About the area
The Elephant and Castle is geographically just over 3 kilometres (over a mile) South of the River Thames and Waterloo rail station in London. It is nowadays in the Greater London Borough of Newingham and has a post code of SE1.
Its name is unusual and there seems to be an argument over its origins. Some say it is a corruption of the phrase ' Infanta de Castila' and that a Spanish Infanta (princess) may have stopped there on her way to central London to meet her intended husband, the King. Possible Infantas would be: Katherine of Aragon from Castile, who married King Henry V111 (16th Century) or Eleanor of Castile who married Edward 1st (13th Century).
Others think that the area may have got its name from a Cutler's Company that was located there. They used an elephant and castle crest. Soon a local public house (pub) adopted the crest and the area was named after the pub.
The late, great actor Charlie Chaplin lived for a while in the area - as did the actor Michael Caine.
Above: The Elephant and Castle in the 1800s. The Elephant and Castle pub is the large building top left.
Click here for large map of
the Elephant and Castle area
of 1827.
