Elephant & Castle
Coordinates: 51.499° N 0.09° W Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...
OS grid reference	TQ319789
London borough	Southwark
Ceremonial county	Greater London
Region	London
Constituent country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	LONDON
Postcode district	SE1, SE11, SE17
Dial code	020
Police	Metropolitan
Fire	London
Ambulance	London
London Assembly	Lambeth and Southwark
European Parliament	London
List of places: UK • England • London

The Elephant and Castle, commonly shortened to the Elephant, is a major road intersection in inner south London, and is also used as a name for the surrounding district. The Elephant consists of two fairly large roundabouts connected by a short road called Elephant and Castle, part of the A3. Adjacent to the northern roundabout is the Elephant and Castle Shopping Centre, with an office block called Hannibal House on top, and a residential block called Metro Central Heights, formerly Alexander Fleming House — now both widely derided as "ugly".^{[citation needed]} "Elephant and Castle" has largely replaced the original name of the area — Newington. Image File history File links Greater_london_outline_map_bw. ... Image File history File links Red_pog. ... The British national grid reference system is a system of geographic grid references commonly used in Great Britain, different from using latitude or longitude. ... The districts of England are a level of subnational division of England used for the purposes of local government. ... The London Borough of Southwark is a London borough in London, England. ... The Ceremonial counties of England are areas of England that are appointed a Lord-Lieutenant, and are defined by the government with reference to the metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties of England. ... Greater London is the top-level administrative subdivision covering London, England. ... The region, also known as Government Office Region, is currently the highest tier of local government subnational entity of England in the United Kingdom. ... Greater London is the top-level administrative subdivision covering London, England. ... This is an alphabetical list of countries of the world, including independent states (both those that are internationally recognised and generally unrecognised), inhabited dependent territories and areas of special sovereignty. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London (de facto) Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2006 est. ... This is an alphabetical list of the sovereign states of the world, including both de jure and de facto independent states. ... A post town is a required part of all UK postal addresses. ... UK postal codes are known as postcodes. ... The SE (South Eastern) postcode area, also known as the London SE postcode area[2], is the part of the London postal district covering much of south east London, England. ... The UK telephone numbering plan, also known as the National Numbering Plan, is regulated by the Office of Communications (Ofcom), which replaced the Office of Telecommunications (Oftel) in 2003. ... 020 is the dial code for Greater London in the United Kingdom. ... The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) is the Home Office police force responsible for Greater London, with the exception of the square mile of the City of London. ... A Fire Appliance belonging to the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service The fire service in the United Kingdom has undergone dramatic changes since the beginning of the 21st century, a process that has been propelled by a devolution of central government powers, new legislation and a change to operational... The London Fire Brigade (LFB) is the statutory fire and rescue service for London, England. ... Crest of NHS ambulance services in England Crest of the Scottish Ambulance Service In the UK, the majority of ambulance services are provided under the National Health Service through local ambulance trusts. Each trust is specific to a county or area, and so the country is divided across a number... The London Ambulance Service (LAS) is the largest ambulance service in the world that does not directly charge its patients for its services. ... Greater London is divided into a number of constituencies for London Assembly elections. ... Lambeth and Southwark is a constituency represented in the London Assembly. ... This is a list of Members of the European Parliament for the United Kingdom in the 2004 to 2009 session, ordered by name. ... London is a constituency of the European Parliament. ... List of cities in the United Kingdom List of towns in England Lists of places within counties List of places in Bedfordshire List of places in Berkshire List of places in Buckinghamshire List of places in Cambridgeshire List of places in Cheshire List of places in Cleveland List of places... This is a partial list of places in London, England. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... For the song by Yes, see Roundabout (song) A roundabout or rotary is a type of road junction (or traffic calming device) at which traffic streams around a central island, after first yielding (giving way) to the circulating traffic. ... The A3 near Liphook The A3 is a trunk road in Southern England, connecting London to Portsmouth. ... Hannibal House is an icon of 1960s office architecture positioned above the Elephant and Castle shopping centre in south London. ... Metro Central Heights Alexander Fleming House was a multi_storey office building designed by Hungarian_born architect Ernö Goldfinger and constructed in the early 1960s to be the headquarters of the Department of Health and Social Security. ... Newington is a place in the London Borough of Southwark. ...

The roundabouts direct traffic arriving from and heading to the south-east of England along the A2 — called here the New Kent Road and then the Old Kent Road — and towards the south of England on the A3 as well as splitting traffic into the West End and the City of London via St George's Road, London Road and Newington Causeway from the northern roundabout. Newington Butts and Walworth Road adjoin the southern roundabout. The two roundabouts form part of the London Inner Ring Road and as such form part of the boundary of the London congestion charge zone. Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London (de facto) Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2006 est. ... The A2 is a major road in the United Kingdom, connecting London with the English Channel port of Dover in Kent. ... New Kent Road is a short road in south London, created in 1751 when the Turnpike Trust upgraded a local footpath. ... Old Kent Road is a road in south London. ... The interior of Covent Garden Market in the West End The West End of London is an area of central London, containing many of the citys major tourist attractions, businesses, and administrative headquarters. ... The City of London is a geographically-small city within Greater London, England. ... Imperial War Museum off St Georges Road. ... A view of London South Bank University from London Road. ... Newington Causeway is a road in Southwark, London SE1, between the Elephant and Castle and Borough High Street. ... Newington Butts is a short road in Southwark, London, England, leading south-west from the Elephant and Castle. ... Walworth Road is a road in the London Borough of Southwark, running from Elephant and Castle to Camberwell Road (which it becomes at Burgess Park). ... The London Inner Ring Road is the name commonly given to a collection of major roads that encircle the centremost part of London, United Kingdom. ... The white-on-red C marks all entrances to the congestion charge zone although in some areas the charge zone is poorly signed, and accidental journeys into the zone can occur The London congestion charge is a fee for some motorists entering the Central London area. ...

In the middle of the northern roundabout is the Michael Faraday Memorial, a large stainless steel box built in honour of Michael Faraday who was born nearby. His name does not appear on the structure, but there is an inscription in the ground nearby. The structure also contains an electrical transformer for the Northern Line. The Michael Faraday Memorial is a monument in Elephant and Castle, London, England. ... Michael Faraday, FRS (September 22, 1791 – August 25, 1867) was an English chemist and physicist (or natural philosopher, in the terminology of that time) who contributed significantly to the fields of electromagnetism and electrochemistry. ... For other uses, see Northern Line (disambiguation). ...

Famous former residents include Charlie Chaplin and Michael Caine who were born and grew up locally. Electronic musician Aphex Twin lives in a converted bank in the area . “Charles Chaplin” redirects here. ... Sir Maurice Joseph Micklewhite CBE (born March 14, 1933), known professionally as Michael Caine, is a two-time Academy Award-winning British film actor. ... Aphex Twin (born Richard David James on August 18, 1971 in Limerick, Ireland) is an electronic music artist, credited with pushing forward the genres of techno, ambient, acid, and drum and bass. ...

The Elephant is also home to Elephant & Castle station, Skipton House (housing the Department of Health), London South Bank University, London College of Communication, Metro Heights (formerly Alexander Fleming House), the Ministry of Sound nightclub and the Metropolitan Tabernacle. The Cuming Museum is nearby. Bakerloo line entrance Elephant & Castle station in Elephant and Castle in the London Borough of Southwark, England consists of a main line railway station, serving various suburban stations within south London, and a tube station. ... -1... Many governments, both national and more local, have a Department of Health. This article is about the British one. ... London South Bank University is a central London university with around 20,000 students and 1,700 staff in the London Borough of Southwark. ... London College of Communication The London College of Communication (formerly the London College of Printing, and briefly London College of Printing and Distributive Trades) is one of the six constituent colleges of the University of the Arts London. ... Metro Central Heights Alexander Fleming House was a multi_storey office building designed by Hungarian_born architect Ernö Goldfinger and constructed in the early 1960s to be the headquarters of the Department of Health and Social Security. ... Ministry of Sound (MoS) is one of the most famous nightclubs in the world of electronic music, said to be to London what Studio 54 was to New York, and whose fame goes far across English borders. ... Metropolitan Tabernacle The Metropolitan Tabernacle is a large Reformed Baptist church in the Elephant and Castle in London. ... The Cuming Museum in Walworth Road in the London Borough of Southwark houses the collection of the Cuming family and is also a museum of Southwarks history. ...

History

The name of the area derives from a pub of the same name in the area. The earliest surviving record of the pub's name is in the Court Leet Book of the Manor of Walworth. The court had met at "Elephant and Castle, Newington" on 21 March 1765. An external sign displayed in 2006 asserts that the pub was rebuilt in 1816 and 1898, although the present building, that offers budget accommodation on upper floors, appears to be of mid-20th Century construction. An amusingly named pub (the Old New Inn) at Bourton-on-the-Water, in the Cotswold Hills of South West England A pub in the Haymarket area of Edinburgh, Scotland A public house, usually known as a pub, is a drinking establishment found mainly in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada... At a very early time the lords of manors exercised or claimed certain jurisdictional franchises. ... Walworth is a place in the London Borough of Southwark, between Camberwell and Elephant and Castle. ... March 21 is the 80th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (81st in leap years). ... 1765 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ...

The name itself predates this account. Apocryphally, it is a corruption of the Spanish Infanta de Castilla, meaning the eldest daughter of a monarch, who had supposedly landed by Royal Barge in Newington (renamed Elephant and Castle in honour of Catherine) sometime during 1501, as the betrothed to Arthur, Henry VIII's elder brother who died leaving Catherine a widow. Another explanation is that the land belonged to the Cutlers' Company, who had an elephant and a castle on their coat of arms. The elephant referred to the ivory used to make handles for expensive cutlery. Infanta de Castile or Infanta of Castile is said to refer to Eleanor of Castile, Edward Is wife, although she was not actually an infanta. ... The Worshipful Company of Cutlers is one of the Livery Companies of the City of London. ...

The elephant and castle symbol was also used in a trade that made a far more important contribution to the London economy. It was the symbol of the Royal African Company, a group of slave-traders headed by the Stuart royal family when it retook the throne in 1660. Between the 1660s and the 1720s the company's symbol was used on British guinea coins to indicate that the source of the gold was the company's activity in Africa. This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... The Royal African Company was a slaving company set up by the Stuart family and London merchants once the former retook the English throne in 1660. ... Slave redirects here. ... The Coat of Arms of King James I, the first British monarch of the House of Stuart The House of Stuart or Stewart was a royal house of the Kingdom of Scotland, later of the Kingdom of England, and finally of the Kingdom of Great Britain. ... A royal family is the extended family of a monarch. ... // Events January 1 - Colonel George Monck with his regiment crosses from Scotland to England at the village of Coldstream and begins advance towards London in support of English Restoration. ... Events and Trends Samuel Pepys begins his famous diary in 1660 and ends it, due to failing eyesight in 1669. ... Events and Trends Manufacture of the earliest surviving pianos. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... GOLD refers to one of the following: GOLD (IEEE) is an IEEE program designed to garner more student members at the university level (Graduates of the Last Decade). ... A world map showing the continent of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. ...

In recent times, the area has had a reputation for successful ethnic diversity and centrality. The area's proximity to the major areas of employment, including Westminster, the West End and the City, has meant that a certain amount of gentrification has taken place - this can be seen in the increase in high quality restaurants in the area. The Evening Standard's critic Fay Maschler recently singled out Dragon Castle as one of London's best Chinese food outlets with "Authentic and invigorating Cantonese cooking" and the Harden's guide featured the The Lobster Pot in the top ten. The interior of Covent Garden Market in the West End The West End of London is an area of central London, containing many of the citys major tourist attractions, businesses, and administrative headquarters. ... The City of London is a geographically-small city within Greater London, England. ... This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ...

Regeneration project

Elephant and Castle from above, looking North. The low building on the right is the shopping centre

The area is now subject to a masterplanned redevelopment budgeted at £1.5 billion. A Development Framework was approved by Southwark Council in 2004. It covers an area of 170 acres (688,000 m²) and envisages restoring the Elephant and Castle to the role of major urban hub for inner South London which it occupied before World War II. Planned features include: courtesey of http://www. ... courtesey of http://www. ... The London Borough of Southwark is a London borough in London, England. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... South London area South London (known colloquially as South of the River) is the area of London south of the River Thames. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...

• 800,000 square feet (75,000 m²) of retail space (this is far larger than the existing shopping centre)
• 5,300 new and replacement homes
• five new open spaces
• an integrated public transport hub and two tram routes
• a new City academy
• a new library

There will be major changes to the road intersection designed to make the area more pedestrian friendly. Walworth Road will be expanded to the north through the site of the former shopping centre, creating a pedestrianised boulevard to what is now the northern roundabout. This roundabout will be turned into a public square. Two skyscrapers will flank the boulevard. A substantial amount of post World War II social housing which is deemed to have "failed" will be demolished, including the Heygate Estate. This will be replaced with new housing developments comprised of a mix of social and private sector housing. There have also been moves to protect the last of the architecturally important tenement blocks which remain nearby with the creation of a conservation area to cover the Pullens buildings. A city academy is a type of British secondary school, of which one of the major architects was Andrew Adonis in his capacity as education advisor to the Prime Minister (now Lord Adonis, a junior Minister at the Department for Education and Skills) in the late 1990s. ... Walworth Road is a road in the London Borough of Southwark, running from Elephant and Castle to Camberwell Road (which it becomes at Burgess Park). ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Pullens buildings are some of the last Victorian tenament buildings surviving in London. ...

The current timetable, which like any large development project may be subject to delays, is as follows:

The current shopping centre, scheduled for demolition in 2010

• 2005 Selection of commercial development partner.
• 2006 First residential projects commence/ Removal of roundabouts and subways.
• 2005–2010 Development of the southernmost section of the regeneration area including the Walworth Road extension, the Heygate Boulevard and St Mary's Churchyard.
• 2006–2011 Phased demolition of the Heygate Estate and relocation of tenants to new social housing in and around Elephant & Castle.
• 2010 Demolition of the Elephant and Castle shopping centre.
• 2010–2014 Construction of the Civic Square and start of development on the Heygate footprint.
• 2014 Completion.

Elephant and Castle shopping centre. ... Elephant and Castle shopping centre. ...

External links

• Elephant and Castle regeneration masterplan
• Map of Elephant and Castle and surrounding districts
• Save the Elephant Shopping Centre
• What is the origin of Elephant and Castle?
• Multiplex unveils Elephant skyscraper plan, 5 December 2005
• Elephant subways to be removed, 24 January 2006
• Time Out article about the Shopping centre, September 2006
• blitzandblight.com – Elephant and Castle