The Elephant & Castle Shopping Centre closed its doors for the final time yesterday (September 24).
The closure will make way for “a new town centre”, which is part of a £4bn development that will totally overhaul the area. The shopping centre, which has been around for 55 years, will be demolished and replaced with shiny new retail units, and fancy high-rise apartments.
Sure, it wasn’t the most beautiful of buildings, but it had a special place in the hearts of many, not least its loyal traders. To show their affection for the centre, as well as their disappointment about its closure, hordes of people joined together last night (September 24) to say goodbye.
Elephant Shopping Centre, the last day. So good that so many people came out in both sadness but in anger too. 🔥🐘💚 pic.twitter.com/THtt0Q7ATS
— Southwark Notes💚🇵🇸 (@SouthwarkNotes) September 24, 2020
As the shopping centre awaits demolition, some retailers will relocate to a temporary location in Castle Square, along with the famous elephant statue. The makeshift retail park, which you’ll find on Elephant Road, will open this weekend.
Developers and councils have been trying to make this happen for years, but have always been met with deputations and general push back from the local community. They put up a grand old fight and were winning! Well, until now. Southwark Council actually held the first public meeting on the matter back in 1989.
With the Elephant & Castle Shopping Centre now closed, a reminder that the process has taken just short of 31 years since @lb_southwark’s first public meeting on the subject in November 1989. pic.twitter.com/0jXHTRDwIP
— London SE1 Community Website (@se1) September 25, 2020
The shopping centre may have needed a little love in the looks department, but that didn’t make it any easier to say goodbye. In fact, many Londoners took to Twitter to share their fond memories of the place:
https://twitter.com/PRPringle/status/1309260452153745411
A town centre in London Zone 1 which had an independent bookshop, Latin American businesses, Russian, Polish & hardware & other specialist shops.
We will not see this again, and it was a purely political decision, unrelated to shopping habits or demographic change. https://t.co/8AwhyConmg
— Visit Camberwell #AnalyseTrafficOrigin With #ANPR (@visitcamberwell) September 25, 2020
I don’t have any pictures but one of my early memories is having a tour of the centre before it officially opened as my (socialist) grandad was *on the council* and took us grandkids along for the preview. So sad that things have come to this.
— SashaSabenCallaghan (@SabenCallaghan) September 24, 2020
It’s so vibrant you can see the Latin, Caribbean & African influences there. I have fond memories of shopping at Elephant & Castle. It will become another characterless space that’s a product of gentrification & capitalism. 😔 #ElephantandCastle
— RAINBOW BLAK (@RAINBOWBLAK) September 25, 2020
Shocking and what a dismantling of a truly diverse community. That spirit can never be replicated by more coffee shops and high end eateries.
— Carole Wright (@Blak_Outside) September 25, 2020
Totally heartless way to treat people who have been a part of the literal backbone of the local Elephant and Castle community for 5, 10, 15 years. All have families. All are worried 🐘🔥💚 pic.twitter.com/YFhpvgSZ8i
— Southwark Notes💚🇵🇸 (@SouthwarkNotes) September 24, 2020
Featured image: Shutterstock