Stockwell

This article is about the area called Stockwell in London, England. For other places and other meanings, see Stockwell (disambiguation).

Stockwell
OS grid reference	TQ305755
London borough	Lambeth
Ceremonial county	Greater London
Region	London
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	LONDON
Postcode district	SW2, SW4, SW8,SW9
Dialling code	020
Police	Metropolitan
Fire	London
Ambulance	London
UK Parliament	Vauxhall
London Assembly	Lambeth and Southwark

Stockwell is a district in South London, England, located in the London Borough of Lambeth. It is situated 2.4 miles (3.9 km) south south-east of Charing Cross. Once one of London's poorest neighbourhoods, it is now considered one of the city's most up-and-coming areas, owing to its close proximity to central London, excellent transport links, and diverse ethnic and cultural mix.

History

Stockwell probably got half its name from a well, the other half is from "stoc", which was old English for a tree trunk or post. From the thirteenth to the start of the nineteenth century, Stockwell was a rural manor at the edge of London. It included market gardens and John Tradescant's botanical garden – commemorated in Tradescant Road, which was built over it in 1880, and in a memorial outside St Stephen's church. In the nineteenth century it developed as an elegant middle class suburb. Residents included the artist Arthur Rackham, who was born in South Lambeth Road in 1867, moving with his family to Albert Square when he was 15.

Its social and architectural fortunes in the twentieth century were more mixed. The area immediately around Stockwell tube station was extensively rebuilt following the Second World War, and the original domed Victoria tube station was replaced first in the 1920s, then again with the opening of the Victoria line in 1971.

The area also has much social housing - the main estates are Lansdowne Green, Spurgeon, Mursell, Stockwell Gardens and Studley. However, many remnants of the area's nineteenth century grandeur can be found in the side and back streets of Stockwell, notably in the Stockwell Park Conservation Area, mostly built between 1825 and 1840 and centred on Stockwell Park Road and Stockwell Park Crescent, in Durand Gardens, home to some very grand villas built for city merchants early in the nineteenth century, and in the area's own Albert Square. The only twentieth century building of significant architectural interest in the area is Stockwell Bus Garage. Before creation of the County of London in 1889, Stockwell was part of Surrey.

Politics

Stockwell is a ward in the London Borough of Lambeth. Since May 2006, it has been represented by three Labour councillors: Pete Bowyer, Imogen Walker and Pav Akhtar. The website Stand Up for Stockwell has more details about politics in Stockwell.

Churches

In addition to Anglican and Catholic churches, Afro-Caribbean communities have influenced the expression of Christianity in this local area, with a variety of congregations, some sharing churches with more long established Anglican and Catholic congregations.

Schools

There are three schools in Stockwell ward - St Stephen's, Allen Edwards and Stockwell Primary School - and also a campus of Lambeth College. In the Stockwell area (on Clapham Road) there is also Stockwell Park School, a secondary school currently undergoing a rebuilding and expansion project, and numerous primary schools.

Population of Stockwell

Stockwell and neighbouring South Lambeth are home to the UK's biggest Portuguese communities, with the area being known as 'Little Portugal'. Most of the local Portuguese people originate from Madeira and Lisbon and have established many cafes, restaurants, bakeries, neighbourhood associations and delicatessens. People of Caribbean and of West African origin are also well represented in the local population, and cafes, grocers, barbers' shops and salons run by people from these communities are scattered around Stockwell.

Stockwell war memorial and shelter

Famous former and current residents of Stockwell include James Loizou, Gary Raymond Lilian Bayliss, Edward Thomas, Vincent Van Gogh (briefly), French Resistance heroine Violette Szabo, Dominic Hyde, Joanna Lumley, Jerry Dammers, Roger Moore, Roots Manuva, Adam Buxton, Will Self, and Robert Kilroy-Silk.

Stockwell Shooting

See Jean Charles de Menezes. Following the 21 July 2005 London bombings, Stockwell gained a certain unexpected and unwelcome notoriety as the scene of the shooting by police of an innocent Brazilian electrician, Jean Charles de Menezes, in the tube station and of the arrests of other suspects in nearby housing.

Transport and locale

Nearest places

• Brixton
• Camberwell
• Vauxhall
• Kennington
• Clapham
• Elephant and Castle

Nearest tube station

• Stockwell tube station

Nearest railway stations

• Brixton railway station
• Vauxhall station
• Wandsworth Rd Railway Station
• Clapham High St railway Station

External links

• Stand Up for Stockwell Website with news about Stockwell and the 3 local Labour councillors in Stockwell
• We Love Larkhall Community website for residents of Larkhall ward in Stockwell, run by Labour councillor
• Stockwell News News, features and history relating to Stockwell
• Stockwell War Memorial Histories and backgrounds of the men on Stockwell's First World War Memorial and other local memorials

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