As part of our #whatsyourstory campaign towards the BLACKFRIARS STORIES events programme with Southwark Council in 2014, our intern, Jess, shares a memory of Blackfriars.

Living in Kent, the noise, hustle and bustle of London wasn’t something I experienced on a regular basis. I would go to London to see a show, attend a dance class or go to a museum; I was essentially a tourist visiting my own city – which I live a mere twenty minutes away from. It wasn’t until I started studying a BA in ‘Arts and Festival Management’ at London South Bank University that I began to see the ‘real’ London. I now go to places where people live, rather than simply visit, which has given me a new experience of this amazing city.

Before starting university, I had never visited Elephant and Castle. It wasn’t until the university’s Open Day that I ventured into the unknown. Getting terribly lost, relying heavily on the technology on my phone, I was taken down a subway (something I had never seen in London before) which led me to the place I would be studying for 3 years. The different cultures, sights and noises would definitely take time in getting used to!

I have always known that I had to study in London as I share the same desire, like so many others do, to be in the Arts. I had to be in London.

With only being in the area since September of last year, there’s always something new to see, understand and do, which has allowed me to produce many memories. One of my first memories was the first time I visited Elephant and Castles Shopping Mall. I had never been to a place like it! The various market stalls selling everything and anything, the strong smell of popcorn when you enter the centre itself, it felt like I had stepped into a time machine and travelled back thirty years! 

As time goes on I am becoming more familiar with SE1. Even in the short time commuting in the area, I have noticed constant changes going on, mostly building work. My first and lasting impression is therefore still in the exciting phase, because everything is relatively new and different; I can see this area becoming a place to come to.