| Lambeth Town Hall (London) | |
 | |
Location  | |
| State | UK |
|---|---|
| Website | https://www.lambeth.gov.uk/ |
The town hall of Lambeth is a district of the city of London.
To know
Lambeth is a city hall in south east London. Within this town hall is the South Bank complex (Royal Festival Hall, the National Theater and the National Film Theater), Waterloo Station and its surroundings (the Old Vic and Young Vic theaters and the BFI IMAX cinema) . Here is also the official residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury in the Lambeth Palace, St. Thomas Hospital and County Hall. This municipality comprises the districts of Kennington (where the Imperial War Museum and The Oval Cricket Ground stadium are located) e Brixton.
This article covers much of Lambeth City Hall, except the Waterloo area, which is described in the article by South Bank. Lambeth Town Hall was historically a poor area of densely built inner London. This then changed in the 90s of the last century thanks to gentrification which also brought its effects here.
Geographical notes
Brixton it is a colorful and unique urban area in the whole city. Its residents are mixed and mingle between those who have lived here for generations to the newcomers who have followed the fashion. It is a multi-ethnic community with around 24% of the population of African or Caribbean descent giving the right to this area to be called the unofficial capital of the Afro-Caribbean community of London.
The diverse population originates in the 1940s and 1950s, when England invited large numbers of immigrants from the West Indies for lack of manpower.
The music scene is very rich with many clubs and concert halls specialized especially in Ska and Rock, first of all the Brixton Academy. There are also various markets where you can buy all sorts of exotic food, textiles and jewelry. Very well known for its nightlife with many bars, pubs and clubs to explore. Street Electric Avenue (famous thanks to the song by Eddy Grant) was the first street in the whole of the UK to receive electric lighting; even though it is in an unfamiliar area, it is worth a visit to see the halal butchers.
Herne Hill it is an area that looks like a village, located in the corner of Brockwell Park. There is also a historic velodrome here.
Kennington it is a residential district with a rich history. The area is characterized by streets and squares from the Georgian and Victorian period. Dominated by two monuments: The Oval stadium, for cricket and the Imperial War Museum. It appears in the manuscript of 1086 Domesday Book like "Chenintune" which means "place of the King". Edward III left the Kennington country residence to his son Edward "the black prince" in 1337 who built a grand royal palace between today's two streets Black Prince Road and Sancroft Street. Geoffrey Chaucer was hired in Kennington as a Clerk in 1389. Kennington remains a country residence and the Duke of Cornwall has many properties within the district. Many Members of Parliament reside in this area also because it falls within the area Division Bell and is therefore close to parliament.
Kennington Park (South London's oldest public park) and St Mark's Churchyard cover what was once common ground Kennington Common which was a place of executions, entertainment and demonstrations. In 1746 the Surrey County Gallows gallows, in the southern part of the land, was used for the execution of nine leaders of the Jacobite revolt of 1745. Here the Chartists also gathered for their great demonstrations in 1848. The group "The Gymnastic Society" he often met in Kennington Common during the second half of the eighteenth century to play football. The company, which could claim to be the world's first football team, was made up of Londoners born in Cumberland and Westmorland. Even today, tradition has it that crowds gather in Kennington Park before starting a protest march.
Vauxhall, dominated by its roundabout system, it is known among Londoners for its homosexual scene and as an interchange for transport. Its bus station is the second most used in London; there is also a train station served by South West Trains; the Victoria metro line has a stop here. Strong gentrification is taking place along the Thames. In this area there are also the offices of the MI6 secret services and the new US embassy.
Background
Vauxhall's history is linked to the industry. Vauxhall Motors automobile industry was founded here, and Royal Doulton porcelain had a factory. Before this the main attraction was the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens. The largest green space in Vauxhall today is a small park which was built after Octavia Hill (co-founder of the National Trust) "More Air for London" campaign. In the 90s of the last century Vauxhall became a nerve center for the homosexual scene and many clubs, bars and pubs have opened as an alternative to Soho. Bonnington Square, close to Oval, has grown from a busy place threatened with demolition to an artists' community with beautiful gardens and common spaces.
How to orient yourself
Lambeth Town Hall: full screen map.How to get
By subway
The district is served by the following tube stations:
Brixton (lines: Victoria). Zone 2- Clapham Common (lines: Northern). Zone 2
- Clapham North (lines: Northern). Zone 2
- Kennington (lines: Northern). Zone 2
- Oval (lines: Northern). Zone 2
- Stockwell (lines: Victoria and Northern). Zone 2
- Vauxhall (lines: Victoria). Zone 1 and 2
| Underground lines passing through Bloomsbury |
| Leicester Square / City of London ← Southwark-Lewisham ← | No.  S. | → Wandsworth → South London |
| North London ← Westminster ← | No.  S. | → Terminus |
| Terminus ← Wandsworth ← | OR  IS | → Southwark-Lewisham → East End |
On the train
The town hall is served by the following train stations:
- Brixton (three minutes walk from the metro station).
- Clapham High Street.
- Herne Hill.
- Loughborough Junction.
- Streatham.
- Streatham Common.
- Streatham Hill.
- Tulse Hill.
- Vauxhall.
- Wandsworth Road.
- West Norwood.
By bus
- 2 (Marble Arch - Vauxhall - Brixton - West Norwood)
- 3 (Oxford Circus - Brixton - Crystal Palace)
- 59 (King's Cross - Waterloo - Brixton - Streatham)
- 109 (Croydon - Streatham - Brixton)
- 133 (Liverpool Street - Brixton - Streatham)
- 137 (Oxford Circus - Sloane Square - Clapham - Streatham)
- 159 (Marble Arch - Brixton - Streatham)
- 196 (Vauxhall - Brixton - South Norwood)
There are also many night buses serving Lambeth, including:
- N3 (Oxford Circus - Brixton - Crystal Palace - Bromley North)
- N159 (Oxford Circus - Streatham - New Addington)
By car
| Streets passing through Lambeth Town Hall |
| City of London ← South Bank ← | NEITHER  SO | → Wandsworth → Kingston-upon-Thames |
How to get around
What see
- 1 Brockwell Park, Herne Hill (From Brixton take Effra Road, turn left onto Water Lane and look for the entrance on the right).
Free. A large park on a hill a ten minute walk from Brixton. Inside there are various services: the Brockwell Lido outdoor swimming pool, children's playground, café, flower garden, sports fields including a BMX track, bathrooms and various ponds. 
- 2 Blue plaque by Charles Chaplin, 287 Kennington Road. Charles Chaplin lived with his mother at various addresses on Kennington Road, including 3 Pownall Terrace, Chester Street and 39 Methley Street. For a short time he lived with his father and his concubine Louise, at 287 Kennington Road where the blue commemorative plaque is today. After the mother was admitted to Cane Hill Asylum, the son was left in the Renfrew Road workhouse.
- 3 Lambeth Palace, Lambeth Palace, SE1 7JU (tube station: Lambeth North).
Library exhibition only May-Jul, Mon-Sat 10: 00-17: 00. The palace has been the official residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury since the 13th century. Guided tours are very popular and the waiting list is long. 
- 4 Leake Street, Leake Street, Lambeth (Near Waterloo, under the arches of the train underpass). Also known as the "Bansky Tunnel", every millimeter of the walls of this 300m tunnel is decorated with graffiti. It was inaugurated during the "Cans Festival" organized by Bansky in 2008. It is not known how legal it is but the creation of new graffiti is tolerated.
- 5 Kennington Park, Kennington Park Road, SE11 4BE (tube station: Oval). Very small but nice park.
- 6 Garden Museum (Garden Museum), Lambeth Palace Road, SE1 7LB (tube station: Lambeth North), ☎ 44 20 7401-8865, @[email protected]. £ 6, free for under 16s.. Mon-Sun 10: 30-17: 00. Inside an old church which is also the tomb of Captain Bligh of the famous Bounty vessel. The museum tells about the history of garden design and gardening.
- 7 SIS / MI6 building, Vauxhall Bridge (tube station: Vauxhall). Imposing building on the river bank controlled by a huge number of closed circuit chambers and feels more secure than a prison.
- 8 Imperial War Museum (Imperial War Museum), Lambeth Road, SE1 6HZ, ☎ 44 20 7416 5320, @[email protected]. Free except for temporary exhibitions. 10:00-18:00. Set up as a memorial to those killed in World War I, the Imperial War Museum focuses on British military history between 1914 and the present day. At its entrance are two huge guns like those used on Royal Navy warships. Inside there are various historical military objects. The same institution owns the ship HMS Belfast located on Southbank, used today as a floating museum. In addition they also possess the Cabinet War Rooms and the muses Duxford Air Museum, in Cambridgeshire.
- 9 575 Wandsworth Road, 575 Wandsworth Road, Lambeth, SW8 3JD, ☎ 44 20 7720 9459, @[email protected].
Free. A large park on a hill a ten minute walk from Brixton. Inside there are various services: the Brockwell Lido outdoor swimming pool, children's playground, café, flower garden, sports fields including a BMX track, bathrooms and various ponds.
Library exhibition only May-Jul, Mon-Sat 10: 00-17: 00. The palace has been the official residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury since the 13th century. Guided tours are very popular and the waiting list is long.
What to do
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- 1 Brixton Academy, 211 Stockwell Road. Concert hall for crowds of 4,000 decorated in Art Deco.
- Brixton Audio Tour. Alex Wheatle, the Bard of Brixton, takes us on a personal journey through the narrow streets of Brixton, which are his inspiration.
- 2 Brockwell Lido. Outdoor pool that is not very busy on cold days but with very long lines on sunny days.
- 3 The National Theater, South Bank, SE1 9PX, ☎ 44 20 7452 3000. This is one of the most prominent public theaters. The highly controversial building has the "broken forms aesthetic" which means it is a concrete monster. The external courtyard hosts summer shows.
- 4 The Old Vic, 103 The Cut, SE1 8NB, ☎ 44 20 7928 2651. Kevin Spacey has been the artistic director since 2003 giving a lot of visibility to the theater. Great to see something different and a little further on via The Cut you can also find the sister theater Young Vic, specializing in young productions.
You can see lots of cricket at the stadium:
- 5 The Oval (The Britoval, Kennington Oval), Kennington SE11 5SS (tube station: Oval), @[email protected]. The second home of English cricket, after Lords Stadium. Tickets sell very fast. In addition to international tournaments, the Surrey CCC team plays here in the first division of the County Championship for which tickets can be found.
- 6 The Southbank Center, South Bank, SE1 9PX, ☎ 44 844 875 0073. Southbank Center is the largest arts center in the world and includes the Royal Festival Hall and Queen Elizabeth Hall. It occupies 21 acres of space in the middle of the most cultural London neighborhood in the city. It offers a very broad program that includes classical and other music from around the world, rock, pop, jazz, dance, literature and visual arts.
- 7 Stockwell Skating Park (Stockwell Skate Park), Stockwell Park Walk. Also called ironically Brixton Beach (Brixton beach) is a skating park opened since the 70s of the last century. Skateboard and BMX are the main users of the place.
Shopping
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- 1 Brixton Markets. Thu-Mar 08: 00-18: 00, Wed 08: 00-17: 00. The Brixton market consists of various parts. The main section is Electric Avenue, which mainly sells fruit, vegetables and meat and also has a great Chinese supermarket. On Pope's Road you will find clothes and trinkets. There are also covered markets such as Briton Village (between Pope's Road and Coldharbour Lane), Reliance Arcade (between Brixton Road and Electric Lane) and Granville Arcade (between Electric Lane and Atlantic Road). Here they sell various products: wigs, clothes, pets, exotic food and coffee.
How to have fun
London has the advantage that you can go out for a late drink every night, even on Sundays. There are bars that stay open until 02:00 if you really don't want the weekend to end. The most interesting places are in the back streets.
Pub
- 1 The Duke Of Edinburgh, 204 Ferndale Road, SW9 8AG, ☎ 44 20 7326 0301, @[email protected]. Only worth going there if the weather is nice as the pub itself isn't that great. At the back is a huge garden to drink in and the only thing that remembers being in Brixton is the passing trains.
- 2 The Effra Hall, 38 Kellett Road SW2 1EB, ☎ 44 20 7274 4180. A winning combination of good beers, nice people and live jazz concerts on the weekend.
- 3 Hope & Anchor Brixton, 123 Acre Lane, SW2 5UA, ☎ 44 20 7274 8794, @[email protected]. Slightly different chain of pubs. Inside it is a normal pub but at the back there is a huge garden with raised shelters and many tables, loveseats and other oddities. Well worth a visit in the summer. They offer a large selection of burgers.
- 4 The Grosvenor Arms, 17 Sidney Road, SW9 0TP, @[email protected]. Mon-Sat 17: 00-23: 00; Sun 17: 00-22: 30. Old fashioned pub with two bar counters and a pool table. There is a large event hall that is gaining fame for setting up rock, reggae and punk concerts.
- 5 Hootananny, 95 Effra Road, SW2 1DF, ☎ 44 20 7737 7273, @[email protected]. Licensed late-night pub, very busy and with a tendency to organize ska concerts. Super busy on weekends with a good atmosphere and a great outside area. Inside, the food is prepared by the El Panzon Mexican restaurant.
- 6 Marquis of Lorne, 49 Dalyell Road, SW9 9SA, ☎ 44 20 7771 9408. It has a well-preserved exterior and is a quiet pub that deserves to be better known.
- 7 Prince of Wales, 467- 469 Brixton Road, SW9 8HH, ☎ 44 20 7095 1978, @[email protected]. The downstairs pub is licensed to sell late alcohol, while the Dex Club upstairs is for members only. There is also a small hotel upstairs. There is Wi-Fi in the pub and it is a good place for daily appointments.
- 8 The Riverside, 5 Street George's Wharf, Vauxhall, SW8 2LE (tube station: Vauxhall), ☎ 44 20 7735 8129, @[email protected]. Gastropub on the Thames Pathway pedestrian walkway near the Vauxhall Bridge. Serves food and drinks, including Pimms.
- 9 The Trinity Arms, 45 Trinity Gardens, SW9 8DR, ☎ 44 20 7274 4544, @[email protected]. A real old gentleman's pub with a picture of the queen serving a pint, pinned to the wall. In the midst of the bustle of Brixton near the tube station, tucked away inside the Trinty Gardens alley where it feels like being in another part of London. There is an outdoor garden both on the front and on the back.
- 10 The Brixton Windmill, 22 Blenheim Gardens, SW2 5BZ (Just off Brixton Hill), ☎ 44 20 8671 0700. Usually you pay £ 3 to enter. A 15 minute walk from Brixton tube station, but it's a gem worth it. Small pub that organizes live music concerts by emerging bands. On Saturday nights there are DJs and summer barbeques.
Bar and club
- 11 Dogstar, 389 Coldharbour Lane, SW9 8LQ, ☎ 44 20 7733 7515, @[email protected]. You can enter for free during the week but for a fee at the weekend. One of the busiest places in Brixton ever and worth a visit at least once. They play various different styles: hip hop, reggae r & b, ska and house. It has a dance floor, old sofas and a screen for football matches. Upstairs is the Moca Caribbean restaurant and the third floor is available for private events.
- 12 Fire Club Vauxhall, 44 Parry Street, SW8 1RU, ☎ 44 20 3242 0040. Under the vaults of the Vauxhall railway are three clubs united, although they have separate events and rows: Fire, Lightbox is Protocol. The music and goers are diverse, ranging from gay commercial house-lovers to party until noon to alternative techno to grime in South London to Singing and K-pop for the Asian community.
- 13 Hideaway, 2 Empire Mews, SW16 2ED (Railway station: Streatham), ☎ 44 20 8835 7070, @[email protected]. Jazz club in Streatham. Judged the best seat by the Parliamentary Jazz Club "House of Commons' cross-party Parliamentary Jazz Club".
- 14 Renassiance Rooms, Miles Street, SW8 2LH, ☎ 44 7860 664493. Thu-Sat 09: 00-03: 00. Famous for its "roller-disco" nights.
- 15 White Horse, 94 Brixton Hill, SW2 1QN, ☎ 44 208 678 6666, @[email protected]. Typical London pub with an outside seating area. They serve food and DJs usually play funk records.
Homosexuals
- 16 Eagle London, 349 Kennington Lane, SE11 5QY, ☎ 44 20 7793 0903.
- 17 Royal Vauxhall Tavern, 372 Kennington Lane, SE11 5HY. The main venue for strange, obscene, alternative, bizarre and eccentric evenings.
Where to eat
There are many types of food available in Lambeth, from Caribbean to Eritrean, from fish and chips to noodles. Most of the restaurants are on Coldharbour Lane and Atlantic Road. There are also good restaurants on Clapham High Street.
Brixton Market it hosts many small, well-known restaurants:
- 1 Agile Rabbit, Unit 24, Brixton Village and Market Row, Coldharbour Lane, SW9 8PR, ☎ 44 20 3940 2700, @[email protected]. A small café and pizzeria hosting musical groups in the gallery walkway.
- 2 Brixton Cornercopia, 65, Brixton Village Market, SW9 8PS, ☎ 44 7919 542233, @[email protected]. One of the pioneer stores that changed direction in the market.
- 3 Honest Burgers, Unit 12, Brixton Village, SW9 8PR, ☎ 44 20 7733 7963. It serves exactly what the name says.
- 4 Mama Lan, Brixton Village, 18 Coldharbour Lane, SW9 8PR, @[email protected].
- 5 Etta's Seafood Kitchen, 85/86 Coldharbour Lane, SW9 8PS, ☎ 44 203 489 9394, @[email protected]. Great food which unfortunately you are unable to enjoy due to the rush hour service.
- 6 Franco Manca, Unit 4, Market Row, SW9 8LD, ☎ 44 20 7738 3021. It was once named by Timeout as the best cheap place to eat and is always ridiculously busy. They make authentic Italian pizza at reasonable prices.
Brixton
- 7 Asmara, 386 Coldharbour Lane (In front of the Dogstar), ☎ 44 20 7737 4144. 17:30-00:30. Small Eritrean restaurant, great.
- 8 Fujiyama, 7 Vining Street, ☎ 44 20 7737 2369. Mon-Sat 12: 00-01: 00, Sun 12: 00-00: 00. Japanese noodle restaurant, similar to Wagamama but much smaller and more pleasant. Good value, for £ 6 you get a noodle dish. They also serve ramen, bento, don buri, stir-fried miso noodle soup, curry and rice. They also make freshly squeezed fruit juices as well as beer, wine and sake.
- 9 Ichiban Sushi, 58A Atlantic Road, SW9 8PY, ☎ 44 20 7738 7006. Mon-Sat 12: 00-22: 30. Freshly prepared sushi and tofu dishes.
- 10 Satay Bar, 447 Coldharbour Lane (tube station: Brixton), ☎ 44 844 474 6080. Mon-Thu 12: 00-23: 00, Fri 12: 00-01: 00, Sat 13: 00-01: 00 Sun 17: 00-01: 00. The longest-running restaurant in Brixton, specializing in Indonesian, Malaysian and Thai food. There is also a cocktail bar and "lounge" with a long list of cocktails and drinks. Next to the Ritzy cinema and probably the busiest restaurant in Brixton.
- 11 Wang Fa, 208 Coldharbour Lane, SW9 8SA (Next to Loughborough Junction train station), ☎ 44 20 7998 6587. Mon-Sat 12: 00-22: 30. Chinese, Japanese and Thai cuisine.
- 12 Negril, 132 Brixton Hill, SW2 1RS, ☎ 44 20 8674 8798. Mon-Wed 10 am-6pm, Thu-Sat 10 am-10pm, Sun 10 am-6pm. Jamaican restaurant serving traditional Jerk Chicken and curry. Much of the food is organic and they also make their own fresh fruit juices. Reasonably priced and they also have a patio area.
Kennington
- 13 Gandhi's Restaurant, 347A Kennington Road, SE11 4QE (tube station: Kennington), ☎ 44 20 7735 9015, fax: 44 20 7735-9572, @[email protected]. Main courses £ 6-13. 10:00-14:30, 18:00-23:30. Traditional Indian restaurant
Clapham
- 14 The Pepper Tree, 19 Clapham Common Southside, SW4 7AB (tube station: Clapham Common), ☎ 44 20 7622 1758. Main courses £ 5-7. Long-established Thai restaurant serving great food in a spartan setting on Clapham Common. Excellent quality / price. There are queues at peak times.
Where stay
- 1 Belgrave Hotel, 9-13 Clapham Road, SW9 0JD, ☎ 44 20 7793 0142, fax: 44 207 587 1426, @[email protected]. Small budget hotel with very nice staff. The rooms are small but clean.
- 2 Chelsea Guest House, 372 Wandsworth Road, SW8 4TE, ☎ 44 20 7627 6262, @[email protected]. Small budget hotel with very nice staff. The rooms are small but clean.
- 3 Church Street Hotel, 29-33 Camberwell Church Street, SE5 8TR (2 minutes from Brixton tube station), ☎ 44 20 7703 5984, @[email protected]. Small well decorated hotel.
- 4 Park Plaza Riverbank, 18 Albert Embankment, SE1 7TJ (tube station: Vauxhall), ☎ 44 333 400 6120, ☎800 814 70000, fax: 44 844 854 5291, @[email protected]. With a good reputation and style.
How to keep in touch
Internet
- 2 Internet Exchange at the Brixton Library, Brixton Oval, SW2 1JQ (next to the Ritzy cinema), ☎ 44 20 7926 1056. Free use of computers for internet and documents even if you have to queue. Food and drinks are not allowed.
Safety
Much of Lambeth is safe, as is the rest of the city. The South Bank is a major tourist area and care should be taken with personal items as occasional thieves could take action here.
In the 1980s Brixton had a strong reputation for being a crime-ridden area and up until a few years ago it was nearly impossible to leave the tube station without receiving drug offers. The situation has improved a lot but it is still advisable to take precautions. It is advisable to stay in the well-lit and busy streets where there is little to fear. Some public housing units in South London have a reputation for being violent but are generally places where tourists don't happen to be. In case you have to spend as little time as possible. The same goes for the park of Clapham Common, very popular during the day but pickpockets and sexual activities happen at night.
Other projects
Wikipedia contains an entry concerning Lambeth Town Hall
Commons contains images or other files on Lambeth Town Hall
