London area of Kennington guide

What to do and where to stay in London's Kennington neighbourhood

Nowadays Kennington is best known for The Oval cricket ground, where Surrey and often England play their games. The writer and poet Geoffrey Chaucer used to work in this region of Lambeth as a clerk in the 14th century, while more recently Kennington has been home to Charlie Chaplin and Edith Nesbit, the author of The Railway Children. In the 19th Century, Kennington was the site of the Royal Surrey Zoological Gardens, a 15-acre enclosure which boasted lions, tigers, giraffes and a rhinoceros. Kennington Common was used for public executions until 1800 and in 1848 it held the Chartist rally, the first topical event in the world to be photographed. Today, the distillery of Beefeater London Dry Gin - the only premium gin still distilled in London - is situated in Montford Place, while locals in the area descend on the quaint Cleaver Square to play boule and petanque in the summer.

See our recommended nearby Kennington Hotels, Events, Entertainment, Sights and Attractions, Shopping, Pubs, Nightlife, Leisure, Education, and Meeting Venues.

Comfort Inn Vauxhall Hotel
London > Hotels > Budget Chain Hotel
87 South Lambeth Road, SW8
Recently redeveloped in a contemporary style, the Comfort Inn Vauxhall is a budget hotel located just south of the river Thames. Offering quality yet affordable accommodation, ... More

 

 

Park Plaza Riverbank Hotel London
London > Hotels > Mid-Range Chain Hotel
18 Albert Embankment, SE1
For understated chic this hotel on the banks of the Thames opposite the Tate Britain is a top choice. The rooms are clean and modern and ... More

 

 

Plaza on the River Hotel London
London > Hotels > Luxury Chain Hotel
18 Albert Embankment, SE1
Riverside rooms at this modern luxury hotel overlook the River Thames with the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben and the London Eye visible. All apartments features ... More

 

 

Hotels in Kennington

 

ICC Champions Trophy: West Indies v Pakistan
London > Events > Sporting Events
The Kia Oval Cricket Ground, Harleyford Street, Kennington, London SE11
The world's best one-day cricketers from the eight top one-day international sides gather in England and Wales this June for the seventh ICC Champions Trophy, with ... More

 

 

ICC Champions Trophy: India v West Indies
London > Events > Sporting Events
The Kia Oval Cricket Ground, Harleyford Street, Kennington, London SE11
West Indies play their second successive game at The Oval in this ICC Champions Trophy Group B clash against India. Neither team progressed to the semi-finals ... More

 

 

ICC Champions Trophy: England v Sri Lanka
London > Events > Sporting Events
The Kia Oval Cricket Ground, Harleyford Street, Kennington, London SE11
England's first London game in the ICC Champions Trophy is this appealing Group A evening clash at The Oval against Sri Lanka. In the 2009 tournament's ... More

 

 

Events in Kennington

 

White Bear Theatre
London > Entertainment > Theatres
138 Kennington Park Road, Kennington, London SE11
It's easy to spot who's at the White Bear for the pints and who's there for the Pinter but somehow the two aspects unite comfortably under ... More

 

 

Entertainment in Kennington

 

Gasworks
London > Attractions > Art Galleries
155 Vauxhall Street, Kennington, London SE11
Gasworks serves a dual purpose: as a location for 12 artists' studios and as host to up to six exhibitions a year. Emphasis is placed on ... More

 

 

Vauxhall City Farm
London > Attractions > Attractions for Kids
165 Tyers Street, Kennington, London SE11
Vauxhall City Farm is closed from Monday 25th March until Wednesday 10th April 2013. Riding lessons continue as normal. Vauxhall City Farm was transformed ... More

 

 

Sights and Attractions in Kennington

 

Lassco House & Garden
London > Shopping > House and Garden
Brunswick House, 30 Wandsworth Road, Vauxhall, Kennington, London SW8
Architectural salvage produces the most gloriously mismatched collection of pieces, all housed in this disused church. Stock changes constantly; look for anything from stuffed animals to ... More

 

 

Shopping in Kennington

 

The Greyhound, Oval
London > Nightlife > Pubs
336 Kennington Park Road, Kennington, London SE11
Utterly immersed in the local community, this long, thin old-school boozer is a cosy little Celtic cave. Irish ex-pats prop up the bar, drinking the black ... More

 

 

The Fentiman Arms
London > Restaurants > Gastropub
64 Fentiman Road, Kennington, London SW8
The Fentiman Arms is a special pub in Lambeth a cricket ball's throw way from The Oval. They have a lovely wild garden out the back, ... More

 

 

The Tommyfield
London > Restaurants > Gastropub
185 Kennington Lane, Kennington, London SE11
Mains of pumpkin and ricotta ravioloni and rib eye steak are supplemented by very affordable pub grub staples like beefburgers and chicken breast burgers. ... More

 

 

Pubs in Kennington

 

South London Pacific
London > Nightlife > Bars
340 Kennington Road, Kennington, London SE11
Ten minutes from the nearest tube, in a drab and ugly corner of Oval, sits one of the most surreal nightlife experiences you can have in ... More

 

 

Fire
London > Nightlife > Nightclubs
South Lambeth Road, Vauxhall, Kennington, London SW8
London's biggest and best gay venue, Fire hosts a cluster of different club nights including more and more straight-friendly one-off parties over the weekends. Newly redesigned ... More

 

 

Nightlife in Kennington

 

Surrey County Cricket Club
London > Leisure > Spectator Sport
The Brit Insurance Oval, Kennington, Kennington, London SE11
While Lords is the spiritual home of English cricket, it is The Oval (offically The Brit Insurance Oval), home of Surrey County Cricket Club, that fills ... More

 

 

The Kia Oval Cricket Ground
London > Leisure > Spectator Sport
Harleyford Street, Kennington, London SE11
Though it does not have quite the same kudos as Lord's, The Kia Oval (known so because of a sponsorship deal, but usually referred to simply ... More

 

 

Rebus Tourist Guides
London > Leisure > Activities
33, Vanbrugh Court, Wincott St, Kennington, London SE11
What is the oldest annual sporting event in the world? Where was the Roman Forum? How do I become Lord Mayor? What was (and is!) the ... More

 

 

Leisure in Kennington

 

Roots and Shoots
London > Education > Career Services
The Vauxhall Centre, Walnut Tree Walk, Kennington, London SE11
Roots and Shoots is a charitable organisation set up 25 years ago to help disadvantaged young people from Lambeth and Southwark prepare for the world of ... More

 

 

Education in Kennington

 

Meeting Venues in Kennington