After eleven years living in a combination of Whitechapel and Hackney Central, 2015 became the year that my wife and I upped sticks and expanded our horizons with a move to the ‘deep, dark south’. While I was never one for making too much of the so called divide that came with which side of the river you resided on, I can freely admit that before making the move I hadn’t paid much attention to what was out there – aside from the likes of the Bussey Building and Franks (yawn).
Leaving Hackney for the promise of more space and cheaper rent, what was at first a necessity became a fresh look at London and I would say ‘do it’ to anybody considering making a switch. The likes of Peckham, Camberwell, Nunhead, Dulwich and beyond are interesting enough to keep you around and about the way without the need to push back north. But a word of caution, if you make the move there are some things you need to know, important things, things that could even get you bullied down here if you don’t take heed. Here are those things.
Elephant: Never Forget
Get caught referring to Elephant & Castle in its entirety and you’ll find yourself being wedgied faster than you can say, “I meant ‘Elephant’!”.
Don’t Buy a Dulwich Hamlet Scarf
By all means go along to see Dulwich Hamlet play, you’ll be a Johnny Come Lately but so what? Just don’t buy a scarf your first time.
The Overground is Infuriating
Oh, you thought that the East London Line was going to link you to all the people you left behind ‘back east’? That’s sweet. When you really need it, your slice of the line has works running and it doesn’t.
People Will Visit
All those pals you left back north of the river will come and visit you because they’re your friends. To all those who don’t... they mean nothing to you anymore.
There’s More to Peckham than a Car Park Bar
Everybody loves Frank’s, you can tell from Instagram. But there’s more to this area of the south than a car park bar. Like The Nines, or Jazz Live at the Crpyt, or Peckhamplex (best value cinema in London), or Stormbird.
So… take heed of these pointers and you’ll be fine in the land below the river.
