What's going on at Elephant and Castle? The south London district — once known as the 'Piccadilly Circus of south London' — underwent dramatic development following heavy bombing during the Second World War, and now it's morphing in major ways once more. Here's the lowdown.
Why is so much redevelopment going on at Elephant and Castle?
It's fair to say Elephant and Castle has been under-appreciated in recent decades; not exactly gone to seed, but certainly not looked after as well as it could have been. But here's the thing: it's in a prime spot — easy walking/busing distance to central London/London Bridge, and incredibly well connected, on two Tube lines and National Rail.
In 2004, Elephant and Castle was identified in the Mayor's London Plan as an Opportunity Area (OA) — a key location for potential growth — and earmarked for major redevelopment. Over 20 years and £4bn later, big changes have occurred, with more just around the corner.
What's been demolished at Elephant and Castle?
🐘 Elephant and Castle roundabout — the area's much-hated/altogether hairy interchange — was turned into a traffic light controlled junction in 2010. Pedestrian subways beneath it were filled in.
🐘 The Heygate Estate — a 1970s brutalist estate that housed 3,000 people, and was famous for appearing in the Michael Caine film Harry Brown — was demolished in stages between 2011 and 2014.
🐘 Elephant and Castle Shopping Centre — the 1960s mall, which housed some excellent Colombian restaurants and bars, but became something of a 'Marmite' landmark in later years — was demolished in 2021.
🐘 The Artworks — a compact community of prefab pop-ups — existed from 2014-2017, replaced by a section of Elephant Park (see later on).
🐘 UAL's London College of Communication, which stands across from the Northern line Underground entrance, next to the Metropolitan Tabernacle Baptist Church, is set for demolition as part of the 'West Site' redevelopment, although at time of writing, it's still intact.
🐘 Mercato Metropolitano — the semi-bohemian assemblage of food stalls/bars on Newington Causeway — will be demolished to make way for 900 Berkeley Homes, but remains open until the end of 2026. Until then, the wheat beers at German Kraft are still flowing.
What's being built in Elephant and Castle?
🐘 Elephant Central (Phase 1 of the regeneration plan) incorporates 374 homes and 278 student homes on New Kent Road. Owned and operated by Get Living, it's been up and running since 2017. It's also home to a few restaurants, including one of our faves, Murger Han.
🐘 Elephant Central overlooks Castle Square, home to a handful of independent traders, and a weekend market. It's also now where you'll now find the iconic pink elephant that once stood above the entrance of the shopping centre.
🐘 One The Elephant and the Castle Centre, a leisure centre for the area, opened back in 2016, across the road from where the shopping centre stood.
🐘 Much of the former Heygate Estate has been supplanted with Elephant Park, incorporating 3,000 new homes and 50 retail outlets — plus restaurants, cafes and a public park (which even has its own summertime play fountains).
🐘 Billed as a 'brand new town centre' for Elephant and Castle, The Elephant (Phase 2 of the regeneration plan) is going up in place of the demolished shopping centre. It'll comprise 485 new rental homes, and a slew of retail/restaurants including Latin food market DistriAndina, M&S, Blank Street Coffee and health cafe Jungle Berry, plus a cinema. It's touted to open late 2026. Its name is a nod to the affectionate pseudonym the area's garnered over the years.
🐘 UAL's London College of Communication site will be turned into 507 homes, and almost the same again in student accommodation. That'll be Phase 3, the final phase of the area's major redevelopment. The London College of Communication itself will move into The Elephant, a site that will also showcase public exhibitions.
What's happening at Elephant and Castle Tube station?
For many years, Elephant and Castle Tube station has struggled along, with passengers having to use antiquated lifts (or otherwise the stairs) to access its Northern and Bakerloo line platforms. TfL reckons that, without intervention, by 2031, some 2,000 passengers would be overflowing out of the station at peak time.
Something IS being done. A brand new ticket hall entrance is being built for the Northern line, with new escalators, lifts and passenger tunnels. These will be folded into The Elephant development. Works are expected to be completed in late 2027.
The station has been 'safeguarded' for a Bakerloo line extension, hoped to happen at some point. If and when that happens, the Bakerloo line would also be accessible via a new ticket hall. You can swot up plenty more on all that here.
Is there anything left of the old Elephant and Castle?
It's fair to say that someone returning to Elephant and Castle for the first time in six or seven years might fail to recognise much of it. However, some landmarks cling on:
🐘 The 1906 Bakerloo line building, designed by Leslie Green, remains, and will continue to operate with lifts only for the foreseeable future.
🐘 The arches beneath the rail lines running alongside Elephant Road are not going anywhere, and still house some great Colombian restaurants, should you be seeking some old-school Elephant action.
🐘 The stainless steel cube that is simultaneously a Michael Faraday memorial/Aphex Twin rumour/electrical substation is staying put. Although whether you classify that as the 'old' Elephant and Castle is up to you.
🐘 And, of course, the fabled pink elephant still stands proud. Find it round the back, in the modern Castle Square.
