Camberwell was a civil parish and metropolitan borough in south London, England. Camberwell was an ancient parish in the county of Surrey, governed by an administrative vestry from 1674. The parish was included in the area of responsibility of the Metropolitan Board of Works in 1855 and became part of the County of London in 1889. The parish of Camberwell became a metropolitan borough in 1900, following the London Government Act 1899, with the parish vestry replaced by a borough council. In 1965 the borough was abolished and its former area became part of the London Borough of Southwark in Greater London.
Geography
The original parish of Camberwell St Giles had three divisions. They were the Liberty of Peckham to the east, the Hamlet of Dulwich to the southwest and the central division of Camberwell proper. The liberty of Peckham stretched from north of Old Kent Road to Honor Oak, taking in Peckham and Nunhead. Camberwell stretched from what is now Burgess Park in the north to what is now the Horniman Museum in the south, taking in the central Camberwell area around Camberwell Green, the eastern part of Herne Hill and East Dulwich. It included a long protrusion in the west, surrounded by Lambeth, as far as what is now Myatt's Fields Park. The hamlet of Dulwich stretched from Champion Hill in the north to what is now Crystal Palace in the south, taking in Dulwich Village, West Dulwich and Sydenham Hill.
In 1900 the Camberwell/Lambeth boundary was tidied up with an exchange of population (approximately 6,000 each way) which had the effect of transferring Myatt's Fields Park to Lambeth.
Ecclesiastical parishes The ancient parish, dedicated to St Giles, was in the Diocese of Winchester until 1877, then the Diocese of Rochester until 1905, and then finally in the Diocese of Southwark. From 1825, as the population of Camberwell increased, a number of new parishes were formed:A History of the County of Surrey: Volume 4. St George, Camberwell In 1825 Christ Church, Old Kent Road In 1838 Emmanuel, Camberwell In 1842 St Mary Magdalene, Peckham In 1842 Camden Chapel, Camberwell In 1844 St Matthew, Denmark Hill In 1848 St Chrysostom, Peckham In 1865 St John the Evangelist, East Dulwich In 1865 St Andrew, Peckham In 1866 St Peter, Dulwich Common In 1867 Genuki. St Stephen, South Dulwich In 1868 All Saints, Blenheim Grove, Peckham In 1872 St James, Knatchbull Road, Camberwell In 1874 St Antony (formerly St Antholin), Nunhead In 1878 St Luke, Rosemary Road, Peckham In 1878 St Jude, Peckham In 1880 St Saviour, Denmark Park In 1881 St Mark, Peckham In 1884 St Clement, East Dulwich In 1886 St Batholemew, South Bermondsey In 1887 All Saints, North Peckham In 1892 St Barnabas, Dulwich In 1894 St Silas, Nunhead In 1895
In addition, as the population of neighbouring areas increased, parts of Camberwell parish were included in new parishes: St Paul, Herne Hill In 1845 with parts of St Mary, LambethA History of the County of Surrey: Volume 4. St Philip, Avondale Square In 1876 with parts of St Anne, BermondseyA History of the County of Surrey: Volume 4. St Mark, Camberwell In 1880 with parts of All Saints, NewingtonA History of the County of Surrey: Volume 4.
Coat of arms
The corporation was granted arms in 1901. The shield depicted the main areas of the borough. In the first and fourth quarter was a well, for Camberwell. The second quarter was for Dulwich: the chevron and cinquefoils from the arms of Edward Alleyn, founder of Alleyn's School. The third quarter represented Peckham: the lion was from the arms of Robert, Earl of Gloucester, one time lord of the manor.
The crest depicted a wounded hart, symbol of St Giles, patron saint of Camberwell.
In 1927 the borough was additionally granted an heraldic badge and standard. The badge depicted a Camberwell beauty butterfly.
Politics
Under the Metropolis Management Act 1855 any parish that exceeded 2,000 ratepayers was to be divided into wards; as such the incorporated vestry of St Giles Camberwell was divided into six wards (electing vestrymen): No. 1 or St George's West (12), No. 2 or St George's East (12), No. 3 or Camden (12), No. 4 or North Peckham (15), No. 5 or South Peckham (15) and No. 6 or Camberwell & Dulwich (18).
In 1894 as its population had increased the incorporated vestry was re-divided into eight wards (electing vestrymen): St George's West (15), St George's East (12), Camden (12), North Peckham (21), South Peckham (21), North Dulwich (15), Central Dulwich (12) and South Dulwich (12).
The metropolitan borough was divided into twenty wards for elections: Addington, Alleyn, Clifton, Coburg, Goldsmith, Lyndhurst, Marlborough, North Peckham, Nunhead, Ruskin, Rye Lane, St George's, St Giles, St John's, St Mary's, The College, The Hamlet, The Rye, The West and Town Hall.
Borough council From 1900 to 1934 the borough was controlled by the Municipal Reform Party (allied to the Conservatives). In 1934 the Labour Party gained control, which they retained until abolition in 1965.
Parliament constituency For elections to Parliament, the borough was divided into three constituencies: Camberwell, Dulwich Camberwell, North Camberwell, Peckham
In 1918 the borough's representation was increased to four seats: Camberwell, Dulwich Camberwell, North Camberwell, North-West Camberwell, Peckham
In 1950 the number of seats was halved to 2: Camberwell, Dulwich Camberwell, Peckham
Population and area The area of the borough was . The population, as recorded at the census, was:
Camberwell Vestry 1801–1899 YearStatistical Abstract for London, 1901 (Vol. IV); Census tables for Metropolitan Borough of Camberwell 1801 1811 1821 1831 1841 1851 1861 1871 1881 1891 Population 7,059 11,309 17,876 28,231 39,868 54,66771,488 111,306 186,593 235,344 Metropolitan Borough 1900–1961 YearCensus Tables for the Metropolitan Borough of Camberwell accessed 14 Jun 2007 1901 1911 1921 1931 1941 1951 1961 Population 259,339 261,328 267,198 251,294 The census was suspended for World War II 179,777 175,304
References
Further reading
External links A Vision of Britain