7 Holyrood Street – a café emerging from the rubble on the Low Line

An exciting new addition to London Bridge is now under construction, which will be part lush vertical garden, part public space, part café-kiosk made out of beautiful timber, and part social enterprise. Construction will take four months.

The project is on the Low Line, a walking destination along the mighty Victorian railway arches of Southwark. Following a public realm strategy on Holyrood Street, commissioned by Team London Bridge in 2018, Southwark Council saw the opportunity to bring a hoarded off space into public use at no.7 Holyrood Street.

The Council, working with TLB, launched a callout for ideas to activate a small ‘yard’ space, and the project was awarded to Sanchez Benton Architects, who’s design expands on Gibbons Rent, the secret oasis and walkway that exits by the site.

The bespoke café-kiosk will be run by food business Malfatti Projects working with The Connection, who work with rehabilitating homeless people across London. They will be looking to source delicious food and drink from producers along the Low Line.

The design is a major feature, with an 8m high green trellis acting as a beacon and visual marker for the street, and able to turn heads from the passing trains. The project will draw more footfall into Holyrood Street, and is a key part of the strategy to transform the street, along with the lush new outdoor space outside Nine Lives bar with one of our fresh air squares.

This will definitely be a place to go as we start to reopen in the Spring and summer.

7 Holyrood Street is being funded as part of the Low Line project by the Mayor of London’s Good Growth Fund, as well as by Team London Bridge and Southwark Council. Visit the Low Line website