Walworth

Walworth
Walworth  Walworth shown within Greater London
OS grid reference	TQ325785
London borough	Southwark
Ceremonial county	Greater London
Region	London
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	LONDON
Postcode district	SE1 (Old Kent Road), SE17
Dialling code	020
Police	Metropolitan
Fire	London
Ambulance	London
EU Parliament	London
UK Parliament	Bermondsey and Old Southwark
London Assembly	Lambeth and Southwark
List of places UK England London

Coordinates: 51°29′23″N 0°05′26″W / 51.4898°N 0.0905°W / 51.4898; -0.0905

Walworth is a district of Southwark in south London, England, 1.9 miles (3.1 km) south east of Charing Cross near Camberwell and Elephant and Castle.

Walworth probably derives its name from the Old English "Wealhworth" meaning British farm. It is the birthplace of the poet Robert Browning.

Major streets in Walworth include the Old Kent Road, New Kent Road and Walworth Road.

History

Walworth appears in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Waleorde. It was held by Bainiard from Archbishop Lanfranc of Canterbury. Its domesday assets were: 3½ hides; one church, four ploughs, 8 acres (32,000 m²) of meadow. It rendered £3.^[1]

John Smith House is on Walworth Road, and was renamed in memory of John Smith, who was leader of the Labour Party from 1992 up to his sudden death in 1994. A former headquarters of the Labour Party, it was often seen in news reports at election times and in the background as people came and went from stormy meetings of the Labour Party National Executive Committee. It was used by the London Borough of Southwark as the home for its education department and reopened in July 2012 as a hostel.^[2]

St. Peter's Church, Walworth's altar

St Peter's Church, Walworth, built circa 1825, is an excellent example of the neo-classical style of church built by Sir John Soane. It is an indication of the wealth of the middle-class merchants who then lived in the vicinity that they could afford an architect of such prominence. Charles Upfold was born at Walworth Common and baptised at St. Peters. The church is home to the Monkey Gardens - which was once home to a menagerie kept by a past Reverend of the Church, but is now a delightful garden.

Manor Place Baths

Old industrial buildings on Horsley Street, part of the Aylesbury Estate in the background.

Manor Place Baths is a former wash house in Manor Place off Walworth Road. It is a grade II listed building. The building was renovated by Kagyu Samye Dzong, Tibetan Buddhist Centre who obtained a five-year lease in 2005. They opened it as their London centre, called Manor Place Samye Dzong on 17 March 2007. Adjacent is the Council's old recycling depot which is now closed and has been replaced by a new facility at 43 Devon Street, off Old Kent Road.^[3]

Walworth is also home to the Pullens buildings - a mixture of Victorian live/work spaces and yards. Many of the flats are 1 bedroom, and some of the flats still connect to the Workshops of any of the three yards (Illife Yard, Peacock Yard and one other). They all share communal roof terraces with extensive views over to the West End.

Walworth also used to have a zoo, in Royal Surrey Gardens, which was visited by Queen Victoria.

East Street market is a major street market. There are plenty of parks in the area including: Michael Faraday Park Salisbury Row Park Nursery Row Park Burgess Park Victory Park

Politics

A map showing the wards of Southwark Metropolitan Borough as they appeared in 1916.

Walworth is made up of three wards - East Walworth, Newington and Farady. All of the nine councillors for Walworth, are from the Labour

Regeneration

Large amounts of regeneration and gentrification are occurring in Walworth, including the proposed demolition of the Elephant and Castle Shopping Centre, the newly built Strata tower, the demolition and regeneration of the Heygate and Aylesbury Estates and redevelopment of St Mary's Churchyard as a new park. Some local residents have been updating a site that looks at the regeneration and gentrification in Walworth since 2006.^[4]

Famous ex-residents

• Robert Browning
• Sir Charlie Chaplin
• Sir Michael Caine
• Alan Ford, actor, born 1938 in Walworth
• John Ruskin
• Charles Upfold
• Charles Babbage
• Bill Bailey
• Walworth Jumpers
• Michael Faraday
• Samuel Palmer
• Frank Stubbs, recipient of the Victoria Cross

Transport and local

Nearest places

• Newington
• Southwark
• Kennington
• Peckham
• Bermondsey
• Camberwell
• Lambeth
• Borough

Nearest underground station

• Elephant & Castle (Bakerloo and Northern lines)

Nearest National Rail station

• Elephant & Castle

References

1. ↑ Surrey Domesday Book Archived 30 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine.
2. ↑ Safestay to open in Elephant & Castle, London, SE17 Safestay, 5 March 2012
3. ↑ Kagyu Samye Dzong London at Manor Place Kagyu Samye Dzong London
4. ↑ Southwark Notes – whose regeneration?

External links

• Southwark Notes – whose regeneration? Regeneration and Gentrification in Southwark, South London

London Borough of Southwark
Districts	Bankside Bermondsey Borough/Southwark Camberwell Crystal Palace Denmark Hill Dulwich Dulwich Village East Dulwich Elephant and Castle Herne Hill Honor Oak Newington Nunhead Peckham Peckham Rye Rotherhithe South Bank South Bermondsey Surrey Quays Sydenham Hill Upper Norwood Walworth West Dulwich
Attractions	Bankside Gallery Bramah Tea and Coffee Museum Brunel Museum City Hall The Clink Cuming Museum Design Museum Dulwich Picture Gallery Fire Brigade Museum Globe Theatre Greenwood Theatre Hay's Galleria Herne Hill Stadium HMS Belfast Imperial War Museum Livesey Museum for Children London Dungeon Mandela Way T-34 Tank Old Operating Theatre Museum and Herb Garret The Old Vic OXO Tower Pumphouse Educational Museum Purdy Hicks Gallery Rose Theatre The Sam Wanamaker Theatre The Shard South Bank South London Gallery Southwark Cathedral Tate Modern Unicorn Theatre Winchester Palace
Markets	Borough East Street
Bridges and tunnels	Blackfriars Bridge Blackfriars Railway Bridge Cannon Street Railway Bridge London Bridge Millennium Bridge Rotherhithe Tunnel Southwark Bridge Tower Bridge Waterloo Bridge
Parks and open spaces	Belair Park Bermondsey Spa Gardens Brimmington Park Burgess Park Dickens Square Park Dulwich Park Faraday Gardens Geraldine Mary Harmsworth Park Little Dorrit Park Newington Gardens Southwark Park Tabard Park
Constituencies	Camberwell and Peckham North Southwark and Bermondsey Dulwich and West Norwood
Tube and rail stations	Bermondsey Borough Canada Water Denmark Hill Elephant and Castle Kennington London Bridge Nunhead Queens Road Peckham Peckham Rye Rotherhithe South Bermondsey Southwark Surrey Quays Sydenham Hill West Dulwich
Other topics	Council Grade I and II* listed buildings People Public art Schools