London: lost pubs: THE GIRAFFE
45 Penton Place, Kennington, SE17

Seen in its death throes, the Giraffe was once a busy part of the local community.

Listed as open in 1881, the pub closed sometime in the late 90s/early 2000s and was apparently briefly squatted towards the end.

The pub's proximity to the Pullens Buildings often meant that an arty and creative bunch of boozers were often to be found supping ale at the bar.


The Giraffe pub [Apr 2006]

The building had been mostly demolished and gutted out by April 2006.




A bit of history

Mango5 (of the urban75 walk club) gives some background to the pub's name:

To the north of Kennington Park (between Braganza Street and Penton Place) stood Surrey’s zoological gardens, where throughout the Victorian era lions, giraffes, elephants and alligators roamed in enclosures amidst amusement stalls and concert halls.

The only remains of this are the name of the Giraffe pub on Penton Place and the eccentric street lay-out of Doddington Grove – this wide road – bounded by botanical gardens was once part of the avenue approach to the zoo.

See location and walk


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