East Street, SE17

Road in/near Walworth, existing between the 1780s and now.

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(51.48957 -0.08814, 51.489 -0.088) 
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Road · * · SE17 ·
October
22
2021
East Street, famous for its market, is likely to have been the birthplace of Charlie Chaplin, although no birth certificate exists.

There had been street trading in the Walworth area since the 16th century, when farmers rested their livestock on Walworth Common before continuing to the city.

In the 17th century, the area through which East Street now runs was rural fields and common land where people could graze their animals. The area to the north was known as ‘Lock’s Field’ and, even in 1878, was described as little more than ‘a dreary swamp’.

Most of the land in the area was owned by the Church, but some was eventually sold or leased. By the 1770s, some land near the junction with Old Kent Road (known then simply as The Kent Road) was cultivated as a flower nursery by the Driver family, who were also responsible for commissioning the grand buildings at nearby Surrey Square.

A legal document from 1780 describes the sale of the land which led to the creation of East Street as a public highway, connecting Walworth Road with the Kent Road.

Open fields were built upon and in the 1860s, Walworth Common was developed.

During the industrial revolution, stalls lined the whole of the Walworth Road, but East Street Market has only been officially running since 1880. East Street was recorded as a site for gypsies to stay during the winter months. To the south was Walworth Common; a popular point for the farmers of Kent and Surrey to stop overnight before making their journey into the city. People would buy produce directly from these drovers and eventually a market was established.

Unlike the regulated market today, the original traders did not have allocated plots for their stalls. At 8am, a policeman blew a whistle and traders would rush to claim the best pitches, with shop owners on the Lane claiming the patches outside their front doors. This ended in 1927 when the licensing system was introduced.

As the population of the area has diversified so have the goods on offer and, along with the traditional fruit and vegetables, the market now sells a mix of Caribbean food, ethnic clothing, CDs and household goods.


Licence: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence


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CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE LOCALITY

Comment
Johna216   
Added: 9 Aug 2017 16:26 GMT   

Thanks!
I have recently started a web site, the info you provide on this site has helped me greatly. Thank you for all of your time & work. There can be no real freedom without the freedom to fail. by Erich Fromm. eeggefeceefb

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LATEST LONDON-WIDE CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE PROJECT

Comment
Wendy    
Added: 22 Mar 2024 15:33 GMT   

Polygon Buildings
Following the demolition of the Polygon, and prior to the construction of Oakshott Court in 1974, 4 tenement type blocks of flats were built on the site at Clarendon Sq/Phoenix Rd called Polygon Buildings. These were primarily for people working for the Midland Railway and subsequently British Rail. My family lived for 5 years in Block C in the 1950s. It seems that very few photos exist of these buildings.

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Steve   
Added: 19 Mar 2024 08:42 GMT   

Road construction and houses completed
New Charleville Circus road layout shown on Stanford’s Library Map Of London And Its Suburbs 1879 with access via West Hill only.

Plans showing street numbering were recorded in 1888 so we can concluded the houses in Charleville Circus were built by this date.

Source: Charleville Circus, Sydenham, London

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Comment
Steve   
Added: 19 Mar 2024 08:04 GMT   

Charleville Circus, Sydenham: One Place Study (OPS)
One Place Study’s (OPS) are a recent innovation to research and record historical facts/events/people focused on a single place �’ building, street, town etc.

I have created an open access OPS of Charleville Circus on WikiTree that has over a million members across the globe working on a single family tree for everyone to enjoy, for free, forever.

Source: Charleville Circus, Sydenham, London

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Comment
Charles   
Added: 8 Mar 2024 20:45 GMT   

My House
I want to know who lived in my house in the 1860’s.

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NH   
Added: 7 Mar 2024 11:41 GMT   

Telephone House
Donald Hunter House, formerly Telephone House, was the BT Offices closed in 2000

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Comment
Paul Cox   
Added: 5 Mar 2024 22:18 GMT   

War damage reinstatement plans of No’s 11 & 13 Aldine Street
Whilst clearing my elderly Mothers house of general detritus, I’ve come across original plans (one on acetate) of No’s 11 & 13 Aldine Street. Might they be of interest or should I just dispose of them? There are 4 copies seemingly from the one single acetate example. Seems a shame to just junk them as the level of detail is exquisite. No worries if of no interest, but thought I’d put it out there.

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Comment
Diana   
Added: 28 Feb 2024 13:52 GMT   

New Inn Yard, E1
My great grandparents x 6 lived in New Inn Yard. On this date, their son was baptised in nearby St Leonard’s Church, Shoreditch

Source: BDM London, Cripplegate and Shoreditch registers written by church clerk.

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Comment
Vic Stanley   
Added: 24 Feb 2024 17:38 GMT   

Postcose
The postcode is SE15, NOT SE1

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LOCAL PHOTOS
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Click here to see Creative Commons images tagged with this road (if applicable)
Wild’s Rents, SE1 (1930s)
TUM image id: 1644256555
Licence: CC BY 2.0
Villa Street Walworth c.1907.
TUM image id: 1604223727
Licence: CC BY 2.0

In the neighbourhood...

Click an image below for a better view...
The Swan, 82-86 Old Kent Road. Demolished in 2004.
Old London postcard
Licence:


East Street market, Walworth in 1908 The market, in operation since the 1880s, featured in the title sequence for Only Fools and Horses
Old London postcard
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Harrison House on the Browning Estate, Walworth (1974)
Credit: London Borough of Southwark
Licence: CC BY 2.0


Villa Street Walworth c.1907.
Licence: CC BY 2.0


Eltham Street, Walworth before demolition
Credit: London Metropolitan Archives
Licence: CC BY 2.0


The Good Intent - the last pub of East Street Market
Credit: Wiki Commons
Licence: CC BY 2.0


Two young children watching others play outside in Christmas Street, SE1 on 21 December 1946. The buildings in the image are Clifton Buildings - four-storey tenements accessible via open stairwells which were classified as a slum and then condemned to be demolished to built the new Haddonhall Estate.
Credit: Charles Hewitt
Licence:


The Aylesbury Estate, Walworth, as viewed from Chiltern (2009)
Credit: Wiki Commons/Mkimemia
Licence: CC BY 2.0




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