New Street Life on Exhibition Road, London

As commented on in a recent Evening Standard article by Kieran Long (Architecture Critic), the remake of Exhibition Road at South Kensington is finished and has been opened to shared pedestrian and vehicle use. What a change! It used to be near suicide to cross the street in front of the South Kensington station (Piccadilly Line), with buses and taxis vying for position and the narrow street too crowded to take the flow. Now, the street (Thurloe) on the north side of the station has been pedestrianised, and the same criss-cross granite paving in black and white extends up Exhibition Road for shared use. Café society is blossoming in South Ken.

The southern end of Exhibition Road open for shared use in front of the Café Créperie

Kieran reminds us that this area is sometimes known as Albertopolis, with the great museums sponsored by Prince Albert as a cultural centre outside of central London. As most visitors to the area know, there is an underground passage to "The Museums" – including the Victoria & Albert, the Science Museum, and the Museum of Natural History – that runs from the South Ken tube station to Cromwell Road. This passage was handy in the days of horrible traffic on Thurloe Street, but now people will have to be convinced to go overground because the ambience is so nice and the shops so welcoming along the way.

My favourite shop is the Café Créperie, which is also a crémerie. They have great crepes there with a choice of white or buckwheat flour. Most all the crepes have cheese in them except for the vegan option of a buckwheat crepe filled with ratatouille – my usual choice. Then, there is a whole selection of "home-made" ice creams: fantastic flavours and good prices.  Perhaps the latter and the outside seats should be saved for a warm sunny day, but don't be put off by the smallness of the room you enter: there are more seats in the crémerie beyond and also downstairs when it is open.