Hidden Vauxhall

Start outside the entrance to the national rail station ticket hall, near the top of the steps to the Underground station. Facing the railway, turn right and then left under the railway down South Lambeth Place. Cross South Lambeth Road and turn right for a short distance to corner of Langley Lane. Turn right down Langley Lane and continue into Bonnington Square, soon passing Bonnington Square Pleasure Garden. Bonnington Square is a 19th century development that was almost demolished in the 1970s. Most of the houses were then squatted and today the Square is managed by housing cooperatives. The Pleasure Garden is a small but delightful community garden created from a derelict site, a surprisingly peaceful oasis only a few steps from the busy traffic at Vauxhall Cross. Cross to the other side of Bonnington Square and keep ahead, continuing through the door in front of you, which should be open during daylight hours. It looks like a house door, but it leads through a passage and out into another Community Gardens. Follow the mosaic path right then left, and leave the Gardens through a gate onto Harleyford Road by the junction with Durham Street. If the door is locked, follow Vauxhall Grove. Emerging on Harleyford Road, turn right to the junction with Durham Street. Cross Harleyford Road at the crossing, and follow the left hand side of Durham Street ahead. At the end use the crossing on your left to cross Kennington Lane. All these roads are rather busy so do take care. Go right on the other side of Kennington Lane, and then left into Tyers Street. Turn left by the animal pens into Spring Gardens. Spring Gardens is on the site of the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens, opened in 1661. Pleasure Gardens were the theme parks of their day and Vauxhall’s became the most famous and fashionable of their kind, with tree-lined walkways, fountains, pavilions, food and drink and entertainment. The Gardens closed in 1859, mainly because of competition from attractions in other parts of London which had become easier to reach with the opening of the railway. The site was redeveloped for housing only to be bombed during World War II, clearing the space for the current Spring Gardens, a large green space with sports pitches, well-used by local residents and office workers. The animal pens belong to Vauxhall City Farm on the other side of Tyers Street. The farm, opened in 1977, is home to numerous animals including horses, goats, sheep, chickens and rabbits and admission is free. Follow the surfaced path right towards the corner of Spring Gardens then left towards the Lavender pub restaurant. You can also cut across the grass. Turn right along Vauxhall Walk, and follow this along the left-hand pavement to reach Pedlars Park on your left: take care as although this is a quiet street, it is one-way so traffic sometimes drives fast. Go through the gate into the park. Follow the path through the park and through another gate at the junction of Randall Road and Salamanca Street. Turn left under the railway arch along Salamanca Street and keep ahead, turning right on Lambeth High Street parallel with busy Albert Embankment. The river Thames is one of Britain’s longest waterways and London’s principal natural feature. It runs for 346km/215 miles from the Gloucestershire Cotswolds and until relatively recently was a major highway for people and goods. The Albert Embankment was built by the engineer Joseph Bazalgette as flood protection, opening in 1869: note the distinctive Victorian lamp standards with a fish design. From here you have a great view of many famous landmarks, with Vauxhall Bridge to the left, Lambeth Bridge to the right, Millbank Tower and the Tate Modern opposite and the Houses of Parliament and London Eye just downstream. Steel-arched Lambeth Bridge, opened in 1932, is marked at either end by obelisks topped with sculptures that are often mistaken for pineapples but are in fact pine cones, a symbol of hospitality. Lambeth Palace, opposite, has been the Archbishop of Canterbury’s home in London since 1200 and has many mediaeval buildings. In front of the palace, the former parish church of St Mary is now the fascinating Museum of Garden History. Follow the river upstream along Albert Embankment and keep right where you reach the small open space in front of a tower block, Thames House. Keep along the footpath until it turns left at a slipway into the river between two buildings. Don’t cross the slipway but instead keep ahead away from the river to reach the road again. Just downstream from here is steel-arched Vauxhall Bridge, decorated with interesting bronze figures representing the arts and sciences. It was opened in 1906, but recent evidence suggests it may be on the line of London’s first Thames crossing, dating back to 1500 BC. The distinctive yellow building on the right of the slipway is the headquarters of the Secret Intelligence Service, better known as MI6, designed by architect Terry Farrell and opened in 1998. The office block on the left houses the headquarters of Britain’s biggest walking organisation, the Ramblers’ Association. You might see amphibious vehicles using the slipway, carrying sightseers on London Ducktours. Turn right along Albert Embankment to the crossing just before the foot of Vauxhall Bridge. Use the crossings to return to Vauxhall Station.