Ivory Handles and Cutlers’ Implements - Elephant and Castle

Elephant and Castle - Region Background and Development

Elephant and Castle is a major road junction in central London, located in the second southeast district of London, belonging to London Borough of Southwark.

Before this area got the lovely name "Elephant and Castle", it was actually occupied by a manor named Newington. The village belonged to Walworth. It is mentioned in the 1086 Domesday book that this manor belonged to the Archbishop of Canterbury. part. So now you can see that the name Newington will still appear on the main roads in Elephant Castle, such as Newington Causeway and Newington Butts.

Obviously there are no elephants or castles here, so why is it called an elephant and a castle? One theory is that it originated from the name of a post station. In the early days, there was a knifesmith association in the area. This association was responsible for processing ivory. The emblem of the association is an elephant carrying an elephant sedan. It's called the Elephant and the Castle.

Another theory is that the name actually comes from a tavern. In the past, there was a merchant in this area that specialized in weapons such as knives, swords, daggers, etc., but their handles were not made of wood or iron. Precious ivory. The coat of arms of their family is composed of two large elephants on the left and three pairs of swords, and a small elephant on the top carrying a small fortress.

And there is a tavern that likes this shield very much, so it was named "Elephant and Castle". The people who come and go to this tavern to drink are all ivory merchants, and this tavern has also become a place for them to chat and drink every now and then. A place to do business. And this tavern has been demolished after hundreds of years, but now there is still a tavern called "Elephant and Castle"!

There is also a very important historical building in the area of Elephant Castle – the Metropolitan Tabernacle, a large Baptist church built in 1861 and considered to be the forerunner of the "mega-church".

The history of the Capital Tabernacle can be traced back to 1650. At that time, the British Parliament banned the gathering of independent Christian groups. They were not afraid of persecution. It was not until 1688 that the Baptists were allowed to gather freely. church. During the prosperous period of the Baptist Church, in 1854, they decided to build a permanent large-scale place for the church. Tabernacle Pastor - Spurgeon died (1892) and the Church slowly declined. It burned down in 1898, leaving only the porch and the basement, and the rebuilt church was destroyed again when the Germans bombed London in 1941. In 1957, it was rebuilt according to its original appearance, but on a much smaller scale.

Elephant and Castle - Location and Traffic

Elephant Castle is located at the intersection of main roads in central London, in the second district of southeast London, under the local government - London Borough of Southwark, postcode SE1. Adjacent to Waterloo station, south to Brixton.

Elephant Castle has very convenient transportation. This subway station includes the Northern Line (via bank) and the Bakerloo Line, which is also the south end station of the Bakerloo Line.

In addition to the subway, there are railway stations and bus stations. The station has two buildings on the ground, which are located on both sides of a large interchange. The North Tower provides the most direct access to the Bakerloo Line, while the South Tower is closer to the Northern Line.

From Elephant Castle Metro Station, it takes only 9 minutes to take the Bakerloo Line to Waterloo Station, 15 minutes to Bond Street, and 15 minutes to Oxford Circus.
It takes only one hour by subway to London Heathrow International Airport and about 50 minutes to London Gatwick Airport.

Elephant and Castle - Life and Recreation

In terms of life, the Elephant Castle area is also very convenient. There are all the big supermarkets that should be available, and banks, big hospitals, GPs, etc. are also within easy reach. Whether it's Chinese food, Western food, or Korean food, you can take a bus or walk from Elephant Castle! The editor especially recommends CheeMc, a Korean restaurant near Elephant Castle. It is a very authentic Korean restaurant. Friends who have experienced it may wish to try it!

If you like to eat brunch, you might as well try Louie Louie!

In the Elephant Castle area, there is also a large park in South London - Burgess Park, which is especially suitable for picnics or sunbathing in the park when the weather in London is good!

Elephant and Castle - Local Education

According to Ofsted, an authoritative office for standards in education in the UK, in the Elephant and Castle area there are:

Primary School

Secondary School

Elephant and Castle - Property Market

Let's take a look at Zoopla's data of the average sales and rental prices in the Elephant and Castle area:

From the perspective of housing price trends, the growth of housing prices in this area is stable. Although the increase in housing prices is not so obvious after the news of Brexit in 2016, there is still a small increase.

Elephant and Castle - Council Tax

Council tax in the Elephant and Castle area: