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.
11 Best Butchers In South London
For a foodstuff that makes up a very large part of the diet of a large proportion of the the great people of South London, we don't seem to take much care in the quality of the meat we eat. We're happy to go to the supermarket and buy the pre-packaged meat on the shelves because it's more convenient, and we're not going to damn you for doing it, a lot of the time you've just come home from work and haven't got any food in your fridge. However, we would certainly encourage you to make an effort in purchasing meat of a higher quality as the taste and flavour will certainly make it worthwhile. Butchery is an ancient trade and though almost all large supermarkets will have a butcher in their premises, independent butchers are a great way of supporting the local economy. If you're not sure of where to look for your new local independent butcher, we're here to help you with our list of the 11 best butchers in South London.
Top 10 South London Parks
You showed us guys. You showed us right up. Here we were thinking we had you lot sussed, thinking we knew what you were like - thinking you liked a moan. The quantity of votes we received for this poll has been quite staggering, almost moving in all honesty, the amount of love people clearly feel for the parks of South London is a really great thing. Before we get started in revealing the results of the poll, we've got a few things to settle first, namely explaining as to why your favourite park wasn't included. Parks are rather personal places, and we couldn't include every park in South London - there are loads, trust us. We tried to make the spread as fair as possible, to increase the likelihood that individuals from all parts South London had visited at least a couple of these parks. We're not questioning the greatness of your local park, not for one moment, we just tried to include the parks we thought were both the most attractive and most likely to have been visited by most people from the most areas of South London. Anyway, enough of that, we've got a Top 10 to countdown, and we'll be beginning, as before, at number 10. So here it is, the Top 10 South London parks, as voted for by you.
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.
Vote For South London's Best Park!
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.
A-Z Independent Breweries Of South London
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.
11 Great Italian Restaurants in South London
Italian food is pretty well-travelled. Go anywhere in Europe or North America, and you'll probably be able to find an Italian restaurant. Italian food is undoubtedly popular - it's so popular that a particular Italian food is the central premise to a worldwide fast-food chains. If you hadn't guessed, that particular food is pizza. When you think of Italian food you probably split it between pizza and pasta - some of you might even think of just pizza. Italian food is so popular that it's hard to think of a time before it in the UK, a time that we shall call 'BP'. If you can't, we'd encourage you to ask your parents, or anyone you know who was alive, or at least aware, during the 60s about it. Having a favourite Italian restaurant is an essential we would say, and South London has plenty of fantastic Italian restaurants waiting for you to discover them, so to help you out, we've compiled a list of 11 great Italian restaurants in South London.
11 Great Vietnamese Restaurants in South London
London is well-known for having some of the best Vietnamese restaurants this side of Saigon, however there are many beyond the more commonly known establishments in East London. South London is home to numerous different cuisines, and we're not saying Vietnamese food is our favourite, but it certainly has added something rather delicious to the South London food scene. We reckon it's about time you got stuck into some, so we've gone out of our way to compile a list of 11 Great Vietnamese Restaurants in South London.
9 Best Supper Clubs & Pop-Ups in South London
London is renowned for its fantastic food scene, increasingly more of which is being supplied by the many supperclubs and pop-up eateries springing up across London. These not only provide diverse and affordable dining opportunities but let passionate chefs and foodies wow guests with their creative dishes and unique food culture. Here’s are a few of our favourites from South of the river.
10 Independent Cinemas in South London
Ah the silver screen! Romance, drama, comedy, horror, sci-fi - we've all got different tastes. Some of us like watching movies at home, curled up on the sofa with loved ones, or on our own, becoming absorbed in a world away from ourselves, that's cool, we understand. A lot of us though, we love going to the cinema, to see films in a special setting, and to make an evening of it. What do independent cinemas have over, say, your Odeons? Let's just tell it straight - character. These places are unique on the inside and out, and if you're going on a date, then surely it's better to go somewhere a little different, rather than the flat-pack, business park cinemas littered all over the country. Anyway, we thought it would be nice to compile a list of the 10 independent cinemas in South London. Before you moan at us for not including Picturehouse, they're owned by Cineworld and have been since 2012, so they're no longer independent in our eyes.