Southwark's historic villages

The present Borough of Southwark stretches south from the River Thames in a triangle for just over 5 miles. For most of Southwark's history the area south of the oldest part of Southwark, the area around London Bridge known as the Borough, was essentially rural. Up until the late 18th and early 19th centuries this area was still part of the county of Surrey and was a landscape of meadows, farms, market gardens and small villages.

With the development that followed the building of new bridges over the Thames and the expansion of manufacturing activity, areas such as Rotherhithe and the villages of Newington and Walworth began to become an extension of the urban great metropolis of London. More of the villages south of this area, such as Camberwell, Peckham, East Dulwich and Nunhead were swallowed up by the development of suburbs of uniform respectable working class housing in the late 19th century. This was due to the rapid expansion of the railways and trams providing cheap and quick transport links to the metropolis.

Dulwich Village today still retains much of its rural character,  due to its relative isolation and the control over development exercised by Dulwich College estate.

The in your area pages for Dulwich, Nunhead and Peckham Rye, Peckham, and Rotherhithe, also include more historical information and interesting links.