Elephant and Castle - Name

Name

The "Elephant and Castle" is derived from a coaching inn of that name on the site. The earliest surviving record of this name relating to the area is in the Court Leet Book of the Manor of Walworth. This local court had met at "Elephant and Castle, Newington" on 21 March 1765. Previously the site was occupied by a blacksmith and cutler – the coat of arms of the Worshipful Company of Cutlers features an elephant with a castle (possibly meant to be a howdah) on its back, which in turn was used because of the use of elephant ivory in handles.

Shakespeare mentions the Elephant Lodgings in his play "Twelfth Night". In Act 3 Scene 3 Antonio says "In the south suburbs, at the Elephant, is best to lodge." Although the play is set in Illyria in the Balkans Shakespeare often uses local London references. The theatres were all in Southwark, so maybe this is an advert for a local hostelry.

'Newington' is one of the most common place names in England (see Newington Green and Stoke Newington in north London), and from 1750 the area became more important and so the informal name, from the pub at this junction, was adopted. Compare 'Angel' at Islington, or Bricklayers Arms a short distance along New Kent Road from Elephant and Castle.

The inn site was rebuilt in 1816 and again in 1898, although the present Elephant & Castle pub, at the junction of New Kent Road and Newington Causeway, was part of the 1960s comprehensive redevelopment.