General
Mentioned in the Domesday Book, the Camberwell of today is a far cry from the village which had grown up there by the 18th century. However, the core elements still exist, for example the green itself and St Giles Church, originally Saxon, rebuilt in stone in 1152 and again (the current building) in 1844. Camberwell deserves its place in the history books. It saw a triumphant Henry V returning to London after the Battle of Agincourt in 1415 and was the scene of a state visit by the Emperor of Germany the following year. In addition, a number of famous people including Robert Browning, the 19th Century poet laureate, John Ruskin, Victorian writer and art historian, and Joseph Chamberlain (politician and father of the 1938 Prime Minister, Neville Chamberlain) have lived there. Kings College and The Maudsley Hospitals, built between 1913 and 19915, and the adjoining Dental Hospital (1965) dominate the area at the top of Denmark Hill and ensure that the whole place remains busy throughout the day. Nearby William Booth Memorial Training College is the training academy of the Salvation Army. Opened in 1929, the campus, formerly the hunting lodge of the Prince of Denmark (hence 'Denmark Hill'), includes over seven acres of tree-covered gardens. At the bottom on the hill, on Camberwell Church Street, Camberwell Public Baths (the place where people went to take a bath before bathrooms in houses became the norm) is now Camberwell Leisure Centre. Further along this road towards Peckham lies Camberwell College of Art built in 1896, now one of the leading art colleges in the country. Indeed the area, particularly around the Camberwell Grove and Grove Park areas has a high proportion of artists still living locally.

The 18th/19th centuries heralded an influx of more affluent people coming into the area with the opening of several bridges over the Thames (Westminster 1950, Blackfriars 1769, Vauxhall 1816 and Southwark 1819) and 1862 brought the railways to Camberwell with the opening of Denmark Hill Station in 1866 (rebuilt in 1984 after a fire in 1980). Nowadays, it might be hard to appreciate that, whilst staying with relatives in Camberwell in 1842, Mendelssohn wrote Camberwell Green (now better known as Spring Song), a tribute to the area’s natural beauty and that, in 1748, the Camberwell Beauty butterfly was discovered in the area. However, there are still some beautiful parts of Camberwell and some great houses, many lying “off the beaten track” in pedestrianized streets such as Love Walk, off Grove Lane and Champion Grove off Dog Kennel Hill. Certainly the area around the tree-lined Camberwell Grove and Grove Park is mostly stunning, particularly in summer.

Property
Think Camberwell? Think Georgian! Certainly in our opinion one of the biggest attractions of this area must be the leafy groves lined with some of the finest Georgian architecture in South London. Camberwell Grove is a quiet side street leading southwards from the centre of Camberwell and up towards the top of Dog Kennel Hill before it descends into East Dulwich. There are fine, late Georgian villas on this tree-lined road, many of which are still large single homes while others have been split to provide attractive conversion flats. Towards the top of the Grove are two terraces of imposing cream-coloured houses. One terrace remains intact and offers splendid four- to five-bedroom family homes with large rear gardens while the other has been carefully split into a number of flats which retain the original façade. All these properties have keys to the communal garden helping to keep alive the idea of community in Camberwell!

Grove Park leads off Camberwell Grove and circles on itself while leading off down towards the Bellenden conservation area. Here again are some magnificent Georgian houses and some later Arts and Crafts/Edwardian-style houses set in huge plots with large front and rear gardens. These houses are particularly attractive and rather grand in appearance. Further round the square is a small well kept 1970s’ block called Queens Court which offers one and two bedroom flats with balconies and private garages (a cheaper option if you want the location but cannot afford the fantastic prices achieved by the period conversions in this area!). There are also some smaller Edwardian houses offering four+ bedrooms lining both sides of the street as Grove Park turns back on itself. At the top of Camberwell Grove and just across the street is Langford Green, a popular late ‘60s’ development of two and three bedroom Regency-style maisonettes set in and around attractive communal gardens forming part of an exclusive private estate. Down from there is Champion Grove where can be found a fine example of some of the best Regency architecture in the area. Pretty three and four bedroom houses complete with tall sash windows and original wrought iron railings are a particularly attractive feature.

Up Champion Hill, which offers a selection of large, early 20th century (and a few older) houses are entrances to the Hamlet and Beaulieu Close, two ‘70s’ developments by Wates comprising the ever-popular townhouses with flexible accommodation on three levels, first floor sitting rooms, private gardens and further communal grounds. These border the attractive communal grounds of Ruskin Park House, an impressive 1920s’ development of mansion flats set around attractive communal grounds. Heading down the hill past William Booth Memorial College and Denmark Hill station, completing the journey and heading back into central Camberwell is Love Walk, which starts off with large, grey-brick Victorian terraced houses over arranged over 3 or 4 floors. Opposite there is a1980s’ ‘Wates’ development, Selbourne Village, comprising small modern houses built to a very exacting specification; a real find in this urban corner of south east London. Probably an even more pleasing discovery still are the detached double-fronted Regency houses which are towards the Grove Lane end of this attractive part-pedestrianized road. Another section of Camberwell worth researching is Myatts Fields (originally a strawberry field). Here extremely Victorian houses, many still family residences combine with smaller Edwardian villas with a very pleasant park in the centre.

Shops
Camberwell is still largely unexciting as a high street with a predominance of pound shops and the more basic provisions stores. However, there are some gems. Look out for Sophocles, a Greek owned bakery that offers freshly baked goods and a selection of Greek appetisers, Duraty Electronics (now third generation) for kitchen appliances and more, Pesh Flowers, a great florist that has been in the area for over 35 years and there is the most amazing Chinese supermarket on Denmark Hill itself. Edwardes on Camberwell Road is a real find for anyone interested in cycles – any kind – any age! Sadly Words Worth, the independent bookshop in Butterfly Walk, is under threat of closure. There is also a Somerfields supermarket in Butterfly Walk, the arcade off Denmark Hill, an Argos and a Woolworths and lots of banks, NatWest, HSBC and Barclays all have branches around Camberwell Green.

Restaurants & bars
Camberwell has a pretty good selection of places to eat/drink. The Vineyard at the bottom of Camberwell Grove looks almost like a cliché of a Greek restaurant and serves typical Greek food at reasonable prices. The Sun & Doves is highly recommended. One of Camberwell's best gastropubs, it has a lovely garden at the back where they hold barbeques throughout the summer. Also an art gallery, it has recently undergone extensive refurbishment. Chic, modern Mozzarella e Pomodoro serves Italian food and is perfect for both business meals and romantic evenings, with its modern decor and swift, discreet waiters. Redstar (currently closed for refurbishment) is a roomy urban venue with pool table, slot machine and lots of comfortable brown leather sofas, (DJs every night with Nexo sound system). Safa in the middle of Camberwell Church Street, serves some of the best Indian dishes in the area. Zaras Kitchen (family owned and run) features authentic Indian and Kenyan style cuisine prepared to old family recipes. Lamoon reputedly a thoroughly good Chinese restaurant. Nisha’s Indian restaurant has a very contemporary, modern style and is open daily for lunch and dinner. Tadim is a small Turkish café that serves excellent pastries and traditional Turkish snacks. The Castle has a wonderful open fire, air conditioning and a plasma TV screen for sport events. Food is served all day everyday with roasts on Sundays (30 New & Old World wines). Weekend bar ‘til 2am with DJs from 10pm on Fridays and Saturdays. Funky Monkey is a young student-orientated bar, offering great DJs and inexpensive drinks. Blake House serves great European food and drink, a good range of cocktails and Sunday brunch. The Fox on the Hill pub at the top of Denmark Hill has recently installed a great new climbing frame which is perfect for those tots who have to endure a few hours down the pub with mum and dad in the sunshine. Willow is a great choice for clean and simple eating in a laid back locale and is a cut above the rest in the area

Schools
As with all parts of London, catchment areas cross boundaries and, included in this list, therefore, are schools where the catchment areas include Camberwell. In addition as children from the area use the nearby Dulwich Schools, these have also been included.

State primaries: Bessemer Grange Primary School, Brunswick Park Primary School, Cobourg Primary School, Comber Grove Primary School, Crawford Primary School, John Ruskin Primary School and Language Classes, Lyndhurst School, Oliver Goldsmith Primary School, St George's Church of England Primary School, St John The Divine C of E Junior Mixed and Infant School, St Joseph's Catholic Junior School. State Secondaries: Archbishop Michael Ramsey Technology College, Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Secondary School.

Fee paying schools in the proximity include: Alleyns (4 to 18 years), Dulwich College (separate but affiliated kindergarden - DUCKS - and junior schools) (nursery to 18 years), Dulwich College Prep School (nursery to 13 years), Alleyns (4 to 18 years), James Allen Prep School (mixed nursery to 7 years, girls only 8 to 11 years), James Allen Girls School (11 to 18 years)

For details of school results (SATS, GCSE & A level) together with addresses and map visit schools in Southwark. A list of all schools in close by Dulwich can by found on www.dulwich.co.uk/schools.html

Other
John Ruskin Park just south of King’s College Hospital at the top of Denmark Hill is a small, pretty, quiet park, a good place to get some fresh air if you don't have a back garden. It has squirrels running about, tennis courts, a basketball court and a children’s playground. At the opposite end of Camberwell, described by the The Guardian as “Camberwell’s coolest venue”, the Blue Elephant Theatre (59a Bethwin Rd - entrance in Thompson's Ave) is a vibrant arts venue worth a visit,see www.blueelephanttheatre.co.uk. In the crypt of St Giles Church is “the best live jazz from the UK and abroad.” The club is run on a not-for-profit basis and the prices reflect this. Camberwell Leisure Centre, Artichoke Place Off Camberwell Church Street offers swimming (and lessons), pool parties, badminton, table tennis, gym, aerobics, yoga, martial arts, gymnastics, 5-a-side football, basketball, volleyball, netball aqua aerobics, holiday activities and trampolining!

Transport
Camberwell is the most amazing place for buses as many as 15 going through the area: nos 12 (Oxford Circus to Forest Hill), 35 (Leyton to Brixton via London Bridge), 36 (Paddington to New Cross via Victoria), 40 (Limehouse to Camberwell via London Bridge), 42 (Aldgate to West Norwood), 45 (South Kensington to Archway via Kings Cross, Battersea, Clapham & Holborn), 68 (Chalk Farm to West Norwood), 148 (Shepherds Bush), 171 (Norwood to Tottenham), 176 (Willesden Garage to Lewisham), 185 (Victoria to Lewisham), 345 (South Kensington to Peckham), 436 (Paddington to Lewisham), 468 (Elephant & Castle to South Croydon) and 484 (Lewisham).
A great website re: buses is www.londonbuses.co.uk. Denmark Hill Station at the top of Denmark Hill near King’s College Hospital for trains to Victoria and London Bridge, Elephant & Castle and Orpington. For further information visit www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/.