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Coordinates: 51°29′42″N 0°06′04″W / 51.495°N 0.101°W / 51.495; -0.101

Elephant and Castle
Elephant and Castle  Elephant and Castle shown within Greater London
OS grid reference	TQ319789
London borough	Southwark
Ceremonial county	Greater London
Region	London
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	LONDON
Postcode district	SE1, SE11, SE17
Dialling code	020
Police	Metropolitan
Fire	London
Ambulance	London
EU Parliament	London
London Assembly	Lambeth and Southwark
List of places: UK • England • London

The Elephant and Castle is a major road intersection in Central London, England, located in the London Borough of Southwark. It is also used as a name for the surrounding area.

The Elephant, as it is known for short, consists of major traffic intersections connected by a short road called Elephant and Castle, part of the A3. Between these intersections, on the eastern side, is the Elephant and Castle Shopping Centre, with an office block called Hannibal House on top. To the north of this, bounded by Newington Causeway and New Kent Road is a large residential block called Metro Central Heights. The 43-storey Strata residential block lies just south of the shopping centre on Walworth Road. "Elephant and Castle" has largely replaced the original name of the area — Newington.

The intersections route traffic arriving from and heading to the south-east of England along the A2 — called here the New Kent Road and then the Old Kent Road — and towards the south of England on the A3 as well as splitting traffic into the West End via St George's Road, and the City of London via London Road and Newington Causeway at the northern intersection. Newington Butts and Walworth Road adjoin the southern intersection. The whole junction system forms part of the London Inner Ring Road and part of the boundary of the London congestion charge zone.

In the middle of the northern intersection island is the Michael Faraday Memorial, a large stainless steel box built in honour of Michael Faraday, who was born nearby. The structure also contains an electrical substation for the Northern Line of the London Underground.

Famous former residents include Charlie Chaplin and Michael Caine, who were born and grew up locally. Electronic musician Aphex Twin once lived in a converted bank in the area.

The Elephant is also home to two linked London Underground stations (Northern and Bakerloo lines) as well as a National Rail station served both by South-East Trains (Kentish Town to Sevenoaks via Catford) and by First Capital Connect (Thameslink suburban loop to Sutton and Wimbledon). Other local buildings include Skipton House (housing the Department of Health), Perronet House an award winning residential block owned by Southwark Council, a large part of the London South Bank University campus, the London College of Communication, the Ministry of Sound nightclub, and the Metropolitan Tabernacle. The Cuming Museum is nearby.

History[link]

Elephant and Castle statue.

Known previously as Newington (Newington Butts and Newington Causeway are two of the principal roads of the area), in the medieval period it was simply a part of rural Surrey, of the manor of Walworth. This is listed in the Domesday Book as belonging to the Archbishop of Canterbury; the income from its rents and tithes supplied the monks at Christ Church Canterbury with their clothing; a 'church' is also mentioned. However, the parish was called 'St Mary, Newington'. That church occupied the site of the current leisure centre, next to the Tabernacle, being first recorded by name in 1222.

In May 1557, William Morant, Stephen Gratwick, and a man named King (known as the Southwark Martyrs), were burnt at the stake in St. George's Field on the site of the present Tabernacle during the Marian Persecutions.^[1]

St Mary's church was rebuilt in 1720. However, this was not as long-lived as its predecessor and was completely replaced in 1790, to a design of Francis Hurlbatt. Within another hundred years this too was to be demolished, but it was decided that the successor should be relocated elsewhere within the parish; a site was chosen in Kennington Park Road. The new church was ready in 1876. That building was destroyed in 1940 by enemy action. The remains of the tower and an arch were incorporated into the modern design of its replacement of 1958. The open space at the leisure centre is still known as St Mary's Churchyard, and the narrow pedestrian walk at its southend is 'Churchyard Row'.

Other institutions were created here. There is record of a 'hospital' before the Reformation. In 1601 the Worshipful Company of Fishmongers erected St Peter's Hospital, i.e. almshouses, on the site of the present London College of Communication. This expanded and survived until 1850, when it removed to Wandsworth. The Drapers livery company created Walters' Almshouses on a site now at the southern intersection island in 1640, giving the tower block opposite its name 'Draper House'. The almshouses were relocated to Brandon Street in the 1960s as part of the major redevelopments here.

In the 19th century the nationally famed Baptist preacher Charles Haddon Spurgeon built his Metropolitan Tabernacle here. It was bombed in the blitz but rebuilt and is still flourishing today.

The Elephant and Castle was the centre of the target zone for the German air raids on London on 10 May 1941 and suffered "raging fires" during this raid.^[2]

Most recently, the Elephant and Castle is featured on the cover of The High Llamas' "Beet Maize & Corn" album (2003) in a painting by Jeremy Glogan.

Elephant and Castle is also the location of The London College of Communication formerly known as The London College of Printing, an internationally renowned dedicated college. The present structure was constructed during the redevelopment of the area in the early 1960s.

Name[link]

The "elephant and castle" from the 14th century choir stalls at Chester Cathedral

The "Elephant and Castle" is derived from a coaching inn of that name on the site. The earliest surviving record of this name relating to the area is in the Court Leet Book of the Manor of Walworth. This local court had met at "Elephant and Castle, Newington" on 21 March 1765. Previously the site was occupied by a blacksmith and cutler – the coat of arms of the Worshipful Company of Cutlers features an elephant with a castle (possibly meant to be a howdah) on its back, which in turn was used because of the use of elephant ivory in handles.

'Newington' is one of the most common place names in England (see Newington Green and Stoke Newington in north London), and from 1750 the area became more important and so the informal name, from the pub at this junction, was adopted. Compare 'Angel' at Islington, or Bricklayers Arms a short distance along New Kent Road from Elephant and Castle.

The inn site was rebuilt in 1816 and again in 1898, although the present Elephant & Castle pub, at the junction of New Kent Road and Newington Causeway, was part of the 1960s comprehensive redevelopment.

Folk etymologies[link]

A common misconception is that the term "elephant and castle" is a corruption of "la Infanta de Castilla" which may refer to any of a number of Spanish princesses connected to English history including Eleanor of Castile, Catherine of Aragon, and Maria, daughter of Philip III of Spain.

Rise to metropolitan prominence[link]

Transport[link]

The area became increasingly important after the creation of Westminster Bridge in 1751 and the improvements in London Bridge in the same period. These required 'by-pass' roads to connect across the south side approaches to each other and also to the main routes to the south and southeast coasts. These road improvements - Great Dover Street, Westminster Bridge, New Kent Road, St George's Road and Borough Road - connect to the older Kennington and Old Kent Roads to facilitate this traffic. In 1769 the new Blackfriars Bridge was connected to this system at what is now the junction called St George's Circus and Blackfriars Road (originally Great Surrey Road) and to the Elephant junction with the new London Road.

As a result of these improvements, the area became a built-up part of the metropolis during the late Georgian and Victorian periods. The railway arrived here in 1863 and the first deep-level tube line, now part of the Northern Line's City Branch, in 1890. The Bakerloo Line terminus was created in 1904. Both the middle-class and working-class populations increased, the first settling on the major roads, the latter on the streets behind these. However, the area declined socially at the Walworth side. Both the Bakerloo and Northern lines can be accessed from the Elephant and Castle tube station. Elephant and Castle railway station is served by both First Capital Connect and Southeastern train services from Blackfriars station and trains travel to destinations in Kent and South London, including the Sutton Loop Line.

Shopping and Entertainment[link]

The area became the location for a thriving shopping area, known as "the Piccadilly of South London", with its own department store (William Tarn and Co) and many smaller outlets. Also featured were a shoe factory, a branch of Burton and a renowned hatter.

In 1930, the Trocadero, a monumental neo-gothic picture house, seating over 3000 and fitted with the biggest Wurlitzer organ in Europe, was built at the northern corner of the New Kent Road (there is now a plaque commemorating the building and unveiled in 2008 by Denis Norden who had worked there in his youth. This was replaced in 1966 by a smaller cinema (the Odeon) which was itself demolished in 1988.

In 1932, another cinema opened across the street which is still known today as the Coronet. The venue is now mostly used as a night-club and concert venue. At the time it seated over 2000 people was in fact an art-deco conversion of the Elephant and Castle theatre. The theatre was open in 1879 on the site of the short-lived Theatre Royal (built in 1872 and burnt down 6 years later). The building was reconstructed in 1882 and again in 1902.

The major development of the 1960s consisted of post-war reconstruction to a larger metropolitan plan, much of it replacing properties destroyed by enemy bombing in World War II, and gave us some of the previously mentioned structures. Alexander Fleming House (1959), originally a group of government office blocks and now a residential complex known as Metro Central Heights, is a prime example of the work of the Hungarian modernist architect Ernő Goldfinger.

One monument to cinema still remains just off the Elephant. This is the Cinema Museum, a volunteer-run museum with screenings for the public of classic cinema and a vast collection of cinema memorabilia. It is housed in the old workhouse where Charlie Chaplin spent time as a child.

The infamous shopping centre, designed by architects Boissenvain & Osmond for the Willets Group, was opened in March 1965. It was the first covered shopping mall in Europe with 120 shops on three levels and a two-storey underground car-park. In the sales brochure (1963), Willets claimed it to be the “largest and most ambitious shopping venture ever to be embarked upon in London. In design planning and vision it represents an entirely new approach to retailing, setting standards for the sixties that will revolutionise shopping concepts throughout Britain.” However when it opened, budget restrictions had meant that the proportions and finishes of the building had had to be scaled down and only 29 out of a possible 120 shops were trading. One of the various schemes to try to regenerate the ailing venture famously included painting it a bright pink.

In recent times the area has had a reputation for successful ethnic diversity and centrality. The area's proximity to major areas of employment, including Westminster, the West End and the City, has meant that a certain amount of gentrification has taken place - this can be seen in an increase in high-quality restaurants in the area. There are many popular Colombian meeting places including "La Bodeguita" and "Distriandina". Local restaurants such as the Chinese Dragon Castle have been praised by critics, and The Lobster Pot has featured in the Harden's guide top ten.

Elephant and Castle is unlikely to reclaim its place as an upmarket central London hub, however, until further regeneration plans are implemented.

Rejuvenation project[link]

The shopping centre, scheduled for demolition in 2012

The area is now subject to a masterplanned redevelopment budgeted at £1.5 billion. A Development Framework was approved by Southwark Council in 2004. It covers an area of 170 acres (688,000 m²) and envisages restoring the Elephant and Castle to the role of major urban hub for inner South London which it occupied before World War II. Planned features include:

• 800,000 square feet (75,000 m²) of retail space (far larger than the existing shopping centre)
• 5,300 new and replacement homes
• five new open spaces
• an integrated public transport hub
• a new Academy
• a new library.

Elephant and Castle was to have been served by the Cross-River Tram scheme, which was cancelled in 2008 due to budgetary constraints.

There will be major changes to the road intersection designed to make the area more pedestrian-friendly. Walworth Road is to be expanded to the north through the site of the present shopping centre, which will be demolished. This will create a pedestrianised boulevard to what is now the northern roundabout. Two skyscrapers will flank the boulevard and the roundabout will be turned into a public square. A substantial amount of post-World War II social housing which is deemed to have failed will be demolished, including the Heygate Estate. This will be replaced with new housing developments consisting of a mix of social and private-sector housing. There have also been moves to protect the last of the architecturally important tenement blocks nearby through the creation of a conservation area covering the Pullens buildings.

The timetable originally announced with completion in 2014, however this is now behind schedule and the current time line is for construction to begin on first buildings in early 2014.^[3]

At an international climate change summit in South Korea in May 2009, the Elephant and Castle regeneration scheme was named among 16 worldwide projects which will release less carbon dioxide than they use. At the summit former US President Bill Clinton praised the scheme as a global example for sustainable growth.^[4]

Some local residents are maintaining the Southwark Notes website that takes a critical look at the regeneration in the Elephant and Castle area. [1] The Elephant Amenity Network is a local group promoting a 'Charter for Community Inclusion and a Better Quality of Life for All' and campaigning for 'a regeneration that benefits local people'. [2]

London's growing Latino population, which have been largely residing in Elephant and Castle since the 80's, are also taking part in the regeneration project. Plans are being made to build new shops and homes to transform it into a "Latin American corridor".^[5][6]

References[link]

• Blanchard, Amos (1844). Book of Martyrs: Or, A History of the Lives, Sufferings and Triumphant Deaths of the Primitive and Protestant Martyrs from the Introduction of Christianity to the Latest Periods of Pagan, Popish, Protestant, and Infidel Persecutions. Compiled from Foxe's Book of Martyrs and other Authentic Sources. N. G. Ellis. 
• Timbs, John (1931). The Romance of London vol I. 

Notes[link]

External links[link]

• Map of Elephant and Castle and surrounding districts
• Flickr photo pool
• Elephant and Castle regeneration masterplan
• A Short History of the Elephant and Castle and Its Name
• What is the origin of Elephant and Castle?
• The Story of the Elephant and Castle name
• The History of Elephant and Castle
• Elephant and Castle Shopping Centre - PostWarBuildings.com
• Time Out article about the Shopping centre, September 2006
• Save the Elephant Shopping Centre
• Multiplex unveils Elephant skyscraper plan - London-SE1, 5 December 2005
• Clinton praises redevelopment of Elephant and Castle - BBC News, 19 May 2009
• Elephant and Castle - blitzandblight.com
• Elephant and Castle Shopping Centre on The Retail Database

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