Shaken not stirred!
When staying in one of our Vauxhall apartments, you're in good company - not only is the area home to a number of current and former British politicians (after all, it's just a skip and a jump across the river to the Houses of Parliament, Vauxhall is also home to MI6 - central HQ of our Intelligence Service and prop in many James Bond films.
Otherwise, Vauxhall offers classic architecture, typical of anywhere in South London with good transport links to all of London's big attractions. Good value accommodation with the River Thames on your doorstep - what more could you ask for?
MI6 Building, Vauxhall
Vauxhall Tourist Attractions and History:
Even the name 'Vauxhall' is interesting as this part of Lambeth seems to have named from the title 'Foxhall', itself derived from 'Faulke's Hall' after the 13th century owner of a large house there, Falkes de Breaute. And the British car company Vauxhall still uses de Breaute's griffin emblem on their vehicles.
Names aside, much of Vauxhall has been around for quite some time - there's a number of ancient roads running through the borough like South Lambeth Road, Wandsworth Road and Clapham Road. And fast-forward through history to the early 19th century and various Russian Tsars and diplomats visited the railway here and liked it so much that the Russian word for train station become 'vokzal'.
But there's more to Vauxhall than just good transport connections. There's a thriving gay scene - to rival Soho - and a few landmarks dotted about should you wish to spend a day exploring your locality. As we already mentioned, you can head to the bridge to take a peek at the iconic MI6 buildings (officially called the SIS headquarters) which you might recognise from the Goldeneye, The World Is Not Enough and Die Another Day Bond movies.
Also worth a look is the stunning glass St George Wharf Tower - an apartment building overlooking the Thames which is now the tallest residential building in the country.
There's also Vauxhall City Farm and the newly restored listed Georgian mansion, Brunswick House which was built in 1758 but fell foul of squatters until the mid-2000s. It's next to Vauxhall Cross and sits in the shadow of the thoroughly modern St George Wharf Tower offering a neat comparison of how the area has changed over time.
Getting to London's Big Attractions:
Now we're talking - bar Waterloo, Vauxhall might just be the best connected area in central London. It really does have it all - tube, train, buses, plenty of taxis, Boris bike docking stations.. You name it, you've got it.
You nearest tube station will no doubt be Vauxhall which is served by the Victoria line - taking you to Stockwell and Brixton to the south and across to Pimlico, Green Park, Oxford Circus and Euston to the North. It's a really quick line for zipping across the city.
Otherwise, chances are you're in walking distance of one of the Northern line stations, like Oval, Kennington or Waterloo anyway. If the overground is more your style, catch a South West Trains train to Waterloo - it's just one stop or use it to explore the London suburbs like the picturesque Richmond or shopping heaven Kingston in the other direction.
But what we really recommend is walking aross the river to the sights of Westminster and Victoria - like Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace and Horse Guards Parade. Or you could jump on a bike in the Barclays scheme from one of the two docking stations in Vauxhall and take the Cycle Superhighway (marked by blue paint on the roads) into town
Now we're talking - bar Waterloo, Vauxhall might just be the best connected area in central London. It really does have it all - tube, train, buses, plenty of taxis, Boris bike docking stations.. You name it, you've got it. Plan your journey on Transport for London before setting off.
You nearest tube station will no doubt be Vauxhall which is served by the Victoria line - taking you to Stockwell and Brixton to the south and across to Pimlico, Green Park, Oxford Circus and Euston to the North. It's a really quick line for zipping across the city.
Otherwise, chances are you're in walking distance of one of the Northern line stations, like Oval, Kennington or Waterloo anyway. If the overground is more your style, catch a South West Trains train to Waterloo - it's just one stop or use it to explore the London suburbs like the picturesque Richmond or shopping heaven Kingston in the other direction.
But what we really recommend is walking aross the river to the sights of Westminster and Victoria - like Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace and Horse Guards Parade. Or you could jump on a bike in the Barclays scheme from one of the two docking stations in Vauxhall and take the Cycle Superhighway (marked by blue paint on the roads) into town.
Vauxhall Bus Station
Vauxhall Insider Tips and Eating Out:
If you want a retro afternoon or just to unleash your inner kid, stop by the Renaissance Rooms for London's best roller disco. The dress code is as silly as you want to make it and there's a bar and booths for food around the smaller, circular "dancefloor". If you're lucky, you'll see some pros doing tricks while you're there.
Vauxhall is also one of the last places in London that has a few clubs jampacked into one space, in this case the railway arches - you'll find mostly gay clubs like Fire, the Royal Vauxhall Tavern and the original Crash. But the atmosphere in Vauxhall at night is anything but rowdy - most people staying in the area won't even notice the gay scene's existence if they're tucked up in bed at a reasonable hour.
We also recommend a stop by Vauxhall Park to take in one of the miniature model houses and perhaps a visit to The Tea Theatre, a 1940s themed tea room that serves tea and cake.
For dining in the area, head to Wandsworth Road or South Lambeth Road and you'll get a nice selection. There's quite a high percentage of Portuguese people in the area and this is reflected in the cuisine: try A Toca or Cafe Portugal. There's also a few Indian resturants, like Cafe Zia and Hot Stuff, as well as a Chinese offering in the form of O & K.
Vauxhall upon the Riverside.
Vauxhall Amenities:
Vauxhall isn't known for it's shopping but there's a giant Tesco that is just down the road in Kennington if you run out of any essentials during your stay. Otherwise, there's plenty of mini supermarkets and inside Vauxhall station you can buy anything from a sandwich to a bunch of fresh flowers.
Vauxhall Park also has a playground to keep kids entertained as well as tennis courts if the weather allows you to don your whites for a game.
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