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SOUTH LONDON

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Vauxhall-Stockwell

A rather dire area in terms of architecture and attitude, Vauxhall has had little love and functions largely as a transport link and space for small businesses who can’t afford the rent in more fashionable places. The riverside, however, is home to the MI6 building, as well as new-builds and an alternative gay scene so big it’s known as Voho – in deference to Soho’s clubs and bars. The gay strip is home to the legendary Royal Vauxhall Tavern, Soho off-shoot Barcode and some of the original all-nighter super-clubs located under enormous railway arches coming out of Waterloo. However, after a couple of tremendous years, the wheels seem to have come off the Vauxhall G express.

Brixton

Multicultural – and not only meant as a euphemism for having to watch your back at night – Brixton has a huge Afro-Carribbean community, whose wares you can pick up at the local market alongside produce from India, Vietnam and South America. With a gay clubbing heritage that includes legendary nights like Love Muscle at The Fridge and Substation South’s Queer Nation, Brixton is now trying to regain some of the camp ground that it lost to Vauxhall. It’s also home to lots of London’s oldest live venues and still plays a big part in the music scene today.

Battersea

It may be South of the river (and therefore in some Londoner’s books, as good as death), but thanks to its large, water-side park and proximity to bustling Clapham, Battersea has become a popular residential area with young up-and-comers who still enjoy the weekend boot sales and view of the now disused, though architecturally stunning, Power Station.

Clapham

Popular with trendy twenty-somethings and Antipodean newcomers, Clapham is awash with cheesy clubs, bars and late-night revelry. Much like a student town, Clapham seems to function to cater to tracksuit bedecked young professionals stumbling into Sainsburys on a Sunday morning, before lying comatose on the big green common. Popular with accountants and responsible boys trying to climb the property ladder.