Where is it? Old Kent Road, the first stop on the Monopoly board and the cheapest property is in south east London, and cuts diagonally from Southwark (just south of Tower Bridge) in a straight line of just over two miles to New Cross. It is also the only square on the London Monopoly board south of the river Thames. What’s the story? As the name suggests, the Old Kent Road was an ancient road used by the Romans and formed part of the famous Watling Street which ran from Dover to Holyhead. Geoffrey Chaucer’s pilgrims travelled down the road on their way to Canterbury in ‘The Canterbury Tales’, written in the late 14th century. This once rural thoroughfare, was by the late 19th and early 20th century a mix of housing and industry, including gas works. Much of the surrounding area was heavily bombed during WWII and the old terraces were replaced with high rise council estates and new industrial developments. How do I get there? I live not far from Old Kent Road, so can safely say, that as a tourist it’s reasonably unlikely you’d be wanting to go there. However, the nearest stations are Elephant and Castle to the west and New Cross Gate to the east. Having said that, there’s loads of developments afoot and a couple of new stations will be popping up along the road as part of the Bakerloo Line extension which will run to Lewisham. So you never know, in twenty or thirty years, maybe it will be a tourist destination. What’s it like now? A not particularly pleasant road, choked with traffic and lined with high rise flats, big stores and depots. Where would I stay? You’re probably better off staying around London Bridge, although if you’re into Air BnB’s and fancy staying somewhere less central, then Peckham is a vibrant area, just south of Old Kent Road. What’s of interest?
On the Old Kent Road itself …not much. South London does actually boast the greenest space of anywhere in London and there are lovely places to visit, but in keeping with the Monopoly board theme, you could wander around Burgess Park. Seeing as this is the only spot included on the board south of the river, I’ll mention a few places around London Bridge for starters. Bankside and Borough A big draw is the famous food market, Borough Market, which has also doubled up as film locations for the Bridget Jones films and Harry Potter. Southwark cathedral is a wonderful cathedral that often gets usurped by St Paul’s cathedral and Westminster Abbey. You’ve got the Golden Hinde; a replica of Francis Drake’s ship that circumnavigated the world in 1577, Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre and the Tate Modern. You should also definitely stop off for a drink at the George Inn, the only surviving galleried coaching inn in London, which dates back to 1676. If you’re interested in medical history, then the Old Operating Theatre is a must. I do lots of tours around this area, so can show you around, should you so wish. Lambeth If you’re interested in military history then you should definitely visit the Imperial War Museum. Bermondsey In recent years, Bermondsey Street (in between London Bridge and Tower Bridge) has become trendified beyond recognition with a host of restaurants, gastro pubs and coffee shops. For a cultural hit you’ve got the White Cube Gallery and the Fashion and Textile museum and whilst you’re there I highly recommend popping in to Peter Leyton: London Glassblowing and watching some expert glassblowers in action. For foodies, you should definitely seek out Maltby Street Market. Down by the river you can visit the HMS Belfast, a WWII war ship used during D-Day in 1944 or if you have kids and fancy some theatre, then I can highly recommend, the Unicorn Theatre which just does shows for kids. The River Thames I realise that people visiting London for a short period are unlikely to do this, but I always recommend a wander along the river Thames. You can uncover so much. I should know, I’ve walked the entire length of it. Tower Bridge is one of the most iconic sights in London, but many people don’t realise that the entire structure is a museum. From there you can walk through Shad Thames; 19th century warehouses turned in to apartments. You’ll pass the Brunel Museum which housed the Engine Room for Marc Isambard Brunel’s Thames Tunnel, finished in 1843, the first tunnel to be built beneath a navigable river and the historic area of Rotherhithe which is lovely and of particular interest to Americans with a connection to the Mayflower as it collected 65 people from here. The pub of the same name is lovely and well worth a visit. Greenwich Further to the east is Greenwich, which you can get to by boat from central London if you’d rather not take the train. It’s a lovely area which includes the Cutty Sark, the Old Royal Naval College and its Painted Hall, the Maritime Museum, the Royal Observatory, the Fan Museum, Greenwich Park and loads of other things. And finally, if for whatever reason you are actually looking for Old Kent Road, do say 'THE Old Kent Road' making sure you use the prefix 'the'. No one in London calls it 'Old Kent Road'. PLEASE NOTE - There are obviously far more places of interest in south London including museums and galleries, but as Old Kent Road is literally the only road in the whole of south London included on the Monopoly board, it's a bit limiting, so have stuck to more instantly tourist friendly suggestions.
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I didn't take a photo on Sundays walk, so have included a walk I did on Friday (it was almost the weekend) with Paul, Sujata, Alan & Carol. It was a relaxed affair, that involved a wander through Covent Garden, hot chocolates & coffees at the Fleet River Bakery, who I should also point out stock Frank Water (if you don't know what that is ... check the link), a meander through Lincoln's Inn Fields (the largest public square in London) and a mooch around Fleet Street, St Bride's and more, finishing at St Paul's. Here they are outside The Old Curiosity Shop, immortalised by Charles Dickens in the book of the same name. They've handily written it on the side of the building, just incase you hadn't realised. I should point out that it's currently a shoe shop ... nothing particularly curious about it, unless of course, you find shoes, strangely curious. On Saturday morning I was joined by a heady mix of people with varying degrees of London knowledge. Martin having done his own London tours topped the scales and Anne who is over for a short period from France was just getting to know her way around. Throw in to the mix some born and bred Londoners like Jacqui (who was back for her second Bowl Of Chalk walk) Donna and Tariq and add a sprinkling of Camilla, Kate and Clare (over from Switzerland) and you've got a group on your hands. We caught Hodge (Samuel Johnson's cat) having a crafty fag. Naughty Hodge. For the rest of the weekend, it was just me and Tariq, as everyone-else bailed out. In the afternoon, we went from St Paul's to Monument via Borough and were discussing the Old Operating Theatre, which Tariq had never been to, but said was on his 'To Do' list. As we passed by, there was a sign outside saying that on Saturday it was 'Free' to enter (it's the 50th anniversary of the museum's foundation). What luck. Obviously we went in. It's an incredibly unusual museum, and is the oldest pre-anaesthetic operating theatre in Europe, generally used for swift amputations after the patient had been plied with alcohol. So, many thanks to everyone who came this weekend, and Tariq, for putting up with me for three walks.
Some Awards Most French - Anne Most half French - Tariq Most Londony knowledge - Martin Best moustache - Tariq Most tattoos - Tariq Biggest West Ham fan - Jacqui Most naturally rural - Alan & Carol |
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