Old and New London, A Narrative of its History, its People and its Places.Illustrated with Numerous Engravings from the Most Authentic Sources. vol 6
Walford, Edward
1872-78
Camberwell.
Camberwell.
| |
Camberwell is now so truly part and parcel of the metropolis that it would be impossible to write an account of London south of the Thames without some notice of its past and present history. No , we are told, can assert at what period the parish became an inhabited spot. Local antiquaries find pleasure in tracking the path of the Roman conquerors of across the hills and valleys which surround the metropolis. Their legions, as we know, had various camps in the neighbourhood of Londinium, and it is not improbable that they formed on the pretty hill, known in later days as Ladlands, or , best reached from Camberwell by way of Dog-kennel Lane, in the southern part of the parish. It must have been a commanding position in those days, when the Thames at high tide expanded into a vast lake, reaching to the base of the rounded Surrey hills, near which were marshes inhabited by bitterns, herons, and other waterfowl. , in this neighbourhood, by the way, is thought by some to have been originally Heron Hill, being the old orthography. | |
Coming down to times the history of which is more defined and authentic, we find Camberwell mentioned in Domesday Book as a manor of some value. The name is written and the adjoining manor, Peckham, is described as In subsequent records we meet with
and Some etymologists trace the portion of the name to the British , long valley; and suppose that the last syllable has reference to some springs of water, at time famous. This may be the case, for there are, or were, mineral springs at Dulwich, Norwood (the Beulah Spa is memorable), and other places in the neighbourhood. It may be added that, as the parish church has been dedicated from Saxon times to St. Giles, the especial patron of cripples, it has been suggested that there were certain springs in the neighbourhood possessing salutary virtues for persons so afflicted; and that as the old British word signifies Camberwell may simply mean Within the last century or so ancient wells were discovered in a field in the parish, but they were covered in again by the owner of the land. | |
At the time of the Conquest, Camberwell is described as being Its inhabitants were cottars and men of a lower grade, ceorls or churls. There was so much wood and waste ground in the neighbourhood that the lord of the manor had paid to him a rent of fat hogs, which were fed on the beech-masts and acorns which abounded in the neighbourhood. There were, besides, acres of meadow-land, and, as we have said, a church. In the Saxon times there was but manor here, which was held of Edward the Confessor by Haims, or Count Depute, of Brixton , or, as some writers have it, Sheriff of Surrey. Somewhat later we hear of the manor of Pecheha, or Peckham, being granted to William's half-brother, Odo, Bishop of Bayeux, who sub-let to the Bishop of Lisieux. There were also other manors of Bretynghurst, Dovedale (D'Ovedale, or Dowdale), Camberwell, Frierne, Basyng, Hatcham, Cold Herbergh, and Milkwell. William, Earl of Gloucester, natural son of Henry I., who possessed a portion of the original Camberwell manor, including Peckham, gave the church to the monks of , but the manor remained in the family until the year . Margaret, daughter and heiress of Hugh, the then earl, married Ralph, the Earl of Stafford, whose descendant became Duke of Buckingham. The manor was then named Camberwell- Buckingham, and remained the property of the family until Edward, Duke of Buckingham, was attainted and beheaded in . After passing through various hands, it was purchased in by Edmund Bowyer, whose descendants yet retain a considerable portion of it. The manors of Bretynghurst, Basyng, and Dovedale were so named from their original possessors, and the brethren of the hospital of St. Thomas, , held the manor of Milkwell, and subsequently granted it to the church of St. Mary Overie. | |
270 | After the suppression of religious houses it was granted to Sir Thomas Wyatt, who, as we know, was beheaded for his attempted rebellion, in the year of Queen Mary's reign. |
The main road from Kent, intersecting the eastern portion of the parish, was known in the century as Bretynghurst or Dredynghurst Road; and afterwards as Kinges Street, because along that thoroughfare the royal and state processions passed on their way from Kent to London and . | |
Camberwell is described by Priscilla Wakefield, in her published in , as a
| |
In the Domesday Book this parish is called Subsequently the letter was changed, and from the to the century the name of the parish is generally written in official documents as Camwell, Cammerwell, or Camerwell. In the century, as Mr. Blanch informs us in his the found its way back again; but it was not until the middle of the eighteenth century that | |
Camberwell, as it is now written, was officially and locally recognised. Lysons, in his writes, There was formerly a fine brick well on the De Crespigny estate, on ; but Dr. Lettsom, whose villa on Grove Hill we shall have occasion to notice presently, laid claim to the honour of possessing in his grounds the identical well from which this parish derived its appellation. Salmon, the Surrey historian, says, and Bray adopts the same idea. The author of the parish church of Camberwell-writes,
adds Mr. Blanch,
| |
Other solutions of the etymology of Camberwell have been advanced. Here is by the author of --
| |
The name of the place is often pronounced as and is so written by Evelyn. Under date of , the diarist writes,
| |
Evelyn mentions in his in , an urn full of bones, which had been dug up at Camberwell in repairing a highway, being exhibited at a meeting of the Royal Society, for at that date the Society of Antiquaries did not exist; he tells us, No doubt, in the present day a more exact account would have been placed on record. | |
The most ancient part of the village is that which surrounds what till lately was ; but the more pleasant and favourite spot is the Grove, which stands high, and commands pleasant views over Dulwich, as we shall presently see. Of the old sites of Camberwell very few now remain. In the and centuries there were many good houses in the parish. The Scotts, who held the manor of Camberwell, had a noble mansion and fine grounds at the foot of the Grove. The Muschamps, who possessed the Peckham estate, lived in the manor-house near the . The house was pulled down in the reign of Charles II. by Sir Thomas Bond, who, in , [extra_illustrations.6.272.1] , surrounded by a tastefully laid-out garden, famed for the number of its foreign fruit-trees, which attracted the notice of John Evelyn, who, it may be presumed, frequently walked over, being a friend of the family, from his residence at Saye's Court. | |
He speaks of it as
he adds, The house had a north frontage, and was approached under a canopy of stately elms, The centre of the garden was, it is stated, like --a name by which the place was known down till the early part of the present century. Bond was a devoted adherent of the Stuarts, and, at the abdication of James II., followed his master to France. His house was plundered by the Whig mob, and his beautiful gardens laid waste. In the house was pulled down. Many houses built on the site of Sir Thomas Bond's gardens are now known as . | |
The Bowyer family, who occupy a distinguished place in the annals of Camberwell, settled there in the time of Henry VIII. The family mansion, the manor-house of Camberwell-Buckingham, which stood on the right-hand side of the road from London to , was built apparently about the reign of Queen Elizabeth. Evelyn, as stated above, in recording a visit paid to Sir Edmund Bowyer, speaks of his mansion as a
says the author of
These trees were specially noticeable from the high road. says Mr. Blanch, he adds,
| |
There is a tradition that Sir Christopher Wren resided here during the rebuilding of , and that some of the frescoes with which the rooms were adorned were painted by Sir James Thornhill. It is also asserted that James II. was concealed here for some time previous to his escape. | |
Early in the present century much of the beauty of the interior of Bowyer House was destroyed, the owner removing several choice carvings and ornaments. A substantial wall and iron railings were erected about the same time. Later on, the old mansion became tenanted by the Camberwell Literary and Scientific Institution; and it was subsequently converted into a school for young ladies. The house was pulled down in , on its being purchased by the London, Chatham, and Dover Railway Company. Bowyer Lane, now , long preserved the memory of the old family. This thoroughfare forms a connecting link between the Old and New Camberwell Roads, and is near the boundary line between the parishes of Camberwell and . Freeman's Mill (see page ), close by Bowyer Lane, was a picturesque old wooden building, and was formerly a conspicuous parochial boundary-mark. Early in the present century Bowyer Lane was the abode of questionable characters of all sorts. Greenacre lived here in -the year of the murder now associated with his name; and it is stated that the body of a man who was executed for horse-stealing was for some time exhibited by the family living in Bowyer Lane at a shilling a head. | |
The Royal , in the , formed for some time a favourite resort for the pleasure-seekers of South London during the summer months. Their most prosperous period was about the year , when the gardens were | |
273 | well laid out and brilliantly illuminated; but the reputation of the place speedily declined, and it met the fate of all such speculations. |
The old church, dedicated to St. Giles, was an antique and rude structure, the body large and shapeless, with a square tower surmounted by a turret. It is described by Priscilla Wakefield, in the year , as she adds,
| |
The church of Camberwell is of the very few of which we have authentic mention in and is considered by some to have dated its erection from within years of the landing of St. Augustine, or about the middle of the century. In the reign of King Stephen, , the original structure underwent extensive changes, and years afterwards became subject to the abbey of St. Saviour, , by gift of William de Mellent. It has been conjectured by some topographers that portions of this church existed down to the time of its destruction by fire in . Lysons, however, fixes the date of the old building towards the beginning of the reign of Henry VIII., at which period the entire edifice was either so completely altered as to lose its original character, or rebuilt on the site of the former church, which had been granted to the monks of . In confirmation of this view Mr. Blanch states that, in preparing the foundation of the new church, the foundations of former structures were distinctly visible. | |
The old church was a large edifice, with a and contained many interesting monuments, brasses, and painted windows. It would be difficult to estimate the amount spent at different times in altering, enlarging, beautifying, and repairing , from the time when the entry occurs in the vestry minutes in ; for from that date down to the time of its destruction by fire in , the condition of the church appears to have been the principal theme discussed by the parishioners Under date of , the following entry appears on the vestry records :-- This sum, it appears, was found insufficient for the repairs, and so in an order was made for an additional , and soon after another sum of was voted for a new church clock There is mention also in of an agreement entered into between Antony Bowyer, Esq., and Richard Kettlethorpe, whereby the latter undertook to keep clock for the sum of yearly; but Richard Kettlethorpe apparently found it a more difficult undertaking than he imagined, for, as stated above, a new clock was ordered about years later. | |
In a gallery was built; in the church was In further additions were made; and in the building was after the usual fashion so dear to vestries and churchwardens; and as parish officers in those days were wholly ignorant of ecclesiastical art, the effect was not brilliant. In the church was greatly enlarged. | |
Notwithstanding these various repairs and alterations, the old church retained much of its antiquarian character to the last. The massive clustered columns and pointed arches separating the nave from the side aisles, the venerable sedilia in the south wall of the chancel-which, by the way, had been for many years concealed behind some wainscoting put up in by the Bowyers-and the fragments of ancient stained glass in its windows, were all vestiges of the olden time. | |
A fire broke out on the night of Sunday, the , by which the building was completely destroyed. Funds were at once raised for its re-erection. The stone of the new church was laid in , and in , the new building was consecrated by the Bishop of Winchester. It was erected from the designs of Messrs. George Gilbert Scott and W. B. Moffatt, at an expense, including furniture, &c., of about . It is of the finest and largest of the new parish churches in the kingdom. The style of architecture is the transition between the Early English and the Decorated, which prevailed at the close of the century. The building is of a cruciform plan, with a central tower and spire, the latter rising to the height of about feet. The walls of the church, which are of considerable thickness, are constructed | |
274 | chiefly of Kentish rag, with dressings of Caen stone. Several of the windows are enriched with stained glass. |
In the old church there was a handsome effigy in brass of Edward Scott, who died in . It is engraved in Hone's page . There was also a monument to Agnes Skinner, or Skuner, who died in , at the age of , having survived her husband, it is said, no less than ninetytwo years! | |
The churchwardens' accounts contain several very curious entries. Thus, in , Mr. Churchwarden Baker paid
The bishop, it seems, was usually regaled with when he came to preach at Camberwell; but in the above-mentioned year, Mr. Churchwarden Davis makes the following entry:
| |
Among the notabilities buried here is Mrs. Wesley, the somewhat shrewish wife of the Rev. John Wesley, who died in . A stone in the churchyard asserts her to have been The monument says nothing of her excellence as a wife; for it is on record that, after making her husband thoroughly miserable, and having been a for years, she left his house, carrying off her husband's papers and journals, which she never returned. John Wesley never saw her, nor sought to see her, again. writes Southey, in his
Her death must have been a happy release for the great John. It appears that more than separation took place between them. On different occasions she laid hands upon his person and tore his hair. When in the north of Ireland, a friend of Wesley's caught her in the act of trailing him on the floor by the hair of his head. continues Hampson, in his account of the incident,
| |
In the churchyard, too, lies Miss Lucy Warner, better known as the Her height was exactly inches, her growth having been stunted at the early age of . She kept a school. In the newer part of the churchyard a handsome tomb covers the remains of the notorious democrat, well known as of Peckham; and a gravestone also commemorates James Blake, who sailed round the world with Captain Cook. | |
Camden Chapel, situated on the northern side of , was built in , and duly licensed as an Episcopal Chapel in . Under the ministry of the late Rev. Henry Melvill, who occupied the pulpit for many years, it became or tne most famous places of worship in the metropolis for pulpit oratory of a high order. So great was Mr. Melvill's popularity, that very soon after his appointment, it was found necessary to make a considerable enlargement in the building, and transepts were made at the north end, thus giving to the edifice the ground-plan of the letter T. A writer in a critique on Camden Chapel and its pastor, in the (), remarks: Mr. Melvill, who was subsequently recto- of Barnes, died in , and was buried in , of which he had been for some years a canon residentiary. | |
A new district church, dedicated to St. George, on the south bank of the Surrey Canal, after the model of of the churches in Rome, was built about . There are few churches in or near London which have witnessed more extraordinary changes in their immediate neighbourhood than this. Originally built among green fields, with a windmill close at hand, it now stands in the midst of a teeming population. The edifice, which is in the Grecian style of architecture, was built from the designs of Mr. Bedford. A new bridge over the Surrey Canal, close by the church, was erected in the year . | |
Previous to , the parochial business was carried on either at the workhouse or the vestryroom of . In that year was erected a vestry-hall, which was in use for a little over years. The building, however, seems to have been ill adapted for the transaction of parochial business, and in it was superseded by a new hall, a large and imposing edifice on the north side of , at the corner of , and occupying the site of old Havil House. The style | |
275 | of architecture is that known as Renaissance, and the general arrangement of the design is a centre with wings. The principal front is constructed entirely of Bath stone, and the side front of white Suffolk bricks, with cornices, string-courses, &c. The principal front is divided into storeys, the lowermost of which has considerable dignity imparted to it by reason of its being raised some feet above the level of the roadway. On the ground storey, the centre has rusticated piers, with Doric granite columns and a recessed portico, leading up to which is a flight of stone steps, with ornamental pillar-lamps on each side. The upper storey consists of coupled Ionic pilasters, with a central composition comprising a circular-headed window, flanked by narrow recessed openings, and an elliptical projecting balcony; the whole is surmounted by an attic having a pedimented clock-storey, on either side of which are groups of statuary representing and while a figure of crowns the summit of the pediment. On the pedestals of the balustrades, over each group of coupled pilasters, are also emblematical figures of and The roof of this central portion of the building is of ornamental design, with a balustrade. Each of the wings of the main front is divided into openings on both sides. |
At the western end of and the southern end of is an oblong plot of ground, rather over an acre in extent-laid out in grass-plats, planted with trees, shrubs, and flowers, and enclosed with iron railings-rejoicing in the name of Camberwell Park. This spot, formerly known as , was in bygone times the scene of an annual fair, almost rivalling in riotousness that at Greenwich, which we have already described. | |
How, or at what time, Camberwell Fair became established is a matter of uncertainty. Bray, in his says that it was appointed to be held on the gth of August, and to terminate on the ist of September--the feast of St. Giles, the patron saint; thus it must have lasted for twentythree days. In recent times, however, it was held on the , , and . The fair appears to have been held in the , before was fixed upon as its head-quarters. | |
The following account of these saturnalia is taken from the :--
| |
The of , thus describes the fair :--
| |
The following curious particulars of Camberwell Fair are taken from Colburn's () :--
| |
278 | |
we read in the , for , A petty session was held at Union Hall, in , in , in order to put down Camberwell fair; but it was held to no purpose. The complaints of the inhabitants against the continuance of the fair were both loud and numerous; but it nevertheless survived, and was allowed to bring annual annoyance to the district till , in which month was encumbered for the last time with these disreputable gatherings. In that year the manorial rights in were purchased by a subscription raised among the principal inhabitants of the district, and the place was transformed into a park, as above stated. | |
At the end of , close by the park, is an inn called the this hostelry, however, has no connection with the of Camden Town, or other places, but was probably only a flight of some publican's fancy. | |
There formerly stood on the south side of a curious old mansion, which in its time had, doubtless, been the subject of many an idle tale. It was for many years known as the
as Mr. Blanch tells us in his work before referred to,
| |
The north side of the park is occupied chiefly by the Green-coat and National Schools. The building, which was erected in , stands on the site of a former school, founded in , by Mr. Henry Cornelisen,
| |
The Camberwell Free , which dated its foundation from the reign of James I., has become a thing of the past. It was instituted by the Rev. Edward Wilson, Vicar of Camberwell, and the rules and regulations drawn up by him are quaint and peculiar. The master, we are told, was to be he was to be The master was enjoined For all these varied duties and accomplishments the master was to receive and the best scholar was to Whatever the school may have been in its early days, it does not appear to have been in a very flourishing condition at the commencement of the present century. In the governors sold and conveyed to the Charity Commissioners a portion of the charity-land as an addition to the churchyard of the parish; and in an information was filed in the Court of Chancery against the governors and the then master of the school, with respect to its past and future management. In consequence of these proceedings, in the school buildings were razed to the ground, and for nearly eighteen years the land on which they stood was let out for grazing purposes. In another application was made to the Charity Commissioners, under the Charitable Trusts Act, on behalf of certain parishioners of Camberwell, which resulted in the whole of the funds of the charity being absorbed by the official trustees of Charitable Funds. | |
In , contiguous to the main road, is the Aged Pilgrims' Friend Asylum. Of the many valuable institutions with which London abounds, few deserve a higher place in the estimation of the philanthropist (though few are less known) than the Aged Pilgrims' Friend Society, of which we have already had occasion to speak in our account of Upper Holloway. It was established in the year , for the purpose of giving life-pensions of guineas and guineas per annum to poor, aged, and infirm Protestants of either sex, and of every denomination. The almshouses here were commenced in . The | |
279 | edifice is of brick, with stucco mouldings and ornaments, having an embattled centre, flanked by towers. A low pointed gateway leads through this part of the structure to a quadrangle with a lawn in the centre, and surrounded by buildings in the same style. [extra_illustrations.6.279.1] [extra_illustrations.6.279.2] |
The rural character of Carberwell at the latter part of the eighteenth century may be gathered from the fact that the trees and hedges of the village are alluded to in the vestry minutes; and in caterpillars so abounded in the parish, that the overseers spent in at the rate of sixpence per bushel. The caterpillars were described as being dangerous to the public in general. the delight of entomologists, is still of the finest butterflies of the season; but it is now rarely seen. It was most abundant when Camberwell was a straggling suburban parish of about inhabitants. But Camberwell is now a congeries of streets, and forms part of the great metropolis itself. | |
Close by the Camberwell Station of the London, Chatham, and Dover Railway, stood Myatt's Farm, a picturesque building in the midst of gardens, celebrated for their strawberries as lately as the present reign. Camberwell, in fact, was, down to a comparatively recent date, famous for its flowers and fruit. In Lane, which leads from the southern end of the towards Brixton, are still located or well-known florists. In this lane was Strawberry Hall, now pulled down to form a site for Chapel; beyond this was the Effra, which, having been diverted from its original channel, or otherwise effaced, is now kept in remembrance by a modern thoroughfare called . Cold Harbour--a name by no means rare in the rural districts--is supposed to have originally signified a place of entertainment for travellers and drovers who required rest for their horses or cattle. | |
At the foot of , or rather at the fork made by the junction of that road with Lane, stood , with its extensive grounds skirting the parish boundary, and which The grounds were enclosed by a high brick wall; and the house itself, which faced , stood only a few yards from the road. It was a lofty structure, built of red and white bricks, with dressings of Portland stone, and the interior contained some curious and quaint carvings and frescoes. | |
At the beginning of the present century there lived at Grove Hill Dr. John Lettsom, of the most extraordinary men of his day. As a Quaker physician he was most successful, realising sometimes as much as a year. He was as liberal and philanthropic as he was wealthy. At Grove Hill he entertained some of the most eminent of his time. He used to sign his prescriptions This signature occasioned the following epigram-
| |
[extra_illustrations.6.280.1] was the son of a West Indian planter, and was born in the year . Having completed his education in England, he was apprenticed to a Yorkshire apothecary. He afterwards returned to the West Indies, and settled as a medical practitioner at Tortola. After about or months, he again found his way into Europe. In , he was admitted a licentiate of the Royal of London, and in the following year elected a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries. Dr. Lettsom's rise in his profession was rapid; but whilst realising a handsome fortune, he was not forgetful of the wants of his needy brethren, and the poorer order of clergy and struggling literary men received from him not only gratuitous advice, but substantial aid; whilst his contributions to charitable institutions placed him in the front rank of earnest and practical philanthropists. Dr. Lettsom deserves also to be remembered as the original proprietor of the sea-bathing Infirmary at Margate, which dates from or thereabouts. Numerous anecdotes have been published about the celebrated physician, but the following will sufficiently illustrate his proverbial generosity, which we tell on the authority of Mr. Blanch :-- Unhappily, though Dr. Lettsom had been successful in his profession, his latter years were darkened with adversity. | |
Dr. Lettsom's house is called by Priscilla Wakefield, in , She is at the pains of describing it as follows:--
| |
The author of in describing the parish in , makes no mention of anybody or anything in Camberwell further than this, that it contained the residence of the The house is described in Manning and Bray's as This, however, is more than doubtful, as Sir Thomas Bond's house was situated in Peckham, at least mile distant. | |
Scott, the inscribed of his lesser poems to his hospitable friend, Dr. Lettsom; and Boswell, who was a frequent visitor at Grove Hill, in an ode to Charles Dilly, celebrated at once the beauties of the physician's country seat and its owner's humane disposition:--
| |
Dr. Lettsom's house was subsequently occupied by Mr. Charles Baldwin, the proprietor of the St. , and afterwards of the newspaper. | |
is said to be the spot on which George Barnwell murdered his uncle: an event which furnished Lillo with the plot of his tragedy. Fountain Cottage--which was till very recently commemorated by Fountain Terrace, a name which the Metropolitan Board of Works have thought fit to abolish--was fixed upon as the residence of the unfortunate uncle. A writer, at the commencement of the present century, informs his readers that And, again, in the for , it is recorded that the writer further tells us, with an amount of simplicity and ignorance which is charming, In the published in , the author, in purporting to give of the whole affair, fixes upon as the residence of the uncle and the scene of the murder. Maurice, the historian of Hindostan, in his poem entitled , thus apostrophises this touching and romantic story:--
| |
In the prologue to Lillo's tragedy, it is openly stated that the tragedy is based upon the original ballad of :-- According to Bishop Percy, the original ballad was printed at least as early as the century. In that production Barnwell's uncle is described as a wealthy grazier, dwelling in Ludlow:-- The ballad also describes the murder as having been committed in a wood near that town; and the Ludlow Guide-book notices the circumstance as traditional there, and the very barn and homestead, a short distance on the left before entering Ludlow from the , are still pointed out as having been the residence of the victim. The ballad, however, lays the scene of Barnwell's dissipation in the metropolis. In lived Mrs. Millwood, who led him astray:-- Readers of James Smith's will not forget how the wretched woman Millwood suggests to the profligate apprentice the murder of his wealthy but hard-hearted relative. The poet tells us:--
writes the author of the History of Camberwell, he adds, somewhat sceptically,
| |
A writer in Hone's remarks: -- Few persons, on reading this fact, will censure the stage, as such, as being necessarily immoral in its tendency. | |
In the last century, the Camberwell Tea Gardens, attached to a place of public entertainment called the , were largely patronised by the lads and lasses of the metropolis. The assemblyroom--which is now known as Camberwell Hallhas been the scene of many local balls, which can scarcely, however, be styled fashionable. Charles Dickens, in his gives an amusing account of a ball held here by certain local residents. of all kinds were held within the spacious grounds of . With the Tavern is associated the history of the Camberwell Club, which, like all similar associations of the past century, was exclusively social. The club--which numbered among its members clergymen, lawyers, and | |
282 | merchants-held its meetings at this famous house of entertainment; and, as Mr. Blanch informs us, Political meetings were sometimes held here; and the march of Tierney's supporters thither in forms the subject of a spirited engraving published at the time, beneath which is inscribed- Mr. Tierney, the great friend of Charles James Fox, was elected M.P. for in , and sat for that place in or Parliaments. In a broad-sheet published by Gilray, in , he is represented as the --the same who was satirised by Canning, a short time previously, in the
|
On the lower Spring-field, on the west side of the Grove, formerly stood the Camberwell Collegiate School, an establishment formed on the principles of . The building was erected in , from the designs of Mr. Henry | |
Roberts, the architect of the Fishmongers' Hall; it was somewhat in the Tudor style, constructed of white brick, with stone dressings, the principal feature being the cloister which faced the entrance. The school was opened in , as a proprietary establishment, and for some time was moderately successful; but the proximity of Dulwich College and other educational establishments seriously impeded the progress of the college, and in it was closed, and the land sold for building purposes. | |
The dwellers in Camberwell, and especially in that region where it passes into the Grove, ought to feel grateful to Mr. William Black for the dignity and interest which he has conferred upon it in his romance of What Leigh Hunt, Thackeray, and other writers have done for the of Kensington, Mr. Black has done for this charming part of suburban London. The broad, tree-bordered slope of the Grove, where fine houses to the right and left are embowered among leaves, has been chosen by the author of as the scene of some of the incidents narrated in that romance of modern life. | |
, the sylvan glades of Dulwich | |
283 284 | and Norwood, and hilly Sydenham, were favourrite resorts of the great painter, William Blake, in his early years. |
In , which extends from Camberwell to , the nightingale is sometimes heard; and Hone, in his mentions that this bird was in full song here in . | |
Hone's also mentions the at the foot of Denmark Hill-then the Sunday resort of many town-immured beingsas being gradually surrounded by spruce villas, &c. He styles he adds,
| |
The still remains a wellknown Camberwell sign, although the old tavern has been demolished to give place to more in accord with modern ideas. That the neighbourhood was at time the haunt of may be inferred from the fact that a thoroughfare close by is called Dog Kennel Lane. The tavern was formerly called there being at that time another house of entertainment known as which was subsequently converted into or more private houses. The was formerly the starting-point of the Dulwich patrol. | |
Of the of Camberwell not yet mentioned by us, we have the Cherrys, descended from the De Cheries of Picardy and Normandythe of the family who settled in Camberwell being Sir Francis Cherry, Queen Elizabeth's Ambassador to Russia in , of whose proceedings an amusing account is given in the as published by the Camden Society. We have again the De Crespignys, who came from France, as Protestant refugees, in the reign of William III., though they; did not settle in Camberwell until early in the eighteenth century. Champion Lodge, at the foot of , was built in , by Mr. Claude de Crespigny. In , the Prince of Wales visited Champion Lodge, and of course a great was made on the occasion, and the owner of the house was soon afterwards made a baronet. The park had originally an area of about acres. The house, noticeable for the fine iron gates and the stately cedars in front, was pulled down in , and the site is now occupied by rows of houses. Sir Claude de Crespigny was a Fellow of Trinity Hall, Cambridge, and married the gifted, as well as accomplished, daughter of Mr. J. Clarke, of Rigton, Derbyshire. It was this Lady de Crespigny who wrote the admirable lines which were placed over a grotto standing in the grounds of Champion Lodge, and dedicated to Contemplation. | |
There were also the Drapers, who came from Nottinghamshire--Robert Draper, of Camberwell, being page of the Jewel Office to Henry VIII.; and his nephew, Sir Christopher Draper, being Lord Mayor of London in -his daughters marrying respectively, Sir W. Webbe, Sir Wolstan Dixie, and Sir H. Billingsley, all subsequently Lord Mayors in their turn. | |
Of the of Camberwell not already referred to by us, we may mention the Rev. Dr. Richard Parr, who was rector of this parish for years, commencing with , and who was the chaplain and biographer of Archbishop Usher; Dr. Chandler, a famous Nonconformist divine in the early part of the eighteenth century, whose theological writings excited great attention, and evoked the high commendations of Archbishop Wake; and Dr. William B. Collyer, who attained great fame as a preacher in the earlier part of the present century, | |
Towards the close of the year , Thomas Hood--the author of took up his residence in Camberwell; the house to which he brought ,his family was No. , , now , Canmberwell . He afterwards removed to No. , (now , ), where he occupied the drawingroom floor. Hood, who was a real wit and humourist in the best sense of the word, was born in London in . His father was a native of Scotland, and for many years acting partner in the firm of Vernor, Hood, and Sharpe, extensive booksellers and publishers. he writes; Young Hood finished his education at Wanostrocht's Academy, at Camberwell; and removed thence to a merchant's counting-house in the City, where he realised his own inimitable sketch of the boy --
| |
285 | |
Mr. Hood's work was anonymous-his --a little, thin, mean-looking sort of a foolscap sub-octavo of poems, with nothing but wit and humour to recommend it. Coleridge was delighted with the work, and taxed Charles Lamb by letter with the authorship. His next work was a serious poem of infinite beauty, full of fine passages and of promise. The was followed by the forerunner of the . Then came the and the
a novel; and a volume of comic lucubrations, His has been sung through the whole length and breadth of the kingdoms. During the year of his residence at Camberwell, he was much amused at witnessing which then annually ran riot at the latter end of August. In a letter, written from about this time, Hood says: In another letter from this place, dated , Hood writes:-- At the close of this year he removed to Wood, where he died about years later, at the early age of . | |
The loyalty and military spirit of Camberwell, as a constituent portion of the county of Surrey, appear to have been maintained, without interruption, since the days of Camberwell having then furnished a valiant quota to the forces collected to oppose the attempted Spanish invasion; and having again, after the lapse of more than centuries--namely, in -distinguished itself by forming a under the presidency and command of Claude Champion de Crespigny--the lineal representative of of the mentioned above; which Association, in when the country unanimously resented the menaces of Buonaparte-developed itself into a formal volunteer corps. | |
In point of population, Camberwell offers, perhaps, the most striking example of increase which can be found throughout the metropolitan suburban area--the number of its inhabitants having grown from , in , to the astonishing amount of in . It seems, indeed, that, with the dawn of this century, Camberwell suddenly broke through the trammels which had been imposed upon suburban buildings during the and centuries, and had made their prescriptive influence felt throughout the eighteenth. Happy would it have been, both for the citizens and the city of London, had those laws been maintained and enforced in a salutary, judicious, and moderate manner. Then, it has been remarked, we should not have seen, as we do now, so many square miles of fertile agricultural ground covered with useless bricks and mortar, the crowded habitations of a seething population; then, indeed, we should not have had miles of beggarly -storeyed tenements swallowing up all the open spaces about the metropolis, but should have adopted a system of building more consonant with the principles of sanitary laws, as well as with those of social and political economy. | |
In few matters, during the half of the present century, has there been a greater change than in the mode and pace of travelling; and abundant illustration of this fact is shown by a retrospect of the character of the communication between London and Camberwell as existing in the years and . In the former year, Camberwell coach was advertised to leave the , twice daily, and another to leave the , times daily. Now, besides omnibuses, whose name is legion, there are several railway-stations in Camberwell, and, likewise, a line of tramway from to and New Cross, besides other tramway lines from Camberwell to Blackfriars and the City. By means of its railway and tramway communication, in addition to the ordinary omnibus service, Camberwell is now placed within easy reach of the central portion of the metropolis. | |
In the , by which we now proceed, we pass, on our left, of the asylums licensed for the reception of lunatics in Camberwell. This asylum, known as Camberwell House, with its surrounding pleasure and garden grounds, occupies a space of some acres, part of which is laid out in a park-like manner, the remainder being kept for the use of the patients who take an interest in garden pursuits. The principal building, formerly known as Alfred House, was erected by Mr. Wanostrocht for a school, which he conducted for many years with eminent success. The house was afterwards used by the Royal Naval School, which, as we have already seen, was subsequently removed to New | |
286 | Cross. The Royal Naval School was projected by Captain Dickson; was started by voluntary contributions, headed by the handsome donation of from the late Dr. Bell; and had for its object the education of the sons of those naval and marine officers whose scanty incomes did not allow them to provide a -rate education for their boys. Its office was represented, from to , by a -floor room in , St. James's; and here its founders and projectors regularly met on board days, and worked for the advancement of the interests of the Royal Naval School. They were famous men who went up those stairs to the humble committee-room in Jermyn Street-men whose names are household words amongst us now, and whom history will remember. William IV., was interested in this school, and met there Yorke, Blackwood, Keats, Hardy, Codrington, and Cockburn-brave admirals and famous some of whom could recollect, mayhap, what a struggle it was to live like a gentleman once, and bring up their boys as gentlemen's sons, on officer's pay. Alfred House was for a time the institution which uprose from the committee's deliberations, from voluntary contributions, and unaided by that Government grant which it deserved as an impetus in the instance, and which to this day, and for reasons inexplicable to all connected with the service and the school, it has been unable to obtain. |
Footnotes: [extra_illustrations.6.272.1] built on the site a very fine mansion [] See p. 202. [] See Vol. V., p. 310. [] See Vol. V., p. 395. [extra_illustrations.6.279.1] Lettsom's Museum [extra_illustrations.6.279.2] Lettsom's Fountain Cottage [extra_illustrations.6.280.1] Dr. John Coakley Lettsom [] See ante, p. 247. |