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, Entertainment, Sights and Attractions, Shopping, Restaurants, Pubs, Nightlife, Leisure, Education, and Meeting Venues.