Tom Edwards

Behind The Names: London Borough of Southwark

Behind The Names: London Borough of Southwark

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.

A Brief History of Southwark Cathedral

A Brief History of Southwark Cathedral

It might surprise you that Southwark actually has two cathedrals, one Anglican and one Catholic - the other is St. George's Cathedral. It's relatively remarkable that there is only one other Anglican cathedral (St Paul's) and one other Catholic cathedral (Westminster) in the rest of London. Southwark has two cathedrals alone, and it's just a part of London - there are only six other cities in England and Wales where this is also the case: Birmingham, Liverpool, Newcastle, Norwich, Portsmouth, and Sheffield. In this instance we're going to be talking about the Anglican Southwark Cathedral

11 Best Butchers In South London

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.

Blue Plaques of Deptford and New Cross

Blue Plaques of Deptford and New Cross

Here it is, another article in our series on the blue plaques of South London, and this week we're talking about the blue plaques of Deptford and New Cross. From the outset we're going to be very honest with you and tell you that there is only one 'official' blue plaque in Deptford and New Cross. Talking about only one plaque would not be particularly interesting however, so we're included the Lewisham maroon plaques as well in this list, along with one or two other plaques. Some might accuse this list of being somewhat arbitrary as we haven't included every plaque in the area, but we've included those which we thought were worth including. Though there is only one blue plaque, we've called this article the 'Blue Plaques of Deptford and New Cross' for the sake of consistency. Anyhow, we hop you enjoy this list of the blue plaques of Deptford and New Cross.

7 Best Meals In Camberwell

7 Best Meals In Camberwell

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.

Behind The Names: London Borough of Lambeth

Behind The Names: London Borough of Lambeth

In the second article of this series explaining the story behind the names of areas of South London, we are going to be talking about the London Borough of Lambeth. In the last article we used the wards of Lewisham borough because they were largely relevant to the common names of the areas of the boroughs, the same cannot be said of Lambeth. In this instance we're going to be talking about the districts of the borough, and maybe one or two wards. Maybe. As was the case in the last article, we have not included any names that we could not find an explanation for.

14 Best Beer Shops in South London

14 Best Beer Shops in South London

Beer shops are actually quite an old thing, though it might not feel that way. Having gone through something of a lull, plenty of beer shops have been opening up all over London in recent years off the back of the surging craft beer scene. As we all know, and we as showed in our A-Z, South London is home to the best craft breweries in all of London - and the presence of these breweries has led to the opening of some fantastic beer shops. Beer shop operate in a very similar manner to wine sellers, and they are wonderful places to just browse - you know, just stand around looking at stuff you might buy. If you haven't got into the craze that is figuratively sweeping South London, we think it's about time that you did, so to help you get going here is our list of the 14 best beer shops in South London.

10 Power Stations of South London

10 Power Stations of South London

Ask many of the older members of the South London community and they will tell you that pollution, particularly smog, used to be a fact of life in the area - and that could probably have been said for the rest of London at that time. To give you an idea of the scale, from 1933-1978 there were 9 fossil-fuel burning power stations alone operating in what constitutes as South London today, and 11 north of the river as well for most of that period - that's also not counting the large number in surrounding counties like Kent. When one looks at figures like that, it's hardly surprising that events like the Great Smog of London in 1952 occurred. All but one of those South London power stations were decommissioned during a period between 70s to the early 80s, and only some of the buildings are still standing. These structures, however, were quite stark and significant, and though not all of them were quite as massive as Battersea, they still stood out on the skyline. We're interested in telling the story of South London, and many of you will remember these power stations, while some of you might not even know that these power stations were there. So, here it is, a list of the 10 power stations of South London. 

7 Best Meals In Balham

7 Best Meals In Balham

For those reading this who don't know, Balham is an area of Wandsworth Borough near the border with Lambeth Borough. Like near neighbour Streatham, Balham (both hams) has been getting better and better in recent years, and the improving gastronomic scene reflects that. We know it's difficult to make a decision on the fly when walking down a street as to where you might want to eat, so we thought that those of you who live in or near Balham might appreciate a rundown of places you might enjoy visiting. We're all about spreading the word about great places to enjoy a meal in South London and encouraging you to invest in independent businesses, so we thought it was about time we gave our list of the 7 best meals in Balham.

13 Best Places For A Haircut In Lewisham Borough

13 Best Places For A Haircut In Lewisham Borough

Let it be known that haircuts are very important. Though their importance varies from person to person, there is little question that haircuts are always important. They're a key way in which we as individuals define ourselves and play an incredibly important role in how we are visually received by others. Really, a haircut should be what you like, what you want - not what every one else has, but it's difficult to argue against the power of wanting to look like your peers. For some people, the role of a haircut is quite complex - it's there to help you stand out, but not massively. It's a rather peculiar but essential balance. Anyway, having a hairdresser or barber that you trust and know is, by proxy, vitally important. You are a beautiful portrait that needs touching up now and then, and if you're happy with how it looked previously, you're not going to have some other artist touch your portrait are you? No, so if you're in need of a new artist in Lewisham Borough to trust your hair (portrait) with, then we've got you covered with our list of the 13 best places for a haircut in Lewisham Borough. We split it up into unisex, female, and male to make sure you don't go somewhere that can't help you.