Kennington Road receiving a make-over: Persian Restaurant, Papa Johns and new bike shop

So, it has been a while since I did any proper lurking.  In my absence, I note that the old Amici has turned into a rather trendy looking "Doost", a Persian Grill and Vodka(!) Bar...  And since you all asked so nicely, I've uploaded the entire menu so that you too can share the Persian goodness...

I'm afraid it doesn't quite compete, but Pizza lovers will be pleased to hear that as well as the already existing Pizza Hut Take away, Pizza Express Restaurant, Lambeth Pizza Restaurant and Dominos Takeaway, we can now add... a Papa Johns takeaway to Kennington Road, next to South London Pacific Tiki Lounge, complete with its own row of cheesy and irritating scooters.  We won't complain though, as it's great to finally have something in the gap.  It has been sitting empty for well over a year...

A few doors further up, on the other side of South Pacific, the most exciting piece of news is the opening of a new bike shop, Balfes Bikes, not another motorbike shop (of which we seem to have in abundance locally), but a real bonafide cycling shop.  Granted, I didn't see it open, and there are no signs or anything up yet, but Kennington People On Bikes has a shiny article and photo of the owners over at his blog.  I'm delighted about its arrival, being an enthusiastic amateur cyclist (the lurker owns no lycra), and I think it's in a great location, given the number of people who now cycle along both Kennington Road and Kennington Park Road.  You can find them at 338 Kennington Road.  Hurrah!

Finally, the ancient Estate Agent, Burns and Shield, that never appeared to do any business appears to have re-opened or re-imagined itself as Capital Kennington, and has received a bright blue faschia upgrade.  Can't get excited about estate agents, but who cares when we have our very own new bike shop?!

It's really good to see an influx of new businesses.  I'm still hoping the burned out sandwich shop opposite Pizza Express becomes something interesting, and if anybody is looking for a large retail outfit, the huge old St Aubyn's holistic centre unit on is Cleaver Street still empty.  Might suit another restaurant... Who knows?

Good estate agents in SE11?

I received a query last week from one reader about good estate agents in the SE11 area.  I know that we're desperately trendy (Ha! Ha!) and everybody wants to live in Kennington, Oval and Vauxhall (well, once they work out that they can't afford to rent in Borough), so I'm guessing that some of my readers must have used estate agents to buy/rent their properties.  Judging from the piles of agents on the "High Street"(!), who appear to have resisted going bust in these economically challenging times, there are plenty to choose from...

I do realise that in making this request, I'm opening myself up to Estate Agent spam, but can anybody (unrelated, please) recommend an estate agent that they've had a good experience with for either letting/renting or selling/buying in the area.

Morrells, or Morrell and Sons is going to become....

One of the Lurking commentators asked whether I know what is happening to Morrell and Sons (or Morrell's as it's known locally) builders' merchants.

I feared for weeks that it might become another Estate Agent, but fortunately, the economic climate is preventing further expansion in that sector. I've no issue with Estate Agents, but the proliferation in SE11 was starting to become tedious.

I have it on good authority that Morrell's is now occupied by a firm that intend to turn it into a Plumbers Merchant/bathroom shop, and they are currently selling off the remaining old stock in preparation to replace it with plumbing merchandise.

We'll have to wait and see... I'm quite impressed that certain empty retail units in Kennington are being replaced quite so quickly. The shop fronts are being occupied at a time of immense economic instability, so clearly the foot fall around Kennington Cross makes it desirable. There are still a few too many empties opposite Kennington park, between Kennington and Oval tubes. I don't think there's any more space for a convenience store (there are already three within spitting distance). I'd like to see a cafe in the empty laundrette next to the funeral directors, but again, the area has quite a lot of Greasy Spoons, the best, in my humble opinion, being the fabulously friendly Parma Cafe.

Roots and Shoots

I visited Kennington yesterday for a presentation (with lots of good slides) on small gardens, organised by the Kennington Garden Society, and given by Virginia Kennedy. The event was held at Roots and Shoots, the wildlife garden / training centre in Walnut Tree Walk. The organisation have a fabulous building, but due to the talk, I didn't get to go and have a proper look around the garden. That is definitely a trip for another day. In the meantime, I've added the Roots and Shoots blog to the Blog-roll at the side.

On the way over, I walked from Vauxhall station, where I noticed Kennington Lane Cafe, which I'd never spotted before. I didn't have time to peer in, or look at menus, so that will need to be reviewed at a later stage. It is on the map now.

Also, I finally finished adding all of the estate agents! Yay.

Blue Plaque Competition!

I've been a bit neglectful of late in updating the map, so I've vowed to try and return to adding one or two markers a day.

I am just about to finish the estate agents. I found quite a good description of Kennington on the Atkinson Mcleod website from the point of view of somebody looking to rent, buy or live in the area. Obviously, from an estate agent, it focuses on SE11's strengths, but it's worth a read and can be found here:
Atkinson Mcleod Kennington area guide

I've also added the Kurdish Cultural Centre on Stannary St. I'd like to be able to say more - I know it provides a home for some of the Kurdish Community in London - but unfortunately, I think the organisation's official website has gone down. You'll see more information if I can find it anywhere.

Finally, tonight's updates include all of the Blue Plaques in SE11. Disappointingly, there are only three, and two of those are for Charlie Chaplin. However, three is a start! This I discovered from the helpful site:
Blue plaque site which is great from the point of view that you can type the beginning of a postcode into it, and get out all of the plaques in the area. Reassuringly, SE17 only has four plaques, and SE1 only has eight. I think South of the river might be rather neglected from the blue plaque point of view, considering that NW3 has (at least according to the site) forty five, and SW1, an astounding seventy two. Anyway... The other SE11 plaque is dedicated to Viscount Bernard Law Montgomery. By my reckoning (I've not seen it yet, it must be on the same site as the Oval House theatre).

Estate agents, bacon and accuracy...

I'm not sure I can be bothered to add any more nurseries today. There are too many, and I don't know anything about them.

However, I now face the issue that one of the main components of SE11, or Kennington / Vauxhall, at least is Estate Agents. If we go by markers on the map, the main things people do in SE11 is buy or rent houses, send children to nursery school, go to the pub and eat out at luxury restaurants. Maybe the markers don't reveal demographic information... Hmmm, anyhow, I haven't missed estate agents out on purpose, but having added all of the restaurants to Kennington Road, I no longer have room on the map to add the markers in accurate places, and so I'm not sure what to do. I think if I set them back slightly from the road, it may solve the problem, but it won't be accurate. Grrr.

To entertain you, I thought I'd provide a link to a rather good estate agent cartoon mis-spelling accident, involving bacon that I found earlier today:
Cartoon