Elephant and Castle Pub Elephant and Castle Pub, 119 Newington Causeway, London SE1 6BN, UK

The Elephant and Castle, the pub that named the area & has been around in one form of another since 1765. Originally sitting where the Faraday monument is in the middle of the Elephant and Castle roundabout, the pub was first listed in 1765 and catered for the coach traffic coming in and out of south London.

As the years passed and the area got busier and busier the pub was rebuilt twice. Each time grander and taller than the last, in 1819 and 1898. The second world war and bombings that came with it took its toll on the area and the grand pub of 1898 was a shadow of its former self in 1959 when the last orders bell was rung for the final time. The redevelopment of the Sixties saw the entire area turn from a grand vision of late 19th century red brick architecture into a rather modern modernist example of mid-20th century glass and metal high rise buildings.

The building that our modern day Elephant and Castle resides in dates from 1966 and until the early nineties chugged along as a pretty standard boozer, albeit one with a large basement. However, in1991 it was well known as the venue to go to after Ministry of Sound on a Sunday morning. This is where UK garage originators Matt Jam Lamont, Mickey Simms & Justin Cantor were resident and is considered the ground zero of the UKG scene.

The Main entrance for the Elephant and Castle has a paved ramp to enter from the wide sidewalk. You are welcomed into the restaurant through double doors (each 31” wide) and a second inner door (34”wide) to enter. There are automatic door openers for the entrance, however, the buttons are small and are not the most conveniently located. If entering from the outside, the opener is on the left side, and opens only the right door. The left door can be opened manually for more space. Once in the alcove, the button to open the second door is on the left wall. If you have trouble, don’t worry, as the friendly host/hostess has a button they can access as well to open the doors from inside, which they often do to greet guests.

The Elephant and Castle has multiple seating areas from bar tables, to booths. The most accessible tables are the three at back of the restaurant which are 27” high with removable chairs.  These tables sit on the main level, versus the tables along the window are raised by a 1 foot step with no ramp access. Wide, unobstructed hallways are present throughout the long restaurant leading all the way to the accessible washroom at the back by the old telephone booth décor.

The accessible washroom door is 34” wide with no automatic features. There is a door knob on both sides to enter, so opening and closing the door may be a challenge. The toilet is 17” high, with a 30” grab bar on the side and another behind the toilet. The sink is 32” high with clear space underneath. All the soap, knobs and paper towel amenities are within reach and there is ample turning space to maneuver around. This washroom is also equipped with a baby change station.