For us, none other than the amazing tradition of Christmas markets is what gets us in the Christmas spirit, and so we have gathered some of the fantastic Christmas markets in South London that are definitely worth checking out in your local area this year!
As the sun finally begins to show its face, we’re bringing you a list of the best spots to don your sunnies, slap on the suncream and settle in for an afternoon of cold ones in the London sunshine. From riverside sundowners to boozy lunches on the terrace, Putney’s got an exciting little assortment of al fresco possibilities and we’ve rounded them up just in time for the Bank Holiday.
With the gradual, yet steady closing-down of local cinemas and theatres that has been happening in Britain for decades, we thought it a good idea to use our platform to pay homage to one of the oldest theatres in South London that has survived this unfortunate decline in entertainment venues, and continues to showcase cutting edge theatre and events to this day....
Season's greetings! There is no better way of getting into the Christmas spirit than by attending your local christmas markets. Wrap up warm with the family or a few friends, stroll down to your local market and enjoy the rich warming smells of mulled wine and mince pies, whilst trying to remember the lyrics to your favourite carols. We've got the round-up; check out where your local market is happening and make sure you're there!
Run your fingers along their spines, cast your eyes up and down the shelves, flick through the pages and sit cross legged on the floor engrossed in the words resting in your lap. Escape the dull, uniform, needlessly clean chain bookshops that are a stalwart part of any high street or soulless shopping centre. South London has its fair share of independent bookshops where hidden treasures can be found, prices are right and the shelves hold countless stories to lose yourself in.
Pop-up restaurants are for those who sometimes need a little push to try something new. With a residency of sometimes as little as six weeks, pop-up restaurants are perfect spots to receive top quality and often unique food that is always limited edition. This blog will take you through some of the best pop-up restaurants you can find in South London.
Libraries are a fantastic and cheap way to enjoy millions of different books, perfect for anyone who has overflowing bookshelves! Popping into your local library can also be a more sustainable way to read, meaning us bookworms can do our bit for the environment and get lost in another world at the same time! Here’s a list of some of the most notable libraries in South London.
Ask many of the older members of the South London community and they will tell you that pollution, particularly smog, used to be a fact of life in the area - and that could probably have been said for the rest of London at that time. To give you an idea of the scale, from 1933-1978 there were 9 fossil-fuel burning power stations alone operating in what constitutes as South London today, and 11 north of the river as well for most of that period - that's also not counting the large number in surrounding counties like Kent. When one looks at figures like that, it's hardly surprising that events like the Great Smog of London in 1952 occurred. All but one of those South London power stations were decommissioned during a period between 70s to the early 80s, and only some of the buildings are still standing. These structures, however, were quite stark and significant, and though not all of them were quite as massive as Battersea, they still stood out on the skyline. We're interested in telling the story of South London, and many of you will remember these power stations, while some of you might not even know that these power stations were there. So, here it is, a list of the 10 power stations of South London.
We read a statistic last year that said, in 2016, 14% of English footballers in the Premier League were from South London. That got us thinking, who are the best players from South London? Then we thought, what if we were to assemble a team of the greatest players to come from the wondrous land of South London? South London being defined as any London Borough south of the River Thames. Now, for fairness, to define a player from South London, we thought we would include both players born in South London and players brought up in South London. So this means if a player was both in South London, they are from South London and if they were born away from South London, but brought up in South London, then they are also from South London. So there are players in this list who were born in South London, but brought up elsewhere, and also players born outside South London, but brought up here. We should stress that this is our XI, and you have every right to disagree with it. If you do, as is very likely, we would welcome your suggestions to players who should be included. Anyway, here it is, our all-time South London XI
For those who don't know, the Woolwich Ferry is a free ferry service that connects Woolwich on the south side of the Thames, with North Woolwich on the north side. Like doing a history of the Greenwich and Woolwich Foot Tunnels, some might argue that the Woolwich Ferry really exists across the Thames, however, like the Woolwich Foot Tunnel, it's named after Woolwich, which is in South London. No North London, you can't have the Woolwich Ferry - you already took Woolwich Arsenal (when was there ever an actual arsenal in Holloway Road we ask?). This is all very brash fighting talk and, as you'll see, we're going to have to backtrack pretty hard on it after this first glorious image of the Woolwich Ferry, but for the time being, we'll maintain our stance as we begin a brief history of the Woolwich Ferry.
Bicycling as a method of transport for getting round London has grown and grown - something which is only positive. While some cyclists are not as responsible as they should be, it's likely that those individuals would be just as careless behind the wheel of a car, so we should be thankful that they are only in control of a bike. South London Club are firmly behind this clean method of transport which also provides a convenient opportunity to exercise. We understand it can be aggravating as a driver if a cyclist skips a red light, but just bear in mind that if you are involved in a collision - they'll be coming off a lot worse, so maybe be a little more forgiving when in control of a machine that was directly involved in the death of 1,732 people in 2015, and in incidents which caused serious injuries to 22,137 individuals. Anyway, less about that, and more about how useful bike shops are, and how the gradual growth in the number of independent bike shops across South London reflects how many people are now using their bike to get around. We know that a good bike shop is something that many people rely on for repairs and whatnot, so we think it's a good idea to give you our list of the the 13 best bike shops in South London.
Having established what are the Top 10 Best Train Stations In South London, we set about finding out what the respectable denizens of South London thought were the Top 10 Worst Stations In South London. We examined every station, we considered the statistics, and we provided you with a shortlist. The votes are now in, and boy do the quantity of votes reveal what a miserable bunch we South Londoners are. We received almost double the votes for this then we did when deciding the best train stations! Clearly, we far prefer to moan about train stations than we do praise them. Anyway, for those who missed the initial voting phase, the criteria for stations on this list were stations within Zone 4, south of the river, that were either particularly bleak, particularly useless, or possibly even both. This was a pretty tight run affair, and came down to the wire as to which would be top dog, the tightest of wires! So, here we go, beginning at number 10, the top 10 worst train stations in South London, as voted for by you - the people
If there’s one thing that London does well it’s beer. And ale. And stout. Microbreweries and taprooms are sprinkled across the whole of south London. Readers will likely be familiar with stalwarts Meantime and Late Knights but what about Earth Ale or Hop Stuff? For all out beer geekery head down to The Beer Shop in Nunhead or Hop Burns and Black in East Dulwich which both stock some of the best beers you’ll find this side of the Thames. There are new microbreweries popping up all the time so this is not a definitive list. However we’d love to hear from you on social media if there are any that others that you love or would recommend.
Approximately 1.5 million people use the Greenwich & Woolwich Foot Tunnels to get from one side of the mighty River Thames to the other. They are, however, somewhat taken for granted. Have you ever stopped to wonder at their existence? They are quite remarkable - there's not much else quite like them in London, let alone the UK. At a time when we're going through an arduous process of trying to work out what London's next crossing will be - thankfully it seems the wonderfully impractical Garden Bridge won't be it - we should take a moment to appreciate how curious and marvellous these two crossings are.
A local discount card to support South London's local businesses while saving you money!
We aim to help you discover and explore all that South London has to offer, from hidden gems to the best-kept secrets!
The South London Club Card will take you on a tour of South London that you've never experienced before, showcasing our fantastic local businesses that are the lifeblood of our communities.
With 850+ local businesses to choose from, including gift shops, bike shops, restaurants, and roofers, our pocket-sized card is full of value.
Join us and let's work together to make South London even better.
