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.
Despite what you’ve heard about South London, this part of the capital truly gives you a different and exciting experience in comparison to other parts of London. If you manage to look past the countless Morley’s chicken shops around you will come to find some stunning sights and attractions spread across the ‘South Side.’ We’ve listed 56 of South London’s Best Landmarks and Attractions (including sculptures, churches and cinema’s) that set South London apart.
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.
Camberwell is one of the most ancient parts of South London. When it appeared in the Domesday Book back in 1086 it was already a pretty substantial settlement, and due to it's rather central location has a long association with London - much longer than most of South London. For a while Camberwell has gone somewhat unnoticed by those who aren't from the area or live around it due to the success of its near neighbour Peckham, however, due to the potential saturation of Peckham (it's just becoming too trendy for the trendy-types), Camberwell has seen its own form of trend-ification. It's a great place to get some great food, and we think it's about time some of its brilliant eateries got the credit they deserve, so here is our list of the 7 best meals in Camberwell.
The earliest known dedicated Indian restaurant opened in the United Kingdom was the Hindostanee Coffee House on George Street in Westminster, owned and run by one Sake Dean Mahomed, and which began trading in 1810. Though Britain apparently already had a taste for curry by this point, as shown by the fact that curried dishes were included in cookbooks published during the eighteenth century, the Hindostanee Coffee House apparently closed only a year after opening due to a lack of business - though some accounts suggest it continued trading till 1833. To put this into context, the first outlet dedicated to selling the dish now most synonymous with the UK - fish and chips - opened during the 1860s. Curry has become a staple of the British diet, and is easily one of the most popular 'takeaway' foods commonly served in the UK. Almost everyone has a favourite curry dish, and a favourite curry restaurant. We're not going to try to change that, but maybe you're thinking about trying somewhere new, and if you are, we've got you covered. To help you get your search started, here is our list of the 11 best Indian restaurants in 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
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.
Parks are vitally important, particularly in urban environments like London. To be able to escape the concrete and steel cage of the city, for just an hour possibly, has to be a good thing. Not that the countryside is for everyone, there are plenty of people who can't stand the slowness, the absence of activity, but to have that sort of space is very good. Below we've provided you with a shortlist of what we think are the best park in South London, and we've tried to make the spread as fair as possible. Obviously all of this is subjective, and we may have missed your favourite park out, for that we can only apologise - we did out best. We tried to make the definition as fair as possible, so if it was defined by the council that runs it as a park, we included it - which explains the presence of Blackheath in the shortlist. We've been asking you guys to vote a bit recently, and you guys have responded really well. We had a vote for South London's Best Train Station, and then we asked you to vote for South London's Worst Train Station - almost twice as many of you voted in the latter poll, than in the former, giving an indicator as to how much us South Londoners like a good moan. We won't be asking you to vote for South London's worst park though, we don't think that's anything worth celebrating at all - parks as an idea are inherently positive, and should be treated so, regardless of their current state. Anyway, we've included images of the parks below the voting form, have a look at some of those if you need to be reminded what they look like. The voting closes on Thursday 27th July, and the results will be released on Friday 28th July.
It may come as something of a surprise to some of you, but art does not have to be in a ginormous, grandiose space in order to be good. In fact, art doesn't have to be anything to be good, you know why? Cos it's all subjective! Art is a matter of taste and taste should be utterly personal, though if we're going to be truthful, that isn't entirely the case. Just like wine and music, it's what you like that matters - not what people tell you to like. Just because something is expensive, and it's by a famous name does not make it good. If you want some art that you like, go find some art you like, and a really good way of doing that is by visiting independent galleries. Just like independent theatres, it's a great place to find emerging artists who haven't necessarily been annointed by wealthy backers, and have had to work their damn socks off even to get in these small galleries. To give you a head start, we've brought together a list of what we, and stress that we part, think are the 11 best independent galleries in South London.
South London is an incredibly diverse region, and is home to numerous different ethnicities that all contribute something different to the areas that they call home. There a number of different avenues through which different groups access each others cultures, and are able to some extent experience them. These include mediums like visual art and music, however, we're not here to talk about them, though they are worthy of discussion, no, we're going to be talk about a more overtly sensational medium - food. Though you can taste similarities between different cuisines, each and all have something about them that sets them apart - be it a reliance on particular ingredients native to the country, or a signature popular dish. There are even some cuisines that have become so established here that the cuisine served on these shores has mutated, for want of a better word, and there are dishes served that were developed in the UK - see chicken tikka masala. So here is a list of 25 different cuisines that you can try in South London.
Delicatessens, or delis as they are known amongst the bright and the beautiful of this world, originated in Germany, as the rather foreign-sounding name would suggest. For an outsider, and an insider for that matter, what a delicatessen is exactly is hard to say. They seem to sell all manner of rustic foods and expensive produce, such as cured meats and pastries, however there doesn't seem to be anything edible that delicatessens can't sell, so really, almost anyone can call themselves a delicatessen. That said, delicatessens certainly serve a number of purposes - if you are need of funky cheeses and such goods, you will want to attend your local delicatessen. We care about supporting independent business, and delicatessens are on the frontline against the major brands like Tesco in attempting to provide customers with a wide variety of high quality produce. To help you find the deli that's right for you, we've compiled this list of the 17 best delicatessens in South London.
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.
