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.
Blue Plaques of Richmond
Ah Richmond, scene to the most famous quotation of the 21st century so far – “Fenton…Fenton…Fenton! Fentoon!! Fentaaahn!!! Fentaaaaahn!!! Fentaaahn!!!! Oh, Jesus Christ! Fentaaaahn!! Oh, Jesus Christ! FENTAAAAAGHN!! Oh, Christ!” Still famed for its deer, Richmond Park is the centrepiece of leafy Richmond, which used to play host to all sorts of royal types, including Henry VIII and his daughter Elizabeth I. Beyond royalty, Richmond has also been called home by a number of famous ladies and gentlemen, most of whom are commemorated by blue plaques. We at South London Club love lists, so here is a list of the blue plaques of Richmond.
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.
17 Places For Your Favourite Foods In South London
We all have a particular meal that we enjoy more than others, it's natural, so don't feel bad about it. Some days you feel like trying something new, some days you don't, and today we're gonna be focusing on those days that you don't - though you could still use this list as a guide of places where you can try new foods, there's absolutely nothing stopping you. There are even more added layers to all this, you could use this list as a guide for new places for you try your favourite foods at, did you think of that? Yes? Well done then. If you are using this list of 17 places for your favourite foods in South London for any of these reasons, that's fine, we just hope you're using it safely, in a responsible environment, with people you trust. Anyway, here it is.
Top 10 Worst Train Stations 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
11 Best Independent Galleries in South London
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.
Blue Plaques of Lewisham, Lee & Hither Green
More proof of the prejudice held by the powers that be, well, in regards to important residents at least, Lewisham (Centre), Lee & Hither Green have nine blue plaques between them. Nine! It's a disgrace, an absolute disgrace. Anyway, anger aside, some of the names on this list are rather remarkable beasts, who have had quite a significant relationship with the local area
4 Stunning Lidos Of South London
For those of you who somehow do not know, a lido is a public open-air swimming pool or bathing beach. Considering that none of the potential beaches along the Thames are commonly used for any sort of sunbathing anymore, with regards to the urban context of London, a lido commonly denotes a public open-air swimming pool. An essential aspect of the lido is that they are for pubic use, they are not private members clubs, anyone can rock up on the day and have a swim. Over the course of the 20th century, South London has had 21 lidos, now there are only four. We will discuss those former lidos in a future article, and what potential futures those lidos have, but today we are going to discuss the four stunning lidos of South London that are still going. and are still open to the public.
Sherlock Holmes in Lambeth Borough
Sherlock Holmes is a fictional character indelibly linked with London - he lived in Baker Street, and subsequently the vast majority of the crimes the character deals with are either within the centre of London, or the surrounding environs which would eventually become part of London. Many of these suburbs are now relatively central parts of South London, and we will discuss most of them in later articles, but in this one we are going to discuss Sherlock Holmes activities in a consistently central part of South London - Lambeth.
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.