60-713: Vauxhall ( / ˈ v ɒ k s ( h ) ɔː l ˌ - əl / VOKS -(h)awl , -əl ) is an area of Central London , within the London Borough of Lambeth . Named after a medieval manor called Fox Hall, it became well known for the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens . From the Victorian period until the mid-20th century, Vauxhall was a mixed industrial and residential area, of predominantly manual workers' homes – many demolished and replaced by Lambeth Council with social housing after
120-531: A tram line for much of the first half of the twentieth century, from 1906 until 1952. On 5 July that year the last tram made a ceremonial journey across the bridge. Since the removal of Rennie's New London Bridge in 1967 it is the oldest road structure which crosses the Thames in central London. On 22 March 2017, a terrorist attack started on the bridge and continued into Bridge Street and Old Palace Yard . Five people – three pedestrians, one police officer, and
180-610: A 2001 population of 1,525,000. The sub-region was replaced in 2008 with a new structure which amalgamated inner and outer boroughs together. This was altered in 2011 when a new Central London sub-region was created, now including the City of London and excluding Wandsworth. The 1901 Census defined Central London as the City of London and the metropolitan boroughs (subdivisions that existed from 1900 to 1965) of Bermondsey , Bethnal Green , Finsbury , Holborn , Shoreditch , Southwark , Stepney , St Marylebone and Westminster . During
240-472: A Russian delegation visited the area to inspect the construction of the London & South Western Railway (L&SWR) in 1840, and mistook the name of the station for the generic name of the building type—a "vaux hall", as it were. This was further embellished into a story that Tsar Nicholas I of Russia , visiting London in 1844, was taken to see the trains at Vauxhall and made the same mistake. Alternatively,
300-558: A fictional terrorist attack that prefigured a genuine incident), Die Another Day , Skyfall (where it also comes under a fictional terrorist attack), and Spectre (2015) (wherein it is demolished). Die Another Day featured a fictional London Underground station , Vauxhall Cross, a fictional closed stop on the Piccadilly line now employed by MI6 as an extension to its HQ. (In fact, the Piccadilly line does not come south of
360-480: A gay village, it was regarded among the underground gay club scene as the place to go to avoid the more commercial nights elsewhere in central London. However, the market has become more and more lucrative with the arrival of more venues and more nights, and Vauxhall has been criticised as becoming increasingly commercial, diluting its once underground appeal. The demise of other club venues in London, such as Turnmills ,
420-597: A gentle, warm and pleasant wind ]) According to Vasmer , the word is first attested in the Saint Petersburg Vedomosti for 1777 in the form фоксал, which may reflect the earlier English spelling of Fox Hall/Faukeshall. Englishman Michael Maddox established a Vauxhall Gardens in the Saint Petersburg suburbs (Pavlovsk) in 1783, with pleasure gardens, a small theatre/concert hall, and places for refreshment. Archdeacon William Coxe describes
480-679: A gradual redesign between 2002 and 2004, to accommodate a bus interchange linked to the Vauxhall mainline railway and tube stations , both of which are located to the southeastern end of the Cross. Work has involved design changes to traffic lanes, improved pedestrian and cycle crossings, refurbishment of walkways beneath the mainline railway viaduct, and the construction of a bus station, completed in December 2004 featuring an undulating steel-frame canopy and ribbed steel walls. An interesting feature of
540-540: A high-density built environment, high land values, an elevated daytime population and a concentration of regionally, nationally and internationally significant organisations and facilities. Road distances to London are traditionally measured from a central point at Charing Cross (in the City of Westminster ), which is marked by the statue of King Charles I at the junction of the Strand , Whitehall and Cockspur Street , just south of Trafalgar Square . The central area
600-674: A large complex of apartments and offices has been built to the south of Vauxhall Bridge at St George Wharf. Part of this development includes the St George Wharf Tower , completed in 2014. The MI6 building has featured in several James Bond films , initially filmed without permission, but then condoned by then Foreign Secretary Robin Cook with his memorable "After all James Bond has done for Britain..." quip. It appears in GoldenEye , The World Is Not Enough (wherein it suffers
660-458: A music and entertainment pavilion was constructed at the railway terminus. This pavilion was called the Vokzal in homage to the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens in London. The name soon came to be applied to the station itself, which was the gateway that most visitors used to enter the gardens. It later came to mean any substantial railway station building (a different Russian word, станция ( stantsiya ),
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#1732757910393720-438: A prime piece of grassland adjacent to Vauxhall railway station. However, the pub was bought in 2004 by sympathetic owners who have announced, "business as usual". Vauxhall was originally the home of the more underground gay clubs with the arrival of Crash in the 1990s. Over the years, more clubs and gay businesses have followed Crash's lead by opening up in the railway arches underneath the main line out of Waterloo station. One of
780-578: Is a road-and-foot-traffic bridge over the River Thames in London , linking Westminster on the west side and Lambeth on the east side. The bridge is painted predominantly green, the same colour as the leather seats in the House of Commons which is on the side of the Palace of Westminster nearest to the bridge, but a natural shade similar to verdigris . This is in contrast to Lambeth Bridge , which
840-541: Is a very ethnically diverse area; 50% are white and 50% of residents originate from a non-white ethnic group. There is a significant Portuguese community, some with a connection to Madeira ; many Portuguese restaurants and bars are located in South Lambeth Road and the surrounding area. The 2021 census states the plurality of residents, 39.5% are Christians and 37.3% state that they do have a religion. The Muslim community consists of 9.3% of residents. Much of
900-546: Is also a popular residential area for members of parliament and civil servants due to its proximity to the Houses of Parliament and Whitehall ; Kennington is within the area wired for the Commons' Division bell . Some 18th- and 19th-century properties also survive – most famously Bonnington Square , a community that emerged from the 1970s–1980s squat scene in London and remains as mostly housing co-operatives today. Vauxhall
960-790: Is distinguished, according to the Royal Commission , by the inclusion within its boundaries of Parliament and the Royal Palaces, the headquarters of Government, the Law Courts , the head offices of a very large number of commercial and industrial firms, as well as institutions of great influence in the intellectual life of the nation such as the British Museum , the National Gallery , the Tate Gallery ,
1020-592: Is not exclusively aimed at gay clientele; the oldest strip pub in London (the Queen Anne) sitting at Vauxhall Walk has now closed to be replaced with The Tea House Theatre, a 1940s-themed tea room. By Vauxhall Bridge stands the central headquarters of the British Secret Intelligence Service (more commonly referred to as MI6), which occupies offices built between 1989 and 1992 and commonly referred to as Vauxhall Cross. Since 1992,
1080-527: Is red, the same colour as the seats in the House of Lords and is on the opposite side of the Houses of Parliament . In 2005–2007, it underwent a complete refurbishment, including replacing the iron fascias and repainting the whole bridge. It links the Palace of Westminster on the west side of the river with County Hall and the London Eye on the east and was the finishing point during the early years of
1140-539: Is the home of Vauxhall Gardens Estate Residents and Tenants Association (VGERTA) that represents 2,500 residents in Vauxhall Gardens Estate which is the biggest Presidents and Tenants Association in Lambeth. VGERTA and their committee has received a number of awards for their contributions to the local community. VGERTA's biggest success to date is the fundraising of £165,000 for the full regeneration of
1200-461: Is used for minor stations). The word voksal (воксал) had been known in the Russian language with the meaning of "amusement park" long before the 1840s and may be found, e.g. in the poetry of Aleksandr Pushkin : На гуляньях иль в воксалах / Легким зефиром летал ("To Natalie" (1813): "At fêtes or in voksals , /I've been flitting like a gentle Zephyrus " [ here "Zephyrus" is an allegory of
1260-520: The Astoria and The Fridge , have led to the gay club scene to become more centralised in Vauxhall, turning it into an alternative destination from Soho for gay people to socialise. Vauxhall has also become colloquially known as "Voho" (a portmanteau of the names Vauxhall and Soho) within the gay community, due to the emergence of Vauxhall as a gay village after Soho. Entertainment in the Vauxhall area
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#17327579103931320-539: The Elephant & Castle in Southwark . By the mid-19th century the bridge was subsiding badly and expensive to maintain. The current bridge was designed by Thomas Page and opened on 24 May 1862. With a length of 820 feet (250 m) and a width of 85 feet (26 m), it is a seven-arch, cast-iron bridge with Gothic detailing by Charles Barry (the architect of the Palace of Westminster ). The bridge carried
1380-769: The Herbert Commission and the subsequent passage of the London Government Bill , three unsuccessful attempts were made to define an area that would form a central London borough . The first two were detailed in the 1959 Memorandum of Evidence of the Greater London Group of the London School of Economics . "Scheme A" envisaged a central London borough, one of 25, consisting of the City of London, Westminster, Holborn, Finsbury and
1440-677: The London Marathon . The next bridge downstream is the Hungerford Bridge & Golden Jubilee Bridges and upstream is Lambeth Bridge . Westminster Bridge was designated a Grade II* listed structure in 1981. For over 600 years (at least 1129–1729), the nearest Thames bridge to London Bridge was at Kingston . From late Tudor times congestion in trading hours at London Bridge (for road goods and carriages from Kent , Essex , much of Surrey , Middlesex and beyond) often amounted to more than an hour. A bridge at Westminster
1500-528: The University of London , the headquarters of the national ballet and opera, together with the headquarters of many national associations, the great professions, the trade unions, the trade associations, social service societies, as well as shopping centres and centres of entertainment which attract people from the whole of Greater London and farther afield. In many other respects the central area differs from areas farther out in London. The rateable value of
1560-459: The Vauxhall constituency. Florence Eshalomi has held the seat since 2019 for the Labour and Co-operative Party . For a list of street name toponymies in the district see Street names of Vauxhall . The toponymy of Vauxhall is generally accepted to have originated in the late 13th century, from the name of Falkes de Breauté , the head of King John 's mercenaries, who owned a large house in
1620-474: The Vauxhall Bridge , Vauxhall parliamentary constituency and Vauxhall Motors . Vauxhall is 2.1 km (1.3 mi) south of Charing Cross and 1.5 km (0.93 mi) southwest of the actual centre of London at Frazier Street near Lambeth North tube station . Vauxhall is adjacent to the River Thames , on the opposite side of the river to Pimlico. To the north is the district of Lambeth and to
1680-421: The 1961 census. It consisted of the City of London, all of Westminster, Holborn and Finsbury; and the inner parts of Shoreditch, Stepney, Bermondsey, Southwark, Lambeth, Chelsea, Kensington, Paddington, St Marylebone and St Pancras. The population was estimated to be 270,000. 51°30′N 0°08′W / 51.50°N 0.13°W / 51.50; -0.13 Westminster Bridge Westminster Bridge
1740-500: The City of London, most of Westminster and the inner parts of Camden, Islington, Hackney, Tower Hamlets, Southwark, Lambeth, Kensington & Chelsea and Wandsworth. It is described as "a unique cluster of vitally important activities including central government offices, headquarters and embassies, the largest concentration of London's financial and business services sector and the offices of trade, professional bodies, institutions, associations, communications, publishing, advertising and
1800-480: The City of London, the whole of Finsbury and Holborn, most of Westminster and Southwark, parts of St Pancras, St Marylebone, Paddington and a small part of Kensington. The area had an estimated population of 400,000 and occupied 8,000 acres (32 km ). During the passage of the London Government Bill an amendment was put forward to create a central borough corresponding to the definition used at
1860-602: The Glasshouse Walk Playground that was successfully completed in July 2013. Central London Central London is the innermost part of London , in England , spanning the City of London and several boroughs . Over time, a number of definitions have been used to define the scope of Central London for statistics, urban planning and local government. Its characteristics are understood to include
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1920-467: The Second World War – and business premises, including large railway, gas, and water works. These industries contrasted with the mostly residential neighbouring districts of Kennington and Pimlico . As in neighbouring Battersea and Nine Elms , riverside redevelopment has converted most former industrial sites into residential properties and new office space. Vauxhall has given its name to
1980-995: The St George Wharf complex. The building was in a state of disrepair and was on the English Heritage 'Buildings at Risk' list until the London Architectural Salvage and Supply Company acquired it in 2004 and restored it as a premises from which to sell architectural salvage. It also has a restaurant and is an events venue. St Peter's Church, Vauxhall in Kennington Lane was designed by the 19th-century architect John Loughborough Pearson , who also designed Truro Cathedral and St John's Cathedral, Brisbane in Australia, as well as being responsible for restoration work at Rochester, Bristol, Peterborough, and Lincoln cathedrals. As of 2015,
2040-418: The area in Vauxhall contains light industry, offices, and government buildings. Many companies and organisations were attracted in the past by Vauxhall's central location and comparatively cheap rent compared to Westminster on the other side of the river. In recent years, Vauxhall's riverside has undergone major redevelopment with the construction of a number of modern residential and office blocks, most notably
2100-464: The area, which was referred to as Faulke's Hall, later Foxhall, and eventually Vauxhall. Samuel Pepys mentions "Fox Hall" in his diary on 23 June 1665: "....I took boat and to Fox Hall, where we spent two or three hours talking of several matters very soberly and contentfully to me, which, with the ayre and pleasure of the garden, was a great refreshment to me, and, ‘methinks, that which we ought to joy ourselves in." The area only became generally known by
2160-461: The availability of underground, trains, and buses has given Vauxhall the highest possible PTAL rating of 6b at its centre. In addition to public transport, Vauxhall is accessible by major roads and the Thames Path pedestrian and bicycle trail. Vauxhall also has two 17-space Santander Cycles docking stations and Cycle Superhighway 7 runs through the area. Vauxhall Cross is immediately to
2220-454: The canopy is a series of photoelectric cells generating electricity to offset the energy used by the bus station. Vauxhall Cross bus station will be redeveloped to create a new mixed-use development consisting of offices, hotels, and shopping areas. The project will be managed by Great Marlborough Estates and has an apparent budget of £600 million, and is estimated to make the developers over £45 million. Public consultation took place in 2016 but
2280-557: The central area is exceptionally high. Its day population is very much larger than its night population. Its traffic problems reach an intensity not encountered anywhere else in the Metropolis or in any provincial city, and the enormous office developments which have taken place recently constitute a totally new phenomenon. Starting in 2004, the London Plan defined a 'Central Activities Zone' policy area, which as of 2008 comprised
2340-618: The church building serves as a community centre and arts venue, as well as a church. Next to St Peter's is Vauxhall City Farm . Vauxhall is well connected even by central London standards. London Underground , National Rail trains, and London buses are all available at Vauxhall station . The tube stop is on the boundary of zones 1 and 2 of the London Travelcard area on the Victoria line , and Northern line stations are within walking distance of many parts of Vauxhall, though
2400-537: The de Redvers family after his death in 1226. In 1293, South Lambeth and the manor of "la Sale Faukes" passed, probably by trickery, to King Edward I , who purchased several de Redvers lands (including the Lordship of the Isle of Wight) from Isabel de Forz, 8th Countess of Devon (1237–1293), sister and heiress of Baldwin de Redvers, 7th Earl of Devon (1236–1262), shortly before her death. In 1317 King Edward II granted
2460-569: The distinctive SIS Building at Vauxhall Cross. Also, a number of new commercial businesses have moved into the area. Vauxhall is home to a number of gay bars and nightclubs, such as Fire, The Eagle, and the Royal Vauxhall Tavern , which dates back to at least the late 19th century, and was for many years a traditional English music hall and cabaret venue. In recent years, the building has come under constant threat of buyout and demolition from property developers, as it stands alone on
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2520-595: The expanding West End to the developing South London as well as goods and carriages from the more estuarine counties and the East Sussex and Kentish ports. Without the bridge, traffic to and from the greater West End would have to negotiate streets often as congested as London Bridge , principally the Strand/Fleet Street and New Oxford Street/Holborn. Roads on both sides of the river were also built and improved, including Charing Cross Road and around
2580-507: The inner parts of St Marylebone, St Pancras, Chelsea, Southwark and Lambeth. The boundary deviated from existing lines to include all central London railway stations , the Tower of London and the museums, such that it included small parts of Kensington, Shoreditch, Stepney and Bermondsey. It had an estimated population of 350,000 and occupied 7,000 acres (28 km ). "Scheme B" delineated central London, as one of 7 boroughs, including most of
2640-429: The large St George Wharf development by Vauxhall Bridge. This area is continuing to be redeveloped with several newbuilds under construction. Several gentrified areas have developed, and areas of terraced townhouses on streets such as Fentiman Road and Heyford Avenue have higher property values in the private market; however, 97% of housing stock in Vauxhall is flats, both conversions and purpose-built blocks. Vauxhall
2700-544: The locality of the L&;SWR's original railway terminus, Nine Elms Station, was shown boldly and simply as "Vauxhall" in the 1841 Bradshaw timetable. Both these explanations can probably be dismissed, since the first public railway in Russia had already been built by 1837. This line ran from Saint Petersburg via Tsarskoye Selo to Pavlovsk Palace , where extensive pleasure gardens had earlier been established. In 1838,
2760-672: The manor of Vauxhall, Surrey, to Sir Roger d'Amory for his "good services" at the Battle of Bannockburn . From various accounts, three local roads – the South Lambeth Road , Clapham Road (previously Merton Road), and Wandsworth Road (previously Kingston Road) – were ancient and well-known routes to and from London. Vauxhall was the south western terminus of the Civil War defences of London, thrown up by Londoners in 1642 to defend against Royalist incursions. A landmark fort
2820-486: The media". For strategic planning, since 2011 there has been a Central London sub-region comprising the boroughs of Camden , Islington , Kensington and Chelsea , Lambeth , Southwark , Westminster and the City of London . From 2004 to 2008, the London Plan included a sub-region called Central London comprising Camden, Islington, Kensington and Chelsea, Lambeth, Southwark, Wandsworth and Westminster. It had
2880-517: The most notable venues to open in the area is Fire night club, which is located on Parry Street and currently occupies ten arches. Fire was the scene of a drugs raid by the Metropolitan Police Service on 28 April 2007 where nine people were arrested. The tactics used in the raid (namely photographing all the persons leaving the venue) were strongly criticised by the gay press at the time. Before Vauxhall earned its reputation as
2940-412: The name Vauxhall when the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens opened as a public attraction and movement across the Thames was facilitated by the opening of Westminster Bridge in the 1740s. Competing theories are given as to why the Russian word for a central railway station is вокзал ( vokzal ), which coincides with the canonical 19th-century transliteration of "Vauxhall". It has long been suggested that
3000-456: The nearest is Nine Elms . The railway station is served by South Western Railway to and from London Waterloo, which is one stop away. Vauxhall bus station has 14 routes serving various parts of London. There is also a river bus service operated by Thames Clippers at Vauxhall (St George Wharf) Pier, enabling passengers to travel east to Greenwich and Barking, or west to Putney. Vauxhall is one of London's most well-connected transport hubs, as
3060-683: The place as a "sort of Vauxhall" in that year, in his Travels into Russia . No mention of Vauxhall is made in the 1086 Domesday Book . The area originally formed part of the extensive manor of South Lambeth , which was held by the family of de Redvers, feudal barons of Plympton in Devon and Lords of the Isle of Wight . Falkes de Breauté acquired South Lambeth in 1216 when he married Margaret FitzGerold, widow of Baldwin de Redvers (son and heir apparent of William de Redvers, 5th Earl of Devon (d.1217)) and mother of Baldwin de Redvers, 6th Earl of Devon (1217–1245). Falkes de Breauté's lands reverted to
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#17327579103933120-466: The population growth by removing the buildings on London Bridge and widening it in 1760–63. With Putney Bridge, the bridge paved the way for four others within three decades: Blackfriars Bridge (1769, built by the City), Kew Bridge (1759), Battersea Bridge (1773), and Richmond Bridge (1777) by which date roads and vehicles were improved and fewer regular goods transported by water. The bridge assisted
3180-513: The project has been delayed. Vauxhall Park contains an area of miniature model houses (also in Fitzroy Gardens, Melbourne ) as well as tennis courts, day care in the "one o'clock club", and children's playground. It is open daily for recreation and has an "open day" once a year. Vauxhall City Farm , located within Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens is open daily and contains a range of animals including alpacas, sheep, goats and pigs. Vauxhall
3240-470: The river at all; only the Victoria line passes anywhere nearby, and the secret entrance to the station shown in the film is on the east side of Westminster Bridge, some considerable distance downriver.) Vauxhall is also home to Brunswick House , a listed Georgian mansion and former home to the Dukes of Brunswick . Built in 1758, it once stood in three acres of riverside parkland; now it sits overshadowed by
3300-471: The southeast is the district of Kennington. Nine Elms , South Lambeth and Stockwell are to the south of Vauxhall. Several roads converge at an area known as Vauxhall Cross , where Vauxhall station on the South West Main Line and the bus station are located. To the northeast of Vauxhall Cross is the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens and to the southeast is the large Vauxhall Park . Vauxhall
3360-613: The southeast of Vauxhall Bridge, where six major roads converge, including the Albert Embankment , which exits the Cross to the north and is the southernmost point of entry into the London congestion charge area. Vauxhall Cross was once described as "one of the most unpleasant road junctions in South London" in Nikolaus Pevsner 's 1983 architectural guide to South London. Vauxhall Cross has since improved after
3420-520: The village had been subsumed by the town of Lambeth. Many of Vauxhall's streets were destroyed during the construction of the railway to London Waterloo via the Nine Elms to Waterloo Viaduct , by German bombing in World War II or ravaged through poor city planning. The explosion in London property prices during the late 1990s and early 2000s has led to a boom in riverside construction, such as
3480-500: Was located at the present site of the Elephant and Castle public house (currently a Starbucks) The land was flat and parts were marshy and poorly drained by ditches, and only started to be developed with the draining of Lambeth Marsh in the mid-18th century, but remained a village. Prior to this, it provided market garden produce for the nearby City of London . Vauxhall Bridge and Vauxhall Bridge Road were opened in 1816. By 1860,
3540-456: Was part of Surrey until 1889, when the County of London was created. Vauxhall is within the London Borough of Lambeth . For the 2022 council election , the area became part of the Vauxhall ward , which elects three members of Lambeth London Borough Council . For Westminster elections, Vauxhall is part of the Vauxhall and Camberwell Green constituency which was created in 2024 to replace
3600-630: Was proposed in 1664, but opposed by the Corporation of London and the watermen . Further opposition held sway in 1722. However an intervening bridge (albeit in timber) was built at Putney in 1729 and the scheme received parliamentary approval in 1736. Financed by private capital, lotteries and grants, Westminster Bridge was built between 1739–1750, under the supervision of the Swiss engineer Charles Labelye . The bridge opened on 18 November 1750. The City of London responded to Westminster Bridge and
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