London

Bad Boy
North
A high-profile ‘George Davis Is Innocent OK’ graffiti campaign in 1975 helped secured the supposedly innocent bank robber Davis’s release from prison. He was then promptly re-arrested for attempting to rob the Bank of Cyprus on Seven Sisters Road. The song ‘George Davis Is Innocent’ appeared on Sham 69’s 1978 live ‘Tell Us the Truth’ album. Davis also received a namecheck on Duran Duran’s ‘Friends of Mine’.

South
Back in 2000, a south London gang led by one Lee Wenham, tried to steal 12 of the world’s rarest and most valuable diamonds from the Millennium Dome. The plan was audacious in the extreme: they smashed through the gates with a JCB, smashed open the display cases with nail guns and sledgehammers, and were going to escape down the Thames in speedboats. Unfortunately, when they got there the diamonds had been switched and there were 200 coppers waiting.
But you’ve got to give them full marks for flair.

North wins! Feature continues

Best street name
North
Percy Passage, W1.

South
Ribbon Dance Mews, SE5.

North wins!

Cathedral
North
St Paul’s. The current cathedral was built between 1675 and 1710 by Wren. Its film career includes ‘Mary Poppins’ and ‘Team America: World Police’.

South
The main structure of Southwark Cathedral was built between 1220 and 1420. Bits of ‘The Omen’ were filmed nearby.

North wins!

Industry
North
Enfield is the location of London’s only flour mill, GR Wright & Sons Ltd at Ponders End. And where would we be
without bread?

South
Young’s Brewery in Wandsworth. Beer has been brewed here since 1581 – it’s the oldest site in Britain on which beer has been brewed continuously.

South wins!

Culture
North
Museum
Freud Museum. This is where Sigmund Freud settled with his family when they fled the Nazi annexation of Austria. Today, it contains the psychologist’s incredible collection of Egyptian, Greek, Roman and Oriental antiquities. It also boasts Freud’s original couch!
Gallery
Camden Arts Centre. With a constantly changing programme of exhibitions, north London’s ‘creative hub’ presents work by influential and acclaimed artists as well as championing up-and-comers.
Cinema
Screen on the Green. A classic north London character, crouched among the shops and bars of Upper Street.

South
Museum
Victorian tea trader and museum founder Frederick John Horniman began collecting artefacts from around the world in the 1860s. All very interesting, but he wasn’t as famous as Freud, and didn’t have a couch.
Gallery
The South London Gallery features commissioned work specifically about the local area, and has hosted the likes of Gilbert and George and Gavin Turk.
Cinema
The NFT is one of London’s great cultural institutions, screening over 1,000 films a year, from rare silent comedies to cult movies and archive television screenings. It’s the antithesis of Leicester Square.

South wins!

Defection
North
Arsenal FC’s escape from deepest Woolwich to Islington in search of glory, cash and support has never been forgiven by their new neighbours, Tottenham Hotspur.

South
Although William Shakespeare lived in both Bishopsgate and Blackfriars, the fact he built his theatre on the south side of the river makes it pretty clear which side tickled his quill the most.

South wins!

Drink
North
Pub
We’re claiming The Gun on the Isle of Dogs. Time Out’s 2005 gastropub of the year has fantastic views of the Thames, and alongside the quality beer you can get top-class French bistro food.
Bar
Anam. London’s first ever Irish cocktail bar in Chapel Market isn’t big but packs a punch. It’s open until 3am Tuesday to Friday, serves rare whiskeys (Kilbeggan, Tyroconnell, Middleton Extra Rare), and has a cocktail list designed specifically by top mixologist Tony Conigliaro. Beat that.

South
Pub
The Royal Oak on Tabard Street is a proper boozer – the only pub in London tied to Lewes brewer Harveys, and one of only a handful to serve mild as standard. Unfortunately the sign saying, ‘Lager drinkers will only be served if accompanied by a responsible adult’ has been taken down.
Bar
Grafton House in Clapham. With its marble floors, dark wood and sumptuous soft furnishings, this luxury cocktail bar and restaurant could challenge any den of hedonism in New York, let alone
north London.

North wins!