56-711: Old Kent Road is a major thoroughfare in South East London , England, passing through the London Borough of Southwark . It was originally part of an ancient trackway that was paved by the Romans and used by the Anglo-Saxons who named it Wæcelinga Stræt ( Watling Street ). It is now part of the A2 , a major road from London to Dover. The road was important in Roman times linking London to
112-527: A gin palace , and later became a champagne bar and featured DJs such as Steve Walsh and Robbie Vincent . The premises closed in 2004 to become a surgery. The World Turned Upside Down had been on the Old Kent Road since the 17th century, and may have been named after the discovery of Australia, Van Diemen's Land , or Tierra del Fuego in South America. The pub became a music venue in the 20th century and
168-457: A feature also used in contemporary architecture in Brighton . The Licensed Victuallers ' National Asylum (now Caroline Gardens), an extensive almshouse estate off Old Kent Road at Asylum Road, opened in 1827. Its first patron was Prince Augustus Frederick, Duke of Sussex who was followed by Prince Albert and Prince Edward . The Metropolitan Gas Works, identifiable by its large gasometers ,
224-467: A fire station on the road around 1868. It was subsumed into the London Fire Brigade from its formation and in 1904 was replaced by a new station which was in turn replaced by another on the corner of Coopers Road. The station was demolished for redevelopment in 2014 and reopened the following year. When the Old Kent Road baths were opened in 1905, the then independent Borough of Camberwell became
280-505: A pansy". Henry Cooper trained in the boxing club above the Thomas a Becket pub from 1954 to 1968; he unveiled a local blue plaque there in 2007. Draining the Surrey Canal in 1971 uncovered a number of cracked and blown safes that had been thrown in the water. Old Kent Road railway station at the southern end of the road opened in 1866 and closed in 1917. The London City Fire Brigade opened
336-509: A significant amount of land around Old Kent Road. It included residential development that is now Surrey Square and the Paragon, which were designed by Michael Searles in 1788. The main road route gave rise to ribbon development because of the increasing urbanisation of the expanding metropolitan area. In the early-20th century, social housing was built on land previously held by the family who gave away their interests for public benefit including
392-465: A small pedestrian bridge and stairs, though its postal address is actually Montague Close. The earliest recorded name for the street is simply 'The Borough' which was the part between the fork of the street and London Bridge. South of the fork it was called 'St. Margaret's Hill'. These names were subsumed in the Tudor period as 'Longe Southwark' (differentiated from 'Short Southwark' now Tooley Street ) and by
448-501: A soap processing plant was built. Older properties occupied by the upper and middle classes were converted into flats for the emerging working class population. By the time Bricklayers Arms goods station opened in 1845, the road was entirely built up and Old Kent Road had one of the highest population densities in Europe, with an average of 280 residents per acre. Sections along the road were commercial with various market stalls and sellers until
504-421: A vision to open four new Bakerloo line London Underground stations along the road route, beginning at Bricklayers Arms, as well as 20,000 new homes, a further education college, a health centre and a number of primary and secondary schools. Officials have also suggested the development of a "green spine" of parks and green spaces along the mostly disused Surrey Canal. Old Kent Road is the first property square on
560-595: Is close to the Borough Underground station and the main campus of London South Bank University on Borough Road north of Elephant and Castle . The building is named after the English painter David Bomberg (1890–1957), who was a teacher at London South Bank University when it was known as Borough Polytechnic . He was the leading artist of the Borough Group during the 1940s and 1950s. A portrait of him hangs in
616-516: Is divided into five sub-regions for the purposes of the London Plan . The boundaries of these areas were amended in 2008 and 2011 and their role in the implementation of the London Plan has varied with each iteration. Sub-regions are a feature of the London Plan intended to encourage partnership working across London borough boundaries. From 2004 to 2008, the sub-regions were initially the same as
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#1732845267296672-611: Is featured in the chorus of the Levellers ' song "Cardboard Box City", which criticises the slow action on helping the homeless in London, specifically Old Kent Road being infrequently visited by the wealthy due to its being south of the Thames. British girl group Girls Aloud refer to running down the road in the lyrics to their 2005 single " Long Hot Summer ". Notes Citations Sources South East (London sub region) Greater London
728-686: Is therefore actually in the High Street. Southwark Street continues properly at the junction with the 'west side' of the 'fork' as No 3 Southwark Street, but this number appears on its side door situated next to 36 and so is also in the west fork of the High Street. Borough is a cosmopolitan area of London, with many restaurants, bars and Borough Market . The street also has many cafés and food shops including Sainsbury's Local. Public Houses include: North to south - The Post Office (dated 1913) opposite Borough tube station closed in 2008. The main Post Office at
784-435: Is where Long John Baldrey gave his first live performance in 1958. It closed in 2009 and is now a branch of Domino's Pizza . The Duke of Kent was converted into a mosque in 1999; in 2021 the building was demolished for a purpose built mosque. The Livesey Museum for Children closed in 2008 owing to council budget cuts and is now used for short term accommodation. Southwark Borough Council do not consider Old Kent Road to fit
840-496: Is with the Dover Road (the modern A2 route ) which diverges in a south-east direction from Borough High Street at a junction of five roads adjacent to Borough Underground station as Great Dover Street . The Dover Road mostly follows the alignment of Roman Watling Street , though, here, the original Roman route was along Tabard Street closely parallel with Great Dover Street to the north. The stretch of Borough High Street south of
896-464: The Battle of Agincourt heading towards London. John Rocque's Map of London , published in 1746, shows hedgerows along its course. The Kentish Drovers public house opened in 1840 and was so named because the road was a thoroughfare for market traffic. The road was mainly rural in nature, surrounded by fields and windmills and the occasional tavern until the 19th century. The name Old Kent Road came into use in
952-698: The Learning and Skills Council areas set up in 1999. These 2004–2008 sub-regions each had a Sub-Regional Development Framework . The sub-regions were revised in February 2008 as part of the Further Alterations to the London Plan . The 2008–2011 sub-regions, each had its own Sub-regional Implementation Framework . In 2011, the sub-regions were revised again. The 2011 sub-regions are used for statutory monitoring, engagement and resource allocation. The sub-regions have remained static since 2011, unchanged in
1008-611: The "great success" of the Turkish and Russian baths. The baths were destroyed in the Blitz just before the end of World War II. Unlike many places in London, the Old Kent Road area did not suffer significant bomb damage during World War II . In 1968, a flyover opened at the northern end allowing access to New Kent Road which catered for the main flow of traffic. During the 1970s, run-down Victorian properties on and around Old Kent Road were demolished to make way for new housing estates. Burgess Park
1064-564: The 2016 published plan and 2019 draft plan. Borough High Street Borough High Street is a road in Southwark , London , running south-west from London Bridge , forming part of the A3 route which runs from London to Portsmouth , on the south coast of England. Borough High Street continues southwest as Newington Causeway , here co-inciding with ancient Stane Street , the Roman road between London and Chichester. Another important connection
1120-470: The 21st century, several retail parks and premises typical of out-of-town development have been built beside it while public houses have been redeveloped for other purposes. The road is celebrated in the music hall song " Knocked 'em in the Old Kent Road ", describing working-class London life. It is the first property, and one of the two cheapest, on the London Monopoly board and the only one south of
1176-823: The Bear, the Queen's Head, the King's Head, the Catherine Wheel, the Tabard , the White Hart , and the George . Many of them dated back originally to the mediæval period, and were in use as coaching inns up to the mid-nineteenth century, when this mode of transport was superseded by the railway. These inns were very famous and receive mention in the work of such literary giants as Chaucer , Shakespeare and Charles Dickens , though are now all gone - apart from
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#17328452672961232-519: The British Monopoly board, priced at £60 and forming the brown set along with the similarly working-class Whitechapel Road . It is the only square on the board in South London and south of the Thames. The road makes several appearances in literature. In Charles Dickens ' David Copperfield , the titular character runs down the road trying to escape from London to Dover, though in the narrative
1288-466: The George. On the west side of the street, the modern office block called Brandon House at 180 Borough High Street (opposite Borough Underground station) marks the site of a mansion called Suffolk Place , demolished in 1557. It is depicted by Anthony van den Wyngaerde 's sixteenth century Panorama of London , which features Borough High Street prominently in the foreground of the picture. After demolition
1344-627: The River Thames. The road begins at the Bricklayers Arms roundabout, where it meets the New Kent Road , Tower Bridge Road , and Great Dover Street . It runs southeast past Burgess Park, Christ Church, Peckham and the railway line from Peckham Rye to South Bermondsey . Just east of the railway bridge, the road crosses the boundary between the London boroughs of Southwark and Lewisham , where
1400-589: The Thames at London Bridge. The Inter III was one of the most important Roman roads in Britain, linking London with Canterbury and the Channel ports at Richborough ( Rutupiae ); Dover ( Dubris ) and Lympne ( Lemanis ). Pilgrims , as documented in Chaucer 's Canterbury Tales , travelled along the road from London and Southwark on their way to Canterbury. In 1415, the road was a scene of celebrations for soldiers returning from
1456-450: The approach to the Bridge, Borough High Street northeast-side numbering starts at No 7 which is a vault shop within the railway viaduct, the lower numbers' disappearance was caused by the 1990s developments on the river side north of Duke Street Hill, the main office block north of this is actually 'No 1 London Bridge' and the pedestrian only 'London Bridge Walk' leading to Colechurch House and
1512-618: The characteristics of an urban town centre, and consequently large retail parks more in character with out-of-town schemes have been developed including a large Asda superstore, B&Q store, Halfords , Magnet and PC World . Southwark Council have begun consultations on plans to redevelop much of the area, known as the Old Kent Road Area Action Plan. This master plan would mimic similar regeneration projects in other London neighbourhoods such as Elephant & Castle , Nine Elms and Canada Water . The consultations centre on
1568-491: The coast at Richborough and Dover via Canterbury . It was a route for pilgrims in the Middle Ages as portrayed in Chaucer 's Canterbury Tales , when Old Kent Road was known as Kent Street. The route was used by soldiers returning from the Battle of Agincourt . In the 16th century, St Thomas-a-Watering on Old Kent Road was a place where religious dissenters and those found guilty of treason were publicly hanged. The road
1624-456: The construction of the tramway in 1871. Camberwell Public Library No. 1, which later became the Livesey Museum for Children was designed by Sir George Livesey in 1890. The road's southern section remained residential throughout the 19th century. Nos. 864, 866 and 880–884 were constructed by John Lamb in 1815, and feature Ammonite capitals , ornamental features resembling fossils,
1680-526: The early 19th century, with the section from Borough High Street to the Bricklayers Arms junction retaining the name Kent Street until it was renamed Tabard Street in 1877. The bridge at St Thomas-a-Watering over the River Neckinger was at the junction with what is now Old Kent Road and Shorncliffe Road (previously Thomas Street), and marked the boundary of the Archbishop of Canterbury's authority over
1736-403: The first London borough to provide municipal Victorian-style Turkish baths in addition to the more usual Russian vapour baths. The building was designed to include two swimming pools, each measuring 75 feet (23 m) by 30 feet (9.1 m). In 1913–4, they were used by 188,336 private bathers, 14,687 of whom used its Russian, Turkish, or special electric baths. The 1923 Municipal Year Book noted
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1792-475: The junction with Long Lane , Marshalsea Road , and Tabard Street, where stands the ancient church of St. George the Martyr , was formerly called Blackman Street after a long resident family there. Borough Market was once held on the street, but has been moved to the west with its main entrance on Southwark Street. Southwark Cathedral , prominent on the west side of the street near London Bridge, can be reached by
1848-462: The junction with Stoney Street further along to the west. Between Bedale Street and No 28 there is no 'west-side' of the High Street as this is Southwark Street 'west-side'. The High Street's numbers continue at No 28, the HSBC Bank branch, which also seems to be on the south-side of Southwark Street, but that street's south-side numbers do not start until after the junction with the 'fork' going west. On
1904-518: The late Georgian era as simply 'High Street' and the northern section from the junction with Duke Street Hill was renamed 'Wellington Street' to commemorate the Duke of Wellington. From the 1890s the London County Council started to rationalise all metropolitan street names and 'Borough High Street' became the name for the current route. Before the building of Westminster Bridge , Borough High Street
1960-538: The library at Wells Way in Burgess Park, the girls grammar school at Bricklayers Arms ( St Saviour's and St Olave's School ) and the Peabody Estate (Dover Flats and Waleran Flats). The last significant remnant of their involvement is the detached White House between the Peabody Estate buildings, built by Searles in the 1790s. The original railings and ironwork survive in the current development at No. 155. The house
2016-417: The mainline Station concourse. To compound the eccentric numbering, the building that appears first at the northwest side of Borough High Street (Hibernia Chambers/ Glaziers Hall No 9 Montague Close at its ground floor) had its first floor level connected to the Bridge level pavement in 2000 and was given the address 'No 2 London Bridge'. On the northwest side, the street numbers of the High Street start after
2072-539: The manors of Southwark and Walworth . It was the limit of the City of London's authority in 1550, having been ratified in several charters and marked by a boundary stone set into the wall of the old fire station that marked the first resting place for pilgrims while travelling to Canterbury. A nearby public house, the Thomas a Becket, at the corner of Albany Road was named after this. Henry V met soldiers returning from Agincourt at this location in 1415. Charles II 's journey along
2128-661: The northern end of the street originated as the Women's Ward of the 1852 development of St Thomas's Hospital . When London Bridge Station services were extended by a viaduct to Charing Cross Station in 1868 the Hospital relocated and was partly demolished. This building remains as having been used as a goods office for the railway company. David Bomberg House is a hall of residence at 282–302 Borough High Street for London South Bank University students. The building comprises 289 single en-suite bedrooms , divided into five blocks. It
2184-515: The reception area. David Bomberg is considered to be London South Bank University's most famous teacher. In 2009, it was announced that the University had received a gift of a collection of works by Bomberg. In 2009, a late night licence was granted for premises on the ground floor ( Costcutter ), despite a significant number of objections from residents. In February 2011, the Chaze bar and restaurant on
2240-712: The road ahead becomes New Cross Road. The road appears on a map to form a boundary between Walworth , and Peckham to the south and Bermondsey to the north, although the Bermondsey boundary runs along Rolls Road. Old Kent Road, one of the oldest roads in England, was part of a Celtic ancient trackway that was paved by the Romans and recorded as Inter III on the Antonine Itinerary . The Anglo-Saxons named it "Wæcelinga Stræt" ( Watling Street ). It joined Stane Street , another ancient and Roman road, at Southwark before crossing
2296-495: The road on his way to reclaim the throne in May 1660 was described by contemporary writer and diarist John Evelyn as "a triumph of about 20,000 horse and foote, brandishing their swords and shouting with inexpressible joy". St Thomas-a-Watering became a place of execution for criminals whose bodies were left hanging from the gibbets on the principal route from the southeast to London. On 8 July 1539, Griffith Clerke, Vicar of Wandsworth
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2352-409: The section which is a store has been provided with the number '16' which means that the foyer could be numbered 18 and 20. This means the numbering is now 4, 6 - 8, 10 actually accessed as a side stairway of 6-8 (gap stairs down to Cathedral and Borough Market) 14 (vault unit within the viaduct) 16 and (Southwark Street junction) 28. Continuing along the 'east side' of the 'fork' along the main part of
2408-418: The site of the mansion and the area to the west of Borough High Street here became notorious as the criminal enclave of The Mint . The Marshalsea and King's Bench Prisons were also located on Borough High Street on the east side between Newcomen Street and Tabard Street. The present numbering of the buildings on the street is confusing because of piecemeal alteration over the past 150 years:- The street
2464-405: The small bridge crossing over Tooley Street as No 4 Borough High Street 'Bridge House'. With the extension of the railway viaduct in 2010 the buildings between it and the junction with Bedale Street an attempt was made to simplify the numbering system. The Victorian buildings were replaced in 2013 but this is a glazed 'foyer' facility of Borough Market and is not actually numbered as premises but
2520-440: The street is numbered 30, 32, 34. Then returning to the 'west side' of the 'fork', is numbered 36 (this is north of 34 and adjacent to 28) continuing south as 38 to 42. The building immediately next to 28 (i.e. south of Counter Court), north of the side door of 34, opposite 36 and behind 30 (to its east) is numbered '1b Southwark Street', presumably the side door of 28 is taken as '1 Southwark Street' although not numbered as such; it
2576-468: The street is still partly rural in nature. A public garden on the New Kent Road is named David Copperfield's Garden to mark a spot where the character stopped on his journey and a quote from his aunt is inlaid on the path through the park. In 1985, the BBC arts series Arena included a documentary about the road. The road is mentioned in the title of the music hall song " Knocked 'em in the Old Kent Road ". It
2632-550: The two branches of the 'fork' is named 'Counter Court' (see Borough Compter ) but is not an address for any premises. The railway viaduct across the street was also erected in 1864 and this cut across a quadrant of both the main streets. This led to the numbering on the west-side of the street ceasing at the junction with Bedale Street, at which the Southwark Street numbers begin as number '6'. However, these appear continuous with Borough High Street which only becomes apparent at
2688-449: Was created as part of the County of London Plan in 1943, which recommended new parkland in the area. Several tower blocks were built along the road, although some earlier 19th-century buildings, such as Nos. 360–386, survived. Public houses on Old Kent Road have been closing since the 1980s. At one point, there were 39 pubs. The Dun Cow at No. 279 opened in 1856 and was well known as
2744-422: Was founded in 1833. It serviced an area of more than 13 square miles (34 km), including parts of Southwark, Croydon , Newington , Lambeth and Streatham . Expansion of the gas works in 1868 required the demolition of Christ Church, Camberwell, which was built in 1838 and rebuilt on the opposite side of the road by Livesey. The gas works was managed by Livesey from 1840 until his death in 1908. A statue of him
2800-495: Was hanged and quartered here along with his chaplain and two others, for not acknowledging the royal supremacy of Henry VIII . The Welsh Protestant martyr John Penry was also executed here on 6 April 1593; a small side street nearby is named after him. The Catholic martyrs John Jones and John Rigby were executed in 1598 and 1600 respectively. In the early-18th century, the Rolls family of The Grange in nearby Bermondsey acquired
2856-633: Was later occupied by Searles and became the management office of the Rolls family trust estates. The last of the male Rolls's was the Hon Charles Stewart Rolls who was the pioneer motorist and aviator who formed the Rolls-Royce partnership with Henry Royce . The opening of the Surrey Canal in 1811 changed the character of the road from rural to industrial. Tanneries were established along it and
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#17328452672962912-546: Was rural in nature and several coaching inns were built alongside it. In the 19th century, it acquired the name Old Kent Road and several industrial premises were set up to close to the Surrey Canal and a major business, the Metropolitan Gas Works was developed. In the 20th century, older property was demolished for redevelopment and Burgess Park was created. The Camberwell Public Baths in Old Kent Road opened in 1905 with Russian and Victorian-style Turkish baths . In
2968-430: Was sited in the rear courtyard of Livesey Museum, opposite the works. During the 19th and 20th century, the industrial and working class makeup of Old Kent Road made it a haven for organised crime and violence. The notorious Richardson Gang operated in the area, and boxing clubs became popular. Lennox Lewis ' manager Frank Maloney grew up in the area and recalled, "If you weren't into crime, people thought you were
3024-467: Was the only connection from the south bank of the Thames to London, which lay on the north bank. As a major communications node for traffic between London and Portsmouth, Dover, south-east England generally and also travellers from Europe, Borough High Street had many coaching inns . These were of considerable size, with courtyard and surrounding multi-tier galleries. There were twenty-three in total, including
3080-637: Was widened and realigned to the west in the 1820s for the Rennie London Bridge . The 'fork' at the junction with Southwark Street was created when that street was inserted, in 1864, to connect the London Bridge, Southwark Bridge , and Blackfriars Bridge routes together. This new route cut across Stoney Street and isolated its southern end, which section was subsequently renumbered as part of Borough High Street although it actually lies behind numbers 28–32 to their west-side. The small alleyway connecting
3136-459: Was written in 1891 by Albert Chevalier , who was the lyricist and original performer; the music was written by his brother Charles Ingle . The song was popularised by Shirley Temple 's performance in the 1939 film A Little Princess The street is mentioned multiple times in the Madness song "Calling Cards", a song about running an illegitimate business "in a sorting office in the Old Kent Road". It
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