Page "Kennington" Paragraph 58

It is difficult to identify one catalyst for this change.

The principal factors are location and transport, but other factors which may have contributed include the widening of the corporate-professional employment sector in central London, starting in the 1980s and the effect of rising property prices in districts north of the river, and ( more recently ), nearby Clapham and Battersea, causing Kennington to be " rediscovered ".

The good architectural and structural quality of many properties in Kennington — characterised by Georgian and Victorian terraces of yellow London stock brick, typically three storeys or higher, fronting the main roads and squares — has unquestionably contributed to the gentrification of the area, and so has a perception of " good value "-that investment in a property in the district will yield a decent return.

Nevertheless, a significant proportion of housing in the area is council-owned, including some council estates adjacent to Kennington Road, leading up to Elephant and Castle, and around the Kennington Park area.

The area's varied social texture demonstrates the population mix.