Stockwell probably got the second half of its name from a local well; the other half is from stoc, which was Old English for a tree trunk or post. During the period from the thirteenth century to the beginning of the nineteenth century, Stockwell existed as a rural manor situated on the outskirts of London. It encompassed flourishing market gardens and John Tradescant’s botanical garden, which is now commemorated by Tradescant Road, established in 1880, as well as a memorial outside St Stephen’s church. As the nineteenth century unfolded, Stockwell evolved into an elegant middle-class suburb. Among its residents was the renowned artist Arthur Rackham, born in South Lambeth Road in 1867, who later relocated with his family to Albert Square at the age of 15.
Stockwell station, inaugurated on 4 November 1890 by the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII), holds the distinction of being the southernmost station on the City & South London Railway (C&SLR), London’s first deep-level tube railway. A little over a month later, on 18 December 1890, passenger services commenced.
However, Stockwell’s social and architectural fortunes in the twentieth century presented a more mixed picture. The immediate vicinity surrounding Stockwell tube station underwent extensive reconstruction after the Second World War, and the original domed tube station was replaced first in the 1920s and again with the introduction of the Victoria line in 1971.
The area also features a significant amount of social housing, with notable estates such as Lansdowne Green, Stockwell Park, Studley, Spurgeon, Mursell, and Stockwell Gardens. Nevertheless, traces of Stockwell’s grandeur from the nineteenth century can still be discovered in its side and back streets, particularly within the Stockwell Park Conservation Area. This area, primarily constructed between 1825 and 1840, centres around Stockwell Park Road, Stockwell Park Crescent, Durand Gardens, and Albert Square.
Stockwell, along with its neighbouring area of South Lambeth, is renowned as “Little Portugal” due to its sizable Portuguese community. Most of the local Portuguese residents hail from Madeira and Lisbon, and they have established numerous cafes, restaurants, bakeries, neighbourhood associations, and delicatessens. Stockwell is also home to a vibrant Caribbean and West African population, with their presence strongly felt throughout the local community. Cafés, grocery stores, barbershops, and salons owned by individuals from these communities can be found scattered around Stockwell.
