One Bus Away guide to South West London
Dust off the cobwebs and venture off campus to experience new places, events and things to do. All you need is a £1.50 bus fare you’re in for a great night out.
Westfields — Shepherds Bush: 72 Bus
It’s every shopping centre ever — but more so!!! With more than 300 shops, 60 places to eat and more than 40 luxury brands.
27.3m people made the trip in 2016.
NOT THE USUAL NIGHT OUT
HandMade Mysteries — Clapham: 337 Bus
Based in The Four Thieves pub, this ’twisted escape room,’ titled “Lady Chastity’s Reserve,” is a game where visitors solve puzzles and mysteries before time runs out.
Do Stuff Escape Games — 72/265 Bus
Located in The Grove Pub in Battersea, a challenge, but you find clues, solve puzzles and complete games in order to free hostages.
Gala Bingo — Clapham: 493 Bus
One of the flashiest, grandest bingo venues you will ever go to. Three games Monday to Friday with two on Sunday, starting from £3 and ending at £10.
Jurassic Encounter Adventure Golf — New Malden: 265 Bus
Open from 9 am to 9 pm every day and starting at £9, 18 holes of crazy golf is a fun day out.
Comedy Carnival — Clapham: 493 Bus
The Clapham branch offers individual tickets, plus monthly Dinner & Show deals for just £25.
STOCK UP ON INDIE SOUNDS
Situated in the heart of Kingston, Banquet record store has slowly established Kingston as the epicentre of South-West London’s indie, emo and punk rock scenes. Across venues including The Fighting Cocks, Bacchus and the Rose Theatre. Banquet has an incredible record of hosting up and coming bands alongside already established artists.
See also: Half-Year Review: Hip Hop Albums
Every Thursday the record store takes over The Hippodrome nightclub for ‘New Slang’, an indie club night that has been host to an incredible pedigree of bands including; AlT-J, Royal Blood, Busted and Bastille. With tickets often costing less than £10 and a capacity of approximately 1200, it’s a great chance to see big acts in an intimate venue on the cheap.
Even if your budget can’t stretch to a tenner the store puts on several in-store gigs every week, allowing you to see bands cram themselves between LP racks and perform for free. If you’re after a break from monotonous club bangers, Banquet Records consistently serve up a feast of guitar option.
STRETCH THAT STUDENT LOAN
Cheap Pints:
- The Union — Roehampton (on campus): £2.40 — Carling.
- Fighting Cocks — Kingston (85 bus): £2.95 — Carlsberg.
- The King’s Tun — Kingston (85 bus): £2.80 Bud Light.
- The Rocket — Putney (265 bus): £2.80 — Bud Light.
- The Cornerstone — Kingston (85 Bus): £2.29 — Carlsberg.
Happy Hour:
- Be At One — Putney (265 bus): 5–8 every day, all night on Sundays.
- Slug and Lettuce — Richmond (493 bus): All day, every day.
- Fighting Cocks — Kingston (85 bus): 5–8, every day.
- Tequilla Mockingbird — Putney (265 bus): 5–9 every day.
- Venn Street Records — Clapham (493 bus): 5–8 every day.
CINEMA WITH AN EXTRA BIT OF CLASS
Olympic Studios in Barnes is a classy affair, a cinema designed with red wool dressed reclining chairs and a Dolby Atmos surround system. Watch the latest movies on show, with two screens and one dedicated to classic film, it caters for all.
If you want the at-home-vibe, then reserve a blanket equipped sofa (£40 for two). If you want to prematurely surprise your tinder date with a love seat, then feel free. Every chair holds a wine glass holster so you can lubricate any awkward post-movie conversation.
The building is steeped in history. After it opened in 1909 as an entertainment centre for locals, early audiences were treated to footage of King Edward VII’s funeral. A bit morbid, but cinema has changed quite a bit since then.
REAL DEER WITHIN WALKING DISTANCE
Richmond Park is the largest of the capital’s eight Royal Parks, it has 2500 acres. It’s no surprise that it attracts millions of Londoners and tourists every year. Home to herds and herds of Red and Fallow Deer, it’s ideal for long walks and picnics. It’s natural escapism at its best. From its highest point, you can enjoy a clear view of St. Paul’s Cathedral.
With forestry, lakes and wildlife, it’s perfect for a scenic cycle. If you don’t own a bike, you can hire one from Parkcycle, situated at the Roehampton Gate Car Park.
The park has been a popular filming location for many movies, including “Anne of the Thousand Days,” starring Richard Burton. That slow-mo woods scene from Guy Ritchie’s “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows” was also filmed here, as well as parts of the Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, James Corden musical, “Into the Woods.”
Selected by Jacob Sarkisian and Danny Mitchell
