North versus South
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By Alan Rutter and Peter Watts
Posted: Tue Dec 13 2005
Thespian
North
Film star
Dirk Bogarde, born in Hampstead on March 28 1921.
Theatre
The Donmar. In the 1870s, this building was a vat room and hop warehouse for the Covent Garden brewery. Since then it’s been a film studio, banana ripening depot and ballet rehearsal studio. What south London theatre has a better history?
South
Film star
Charlie Chaplin, born Walworth on April 16 1889.
Theatre
The National Theatre. Since it opened in 1963, it has staged more than 600 plays, from Coward to Chekov, Shakespeare to Shaw and Beckett to Brecht. It is a globally renowned institution, and it’s on the right side of the river.South wins! Feature continues
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Time-Keeping
North
Big Ben. The don of timepieces.
South
Greenwich Mean Time – without which Big Ben would just be a big, useless carriage clock.
South wins!
Travel
North
Longest road
At 8.52 miles, the A406 (better known as ‘delays on the North Circular’) is the longest road in north London.
Transport
Major (end of line) rail stations, seven; tube stations, 102.
Travel
Euston to Inverness (575 miles).
South
Longest road
The Brighton Road portion of the A23 and A235, by comparison, travels a mere 6.4 miles from Croydon to the boundary of Greater London. Though the traffic does move occasionally.
Transport
Major (end of line) rail stations, three; tube stations, 37.But we do have the mighty Streatham bus depot.
Travel
Waterloo to Avignon (578 miles).South wins!
Trivia
North
World records
Paul Hunn of Enfield holds the world record for the loudest burp: he can burp at more than 118 decibels.
Biggest thing
The Monument is the tallest isolated stone monument in the world, at 202 feet tall. And it has a door.
South
World records
The Bengal Brasserie in Hither Green, baked a naan bread measuring 5cm thick, 66cm long, 58.4cm wide, and weighing 4kg.
Biggest thing
The Millennium Dome is the largest structure of its kind in the world (ie a dome). It’s big enough to house the Great Pyramid or the Statue of Liberty, 13 Albert Halls, two Wembley Stadiums or 3,300 double-decker buses.South wins!
Wildlife
North
Lea Valley. As well as birds, butterflies and all manner of creepy-crawlies, this area is home to 21 species of dragonfly, the coolest of all insects.
South
Richmond Park.
The Park currently sustains 300 red deer and 350 fallow. And deer are cooler than dragonflies, frankly.South wins!
Writer
North
Alive
Zadie Smith’s ‘White Teeth’ brought life to the hitherto neglected world of Willesden Junction.
Dead
Charles Dickens lived in Camden.
South
Alive
Uberintellectual Will Self has written superbly about Vauxhall.
Dead
George Eliot lived in Pimlico and Wimbledon.North wins!
The final score
North London 14
South London 16
It's official - the south shades it. Time to sling up the bunting in Balham!
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11 comments
I'm a north london person BUT how on earth can ANAM on Chapel Market Street be highlighted as best bar is beyond me? I know the place and i can't see how this title can be justified.
Actually, I reckon there are FIVE Londons. The City itself, and Westminster, are their own bit. Central London doesn't belong to north, south, east or west.
The whole north v south debate is extremely silly anyway. There are four Londons, not two. 'North London' just means places like Camden, Islington, Hampstead etc. West London is very different to North London and so, of course, is the East End. The rivalry between East and West London is probably more important than the rivalry between north and south.
Pure Groove moved from Holloway Road to near Smithfield Market some time ago
i do apologise, its a stong subject and i get all carried away with it!
Bee you a legend and a North london!!!
you cant beat that!
I was talking to DEE- the person who commented below! I'm on north side!
Well Bee you where a true North Londerer Born and Breed you might understand,
@@@K explaining if you dont know!
NORTH NORTH NORTH NORTH NORTH NORTH
See ya later!
I think they mean north of the river Dee and no-one asked you!
North all day you
donuts
anywhere north of the river?
jesus no love lost there,
south is better all day..
You say that North wins but some of the places you mentioned are not even in North London such as St. Paul's cathedral which is in the East and Percy Passage which is London W1. Me personally, I prefer South London. Camden can't beat Clapham or Battersea and if you ask me Islington is a dump.