The Elephant and Castle, commonly shortened to 'the Elephant' is a major road intersection in south London. The Elephant consists of two largeish roundabouts, a shopping centre and a former office building (Alexander Fleming House - now a residential block), both widely derided as "ugly". "Elephant and Castle" has largely replaced the original name of the area — Newington.
The name of the area derives from a pub of the same name in the area. The earliest surviving record of the name is in the Court Leet Book of the Manor of Walworth. The court had met at "Elephant and Castle, Newington" on 21st March 1765. The name of the pub is often claimed to be a corruption of the SpanishInfanta de Castile, meaning the eldest daughter of a monarch, who had supposedly visited London via this area. This story, popular amongst the local population, is almost universally agreed to be false by historians. The name of the pub is believed to be taken from a local smithy of the same name whose cutlery products had (elephant) ivory handles. The 'castle' in their logo is in fact a howdah. The History of elephants in Europe page traces this imagery back to an elephant given by Louis IX of France to Henry III of England in 1224/5.
In recent times the area has been depressed economically and has had a reputation for crime and unsafety, particularly on the pedestrian subways criss-crossing underneath the traffic roundabouts. However with the area's close proximity to the major areas of employment (the West End, the City) a certain amount of gentrification has taken place, prompting speculators to invest in the area under the expectation that this will continue.
External link
Elephant and Castle regeneration masterplan (http://www.elephantandcastle.org.uk/)
Elephants are the only living representatives of their order, which was once widespread over most of the world; it included the mammoth and the mastodon.
The smallest of all the elephants is the Sumatran Asian Elephant (Elephas maximus sumatranus).
Elephants have also been used as mounts for safari-type hunting, especially Indian shikar (mainly on tigers), and as ceremonial mounts for royal and religious occasions, whilst Asian elephants have been used for transport and entertainment, and are common to circuses around the world.
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 is also home to Elephant and Castle station, Skipton House (housing the Department of Health), London South Bank University, London College of Communication, the Ministry of Sound nightclub and the Metropolitan Tabernacle.
The elephant and castle symbol was also used in a trade that made a far more important contribution to the London economy.
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