This district of south-east London lies between Brixton and Peckham, and since 1965 has been part of the borough of Southwark.

Until the 18th century Camberwell was a small village set in the countryside. The name comes from the rare Camberwell Beauty butterfly that was first sighted in Britain here in 1748.

Development of the area began at the start of the 18th century, but it wasn’t until the mid 19th century that the area was transformed into the huge residential area that it is today.

Like so many other parts of London it was the arrival of industrialisation that spurred on development of the area. Some buildings survive from this age, for example the elegant Georgian terraces of Camberwell Grove.