Walworth

Walworth is an inner-city district in the London Borough of Southwark. Walworth probably derives its name from the Old English "Wealhworth" which meant Welsh (British) farm. It is located 1.9 mi south east of Charing Cross and near to Camberwell and Elephant and Castle.

The major streets in Walworth are the Old Kent Road and Walworth Road. It once had a common surrounded by streets with houses on one side, the Common on the other. This whole area is now covered by housing.

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; 1 church, 4 ploughs, 8 acre of meadow. It rendered £3.

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 until recently used by the London Borough of Southwark as the home for its education department, but is now for sale. 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 Park - which was once home to a menagerie kept by a past Reverend of the Church, but is now a delightful garden.

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 the 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 recycling depot.

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.

Politics
Walworth is a community council area in the London Borough of Southwark and is made up of three council wards: Newington, East Walworth and Faraday, each of which elects three councillors. Of the nine councillors for Walworth, eight are Labour (two from Newington and three from both East Walworth and Faraday) and the remaining member is a Liberal Democrat (from Newington).

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 proposed demolition of the Heygate and Aylesbury Estates and re-jigging 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.

Famous ex-residents

 * Charlie Chaplin
 * Michael Caine
 * Robert Browning
 * John Ruskin
 * Charles Upfold
 * Charles Babbage
 * Bill Bailey
 * Walworth Jumpers
 * John Wemmick

Nearest places

 * Newington
 * Southwark, a.k.a. The Borough
 * Kennington
 * Peckham
 * Bermondsey
 * Camberwell
 * Lambeth

Nearest underground station

 * Elephant & Castle

Nearest National Rail station

 * Elephant & Castle