Elephant & Castle, sometimes affectionately known as “The Elephant”, is located in south London in the Borough of Southwark, between Waterloo and Walworth. The neighbourhood has undergone a major regeneration in the last decade thanks to a £3 billion investment that manifested itself in the tearing down of old estates, improving the roundabouts, and wide scale building of modern housing developments. Residents of this neighbourhood have an abundance of entertainment options with the Imperial War Museum, Lost Rivers Brewing Company, Ministry of Sound, a nightclub with some of the world’s biggest DJs, and Mercato Metropolitano, a vibrant industrial space with food stalls, live music, and fantastic drinks. Additionally, with Borough just next door, there are even more street stalls and quirky bars that residents can walk to. This neighbourhood is a place that tourists rarely visit and offers an easy commute, and inner city life with, at least for now, a slightly less polished feel and lower rent prices than elsewhere in central London.

The neighbourhood of Elephant & Castle has been an important junction since Roman times. Old Kent Road and Newington Causeway, two of the main thoroughfares which converge in the middle of this neighbourhood, were Roman roads and roughly follow Watling Street and Stane Street, two roads which once led into Londinium. For a long time, there were two distinct villages on either side of the junction set amongst gardens, fields, and open marshlands. However, in the 18th century, as new bridges were built across the Thames, the area was transformed into a fashionable Georgian commuter suburb and by the Victorian period, there was large scale industry and rapid population growth. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, the neighbourhood earned a reputation as the ‘Piccadilly of the South’ due to its numerous entertainment options, some of which still remain today. This history may well have inspired stars such as Charlie Chaplin and Michael Caine, who were both born in the neighbourhood.

Various theories about the name Elephant and Castle have been put forward over the years, including the possibility that it was named after medieval Spanish princesses who were known as the ‘Infanta de Castilla’. However, this has been debunked and it is likely that the area was actually named after a pub called the Elephant and Castle.

One of the downsides of this neighbourhood area is the crime. The area has a reasonably high crime rate of 4.29, with theft being the highest reported crime. However, authorities are working hard to tackle the issue, but it is unknown what effect the ongoing developments and destruction of existing social housing will have on local crime figures.

The local council has designated this neighbourhood as an area of opportunity and will regenerate the neighbourhood into a more desirable place for both existing and new residents, with excellent shopping, leisure facilities and cultural activities. The council estimates that there will be 4,000 new homes, 5,000 new jobs, and around 45,000 sqm of additional shopping and leisure space in the coming years. Multiple high rise developments are being planned in conjunction to create a new town centre around the Elephant and Castle roundabout, which includes the redevelopment of the area’s signature shopping centre as well as the expansion and refurbishment of the tube station. Nearly 1,000 new homes will also be provided in the Elephant Park development on Heygate Street, which together with a large new Hotel on Newington Causeway makes this postcode one of the busiest areas in London for new construction.