Southwark / Elephant & Castle supermarkets?

Hey Liberty.

You seem to be looking for a lot of reassurance! In each post you have highlighted a safety concern or general trepidation. Are you sure you really want to move here? Why not stay where you currently live (presumably you feel safer/happier there) and take the bus & tube to your classes. If you don't have to go to classes for your MA every day then you could limit your time in SE1.

I love living in SE1 - but it isn't for everyone, and you do sometimes need a sense of adventure to enjoy living here. Anyway, hope you make the best decision. :o)

red_bus wrote:

You seem to be looking for a lot of reassurance! In each post you have highlighted a safety concern or general trepidation. Are you sure you really want to move here? Why not stau where you live (presumably you feel safer/happier there) and take the bus & tube to your classes. If you don't have to go to classes for your MA every day then you could limit your time in SE1.

I'm not really looking for reassurance, just wanted some info from people that know the area. Of course, as a young woman, safety is a concern wherever I live so I was just wondering if it was the sort of place where I'm going to need to get taxis a lot of the time.

Commuting is not an option and I'm fine about living there. I was just interested to see what people had to say about it as I've never lived south of the river before.

I'm a young woman living in SE1 (elephant) and the good thing about this area is that it is pretty busy all the time which makes me feel safer. My husband works on The Cut, just off Blackfriars andI never have a prob with hopping on a bus late at night and going to meet him from work.

I live right next to Southwark Tube Station and there is rarely any trouble, I've seen a lot more car accidents there than I've seen fights.

There is sometimes trouble between students from Southwark college but it's confined to those involved. There are a large number of street drinkers and homeless people, but we have the central DSS here, so it will mean that there are homeless people about.

Otherwise, I think you will find this is a much safer area than the West End. The area around Southwark Tube is particularly busy and I've never felt threatened there.

I find E&C can feel a bit threatening at night, but I've never had any trouble there, so I think a lot of it is perception. The answer is just to avoid E&C at night. During the day it's fine. It does have a high level of pickpocketing/street crimes etc, but I know the police have really reduced that by targetting the area.

You certainly don't have to be depressed by moving to Pocock Street, I'm biased, but this area is a great place to live.

If E&C is going to be "so depressing" why might I ask, did you move here? I have lived in the area for six years and feel much safer here than where I work - upmarket Fulham. No matter what time of day or night you are out and about there are always other people in the streets. One of the bonuses of living in an area where people are often employed in low paid shift work is that you are not the only person returning home in the wee small hours. Even at 3am when I get off the bus there are still people about. Open your mind to the possibilities of real community and multicultural living - welcome to the E&C.

I have lived in London for 8 years now and all around SE1 for the last 5 years, starting on Roupell Street, moving to Leathermarket Street and now, finally, having bought a flat at E&C. I have a tendency to walk everywhere, regardless of the time of day, and I have never had a problem anywhere. I get irritated by people suggesting that E&C is dangerous, simply because it's a little dingy (a quality I find quite charming). I doubt that the levels of street crime / pickpocketing are any higher than in any other part of London. The best way to feel safe in an area is to get out at all times of day and night and see it! As far as I'm concerned, SE1 is THE place to live. Have a stroll up to Blackfriars Bridge at night and see how lucky we are to live in this area.

I suppose we shouldn't give you such a hard time, Liberty. It's just your perception and pre-judgment of "south of the river" in general, and SE1 in particular, comes across as a bit ill-informed and , and has rubbed some of us up the wrong way.

I encourage you to open your mind and your heart to this lovely part of London. The idea that crossing the river is such a big deal is daft -- you will be laughing about it soon.

Best wishes

beverly wrote:

If E&C is going to be "so depressing" why might I ask, did you move here?

I haven't moved there yet, and it is out of necessity - not choice. My comment about it being depressing isn't to be taken seriously or as any kind of personal slight or insult.

Andrew H, having spent time in Southwark, E&C and the rest of SE1 I feel that I have the right to my own perception and opinion of it. I never suggested that moving there was a big deal.

Funny how patronising and defensive people get when they feel their little corner of the world is being threatened. And I only asked if there was a supermarket nearby.

Thanks for your help and your er, warm welcome.

It could be worse: the day I moved, not only "down south" but "south of the river" my mother sent me photocopied pages with some choice quotes from Shakespeare about Bermondsey, a safety whistle, and a handwritten note that said "some things don't change ". ;-)

I'd echo the advice of others - it's no worse and a lot better than many places in London. You need to be aware of what is going on around you, trust your instincts and you should be fine. For myself, I always felt a lot safer in Southwark than I did in Chelsea (where I lived briefly and always felt that you could be getting murdered in broad daylight and people would just step over you and walk on by).

Liberty, you'll be fine. I walk home along Blackfriars Road (I'm on Westminster Bridge Road and walk via St George's Circus) and it's great. There are so many buses and taxis that go up that road that there are always people around without it being too busy. I agree with the earlier post - don't fumble with maps, don't walk too slowly, don't listen to your iPod when it's dark - but all these apply no matter where you are in London.

You're in a fantastic location to access Borough High Street, The Cut, Lower Marsh and the South Bank, and there are so many hidden gems in the area! It's got a real community feel which I'm sure you'll discover. We bought four months ago - like you, after living in central London 'north' of the river - and just love it. The owner of our local Italian restaurant greets us like old friends when we go there and my boyfriend spent an hour and a half talking to the owners of the framing shop 'Sean Kelly's Gallery' on London Road on Saturday - you just don't find that in many parts of London!