The Bee’s Knees is now permanently closed
What?: Brilliant theatre and music venue with super-chilled bar and cafe plus an incredible Teletubbyland-esque play space. The Bee’s Knees (that’s its name) comes complete with astroturfed rolling hills, a rainbow bridge, a cave, a few of those creepy periscope things that tell Po and Laa-Laa it’s time to fuck off to bed and some vaguely unnerving intermittent bee/horse audio.
Where?: BAC occupies a lovely big grade II-listed Victorian building on Battersea’s Lavender Hill, a 5-10 minute walk from Clapham Junction (Mainline, Ginger). The Claphams Common and South (Northern) are also nearby, as are Wandsworth Road and Clapham High Street (Mainline).
Facilities: Step-free access, supervised soft play, loads of toys, ok baby-changing in the disabled loo, fussy-eater-friendly kids’ menu, copious high chairs.
Best Bits: The Bee’s Knees is truly magical and by far the most original, innovative and, crucially, clean soft-play space I’ve come across. I was also really impressed with Scratch Bar’s kids’ menu. Bab had houmous with vegetables and I’ve never seen her enjoy a meal so much in her life. There was houmous in her hair, up her nose, in her eye…. she had the time of her life. On top of that we both really appreciated the 90s pop music that was happening.
Worst Bits: It was a very warm spring afternoon and the windowless soft-play room got a bit unbearable after a while. I think if we’d stayed there much longer they would have had to scrape us off the astroturf. Speaking of which, Bab initially found the astroturf a bit frightening but then she can be a bit neurotic about textured flooring.
Price: It’s £3 for all-day access to The Bee’s Knees, which includes any classes that may or may not be on that day.
Would We Come Back? This place is great. We will totally be back.
Bab plays in The Bee’s Knees at Battersea Arts Centre
bablands.com 