Graphite Square is a new mixed use residential and co-working scheme in Vauxhall. It will deliver 161 homes and 80,000 sq ft of co-working space over three floors, with two public spaces that link currently disconnected local streets. It will deliver a cohesive new community to an area noticeably on the up.

The location, for one, is hard to beat – near the Thames, opposite the Tate Britain, it’s certainly central to the city’s thriving urban heart.

ORIGINS

The original site of Graphite Square was the birthplace of live outdoor entertainment as we know it.

Vauxhall’s origins stretch all the way back to the 13th century, when the Gascon mercenary Falkes de Bréauté acquired the manor in 1233 and built Falkes’ Hall, later called Fox Hall. Jane Vaux, thought to be a descendant of Falkes de Bréauté, owned a house here in 1615 with eleven acres of grounds called the Spring Gardens. These were opened to the public as a pleasure park in 1660. Famed London diarist Samuel Pepys recorded that he went “by water to Foxhall, and there walked in Spring Gardens.”

The Park was relaunched in 1732 with greatly enhanced attractions – and the construction of Westminster Bridge in 1750 improved its accessibility. The gardens provided refreshments, concerts, fireworks, displays of pictures and statuary and similar entertainments, and at night were lit by over 1,000 glass lamps hung from the trees.

By 1785 they were known as Vauxhall Gardens and such was their prestige that similar parks were introduced to several European cities, including the Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen.

Vauxhall Gardens closed in 1859 after years of financial difficulties but a small remnant, Spring Gardens, survives opposite the northern end of South Lambeth Road. A little to the south, Vauxhall Park opened in 1890.

Industry and commerce flourished along Vauxhall’s riverside for more than three centuries, and until very recently continued to do so at nearby Nine Elms.

The Vauxhall Ironworks Company built its first car in 1903, badged with Falkes de Bréauté’s heraldic griffin; a plaque at Sainsbury’s petrol station on Wandsworth Road marks the site of the factory today. The company relocated to Luton in 1905 and became Vauxhall Motors two years later.

Inland, surviving Georgian and Victorian terraced houses have been gentrified, while huge sums have been spent on the regeneration of council housing.

A NEW MIXED USE RESIDENTIAL AND CO-WORKING SCHEME IN VAUXHALL

Today Vauxhall is home to a truly diverse community. Just across Tyers Street from Spring Gardens, Vauxhall City Farm has been “keeping the lamb in Lambeth” since 1976. Vauxhall’s community

of Portuguese speakers has opened cafés and restaurants, while a small ‘gay village’ of bars and nightspots has also prospered in the area.

The site was used for music, dancing, fireworks, operas, masquerades and illuminations, all lit up

by a thousand lanterns. Now grand entrance lobbies feature ceiling sculptures and stylised, high-end interiors which are carried through to all parts of the buildings.

Graphite Square is a new mixed-use residential and co-working scheme in Vauxhall. It will deliver

155 homes and 80,000 sq ft of co-working space over three floors, with two public spaces that link currently disconnected local streets. It will also deliver a cohesive new community to an area noticeably on the up.

LONDON’S FASTEST RISING STAR

The location, for one, is hard to beat – near the Thames, opposite the Tate Britain, it’s certainly central to the city’s thriving urban heart. Vauxhall is a major transport hub in Zone One, with both an overland and underground station serving countless destinations across.

The area has a quiet vibrance, with an efficient unit mix of smaller apartments and an abundance of outside space, meaning there is a lot of potential for Graphite Square.

The development showcases an exciting mixed-use scheme, which is architecturally strong, situated in an established and well-connected part of central London. Being close to (but outside) the Nine Elms Regeneration area and the River Thames offers another potential calling-card to buyers.

Vauxhall is rightly renowned for its bars, independent cafés and restaurants.

The Brunswick House Café is a lively café bar for food and cocktails in chic Boho surroundings set in a Georgian mansion house, Hot Stuff is a snug, no-frills North Indian restaurant with a BYOB policy that makes it popular with younger diners, while Moo was the first Argentinian pub to open in the UK, with traditional dishes and good quality South American wines. Mother Kelly’s is a vibrant bottle shop and taproom housed in a lofty railway arch. For a tasty takeaway lunch try Delicias de Portugal for size, but expect to queue for its mouth-watering selection of salads, pastas and sandwiches. And the much-loved Bonnington Café serves organically grown vegetarian and vegan dishes that make it hugely popular with locals and visitors.

Also there is the legendary Royal Vauxhall Tavern where Freddie Mercury and Princess Diana used

to hang out. Stroll down Kennington Road towards the Elephant to discover the Triangle, an enclave of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern places, with delis and bars spilling down side streets and buildings painted every colour of the LGBTQ rainbow.

There’s plenty of prime shopping and leisure outlets all walkable from your doorstep.

Your everyday shopping needs will be well catered for with both Sainsbury's and Tesco supermarkets operating late-night opening hours.

The Tachbrook Street Market is a great little street food hub that opens for two hours every day for lunch.

Cardinal Place Shopping Centre in nearby Victoria is home to the likes of Zara, Topshop, L'Occitane, Hobbs and Marks & Spencer.

In Vauxhall itself, some of the best places for clothing retail are Cornucopia, I Knit London, Norton & Townsend, Redwood & Feller and Retro Mania. Pop into Erickson Beamon for pretty and very stylish designer jewellery.

Let off some steam at Whistle Punks, an axe throwing venue with expert supervision, or simply work off some calories with a session at the Dolphin Square Fitness Club. Unwind with a floating session at Floatworks, home to a hot new relaxation and wellbeing craze, or try bouldering in a railway arch at the VauxWall Climbing Centre.

Simply cross Vauxhall Bridge to discover the vast collections on display at the Tate Britain.

Spend an afternoon exploring the Imperial War Museum and be regaled with stories celebrating extraordinary bravery.

The Gasworks Art Gallery is housed on the site of a former gas works and has been cleverly converted into a beautiful gallery showcasing some of the best contemporary art in London.