Grand Union Kennington

Description

Our new pub, The Tankard (its original 1825 name), was designed especially with a large roof terrace so customers could look over the high wall surrounding the grounds of the notorious Bethlem Insane Asylum (known colloquially as Bedlam) and gawk at the goings on there. In 1936 the grounds became a park and the asylum moved elsewhere to be replaced by The Imperial War Museum.

The pub, however, abides, and is a place of layered London history.

A young Charlie Chaplin was often dispatched there by his Mother to haul his Pa out of the lounge bar for his supper. Charlie cites the characters he met in Kennington pubs as the great influence which formed his unique brand of maudlin physical comedy. Chaplin Senior was a well-known Actor and Singer who performed often in the music halls of Kennington Road – all sadly now pulled down.

And now the Draft House has arrived.

Lovely Rachel Thomas is in charge and we have made efforts to restore the pub to something close to its original Victorian state. Hopefully with better beer. And a tasteful nod to its music hall / Chaplin past. And there are still some not entirely sane people in the park opposite you can observe from our magnificent roof terrace.

We will have good British cheese, matched with an amazing range of rare bottled beers from the four corners of the globe, and a very, very good Sunday Roast.

I hope to see you at the Bar…

Info

  • London - Christmas Lunch, London - Christmas Dinner, London - Drinks and Finger Food
  • Wheelchair Access, Disabled Toilets
  • No Door Charge
  • None

Hours

Day Open Close Notes
Monday 12:00 23:00
Tuesday 12:00 23:00
Wednesday 12:00 23:00
Thursday 12:00 23:30
Friday 12:00 0:00
Saturday 12:00 0:00
Sunday 12:00 22:30

Location

Address

Grand Union Kennington, 111, Kennington Road, SE11 6SF

Area

Waterloo

Nearest Station

Lambeth North (Tube)

Menus

  • Cuisines

    This venue serves British and Burgers food.

Private Hire

Name Type Capacity
Seated
Capacity
Standing
Cost Min spend
Midweek*
Min spend
Weekend*
Function Room Private Room 30 70 - 500+ 1,500-4,000

* The minimum spends are a guideline only and vary according to the day and time of the year.

Customer Reviews (2)

Our Review

Grand Union Kennington - Cocktail Bar Review

11 Kennington Road, London, SE11 6SF. View on map. Grand Union Kennington is a cool cocktail bar just a short stroll from Kennington station and is also near to Elephant and Castle. Before my visit I thought I half-knew what to expect from this Grand Union bar, however my estimations (high…