WALWORTH &SOUTHWARK, SOUTH-EAST LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM
(All this history is linked to us in one way or another)
My name is Sarah Prior and I'd like to tell you about where I live.
I live on Astley Estate, Old Kent Rd, formally known as Rolls Estate. Which was originally an
estate built 200 years ago, but in the 1960's it was rebuilt by Charles Rolls, John Roll's grandson
who is the partner of Henry Royce of Rolls-Royce motor cars.
Michael Faraday was born in Newington Butts, he was brought up in Walworth. He discovered
electromagnetic induction the production of electric currents in other words Electricity. The
Faraday memorial library was set up in Southwark in 1927 but is now a local studies library. (I
was born and brought up in that area)
Charles Babbage was born in Southwark in 1791. He was a mathematician, astronomer and
computer engineer. He is known as the father of the modern computer and invented calculators.
(I live in Southwark)
John Ruskin was born in 1819 and lived in Beresford Street (now John Ruskin Street)
Walworth . He is a famous writer and the cab firm where my Dad works is called John Ruskin
Cars, which is in John Ruskin street.
Charlie Chaplin was born on April 16th 1889 in East Lane Walworth. For a short time when
Charlie was four he attended Victory Place School (now Victory Primary School where me and
my two sisters went from 7 years). There is a blue plaque on 187 Kennington Road (Elephant &
Castle, we have seen this loads of times) where Charlie lived temporarily with his Father. At 17
he joined Fred Karno's, Camberwell fun factory (a group of entertainers) and went to America to
begin his career. A figure of Charlie Chaplin is displayed on the pub of that name at the
Elephant and Castle right next to the shopping center
Michael Caine was brought up in Walworth, he lived in Urlwin street (Camberwell) and
Marshall gardens (Elephant and castle). He went to John Ruskin School and his first taste of the
cinema was when he was a child at the Trocadero.
The house where I used to live was in a street called Chatham Street which was built by
George Yates ( a family firm) in 1876. The firm still is building today and has it's offices at 205
Walworth Road, it's founder was Edward Yates. Some other really popular streets they built are,
Larcom street , Aldbridge street, Darwin street( behind Chatham Street) and of course Chatham
street.
The Driver family of Old Kent Road (Where I live) had forty acres of nursery gardens, their
conservatory 240 feet long was about where East Street Library is today (East Street Library is
about a 10 minute walk away).
Paragon School which is in Searles Road (named after Michael Searles) one stood a fairly
small white house. It was built by Michael Searles also architect of Surrey Square, Walworth.
which is behind Chatham street was built in and was attended by my uncle from 1976 until
it closed to become a fitness center. It is currently being converted into flats (apartments).
Near where the fly over is today (the fly over is a 2 minute walk from Chatham street, where I
used to live and a 15 minute walk from where I now live) was Lock Hospital for Lepers built
here away from the city( the area used to be villages and fields) as people feared to catch this
dread disease the poor lepers carried a bell around their necks to let people know they were
walking in the locks fields neat their hospital which are now covered by the Heygate Estate, near
both Victory Primary School and Chatham street.
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Maintained on January 31st by Sarah A.Prior