Walworth Road At its northernmost point at
Elephant & Castle in
Newington, the A215 begins as Walworth Road, which runs between
Elephant and Castle and
Camberwell Road. Walworth Road on 26 December 1791. A commemorative
blue plaque is displayed on the Sexual Health Clinic at the junction of Larcom Street and Walworth Road. Just off the Walworth Road was
Walworth Road railway station on the
London, Chatham and Dover Railway that was opened in 1863 and shut in 1916 due to wartime constraints.
Camberwell Road Walworth Road transitions into Camberwell Road where the A215 enters the former
Metropolitan Borough of Camberwell. The road runs adjacent to the railway between
Elephant & Castle tube station and
Loughborough Junction railway station. In
Victorian times Camberwell Road was a focal point of south London's
Music hall scene, with a number of music halls opening from the 1850s onwards. The road runs between
King's College Hospital and The
Maudsley Hospital before going alongside
Ruskin Park. Further south the road passes the Denmark Hill Estate.
Ruskin Park, immediately south of the twin hospitals, is named in his honour. Denmark Hill is home to two of London's largest
hospitals, the general
King's College Hospital (part of
King's College London) which moved to the site from its original central London location in 1913, and the Maudsley psychiatric hospital. It is believed by historians that 168, 170 and 172 Denmark Hill were designed by noted architect and prison designer
William Blackburn due their similarity in architectural style to his other buildings. However, as the original documentation relating to the construction of these houses has been lost or destroyed, it has proved impossible to confirm this. Immediately south of the Maudsley Hospital is
Denmark Hill railway station, built in 1866 and rebuilt following a fire in 1980, on the
South London line. This station forms part of the
East London line westward extension to
Clapham Junction as part of the
London Overground network.
Herne Hill The road continues southwest into Herne Hill, a short stretch of road running through the
area of the same name. St Paul's church was rebuilt in
gothic style by the architect
George Edmund Street in 1858.
Herne Hill railway station is at the southern end of Herne Hill, on a busy six-road junction. It opened in 1862 and was initially the southern
terminus of the
London, Chatham and Dover Railway Norwood Road Norwood Road begins after
Herne Hill railway station. It runs alongside
Brockwell Park and then south to
Tulse Hill.
Tulse Hill railway station is on this road. After passing the station, Norwood Road continues south past
West Norwood Cemetery (home of 65
Listed Monuments The Regal Cinema opened on Norwood Road in January 1930; it was unusual in that it also staged live stage shows to accompany films (including performances by animals from
circuses visiting the nearby park). It was home to the Regal Redheads, a troupe of dancing girls who performed in the
interval. In March 1966, shortly before the
World Cup tournament, the
Jules Rimet trophy was stolen from an exhibition at
Central Hall Westminster. It was found seven days later by a dog named
Pickles, wrapped in newspaper at the bottom of a suburban garden hedge at Beulah Hill. The story made national headlines. Nearby is
St Joseph's College founded in 1855, one of the first Catholic educational institutions to be opened in England following the restoration of the Catholic hierarchy. Beulah Hill was the site of Britain's first independent television
transmitter, built by the
Independent Television Authority in 1955. Beulah Hill ends at a junction with the A212 (Church Road). From this junction, the A215 is called
South Norwood Hill.
South Norwood Hill South Norwood Hill descends sharply towards
South Norwood. It becomes Portland Road at the crossroads with the
A213 road. In 1839 the
London and Croydon Railway opened
Jolly-sailor station (sic)—listed as "Jolly-sailor near Beulah Spa" on fares lists and timetables—at the north end of the street. The station was renamed Norwood in 1846. The station was immediately adjacent to a
level crossing over Portland Road.
Places of interest One of the earliest
cinemas in south London, the Electric Picture Palace, opened on Portland Road in 1910. The cinema was renamed the Central Cinema shortly afterwards, and closed in 1956, and no trace of it now remains. Portland Road is also home to the "Gold Coast", the only
Ghanaian
public house in London; this is a focal point for London's Ghanaian community and serves Ghanaian beer, wine and food.
Roots, Routes, Roots (also known as the "Portland Road Mosaic"), an long mosaic depicting the history of the
Norwood area, is under the railway bridge. The mosaic was designed by artists
Gary Drostle and Rob Turner, and built by children from a number of local schools.
Spring Lane Spring Lane is a short road that starts at the junction with Woodside Green. It lies entirely within
Woodside. St Luke's Church,
Ashburton Park,
Ashburton Primary School and
Woodside tram stop are on this road. The sign was taken down in 2005.
Woodside tram stop Woodside railway station was built in 1871 to serve Croydon Racecourse (
see below). The station was unusual in being designed for horses, with access ramps instead of steps and with unusually high entrances designed to accommodate a horse and rider. In 1997 the railway was replaced by
Tramlink; The town is named after the historic manor of Adscomb ("Edge of the valley"), the country seat of the Heron family, ==References==