Editing Camberwell

{{Short description|Area of South East London}}
{{Other places}}
{{Use British English|date=April 2022}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox UK place
| official_name             = Camberwell
| static_image_name         = St Giles Church Camberwell 2000.jpg
| static_image_caption      = [[St Giles' Church, Camberwell]]
| coordinates               = {{coord|51.4736|-0.0912|display=inline,title}}
| pushpin_map               = United Kingdom London Southwark
| os_grid_reference         = TQ325767
| charingX_distance_mi      = 2.7
| charingX_direction        = NW
| london_borough            = Southwark
| region                    = London
| country                   = England
| post_town                 = LONDON
| postcode_area             = SE
| postcode_district         = SE5
| dial_code                 = 020
| constituency_westminster  = [[Peckham (UK Parliament constituency)|Peckham]]
| constituency_westminster1 = [[Dulwich and West Norwood (UK Parliament constituency)|Dulwich and West Norwood]]
}}

'''Camberwell''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|k|æ|m|b|ər|w|ɛ|l}} {{respell|KAM|bər|wel}}) is an [[List of areas of London|area]] of [[South London]], England, in the [[London Borough of Southwark]], {{convert|2+3/4|mi|km|round=0.5|abbr=off}} southeast of [[Charing Cross]].

Camberwell was first a village associated with the church of [[St Giles' Church, Camberwell|St Giles]] and a [[Common land|common]] of which Goose Green is a remnant. This early parish included the neighbouring [[hamlets]] of [[Peckham]], [[Dulwich]], [[Nunhead]], and part of [[Herne Hill]] (the rest of Herne Hill was in the parish of [[Lambeth]]).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/old-new-london/vol6/pp269-286#h3-0002|title=Camberwell – British History Online|website=british-history.ac.uk}}</ref> Until 1889, it was part of the county of [[Surrey]]. In 1900 the original parish became the [[Metropolitan Borough of Camberwell]].

In 1965, most of the Borough of Camberwell was merged into the [[London Borough of Southwark]].<ref name=southwark>Southwark London Borough Council – [http://www.southwark.gov.uk/YourCommunity/Camberwell/ Community guide for Camberwell] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071207232256/http://www.southwark.gov.uk/YourCommunity/Camberwell/ |date=7 December 2007 }}</ref> To the west, part of both [[West Dulwich]] and Herne Hill come under the [[London Borough of Lambeth]].

The place now known as Camberwell covers a much smaller area than the ancient parish, and it is bound on the north by [[Walworth]]; on the south by [[East Dulwich]] and [[Herne Hill]]; to the west by [[Kennington]]; and on the east by [[Peckham]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.google.ca/maps/place/Camberwell,+London,+UK/@51.4732085,-0.108694,14z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x48760378cf4fae73:0x74f70bc4fa0e26cb!8m2!3d51.4740846!4d-0.0930137|title=Camberwell|website=Camberwell}}</ref>

==History==
[[File:Camberwell Green.jpg|left|thumb|Camberwell Green]]
Camberwell appears in the [[Domesday Book]] as ''Cambrewelle''.<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DSIOAQAAMAAJ | title=Oxford Dictionary of London Place Names | author=Anthony David Mills | publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] | year=2001 | isbn=0-19-280106-6}}</ref> The name may derive from the [[Old English language|Old English]] Cumberwell or Comberwell, meaning 'Well of the [[Britons (historical)|Britons]]', referring to remaining Celtic inhabitants of an area dominated by [[Anglo-Saxons]].<ref name="telegraph.co.uk">{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/5394738/Ancient-well-that-gave-name-to-Camberwell-unearthed.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/5394738/Ancient-well-that-gave-name-to-Camberwell-unearthed.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Ancient well that gave name to Camberwell unearthed |work=The Daily Telegraph |date=27 May 2009 |access-date=27 February 2011 |location=London}}{{cbignore}}</ref> An alternative theory suggests the name may mean 'Cripple Well', and that the settlement developed as a hamlet where people from the [[City of London]] were expelled when they had a contagious disease like [[leprosy]], for treatment by the church and the clean, healing waters from the wells.{{Citation needed|date=October 2023}} Springs and wells are known to have existed on the southern slope of [[Denmark Hill]], especially around Grove Park.

It was already a substantial settlement with a church when mentioned in the [[Domesday Book]], and was the parish church for a large area including [[Dulwich]] and [[Peckham]]. It was held by Haimo the Sheriff (of Kent). Its Domesday assets were: 6 [[hide (unit)|hide]]s and 1 [[virgate]] (i.e. {{Convert|750|acres|ha|abbr=off|disp=or}}); 1 church, 8 [[plough]]s, {{convert|63|acre|ha|abbr=off}} of [[meadow]], [[woodland]] worth 60 [[hog (swine)|hog]]s. It rendered £14. Up to the mid-19th century, Camberwell was visited by Londoners for its rural tranquillity and the reputed healing properties of its mineral springs. Like much of inner South London, Camberwell was transformed by the arrival of the railways in the 1860s.<ref name="telegraph.co.uk"/> [[Camberwell Green]] is now a very small area of common land; it was once a traditional village green on which was held an annual fair, of ancient origin, which rivalled that of [[Greenwich]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Weinreb |first=Ben |url=http://archive.org/details/londonencycloped00ias |title=The London Encyclopedia |publisher=Adler & Adler |year=1986 |isbn=978-0-917561-07-8 |location=Bethesda, MD |pages=141 |language=en}}</ref>

There is evidence of a black community residing in Camberwell, made up mostly of [[Atlantic slave trade|enslaved people from Africa and North America]] during the 18th and 19th centuries.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Black Lives in England - Black British History in the 18th and 19th Centuries {{!}} Historic England |url=https://historicengland.org.uk/research/inclusive-heritage/the-slave-trade-and-abolition/sites-of-memory/black-lives-in-england/ |access-date=28 March 2023 |website=historicengland.org.uk |language=en}}</ref> Some of these people fled their [[Slavery in Britain|slavery]] in an attempt to create a new life for themselves in the streets of London. While very little is known about most of the escapees, some insight can be gained into the life of sailor James Williams, an enslaved man from the Caribbean.<ref>{{Cite web |title=4th Queen's Own Hussars {{!}} National Army Museum |url=https://www.nam.ac.uk/explore/4th-queens-own-hussars |access-date=28 March 2023 |website=www.nam.ac.uk |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Runaway slave database |url=https://www.runaways.gla.ac.uk/database/table/ |publisher=University of Glasgow}}</ref>
[[File:CambCamberwellParishBoundaryMarker.jpg|left|150px|thumbnail|Boundary marker for Camberwell Parish on the route of the [[Effra]] at [[Gipsy Hill]]. This is not the boundary of what is now known as Camberwell]]

===Local government===
====The parish of Camberwell====
''Camberwell St Giles'' is the name given to an ancient, and later civil, parish in the [[Brixton (hundred)|Brixton]] hundred of [[Surrey]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Camberwell St Giles Surrey Family History Guide |url=https://www.parishmouse.co.uk/surrey/camberwell-st-giles-surrey-family-history-guide/ |website=Parishmouse Surrey |access-date=18 February 2020}}</ref><ref name=vision_parish>Vision of Britain – [http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/relationships.jsp?u_id=10128742&c_id=10001043 Camberwell parish] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101010063334/http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/relationships.jsp?u_id=10128742&c_id=10001043 |date=10 October 2010 }} ([http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/bound_map_page.jsp?first=true&u_id=10128742&c_id=10001043 historic map]{{Dead link|date=November 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }})</ref> The parish covered {{convert|4570|acre|ha|abbr=off}} in 1831 and was divided into the liberty of [[Peckham]] to the east and the hamlet of [[Dulwich]] to the southwest, as well as Camberwell proper. The parish tapered in the south to form a point in what is now known as the [[Crystal Palace, London|Crystal Palace]] area.<ref name=vision_parish/> In 1801, the population was 7,059 and by 1851 this had risen to 54,667.<ref>Vision of Britain – [http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/data_theme_page.jsp?u_id=10128742&c_id=10001043&data_theme=T_POP Camberwell population]</ref> In 1829, it was included in the [[Metropolitan Police District]] and in 1855 it was included in the area of responsibility of the [[Metropolitan Board of Works]], with Camberwell Vestry nominating one member to the board. In 1889 the board was replaced by the [[London County Council]] and Camberwell was removed administratively from Surrey to form part of the [[County of London]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Kirby |first1=Alison |title=History of Brunswick Park – Declared "one of the prettiest open spaces in south London" |year=2018|journal=Camberwell Quarterly|issue=196|page=9|url=http://www.camberwellsociety.org.uk/rw_common/plugins/stacks/armadillo/media/CQ196_2.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210730004026/https://www.camberwellsociety.org.uk/rw_common/plugins/stacks/armadillo/media/CQ196_2.pdf |archive-date=30 July 2021 |url-status=live |access-date=18 January 2020}}</ref>

[[File:Camberwell Met. B Ward Map 1916.svg|thumb|A map showing the wards of [[Metropolitan Borough of Camberwell]] as they appeared in 1916, This includes [[Dulwich]], [[Peckham]], etc.]]

====The Metropolitan Borough of Camberwell====
In 1900, the area of the Camberwell parish became the [[Metropolitan Borough of Camberwell]].<ref>Vision of Britain – [http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/relationships.jsp?u_id=10108032&c_id=10001043 Camberwell MB] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080317043221/http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/relationships.jsp?u_id=10108032&c_id=10001043 |date=17 March 2008 }} ([http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/bound_map_page.jsp?first=true&u_id=10108032&c_id=10001043 historic map]{{Dead link|date=November 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }})</ref> In 1965, the metropolitan borough was abolished and its former area became the southern part of the London Borough of Southwark in [[Greater London]]. The western part of the area is situated in the adjacent [[London Borough of Lambeth]].

===Industrial history===
The area has historically been home to many factories, including [[R. White's Lemonade]], which originated in Camberwell, as well as [[Dualit]] toasters.<ref>{{cite web |title=Our History - Dualit Website |url=https://www.dualit.com/pages/our-history}}</ref> Neither of these companies is now based in the area.

===Former schools===
[[Wilson's School]] was founded in 1615 in Camberwell by royal charter by Edward Wilson, vicar of the Parish of Camberwell. The charter was granted by [[James VI and I|James I]]. The school moved to its current site in [[Croydon]] in 1975. A school for girls, [[Mary Datchelor Girls' School]], was established in Camberwell in 1877. It was built on two houses at 15 and 17 Grove Lane, the location of a former manor house. All except one of its 30 pupils came from the parish of St Andrew Undershaft in the City of London. The funding for the school came from a bequest from Mary Datchelor, who died childless. Proceeds of a property in [[Threadneedle Street]] used as a coffee-house were used to pay for apprenticeships for the poor boys of the parish, but as demographics in the City changed, it was decided to set up a school. By the 1970s, the school was receiving funding from the [[Clothworkers' Company]] and the [[Inner London Education Authority]] funded teaching posts. The school came under pressure from ILEA to become co-educational and comprehensive. Faced with this choice or becoming fully private, the school's governors instead decided to close in 1981. The school buildings were later used as offices for the charity [[Save the Children]] but have now been converted to flats.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://heritage.southwark.gov.uk/objects/317/mary-datchelor-school-camberwell-grove;jsessionid=BB9D9B6B2FAF4191B8CFC96178470121|title=Mary Datchelor School, Camberwell Grove – Works – Southwark Heritage|website=heritage.southwark.gov.uk}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/c/F100193|title=The Discovery Service|first=The National|last=Archives|website=discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.exploringsouthwark.co.uk/mary-datchelor-school/4593161554|title=Mary Datchelor School – Exploring Southwark|website=exploringsouthwark.co.uk|access-date=12 August 2018|archive-date=12 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180812151607/http://www.exploringsouthwark.co.uk/mary-datchelor-school/4593161554|url-status=dead}}</ref> 

[[Camberwell Collegiate School]] was an independent school located on the eastern side of Camberwell Grove, directly opposite the Grove Chapel. The Collegiate College had some success for a while, and led to the closure for some decades of the Denmark Hill Grammar School. However it had difficulty competing with other nearby schools including Dulwich College, and was closed in 1867.The land was sold for building.<ref name="old+new">{{cite web |url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=45281 |title=Camberwell |first=Edward |last=Walford |work=Old and New London: Volume 6 |publisher=Institute of Historical Research |year=1878 |access-date=7 September 2012 }}</ref><ref name="aldrich">{{cite book
 |title=School and Society in Victorian Britain: Joseph Payne and the New World of Education
 |first=Richard
 |last=Aldrich
 |year=2012
 |location=London
 |publisher=Routledge
 |isbn=978-0415686532
 |chapter=Chapter 2
 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nfrdpmKuKPUC&q=%22camberwell+collegiate+school%22&pg=PT41
}}</ref><ref name="lewis">{{cite book
 |title=A topographical dictionary of England
 |first=Samuel
 |last=Lewis
 |edition=4th
 |volume=1
 |location=London
 |page=417
 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4QgVAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA417
|year=1811
 }}</ref>

==Important buildings==
[[File:CamberwellPalace.jpg|thumb|upright|left|A {{circa|1900}} poster for the Camberwell Palace]]
[[File:Southwark town hall 1.jpg|thumb|[[Camberwell Town Hall, London|Camberwell Town Hall]]]]
Camberwell today is a mixture of relatively well preserved [[Georgian architecture|Georgian]] and 20th-century housing, including a number of [[tower block]]s. [[Camberwell Grove]], Grove Lane and [[Addington Square]] have some of London's most elegant and well-preserved Georgian houses.

The Salvation Army's [[William Booth]] Memorial Training College, designed by [[Giles Gilbert Scott]], was completed in 1932: it towers over South London from [[Denmark Hill]]. It has a similar monumental impressiveness to Gilbert Scott's other local buildings, [[Battersea Power Station]] and the [[Tate Modern]], although its simplicity is partly the result of repeated budget cuts during its construction: much more detail, including carved Gothic stonework surrounding the windows, was originally planned. Camberwell is home to one of London's largest teaching hospitals, [[King's College Hospital]] with associated medical school the Guy's King's and St Thomas' (GKT) School of Medicine. The [[Maudsley Hospital]], an internationally significant psychiatric hospital, is located in Camberwell along with the [[Institute of Psychiatry]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kcl.ac.uk/ioppn/about/campus/index.aspx|title=King's College London – Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience Denmark Hill Campus|publisher=King's College London|access-date=19 October 2014|archive-date=19 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141019132427/http://www.kcl.ac.uk/ioppn/about/campus/index.aspx|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Early [[music hall]]s in Camberwell were in the back hall of [[public house]]s. One, the "Father Redcap" (1853) still stands by [[Camberwell Green]], but internally, much altered. In 1896, the [[Dan Leno]] company opened the "Oriental Palace of Varieties", on Denmark Hill. This successful venture was soon replaced with a new theatre, designed by Ernest A.E. Woodrow and with a capacity of 1,553, in 1899, named the "Camberwell Palace". This was further expanded by architect Lewen Sharp in 1908.<ref>[http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=41455 ''Shaftesbury Avenue'', Survey of London: volumes 31 and 32: St James Westminster, Part 2 (1963), pp. 68–84] accessed: 12 June 2008</ref> By 1912, the theatre was showing films as a part of the [[variety theatre|variety programme]] and became an [[ABC Cinemas|ABC cinema]] in September 1932 – known simply as "The Palace Cinema". It reopened as a variety theatre in 1943, but closed on 28 April 1956 and was demolished.<ref>[http://cinematreasures.org/theater/18126 ''Camberwell Palace Theatre''] (Cinema Treasures) accessed 12 June 2008</ref>

Nearby, marked by Orpheus Street, was the "Metropole Theatre and Opera House", presenting transfers of [[West End theatre|West End shows]]. This was demolished to build an [[Odeon Cinemas|Odeon cinema]] in 1939. The cinema seated 2,470, and has since been demolished.<ref>[http://www.arthurlloyd.co.uk/Camberwell.htm ''Camberwell Halls and Entertainment''] (Arthur Lloyd Theatre History) accessed: 12 June 2008</ref> A second ABC cinema, known originally as the Regal Cinema and later as the ABC Camberwell, opened in 1940. With only one screen but 2,470 seats, the cinema was one of the largest suburban cinemas in London and continued to operate until 1973, after which it was used as a bingo hall until February 2010. The building retains its Art Deco style and is Grade II listed.<ref>[http://cinematreasures.org/theater/18111 ''ABC Camberwell''] (Cinema Treasures) accessed 22 February 2010</ref>

The [[Church of the Sacred Heart, Camberwell]] has been [[Listed building#England and Wales|listed Grade II]] on the [[National Heritage List for England]] since 2015.<ref name=NHLE>{{NHLE|num=1422505|desc=Roman Catholic Church of the Sacred Heart|access-date=3 October 2017|mode=cs2}}</ref> [[Camberwell Town Hall, London|Camberwell Town Hall]], designed by Culpin and Bowers, was completed in 1934.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jl-IAwAAQBAJ&pg=PT126|title=Camberwell Through Time|first=John D. |last=Beasley|publisher=Amberley Publishing|year=2010|isbn=978-1848685635}}</ref>

On 3 July 2009 [[Lakanal House fire|a major fire swept through Lakanal House]], a twelve-storey tower block. Six people were killed and at least 20 people were injured.

==Camberwell beauty==
[[Image:Nymphalis antiopa.JPG|left|thumb|Camberwell beauty butterfly]]
The [[Camberwell beauty]] (also Camberwell Beauty) is a butterfly (''[[Nymphalis antiopa]]'') which is rarely found in the UK – it is so named because two examples were first identified on [[Coldharbour Lane]], Camberwell in 1748.<ref name="umich">{{cite web|last=Vanessa|first=Fonesca|title=Nymphalis antiopa|url=http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Nymphalis_antiopa/|work=Animal Diversity Web|publisher=University of Michigan Museum of Zoology|access-date=13 October 2014}}</ref> A large mosaic of the Camberwell beauty used to adorn the Samuel Jones paper factory on Southampton Way. The paper factory has since been demolished but the mosaic was removed and re-installed on the side of Lynn Boxing Club on Wells Way.

==Culture==
===Art===
[[File:Portrait of John Ruskin (4671937).jpg|thumb|Wood-engraving of the Victorian art critic and watercolourist [[John Ruskin]] by Henry Sigismund Uhlrich. Ruskin lived in Camberwell for many years]]
Camberwell has several art galleries including [[Camberwell College of Arts]], the [[South London Gallery]] and numerous smaller commercial art spaces. There is an annual Camberwell Arts Festival in the summer.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.camberwellarts.org.uk/festival-2018/|title=Camberwell Arts Festival|access-date=10 February 2019|archive-date=12 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190212011651/http://www.camberwellarts.org.uk/festival-2018/|url-status=dead}}</ref> The [[Blue Elephant Theatre]] on Bethwin Road is the only theatre venue in Camberwell.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.blueelephanttheatre.co.uk|title=Home page – Blue Elephant Theatre|website=blueelephanttheatre.co.uk}}</ref>

A group now known as the YBAs (the Young British Artists) began in Camberwell – in the Millard building of [[Goldsmiths, University of London|Goldsmiths' College]] on Cormont Road. A former training college for women teachers, the Millard was the home of Goldsmiths Fine Art and Textiles department until 1988. It was converted to flats in 1996 and is now known as St Gabriel's Manor.

The core of the later-to-be YBAs, graduated from the Goldsmiths BA Fine Art degree course in the classes of 1987–90. [[Liam Gillick]], [[Fiona Rae]], [[Stephen Park (artist)|Steve Park]] and [[Sarah Lucas]], were graduates in the class of 1987. [[Ian Davenport (artist)|Ian Davenport]], [[Michael Landy]], [[Gary Hume]], [[Anya Gallaccio]], [[Henry Bond]] and [[Angela Bulloch]], were graduates in the class of 1988; [[Damien Hirst]], [[Angus Fairhurst]], [[Mat Collishaw]], [[Simon Patterson (artist)|Simon Patterson]], and [[Abigail Lane]], were graduates from the class of 1989; whilst [[Gillian Wearing]], and [[Sam Taylor-Wood]], were graduates from the class of 1990. During the years 1987–90, the teaching staff on the Goldsmiths BA Fine Art included [[Jon Thompson (artist)|Jon Thompson]], [[Richard Wentworth (artist)|Richard Wentworth]], [[Michael Craig-Martin]], [[Ian Jeffrey]], [[Helen Chadwick]], [[Mark Wallinger]], Judith Cowan and [[Glen Baxter (cartoonist)|Glen Baxter]]. Collishaw has a studio in a pub in Camberwell.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hungertv.com/art-culture/feature/art-in-the-east-end-mat-collishaw |title=Art in the East End: Mat Collishaw |work=hungertv.com |date=28 May 2012 |access-date=7 November 2012 |archive-date=4 November 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121104015532/http://www.hungertv.com/art-culture/feature/art-in-the-east-end-mat-collishaw/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> as does the sculptor [[Anish Kapoor]].<ref>Architects Journal June 2012 http://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/news/daily-news/caseyfierro-unwraps-anish-kapoor-studio/8625145.article</ref>

In his memoir ''Lucky Kunst'', artist [[Gregor Muir]], writes: 
::Not yet housed in the university building at New Cross to which it eventually moved in the late 1980s, Goldsmiths was a stone's throw away in Myatts Field on the other side of Camberwell Green. In contrast to Camberwell's Friday night bacchanal, Goldsmith's held its disco on a Tuesday evening with dinner ladies serving drinks, including tea, from a service hatch. This indicated to me that Goldsmiths was deeply uncool.

The building was also the hospital where [[Vera Brittain]] served as a nurse and described in her memoir ''[[Testament of Youth]]''.<ref>Lucky Kunst, ''The Rise and Fall of Young British Art''.  Aurum Press, London 2012, p. 11 {{ISBN|1845133900}}</ref>

===Literature===

[[Thomas Hood]], humorist and author of "[[The Song of the Shirt]]", lived in Camberwell from 1840 for two years; initially at 8, South Place, (now 181, Camberwell New Road). He later moved to 2, Union Row (now 266, High Street). He wrote to friends praising the clean air. In late 1841, he moved to [[St John's Wood]].<ref>'Camberwell', Old and New London: Volume 6 (1878), pp. 269–286 Date accessed: 13 February 2011.> http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=45281</ref> The Victorian art critic and watercolourist [[John Ruskin]] lived at 163 [[Denmark Hill]] from 1847, but moved out in 1872 as the railways spoiled his view.<ref name="southlondonguide.co.uk">{{cite web|url=http://www.southlondonguide.co.uk/camberwell/history.htm|title=Welcome to Camberwell Guide|publisher=Southlondonguide.co.uk|access-date=27 February 2011}}</ref> Ruskin designed part of a stained-glass window in [[St Giles' Church, Camberwell]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stgilescamberwell.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=57&Itemid=73|title=The Ruskin Window|publisher=Stgilescamberwell.org.uk|access-date=27 February 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101116035609/http://www.stgilescamberwell.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=57&Itemid=73|archive-date=16 November 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Ruskin Park]] is named after him, and there is also a John Ruskin Street.
[[File:Peckham Rye.jpg|thumb|[[Peckham Rye]] Common]]
Another famous writer who lived in the area was the poet [[Robert Browning]], who was born in nearby [[Walworth]], and lived there until he was 28.<ref name="southwark.gov.uk">{{cite web|url=http://www.southwark.gov.uk/info/200159/history_of_southwark/1034/southwarks_historic_villages/3|title=Camberwell history – Southwark's historic villages|publisher=Southwark.gov.uk|date=26 January 2010|access-date=27 February 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110323165626/http://www.southwark.gov.uk/info/200159/history_of_southwark/1034/southwarks_historic_villages/3|archive-date=23 March 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> Novelist [[George Gissing]], in the summer of 1893, took lodgings at 76 Burton Road, Brixton. From Burton Road he went for long walks through nearby Camberwell, soaking up impressions of the way of life he saw emerging there."<ref>Paul Delany, to ''[[In the Year of Jubilee]]''. London: J.M. Dent, 1994.</ref> This led him to writing ''In the Year of Jubilee'', the story of "the romantic and sexual initiation of a suburban heroine, Nancy Lord." Gissing originally called his novel ''Miss Lord of Camberwell''.<ref>Paul Delany, "Introduction".</ref>

[[Muriel Spark]], the author of ''[[The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (novel)|The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie]]'' and ''[[The Ballad of Peckham Rye]]'' lived, between 1955 and 1965, in a [[bedsit]] at 13 Baldwin Crescent, Camberwell.<ref>{{Citation | title = The Go-Away Bird | first = Ferdinand | last = Mount | newspaper = The Spectator | type = review of ''Muriel Spark, the Biography'' by Martin Stannard | url = http://www.spectator.co.uk/books/5258633/the-goaway-bird.thtml | access-date = 13 April 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100618052705/http://www.spectator.co.uk/books/5258633/the-goaway-bird.thtml | archive-date = 18 June 2010 | url-status=dead | df = dmy-all }}</ref> The novelist Mary Jane Staples, who grew up in [[Walworth]], wrote a book called ''The King of Camberwell'', the third instalment of her Adams family saga about Cockney life. Comedian [[Jenny Eclair]] is a long-term resident of Camberwell, and the area features in her 2001 novel ''Camberwell Beauty'', named after a species of [[Nymphalis antiopa|butterfly]]. Playwright [[Martin McDonagh]] and his brother, writer/director [[John Michael McDonagh]], live in Camberwell. The 2014 novel ''[[The Paying Guests]]'' by [[Sarah Waters]] is set in 1920s Camberwell.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/aug/14/paying-guests-sarah-waters-review-satire-costume-drama|title=The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters review – satire meets costume drama|date=15 August 2014|website=The Guardian}}</ref> In [[Daniel Defoe]]'s novel  ''[[Roxana]]'' (1724) the eponymous protagonist imagines her daughter, Susan, "drown'd in the Great Pond at Camberwell".

Nearby [[Peckham Rye]] was an important in the imaginative and creative development of poet [[William Blake]], who, when he was eight, claimed to have seen the Prophet Ezekiel there under a bush, and he was probably ten years old when he had a vision of angels in a tree.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/ttp/blake/accessible/introduction.html|title=Virtual books: images only – The Notebook of William Blake: Introduction|first=Colin|last=Wight|website=bl.uk}}</ref>

===Music===
The avant-garde band [[Camberwell Now]] named themselves after the area.

[[Basement Jaxx]] recorded three songs about Camberwell: "Camberwell Skies", "Camberskank" and "I live in Camberwell"<ref>{{cite web |author=Göran – 4 December 2011 |url=http://www.timeout.com/london/feature/527/50-best-london-songs-50-41 |title=The 100 best London songs – Songs about London |work=Time Out London |access-date=7 November 2012 |archive-date=15 November 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111115051201/http://www.timeout.com/london/feature/527/50-best-london-songs-50-41 |url-status=dead }}</ref> which are on ''The Singles: Special Edition'' album (2005).

[[Florence Welch]] from British indie-rock band [[Florence and the Machine]] wrote and recorded a song entitled "South London Forever" on her 2018 album [[High as Hope]] based on her experience growing up in Camberwell, naming places such as the Joiners Arms and the Horniman Museum.<ref>{{cite web |author=Braidwood - 29 June 2018 | url=https://www.nme.com/blogs/nme-blogs/florence-welchs-guide-south-london-according-new-album-2347329 |title=Florence Welch's guide to South London – the real-life places referenced in her new album |work=NME | date=29 June 2018 |access-date=29 March 2023 }}</ref>

===Festivals===
Camberwell has played host to many festivals over the years, with the long-running Camberwell Arts Festival celebrating 20 years in 2014, and Camberwell Fair taking place on Camberwell Green in 2015, 2017 and 2018, resurrecting an ancient Fair that took place on the same green from 1279 to 1855.<ref>[http://www.camberwellfair.co.uk/camberwell-fair-history] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200522114604/http://www.camberwellfair.co.uk/camberwell-fair-history|date=22 May 2020}} Camberwell Fair]</ref> Since 2013, there is also an annual 10-day film festival – Camberwell Free Film Festival (CFFF) which is usually held in March/April in addition to special one-off screenings at other times of the year.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.camberwellarts.org.uk/cfff-vimeo|title=CFFF Vimeo Films|website=Camberwell Arts}}</ref>

==Transport==
=== History ===
Until the First World War, Camberwell was served by three railway stations – Denmark Hill, [[Camberwell Gate railway station|Camberwell Gate]] (near [[Walworth]]), and [[Camberwell railway station (England)|Camberwell New Road]] in the west. Camberwell Gate and Camberwell New Road were closed in 1916 'temporarily' because of war shortages, but were never reopened.<ref>[http://www.loveplums.co.uk/Tube/Blackfriars_Loughborough.html Blackfriars Bridge – Loughborough Junction] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20120530180739/http://www.loveplums.co.uk/Tube/Blackfriars_Loughborough.html|date=30 May 2012}}, UK.</ref><ref>[[Pevsner Architectural Guides|The Buildings of England]] London 2: South, Second Edition 1983, page 625</ref>

[[London Underground]] has planned a [[Bakerloo line extension to Camberwell]] on at least three occasions since the 1930s.<ref>Transport for London: [https://consultations.tfl.gov.uk/tube/bakerloo-extension Bakerloo line extension] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210923125632/https://consultations.tfl.gov.uk/tube/bakerloo-extension/ |date=23 September 2021 }}, 5 January 2016</ref>

=== Rail ===
[[Denmark Hill railway station|Denmark Hill]] and [[Loughborough Junction railway station|Loughborough Junction]] railway stations serve Camberwell, whilst [[Peckham Rye railway station|Peckham Rye]] and [[East Dulwich railway station|East Dulwich]] are both approximately {{convert|1|mi|km|round=0.5|abbr=off|spell=in}} from [[Camberwell Green]]. These stations are all in [[London fare zone 2]].<ref name=":0">{{cite web|url=http://content.tfl.gov.uk/london-rail-and-tube-services-map.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151010031957/http://content.tfl.gov.uk/london-rail-and-tube-services-map.pdf |archive-date=10 October 2015 |url-status=live|title=London's Rail & Tube Services|year=2020|website=[[Transport for London]] and [[National Rail]]}}</ref> [[London Overground]], [[Southeastern (train operating company)|Southeastern]], and [[Govia Thameslink Railway|Thameslink]] trains serve Denmark Hill. There are regular rail services to various destinations across [[Central London]]. There are also direct rail links to destinations elsewhere in London and the [[South East England|South East]] from Denmark Hill.

London Overground connects the area directly to [[Clapham]] and [[Battersea]] in the west, and [[Canada Water]] and [[Dalston]] east London. Thameslink trains carry passengers to [[Kentish Town railway station|Kentish Town]] in the north, whilst some peak-time services continue to destinations in [[Hertfordshire]] and [[Bedfordshire]], such as [[Luton Airport railway station|Luton Airport]]. Eastbound Thameslink services travel towards [[Orpington railway station|Orpington]] or [[Sevenoaks railway station|Sevenoaks]], via [[Peckham Rye railway station|Peckham]], [[Catford railway station|Catford]], and [[Bromley South railway station|Bromley]], amongst other destinations. Southeastern trains eastbound serve destinations in [[List of sub-regions used in the London Plan|South East London]] and [[Kent]], including Peckham, [[Lewisham railway station|Lewisham]], [[Gravesend railway station|Gravesend]], and [[Dover Priory railway station|Dover]].<ref name=":0" />

Loughborough Junction is on the Thameslink route between [[St Albans City railway station|St Albans City]] and [[Sutton railway station (London)|Sutton]]. This provides Camberwell with a direct link southbound to [[Herne Hill railway station|Herne Hill]], [[Streatham railway station|Streatham]], [[Tooting railway station|Tooting]], [[Wimbledon railway station|Wimbledon]], [[Mitcham railway station (England)|Mitcham]], and Sutton, amongst other destinations in [[South London]]. Northbound services run through the [[City of London]] and [[St Pancras railway station|St Pancras]]. Destinations north of St Pancras include Kentish Town and [[West Hampstead Thameslink railway station|West Hampstead]]. A limited Southeastern service between [[Blackfriars railway station|Blackfriars]] and Kent runs through Loughborough Junction.<ref name=":0" />

=== Bus ===
Camberwell is served by numerous [[London Buses|London Bus]] routes. Routes through Camberwell typically run east-west between [[Vauxhall]] and [[Peckham]], or north-south between [[Elephant & Castle]] and [[Brixton]] or [[Dulwich]].

==Notable residents==
[[File:Joseph Chamberlain.jpg|150px|thumb|right|Statesman [[Joseph Chamberlain]], born Camberwell, 1836 and father of [[Neville Chamberlain]].]]

Residents of the area have included children's author [[Enid Mary Blyton]], who was born at 354 Lordship Lane, East Dulwich, on 11 August 1897 (though shortly afterwards the family moved to Beckenham),<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.enidblytonsociety.co.uk/chronology.php|title=The Enid Blyton Society|website=enidblytonsociety.co.uk}}</ref> and the former leader of the [[TGWU]], [[Jack Jones (trade unionist)|Jack Jones]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.homesandproperty.co.uk/area-guides/greater-london/living-in-camberwell-area-guide-to-homes-schools-and-transport-links-36896.html|title=Living in Camberwell: area guide to homes, schools and transport links|date=22 August 2014}}</ref> who lived on the Ruskin House Park estate. [[Karl Marx]] initially settled with his family in Camberwell when they moved to London in 1849.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Karl Marx: His Life and Work|last=Rühle|first=Otto|publisher=Routledge|year=2013|page=169}}</ref> 

Others include the former editor of ''[[The Guardian]]'' [[Peter Preston]].<ref>{{Cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2018/jan/07/peter-preston-obituary |title = Peter Preston obituary|newspaper = The Guardian|date = 7 January 2018|last1 = McKie|first1 = David}}</ref> ''The Guardian'' columnist [[Zoe Williams]] is another resident,<ref name=" guardian.co.uk My Neighbour, the Lion Man of Peckham">{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/Columnists/Column/0,,1727778,00.html |title=Zoe Williams: My neighbour, the Leopard Man of Peckham |work=The Guardian |access-date=27 February 2011 |location=London}}</ref> whilst [[Florence Welch]] of the rock band [[Florence + the Machine]] also lives in the area,<ref name=TILwelch>{{cite web |url=http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/lifestyle/article-23726059-florence-welch---my-london.do |title=Florence Welch – My London |work=Evening Standard |date=31 July 2009 |author=Amy Grier |access-date=27 February 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100914231621/http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/lifestyle/article-23726059-florence-welch---my-london.do |archive-date=14 September 2010 |url-status=dead  }}</ref> as do actresses [[Lorraine Chase]] and [[Jenny Agutter]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.radiotimes.com/news/2015-01-18/call-the-midwifes-jenny-agutter-i-do-love-playing-a-nun/ |title=Jenny Agutter on Call the Midwife, the Railway Children and the pitfalls of Hollywood |work=Radio Times |date=18 January 2015 |access-date=27 May 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://londonnewsonline.co.uk/actress-jenny-agutter-joins-forces-with-camberwell-community-leaders-to-help-boost-local-businesses-featuring-denmark-hill-railway-station/ |title=Actress Jenny Agutter joins forces with Camberwell community leaders to help boost local businesses featuring Denmark Hill Railway Station – South London News |publisher=Londonnewsonline.co.uk |date=16 August 2019 |access-date=27 May 2020}}</ref> [[Syd Barrett]], one of the founders of [[Pink Floyd]], studied at [[Camberwell College of Arts]] from 1964.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/syd-barretts-last-remnants-sold-in-frenzy-of-bidding-426398.html |title=Syd Barrett's last remnants sold in frenzy of bidding |work=The Independent |date=30 November 2006 |access-date=27 February 2011 |location=London |first=Terry |last=Kirby}}</ref>

[[Elizabeth Patterson Bonaparte]] gave birth to her son, [[Jérôme Napoléon Bonaparte]], the nephew of the Emperor [[Napoleon I]], in Camberwell in 1805.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://shannonselin.com/2015/02/jerome-napoleon-bonaparte/|title=Jerome Napoleon Bonaparte, Napoleon's American Nephew – Shannon Selin|date=20 February 2015}}</ref>
* [[Tammy Abraham]], professional footballer<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.thefa.com/news/2018/jan/03/tammy-abraham-answers-questions-from-south-london-youngsters-at-football-beyond-borders-030118|title=Back to his roots!|first=The Football|last=Association|publisher=The Football Association}}</ref>
* [[Henry Bessemer]], inventor, had an estate in Denmark Hill<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jl-IAwAAQBAJ&q=sir+henry+bessemer+camberwell&pg=PT184|title=Camberwell Through Time|first=John D.|last=Beasley|date=15 November 2010|publisher=Amberley Publishing Limited|isbn=9781445627267|via=Google Books}}</ref>
* [[John Bostock]], professional footballer<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.afccamberwell.co.uk/john-bostock |title=AFC Camberwell |access-date=8 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190308081216/https://www.afccamberwell.co.uk/john-bostock |archive-date=8 March 2019 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* [[Jeremy Bowen]], BBC war correspondent<ref>{{cite web|author=Jeremy Bowen |url=https://twitter.com/BowenBBC/status/1142375686943981570 |title=Jeremy Bowen on Twitter: "As a Camberwell resident since the 1980s, I'd like to say that mostly it's calm and peaceful. Though there can be some police activity at night." |via=Twitter |date=22 June 2019 |access-date=27 May 2020}}</ref>{{Primary source inline|date=June 2023}}
* [[Thomas Brodie-Sangster]], actor and musician<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.standard.co.uk/showbiz/celebrity-news/thomas-brodie-sangster-admits-hed-like-an-evil-role-as-he-attempts-to-escape-cute-image-a2925581.html |title = Thomas Brodie-Sangster: I'd like an evil role, actually|date = 2 September 2015}}</ref>
* [[Joseph Chamberlain]], politician, born in Camberwell<ref>[[Julian Amery]] and [[J. L. Garvin]], ''The life of Joseph Chamberlain'', Six volumes, Macmillan, 1932–1969.</ref>
* [[Florence Collingbourne]] (1880–1946), British actress and singer<ref>[https://www.ancestry.co.uk/interactive/8912/ONS_B18802AZ-0061?pid=38666009&backurl=https://search.ancestry.co.uk/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv%3D1%26dbid%3D8912%26h%3D38666009%26tid%3D%26pid%3D%26usePUB%3Dtrue%26_phsrc%3Ddjv3312%26_phstart%3DsuccessSource&treeid=&personid=&hintid=&usePUB=true&_phsrc=djv3312&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true&_ga=2.125041354.1335830168.1588585387-1197399642.1515349816 England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1837–1915 for Florence Eliza Collingbourne: 1880, Q1-Jan–Feb–Mar – Ancestry.com {{subscription required}}]</ref>
* [[Catherine Dean (artist)|Catherine Dean]], artist<ref name="Albert Houthuesen Chronology">{{Cite web|url=http://www.houthuesen.com/Chronology.htm|title=Albert Houthuesen Chronology}}</ref>
* [[Alfred Domett]] (1811&ndash;1887) New Zealand politician and premier from 1862&ndash;63.<ref>[https://teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/1d15/domett-alfred ''Dictionary of New Zealand Biography'']</ref>
* [[Thomas Green (sculptor)|Thomas Green]] (1659&ndash;1730)<ref>''Dictionary of British Sculptors'' 1660-1851 by Rupert Gunnis p.179</ref>
* [[Albert Houthuesen]], artist<ref name="Albert Houthuesen Chronology"/>
* [[Marianne Jean-Baptiste]], British actress, director and singer-songwriter<ref>{{cite web | url=https://openplaques.org/plaques/1154 | title=Marianne Jean-Baptiste blue plaque}}</ref>
* [[Ida Lupino]], Hollywood film actress and director, born in Herne Hill<ref>''Southwark News'' "DOUBLE PLAQUE IN HERNE HILL FOR HOLLYWOOD STARS STANLEY AND IDA LUPINO"[https://www.southwarknews.co.uk/news/double-plaque-in-herne-hill-for-hollywood-stars-stanley-and-ida-lupino/]</ref>
* [[David McSavage]], Irish stand-up<ref>{{Cite web|last=Nolan|first=Larissa|date=9 May 2021|title=David McSavage: I like having the status of an outsider|url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/david-mcsavage-i-like-having-the-status-of-an-outsider-cnjkx983q|access-date=22 April 2022|website=[[The Times]]|language=en}}</ref>
* [[William Henry Margetson]], painter
* [[Erin O'Connor]], fashion model<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2006/mar/12/modernism|title=Back to the future|date=12 March 2006|website=The Guardian}}</ref>
* [[Carolyn Quinn]], [[BBC Radio 4]] journalist<ref>{{cite news | title = Birthdays | newspaper = [[The Guardian]] | page = 37 | date = 22 July 2014 }}</ref>
* [[James Ring]] (1856&ndash;1939) photographer, born in Camberwell.<ref name="DNZB Ring">{{DNZB|title=James Ring|first= John|last= Sullivan|id=2r23|accessdate=23 April 2017}}</ref>
*[[William Rust (journalist)|William Rust]], British communist activist, war correspondent, and first editor of the ''[[Morning Star (British newspaper)|Morning Star]]'', born in Camberwell<ref>{{Cite ODNB|url=https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-40599|title=Rust, William Charles (1903–1949), political activist and journalist|year=2004|doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/40599}}</ref>
* [[Jadon Sancho]], professional footballer, lived in Peckham<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.londonnewsonline.co.uk/south-londoner-jadon-sancho-could-make-full-england-debut-at-the-age-of-just-18/ |title=South Londoner Jadon Sancho could make full England debut&nbsp;– at the age of just 18 |first=Richard |last=Cawley |newspaper=South London Press |date=9 October 2018 |access-date=11 October 2018}}</ref>
* [[Edward Burnett Tylor]], [[anthropologist]]<ref>Lowie, Robert H. "Edward B. Tylor." ''American Anthropologist'', vol. 19, no. 2, 1917, p. 262. JSTOR, [http://www.jstor.org/stable/660758].</ref>
* [[Ben Watson (footballer, born July 1985)|Ben Watson]], professional footballer<ref>Hugman, Barry J., ed. (2010). The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2010–11. Mainstream Publishing. p. 430. {{ISBN|978-1-84596-601-0}}.</ref>
* [[Jack Whicher]], detective<ref>[http://search.ancestry.co.uk/iexec?htx=View&r=5538&dbid=1558&iid=31280_199025-00155&fn=Jonathan&ln=Whitcher&st=r&ssrc=&pid=5384950 London, England, Births and Baptisms, 1813–1906 Record for Jonathan Whitcher] – [[Ancestry.co.uk]]</ref>
* [[Florence Welch]] (b. 1986), musician and front woman of [[Florence and the Machine]].<ref name="Ryan">{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/rockandpopfeatures/5443013/Florence-and-the-Machine-interview-sound-and-vision.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/rockandpopfeatures/5443013/Florence-and-the-Machine-interview-sound-and-vision.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Florence and the Machine interview: sound and vision|first=Francesca|last=Ryan|date=4 June 2009|work=The Telegraph}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[List of people from Southwark]]
*[[List of schools in Southwark]]
*[[Camberwell Public Baths]]

==References==
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==Further reading==
* Richard Tames. ''Dulwich and Camberwell Past: With Peckham'', London: Historical Publications, 1997. {{ISBN|978-0-94866-744-2}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* [http://www.camberwellsociety.org.uk Camberwell Society]
* [http://www.se5forum.org.uk SE5 Forum, a community group]

{{London Borough of Southwark}}
{{Areas of London}}
{{University of the Arts London}}
{{Geographic location
|Centre    = Camberwell
|North     = [[Walworth]]
|Northeast = [[Walworth]]
|East      = [[Peckham]]
|Southeast = [[East Dulwich]]
|South     = [[Herne Hill]]
|Southwest = [[Brixton]]
|West      = [[Kennington]]
|Northwest = [[Kennington]]
}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Camberwell| ]]
[[Category:Districts of the London Borough of Southwark]]
[[Category:Areas of London]]
[[Category:District centres of London]]