The Elephant & Castle

Originally called Newington, the Elephant and Castle is a major junction in South London, located in the Borough of Southwark. The name 'Elephant and Castle' comes from a public house of the same name in the area. The pub has been rebuilt several times, and the present Elephant and Castle pub, at the junction of New Kent Road and Newington Causeway, was part of a 1960s redevelopment. However, the origins of the name Elephant and Castle stretch far beyond the pub, with connections across the globe. The Elephant consists of a very large traffic junction around a short road called Elephant and Castle, a section of the A3. The area possessed an extraordinary range of landmarks and attractions from around 1850 to 1940, which are all discussed in detail. The area is now subject to a redevelopment budgeted at GBP1.5 billion. In this in-depth account of the history of the Elephant and Castle, Stephen Humphrey brings to light considerable new material and several valuable finds about the area.