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South Kensington can chart its
cultural birth back to the 1850s. The
Great Exhibition, held in Hyde Park
and organised by Prince Albert,
effectively gave rise to the V&A
and the term Albertopolis, which
was coined for the cluster of iconic
institutions established in the area.
Today, South Kensington is home to
numerous art galleries and museums.
As well as the aforementioned
Victoria & Albert Museum, the Science
Museum and the Natural History
Museum are the most well known,
while other cultural and educational
institutions, including the Royal
College of Music and the Royal Albert
Hall have established a presence
in the area. South Kensington’s
reputation as a cultural and education
cluster brings with it visitor numbers
in excess of 20 million. More recently,
the main thoroughfare of Exhibition
Road became a shared street, where
pedestrians and traffic are no longer
segregated which has enabled a
greater connection between the
public realm and the museums.
Southbank is often referred to as
London’s ‘cultural quarter’. A mix of
tourist attractions, artistic venues,
bars and restaurants with a river
frontage create a vibrant and focal
point for visitors and workers alike.
At its heart is the Southbank Centre,
which comprises of five artistic
venues and is the UK’s largest
arts centre. Numerous theatres sit
alongside, with probably the best
known being the The Old Vic and
the Shakespeare’s Globe theatre,
which was reconstructed in 1997.
Southbank’s culture is ingrained in
its urban fabric and the area has
been successful in bringing older
obsolete buildings into modern
use. These include the Tate Modern,
the world famous home of modern
and contemporary art, which is
housed in what was originally the
Bankside Power Station, while the
once derelict Oxo Tower now is
home to contemporary designers,
restaurants, bars and gallery space.
Southbank is also the home to the
oldest recognised skateboarding
space in the world. The Undercroft,
used by skateboarders, BMXers and
graffiti artists, recently came under
threat from proposed redevelopment
but public outcry has ensured
that the area is preserved long
term for authentic street culture,
demonstrating the value that culture
can bring to the long-term viability
of an area.
Characterised by bars, cafes,
nightclubs and cabaret, Soho was
historically the home of ‘low-lifers
and high-lifers, romantics and realists,
drunks and dreamers’. Its streets
are steeped in a rich heritage of the
performing arts; but to the dismay of
many it is steadily being gentrified
and moving on from its salacious
past. Soho is also widely known for
its position as the heart and soul
of the LGBTQ+ scene, with Old
Compton Street at its heart. Caravan,
a members club which offered refuge
for the gay and lesbian community
during the early 1930s, was recently
recreated by The National Trust,
as part of a project celebrating 50
years since the decriminalisation of
homosexuality and the importance
of ‘sidelined culture’. Following the
high profile closure of Madam JoJo’s,
the iconic burlesque nightclub, back
in 2014, alongside a number of other
venues, the news that it could be re-
opened in the near term along with the
recent relaunch of noughties nightclub,
Paper, was music to the ears of many
who fight for Soho to retain its night
time economy and culture.
South Kensington
Southbank
Soho
Southbank’s
culture is
ingrained
in its urban
fabric and
the area
has been
successful
in bringing
older
obsolete
buildings
into modern
use
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COVER STORY
CUSHMAN & WAKEFIELD