The prominence of Brixton Academy as the most iconic music venue in London is undeniable. Were you really a teenager in South London if you
Behind The Names: London Borough of Southwark
In the third installment of our series explaining the origins of the names of the areas of South London we will be focusing on the great London Borough of Southwark. Along with Lambeth, Lewisham and Greenwich it forms part of what we like to call the 'four shark teeth' of South London. We might have included Wandsworth in that list because it does look a little - actually a lot - like tiger shark tooth. Go on, search the boundaries of Wandsworth and then compare it against a tiger shark tooth. You'll see, you will all see. Anyway, less about fearsome fish and more about the reason behind the names of areas. Southwark is probably the installment we've looking forward to most because of some of the really curious names in the borough, like Denmark Hill or Elephant and Castle - frankly, we really cannot wait to explain it.
A Brief History of Southwark Cathedral
It might surprise you that Southwark actually has two cathedrals, one Anglican and one Catholic - the other is St. George's Cathedral. It's relatively remarkable that there is only one other Anglican cathedral (St Paul's) and one other Catholic cathedral (Westminster) in the rest of London. Southwark has two cathedrals alone, and it's just a part of London - there are only six other cities in England and Wales where this is also the case: Birmingham, Liverpool, Newcastle, Norwich, Portsmouth, and Sheffield. In this instance we're going to be talking about the Anglican Southwark Cathedral
Blue Plaques of Deptford and New Cross
Here it is, another article in our series on the blue plaques of South London, and this week we're talking about the blue plaques of Deptford and New Cross. From the outset we're going to be very honest with you and tell you that there is only one 'official' blue plaque in Deptford and New Cross. Talking about only one plaque would not be particularly interesting however, so we're included the Lewisham maroon plaques as well in this list, along with one or two other plaques. Some might accuse this list of being somewhat arbitrary as we haven't included every plaque in the area, but we've included those which we thought were worth including. Though there is only one blue plaque, we've called this article the 'Blue Plaques of Deptford and New Cross' for the sake of consistency. Anyhow, we hop you enjoy this list of the blue plaques of Deptford and New Cross.
Behind The Names: London Borough of Lambeth
In the second article of this series explaining the story behind the names of areas of South London, we are going to be talking about the London Borough of Lambeth. In the last article we used the wards of Lewisham borough because they were largely relevant to the common names of the areas of the boroughs, the same cannot be said of Lambeth. In this instance we're going to be talking about the districts of the borough, and maybe one or two wards. Maybe. As was the case in the last article, we have not included any names that we could not find an explanation for.
Blue Plaques of Dulwich, East Dulwich & Herne Hill
We continue our series on the blue plaques of South London by talking about those commemorated in Dulwich, East Dulwich & Herne Hill. Though Dulwich and East Dulwich are firmly in the borough of Southwark, Herne Hill is in Lambeth or Southwark - depending on who you ask. Being in Southwark means that Dulwich and East Dulwich have a number of London Borough of Southwark plaques, as voted for the residents of Southwark, but there are good number of official plaques on this list. Some might find it slightly curious that East Dulwich has so many more plaques than its traditionally more fashionable neighbour Dulwich, however when you consider that a lot of the timelessly quaint Lordship Lane goes through East Dulwich, it's possibly not that surprising. That said, there are some rather interesting characters on this list of the blue plaques of Dulwich, East Dulwich & Herne Hiil, and they show off the varied range of individuals that have lived in the vicinity.
A Brief History of The Yorkshire Grey
Many of you reading this may be wondering why we're doing a history of what is now a McDonalds and a roundabout. While we would really love to talk about the roundabout, and it may feature on a future poll to decide what is South London's best roundabout, we are going to talk about the building's past as a pub. Located between Eltham and Lee on the Eltham Road (part of the majestic South Circular), the Yorkshire Grey was, for a long period, one of the more infamous pubs in all of South East London.
Blue Plaques of Peckham
We thought it was high time we did a list of the blue plaques of one of South London's most well-known areas - Peckham. There is no doubt that Peckham is up there with Wimbledon and Greenwich as one of the place names most synonymous with South London, and this maybe down somewhat to the success of the sitcom Only Fools and Horses, which, as most of you probably know, was set in Peckham. A lot like much of South London, Peckham has a relatively low number of blue plaques, and there are actually only 3 'official' blue plaques in the whole area. Alongside these 'official' plaques, which are part of the scheme run by English Heritage and the London County Council before them, there are also plaques voted for by the people of Southwark. Though these are also blue, they don't have quite the same status as the others, but we thought we'd include them anyway because the people and things they commemorate are still significant. We have made it clear, however, whichplaques are Southwark plaques. So, without much further ado, here is our list of the blue plaques of Peckham.
Blue Plaques of Richmond
Ah Richmond, scene to the most famous quotation of the 21st century so far – “Fenton…Fenton…Fenton! Fentoon!! Fentaaahn!!! Fentaaaaahn!!! Fentaaahn!!!! Oh, Jesus Christ! Fentaaaahn!! Oh, Jesus Christ! FENTAAAAAGHN!! Oh, Christ!” Still famed for its deer, Richmond Park is the centrepiece of leafy Richmond, which used to play host to all sorts of royal types, including Henry VIII and his daughter Elizabeth I. Beyond royalty, Richmond has also been called home by a number of famous ladies and gentlemen, most of whom are commemorated by blue plaques. We at South London Club love lists, so here is a list of the blue plaques of Richmond.
Blue Plaques of Lewisham, Lee & Hither Green
More proof of the prejudice held by the powers that be, well, in regards to important residents at least, Lewisham (Centre), Lee & Hither Green have nine blue plaques between them. Nine! It's a disgrace, an absolute disgrace. Anyway, anger aside, some of the names on this list are rather remarkable beasts, who have had quite a significant relationship with the local area