New Kent Road is the main road leading east from Elephant & Castle.
New Kent Road stretches for 1 kilometre and was established in 1751 when the Turnpike Trust undertook the task of upgrading a local footpath into a proper road. This transformation was part of a broader initiative to enhance the road infrastructure in association with the construction of Westminster Bridge. With the completion of this project, it became possible to travel directly from the West End/Westminster to the southeast without detouring through the Borough of Southwark. Instead, travellers could now cross St George’s Fields and reach the intersection of Newington Causeway and Newington Butts, marking the starting point of New Kent Road at Elephant & Castle.
Continuing eastward for a short distance, the road intersects with Great Dover Street and Tower Bridge Road at a location known as Bricklayers Arms, where it joins the original route leading to the southeast known as the Old Kent Road (the A2).
New Kent Road absorbed Rockingham Place in 1864.
In historical records from 1878, it was noted that New Kent Road had formerly been named Greenwich Road. The description highlighted its spaciousness and the planting of trees on either side, suggesting that it had the potential to evolve into a splendid boulevard, reminiscent of Parisian streets, and could serve as a model for other parts of London.
Even in the 1955 Survey of London, it was emphasized that New Kent Road retained a sense of spaciousness that was lacking in many of its 19th-century counterparts. The 1751 Act stipulated a minimum width of 42 feet (13 meters) for the road, and many older houses along the route still maintained their front gardens.
Today, only a few of these older houses remain, primarily located on the south side of the road.
