, usually dressed up and with great names. As you can imagine, there is a definite comedy element to the proceedings but is MC’ed by some professional sports reporters who corral events into a semblance of actual competition. The various tasks (egg and spoon, the 50 metre mince, drag race relay, etc) are constructed in a knockout format with the winning team being crowned at about 5pm. All proceeds go to charity LGBT Hero, which promotes health in the lesbian. trans and gay communities.

This event is free but bring some cash or a tappable phone as there will be charity buckets and volunteers about, and there is also a raffle. The day is certainly not limited to a specific demographic and there are a number of families there with kids, older folks, and an overall sense of mirth abounds. There are bars, music and once in a while the cute critters from Vauxhall City Farm even pop over for a visit. We would never presume to tell you how to live your life, but for maximum enjoyment we might suggest a picnic consisting of ultraprocessed food scored from the corner shop. The website indicates a kickoff at 1, but is usually about 1:30. And If you are going please pop over and say hello to the Observer team. And good luck trying to find out what we look like, as we might even have a team ourselves.

The highlight of the day has to be the rhythmic gymnastics because, let’s be frank, you haven’t truly lived until you’ve witnessed a dozen men in jock straps and umbrellas dancing to ‘Barbie Girl’.

Construction and Destruction in Elephant

Posted on August 11, 2025 by Kennington Observer

From the Bert Hardy collection, children playing in the rubble with Metropolitan Tabernacle in the background, 9 January 1949.

From the Observer collection, the nascent Elephant shopping centre with Metropolitan Tabernacle in the background, 8 August, 2025.

Walcot Stores Revisited

Posted on August 8, 2025 by Kennington Observer

We last visited Walcot Stores shortly after it opened in March, 2024. We rated it highly, but that was in its infancy so we recently popped over again to check on the evolution of the establishment. This time around we weren’t burdened with Phil from Accounts, who had a very different interpretation of having a drink on a Sunday. Walcot Stores is tucked away the top of the rather lovely Walcot Square.

Female owned and operated, chief Barista Milly has given Walcot Stores a recycled, repurposed and sustainable look that’s clean and appealing. They sell a good collection of things that you don’t need but nevertheless want such as swishy notebooks, frames, tote bags and gift cards. They also have a selection of cakes and pastries to accompany your drink. The most recent develop are lunchtime sandwiches, made on site daily.

On the drinks front, we saw a number of overworked yet attractive folk popping in for a flat white, latte, matcha, macchiato, or their range of teas in addition to juices. There was probably a shot of turmeric popping around somewhere to make the experience even more on trend. Most importantly, Milly told us that it is perfectly fine to take your laptop and use their wifi (just don’t hang around all day. We know what you lot are like). You can see people working from there in a photo that looks like it was taken after we’d just fallen on the floor.

If you happen to be a fan of gangster movies then you might recognise Walcot Stores from the cameo role it makes in the 1990 film ‘The Krays’. It could have been chosen for the film because even in 1990 this kind of ‘Are you Being Served’ corner shop was almost extinct. Only watch the second half of this gruesome clip if you have a very niche interest in watching that guy out of Spandau Ballet (kids, ask your parents who they are), beating the daylights out of someone.

The Reinvention of the Tankard

Posted on August 5, 2025 by Kennington Observer

When new pubs emerge or are reinvigorated in Greater Kennington they almost always tend to cater to a small sliver of our populace. Namely, those who don’t care how much a pint costs. So it is refreshing to see the Tankard reopening as a pub that has drinks deals, a lottery, quiz night, pie and pint nights and, wait for it people, an old school retro carvery! As the publican is also a wine fan, he’s also curated a fine wine list (and tastings) for those more upmarket Kenningtonians. But as our fine wine threshold starts at the level of ‘look, it isn’t a SCREW TOP!’, we wouldn’t know.

The Tankard in Kennington Road was a North Kennington staple for many years. It was purchased by megachain Brewdog in 2017 and when they decided the margins weren’t to their liking they shut it down last year. Come to the fore Bruno, who owns a pub in Wapping and wanted to create a family owned, traditional pub (well, one with £7 pints). Bruno said that he tries to keep the margins as tight as possible with both the food and the booze. There is a huge outdoor terrace, an upstairs bar, and rooms which can be hired out.

For those of a certain age a Sunday roast carvery exudes a certain 90s nostalgic charm: the glowing heat lamps, the anticipation of the queue, the chance (usually) to come back for more. And so here it is back at The Tankard, the only example we know of locally. On our visit there was a choice of pork, lamb or beef (any of all in combination). There were also meat free alternatives. These are carved for you before proceeding along the line to load up on Yorkies, roasties, carrots, green beans, cabbage, mashed potatoes and gravy. For everything except the meat you can come back as many times as you wish. The meats were perhaps a little over-cooked for our taste and the same goes for the vegetables that sit waiting to be taken, but that’s the breaks with a carvery. But it’s all good hearty fayre and the roasties and Yorkies were actually rather excellent. At £16.95 this is a good offer and we think will be deservedly popular.

Other than the carvery which we are understandably rather obsessed with, the Tankard also offer pub classics such as bangers and mash, fish and chips, mac and cheese and chilli con carne. A wide selection of beers, bottled and tap, wines, and cocktails are also on offer. Overall, our new retro Tankard is an unpretentious local pub where everyone can feel welcome, with hearty menu items defying the unrelenting small plates (just order 7 or 8!) concept. Indeed, the place might take you back to the halcyon days when you could down six Bacardi Breezers while singing the lyrics to any Shed Seven song.

The Observer Visits Lambeth Palace

Posted on July 31, 2025 by Kennington Observer

Based on our sinful life choices, one would think that upon entering Lambeth Palace Observer staff would have been struck down with a mighty bolt of lightening send from the Lord above. You’ll be glad to know that we survived the experience and we’re here to tell you what we saw, and what you too can experience if you act quickly.

The gardens of Lambeth Palace Gardens are open annually (but not this year) for the North Lambeth Fete but the Palace itself is rarely open to the public, so when we saw it was opening for three days only we jumped on it quicker than a kid on a stolen Lime bike. The self guided tour is augmented by helpful staff in each room, with the first substantive space being the State Drawing Room. It’s a bit like what your gran’s lounge what look like if she was very posh. Next to it is the petite dining room with some beautiful place settings. And if you’re a fan of paintings of dead white men who all look disturbingly the same you’re in luck, because as you walk down the corridors they’re everywhere.

One underappreciated element of Lambeth Palace is that it is a testament to restoration. This is noted chiefly in the Chapel, which suffered a direct hit during a bombing raid in 1942. The chapel has been painstakingly recreated, with murals on the ceiling created in 1988. Other rooms of note are the Guard Room with it’s amazing hammerbeam ceiling, and the massive, eerily empty library with was also mostly destroyed in WWII. At the end of the tour you’re invited to enter the Crypt. While we love nothing more than a relic or a disembodied skull, sadly it’s just a vacant space. Also in these rooms you’ll find mitres, giant rings, stoles, vestments, and all the other camp stuff that Bishops put on. At the end of our tour we encountered a charming little marquee selling scones, cakes and tea and coffee.

Lambeth Palace is open for one more day on 29 August and the cost is £10, with all the proceeds going to The Childhood Eye Cancer Trust. The website says that the event is sold out, but our sleuthing team of researchers have spoken to the Trust and we we’ve informed that there are tickets on the day. 29 August is unfortunately a school day so you’ll need to work from home. If that isn’t possible, dramatically pass out in the office and tell your boss that in order to recuperate you’ll need to stroke your cat for a few hours.

The Jolly Gardeners

Posted on July 23, 2025 by Kennington Observer

For reasons relating solely to our ferocious quest to unearth gastronomic excellence for our readership, your scribe recently accompanied Phil from Accounts and Karen from Finance to inspect the Sunday roast at the Jolly Gardeners. We’ve always had a soft spot for the Gardeners as they suffer from BPLS, of course being ‘Bad Pub Location Syndrome’ as it is locked away in that little bit of Vauxhall that actually isn’t Vauxhall anymore.

The Jolly Gardeners is a big pub, with one half dedicated to drinking and the other half to dining. Phil had already arrived and was drinking at the bar, mistaking bar snacks for a Sunday roast. Once settled, as starters we ordered cauliflower wings and crayfish/spinach laksa on grilled sourdough. With the cauliflower we expected something slightly healthy but what was delivered was a deep, almost chocolate like batter oozing with cauliflower and its juice. The crayfish was a buttery, seafood like flavour sensation.

For the mains Phil and Karen had the pork shoulder, which Karen announced by pounding on the table and shouting ‘my vegan stage is OVER’. The pair described their pork as slow cooked, fatty, tender, and robustly mild and sweet. As is the custom at the Gardeners, roasts are served family style and this encompassed roast potatoes, roasted heritage carrots, spring greens, sweet potato mash and creamy cauliflower cheese. The best element was that these sides were replenished for free, creating a joyous ‘all you can eat’ vibe which particularly satisfied Phil.

Your scribe opted for the 28 day beef rump, which was served with roasties and Yorkshire pudding. The pork wasn’t served with a Yorkie, so your scribe donated it to Phil’s plate. The beef was rich, meaty and slightly earthy flavour which held its own when drenched with the Gardener’s homemade ’12 hour’ gravy. And the veg kept coming which padded it all out. So nice were they that when the second round arrived Karen garbled, through a mouthful of carrots, ‘this is so good I might go vegan again’!

The roasts at the Gardeners are £25 so aren’t cheap, but this is mitigated by the endless stream of sides. We were pleased to see that the Gardeners no longer serve beef from retired cows. While more ethical, we felt bad for those poor bovines who managed to spend their entire lives not being turned into a luxury bookcover or decorative belt, only TO END UP IN A HAMBURGER.

The Gardeners has been open a few years now and is a far cry from its previous incarnation Zeitgeist, where they served food that was about as far down the no-frills route you could go without entering ‘humanitarian food drop’ territory. But will it win the best roast in Greater Kennington in our Top Ten List in February? We hope so, as its totally independent and started by five lads who just want to make good food and nice drinks.

Vanished Kennington Exhibit

Posted on July 18, 2025 by Kennington Observer

Grip tightly people, as Observer Towers are about to recommend that you leave Greater Kennington and check out a free exhibit. Your destination is the quite new and spiffy Lambeth Archives in Brixton. The exhibit is called ‘A Vanished Kennington’ and is a miniscule slice of almost 500,000 slides that Manning Studio bequeathed to Lambeth in 2022 and they are now beginning to digitise.

Manning Photographers was founded in 1949 by James Manning, and later taken over by his son Frank. The studio operated from 1952 onwards in Windmill Row, Kennington and continued until 2022, and the closed premises is very much still there. The Manning’s were at their core grafting photographers. They focussed mostly on wedding photos of local people as they were the most lucrative. However, over the years this evolved into local buildings, headshots, photos for industry, commissions from local retailers, even ID card photos.

If you look closely, you can make out local buildings such as a wedding party in a bombed out St. Mary’s church In Kennington Park Road, or buildings still existing in Kennington Cross. Some are even on the homepage of your favourite website. As a commercial photographer you can see photos of Jane Asher dipped in chocolate or the prize shop of Granada Bingo, now The Metro flats in Kennington Road.

Some of the slides can be found on the Lambeth Archives website but it is more fun to traipse down to Brixton to experience the photos and also see what inspired his work, such as African villages. It’s also fun to pick out the famous faces, such as the Queen whizzing through Kennington Cross or Mary Berry baking.

A Vanished Kennington is on now until 16 August at Lambeth Archives and, like everything good in life, is totally free.

The Ever Changing Face of Vauxhall (or, We Attend a Consultation).

Posted on July 11, 2025 by Kennington Observer

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.

The Kennington Observer

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