Camberwell, Middlesex

Historical Description

Camberwell, a large parish in the south of London, having an area of 4450 acres, and a population of 235,344. Under the Redistribution of Seats Act of 1885 it was divided into the three parliamentary boroughs of North Camberwell, Peckham, and Dulwich. North Camberwell has 88,916 inhabitants. Ermine Street, coming up from Lambeth Ferry, passed through south-eastward, going into Kent at Oak of Honour Hill, and traces of it were found at the cutting of the Surrey Canal. Oak of Honour Hill is said to have acquired its name from Queen Elizabeth's dining on it under an oak. St Thomas Watering, near this, was a resting-place of the Canterbury pilgrims, and a marble head of Janus was found there. Camberwell Grove, in the suburb, is now occupied by a handsome range of houses. Camberwell manor house, near Denmark Hill, was a curious ancient mansion, converted subsequently into a school. Camberwell Green was formerly notorious as the scene of a crowded pleasure fair on three days in August, but is now surrounded by iron railings, and laid out in gravel walks, flower plots, and shrubbery.

Administration

The following is a list of the administrative units in which this place was either wholly or partly included.

Any dates in this table should be used as a guide only.

Directories & Gazetteers

We have transcribed the entry for Camberwell from the following:

• Samuel Lewis' A Topographical Dictionary of England, by Samuel Lewis, seventh edition, published 1858. (Camberwell (St. Giles))

Land and Property

A full transcript of the Return of Owners of Land in 1873 for Middlesex is online.

Maps

Online maps of Camberwell are available from a number of sites:

• Bing (Current Ordnance Survey maps).
• Google Streetview.
• National Library of Scotland. (Old maps)
• OpenStreetMap.
• old-maps.co.uk (Old Ordnance Survey maps to buy).
• Streetmap.co.uk (Current Ordnance Survey maps).
• A Vision of Britain through Time. (Old maps)

Villages, Hamlets, &c