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Shunt Vaults - review by Brooklyn45

Sat, 15 Nov 2008 02:38:14 +0000

Shunt Vaults - review by Brooklyn45

Rating: 4.6

Location: 20 Stainer Street, SE1 9RL, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7378 7776

Website: http://www.shunt.co.uk/

Tags: friendly, mature, cool & smart, young professionals, underground

Not sure what the Shunt Vaults are like today. But, when we visited two years ago (to see a show called "Tropicana") the experience was terrific. Tropicana was the show and the main task (at least for us) was to find out how to get in. The entrance to the "show" was through a door in a wall (very well concealed) in the side of a tube station. Once we figured this out we were escorted through the entrance into what appeared to be the locker room for the tube employees. Then we went through a locker (no kidding) and entered into an area where we could order (and get) drinks through a rather small window. After that we went down an elevator to the "vaults". The rest of the evening was a mixture of completely dark (entirely) and then rather extraordinary props and characters. Overall it was a great evening. We would do it again in a heartbeat. And now that the UK pound is coming down from the stratosphere we may very well be in London in a few weeks. We always look forward to our return. We love the U.K. and can't wait to get back.

Shunt Vaults - review by gregwo

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 13:04:58 +0000

Shunt Vaults - review by gregwo

Rating: 4.6

Location: 20 Stainer Street, SE1 9RL, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7378 7776

Website: http://www.shunt.co.uk/

Tags: relaxed, cool & smart, young and fun, underground, friendly

The Shunt Vaults have an atmosphere that can't be matched-- deep in the tunnels of London Bridge Shunt is making amazingly craetive work in the context of a members bar. It's a fantastic evening where you can enjoy some drinks and check out whatever is on offer that week to see-- bands performance art, theatre or a range of other things. The place has a great buzz about it and there's nothing that I know of like it around. The work they create there is so interesting and diverse, you'll always be in for something new every time you go!

Most definitely worth checking out!

Shunt Vaults - review by girlswear

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 20:11:44 +0000

Shunt Vaults - review by girlswear

Rating: 4.6

Location: 20 Stainer Street, SE1 9RL, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7378 7776

Website: http://www.shunt.co.uk/

Tags: live music, indie, cool & smart, live, electronica, young and fun, pool, underground, trendy, friendly, cool

This is one of my favourite places in London. The Shunt Vaults situated beneath the London Bridge, you can still feel the dampness and musty air of this Victorian vault.

No matter how often you visit, it's a different experience on it's own, mainly because each week is curated by a different artist including art, performance art, dance, live band and DJs. Permanent area includes a small pinball arcade and pool. You can go into different rooms with different things happening, or find that secret vault with your friends. Shunt is a MUST experience if you've never been, and you'll be addicted.

Shunt Vaults - review by chrisp

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 14:02:31 +0000

Shunt Vaults - review by chrisp

Rating: 4.6

Location: 20 Stainer Street, SE1 9RL, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7378 7776

Website: http://www.shunt.co.uk/

Tags: trendy, cool & smart, young professionals, glamorous, young and fun, students, sexy

An extraordinary place, like stepping into a Jack-the-Ripper film set, only with alcohol and burlesque dancers. Set in a good acre of sooty disused railway arches and long-forgotten brick vaults underneath London Bridge station, Shunt is a completely unique experience and well worth the effort finding it (it's almost invisible from the outside). Drinks may be nothing special, and they didn't even serve food as far as I could tell, but you can have hours of fun just wandering through the grimy urban spaces, hiding in the shadows or dancing in the spotlights. There's nowhere else like it.

Shunt Vaults - review by kellytron

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 23:12:39 +0000

Shunt Vaults - review by kellytron

Rating: 4.6

Location: 20 Stainer Street, SE1 9RL, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7378 7776

Website: http://www.shunt.co.uk/

Tags: relaxed, young and fun, students, underground, trendy

This place just amazed me. I couldn't think of a more perfect venue. Massive space (with hidden nooks and crannies so pick how loud/busy an area you want to be in), performance, live music, art, pinball machines, cheap booze and even a truck with chairs on the tray to sit in. I actually passed about 30minutes pretending to drive this truck and honking the pretend horn - but this isn't compulsory although it does speak volumes about how much of the aforementioned cheap booze I may have consumed.

It's the sort of place you could take a jaded Hoxton-ite and actually get an impressed look out of them.

Shunt Vaults - review by rogoff

Sat, 14 Jun 2008 18:48:32 +0000

Shunt Vaults - review by rogoff

Rating: 4.6

Location: 20 Stainer Street, SE1 9RL, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7378 7776

Website: http://www.shunt.co.uk/

Tags: cool, underground, friendly

I first went when there was a show called Tropicana here. We went through a little door in the wall of the tube station only to find ourselves in what looked like a London Transport staff room complete with Tube staff reading The Sun. From then on, the evening just got stranger and stranger as we were led into the vaults.

Anyway, that was the show and now there's the bar. I guess it's run by the same team who put on Tropicana because it's got the same quirky feel to it with quite a lot of the theatre too.

If you're looking for something fun and different then you won't find much better than this. Great space, great place.

Shunt Vaults - review by lottiebooth

Wed, 04 Jun 2008 14:44:38 +0000

Shunt Vaults - review by lottiebooth

Rating: 4.6

Location: 20 Stainer Street, SE1 9RL, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7378 7776

Website: http://www.shunt.co.uk/

Tags: cool, cool & smart, young professionals, young and fun, underground, friendly, relaxed

I went here to the Shunt Lounge for "A Dickens Christmas" which was our office christmas party. Someone had shown me pictures before i went but nothing prepared me for how amazing those vaults are.

There are some pictures of the christmas party at http://www.dickenschristmasparty.co.uk

Shunt Vaults - review by BView

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 09:48:05 +0000

Shunt Vaults - review by BView

Rating: 4.6

Location: 20 Stainer Street, SE1 9RL, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7378 7776

Website: http://www.shunt.co.uk/

Tags: jazz, pop, indie, live, electronica, young and fun, students, rock, hip-hop, house, underground, trendy, friendly, cool

this is probably the best venue I have ever been to. That may sound like a big shout but believe me this is almost entirely unique. It is the antithesis of a poncey cocktail bar in soho. The decor is completely minimal (in fact its pretty much non-existent). This underground venue still has original brick work and is much as it was before. There are random pieces of artwork/furniture dotted all over the place (an old grand piano, pinball machines and weird pieces of "modern art). It sells cans of Red stripe at a huge mark-up but hey, what the hell, its worth it!

The Bear Hotel - review by Angel_Bury

Mon, 20 Aug 2007 18:58:39 +0000

The Bear Hotel - review by Angel_Bury

Rating: 5.0

Location: High Street, NP8 1BW, Crickhowell, United Kingdom

Phone: 01873 810408

Website: http://www.bearhotel.co.uk

Tags: lively, british, gastro pub, family & home feel, beer garden, traditional pub, independent pub, good value, romantic

What a wonderful place! The Bear provided us the perfect retreat on our recent visit to the Greenman festival. This ye olde coaching inn has cosy rooms and the oportunity for fine dining in their restaurant or decent pub grub in their bar.
We took full advantge of both during our stay. The food in the restaurant was excellent altough service a little haphazard. The waiting staff were young and exeperienced but did a reasonable job. Foodwise, we were impressed with the scallop and cauliflower puree starters and immaculately cooked welsh steak, despite the fact it came with an odd bit of blue cheese ravioli. The following night's pub grub was fair but slightly over priced in comparison to the restaurant (which was only a few quid more for three courses). The bar food is extremely popular with the locals.
Rooms at the hotel vary from small cottagy little hidey holes to grander suites complete with four post beds and jacuzzi. Again, they've got the price points wrong here - the larger posher rooms are excellent value for money but for only a few pounds less (and no jacuzzi)you get a third of the space and trappings. Certianly worth pushing the boat out for a bigger room.

Shunt Vaults - review by gilka

Mon, 16 Jul 2007 16:02:56 +0000

Shunt Vaults - review by gilka

Rating: 4.6

Location: 20 Stainer Street, SE1 9RL, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7378 7776

Website: http://www.shunt.co.uk/

Tags: bar, performance, experimental, london bridge, alternative, art, theatre

What a great place! Shunt is kind of a special space.
first time I heard about it was from a friend who saw there an interactive theatre play where the audience were taking part and being guided to different rooms. The audience didn't know who is an actor and who is just a viewer... very cool! I saw there an experimental music event in which people were playing on some very weird tools including throwing a bunch of gems to make noise... Inside Shunt you can walk around and try different spaces until you feel you got the right one! It is tricky to find it- kind of inside London bridge tube without any big sign outside... try it out if you are brave enough!

Shunt Vaults - review by LondonistHazel

Sun, 17 Jun 2007 05:20:06 +0000

Shunt Vaults - review by LondonistHazel

Rating: 4.6

Location: 20 Stainer Street, SE1 9RL, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7378 7776

Website: http://www.shunt.co.uk/

This place is great for performance art and the more bizarre end of cabaret. Not so great for wine and beer - drinking is incidental to the spooky surroundings and the avant-garde events so the supermarket wine and room temperature beers are just about bearable.

Shunt Vaults - review by elaborations

Tue, 29 May 2007 23:03:10 +0000

Shunt Vaults - review by elaborations

Rating: 4.6

Location: 20 Stainer Street, SE1 9RL, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7378 7776

Website: http://www.shunt.co.uk/

If you have been following the Primeval episodes 2 this place will creep you out!! So I was on my guard for that Mammoth spider, as I was going deeper and deeper attracted by a faint light, and there I was with others like me attracted to this light, waiting in turn to be eaten by this mammoth spider. But it turns out to be a very funny stand-up comedian with a fat smile, amusing each one of us.

The overall experience was enjoyable and I will go back to Surprise and shock my guests.

Shunt Vaults - review by Blash

Tue, 29 May 2007 12:10:03 +0000

Shunt Vaults - review by Blash

Rating: 4.6

Location: 20 Stainer Street, SE1 9RL, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7378 7776

Website: http://www.shunt.co.uk/

Tags: dark, shunt, bizzare, cave, scary

This is how i can describe this place:

Have you seen Scary movie?

Well the feeling i got from entering this place was very similar to watching scary movie in the cinema with a room full of people. Scary movie is a film that is full of action/comedy/horror and a few bizarre scenes...
Shunt Vaults is a great concept. I really enjoyed my experience there and will recommend it to all my friends.

Shunt Vaults - review by sue

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 08:42:36 +0000

Shunt Vaults - review by sue

Rating: 4.6

Location: 20 Stainer Street, SE1 9RL, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7378 7776

Website: http://www.shunt.co.uk/

Tags: cool, scary, underground, dark

Shunt Vaults would have to be the strangest bar I have ever been to. Try finding it for a start. It is near impossible. The entrance is via a little door in London Bridge tube station.

Once you finally locate the entrance, you then find yourself heading down a long, pitch black in places, underground tunnel. The tunnel has scary looking alcoves on each side with strange noises and voices resonating from them. Not a place to walk by yourself if you are easily spooked!

Once you reach the end of the tunnel, turn right and you will wonder if you have travelled back in time. The cave-like bar is nothing quite like I have experienced before. Its interior comprises of arched ceilings and crumbling brick walls held together with creeping ivy, along with the odd chandelier, and a mix-match of eclectic furniture.

The music earlier in the evening sounded like something that would have been played in a wild west saloon or at a circus freak show.

I loved it.

Shunt Vaults - review by Frankie

Mon, 28 May 2007 11:16:58 +0000

Shunt Vaults - review by Frankie

Rating: 4.6

Location: 20 Stainer Street, SE1 9RL, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7378 7776

Website: http://www.shunt.co.uk/

Tags: cool, left field, ad hoc, thrilling, mysterious, screen, thrift store, french resistance, cult, gothic, alternative, reasonably priced, chic, dark, trendy, theatre

This is a pretty strange and sensational place.

You enter through a dark tunnel...

Your nostril hairs quiver in the cold air (black velvet mildewed). You see the darkness and are reborn as a Goth.

Actually, they could have gone for a gothic cliche but the club has expressed itself in a sort of thrift store, French Resistance chic. It is entirely dramatic here and thrilling. The place is run by a theatre group http://www.shunt.co.uk/ and reminded me of a recent physical theatre production at Wapping by Punchdrunk http://www.musicomh.com/theatre/faust_1006.htm but I don't think they're connected.

Well, the social atmosphere was jolly and warm (accept any TP invitation that comes your way!). But as the evening went on I began to be aware of a glum presence sitting alongside us in the walls. Kind of benign but strange. A giant, too heavy to ever stand up again, a bird caged. I ran out into the light shouting 'I'm Alive, I'm Alive!'. It could affect you mentally if you joined up for this club.