CHAPTER 30 - WATER LAMBETH
[See plate 112.]
The old village of Lambeth, often appropriately called “Water
Lambeth,” consisted of a few houses near the church and a narrow strip of
buildings bordering the river up to Vauxhall. There were houses along
Church Street (now Lambeth Road) and Lambeth Butts (now Black Prince
Road), but otherwise little building further from the river than the High
Street (then known as Back Lane) until the end of the 18th century. In 1815
John Doulton set up in business in High Street, and during the 19th century
his firm and that of James Stiff gradually bought up the ground between
High Street and Fore Street, with the many little courts and alleys, Brothers
Row, Harpur's Walk, King's Head Yard, Calcots Alley, etc., many of them
the sites of earlier potteries. (ref. 278)
Sir Henry Doulton
The burial ground
The burial ground on the east of High Street was given to the parish
by Archbishop Tenison and consecrated in 1705. It was enlarged in 1815
by the purchase and demolition of adjoining premises in High Street and
Paradise Row. (ref. 82) When it became a public open space in 1884 the gravestones
were placed round the borders, but the ground contains little either to attract
or interest. A stone from the watch-house incised—
“Watch-House”
1825
has been fixed to the boundary wall.
Archbishop Tenison's School
Archbishop Tenison erected a school at the west end of Lambeth
churchyard for the education of 12 poor girls of Lambeth, and by his will,
dated 1715, he devised the schoolhouse and property in Water Lambeth
(see p. 138) to trustees for the benefit of the school. (ref. 276) He also left to the
school a portrait of Mrs. Tenison, painted by Mary Beale, a pupil of Peter
Lely, in memory of her “constant and prudent Care” for “that Charity
House.” (ref. 279) In 1816 the school was rebuilt, and at this time the parochial
school for girls was combined with it. (ref. 276) The present building was
erected in 1863. The grant of clothing to 12 girls was continued until
1939. The traditional dress is still worn by the older pupils on ceremonial
occasions.
Lambeth Ragged Schools
These schools in Newport Street (Plate 116b) were built by Henry
Beaufoy in 1851 as a memorial to his wife, who had taken an interest in the
school which had previously been held in one of the railway arches. (ref. 85) All
but the southern wing was pulled down about 1904 when the railway was
widened and the school removed to temporary premises in Auckland Street,
Vauxhall (ref. 172) and later to Wandsworth Road.
Figure 50:
Plan of Ragged Schools in Newport Street
Lambeth Walk
Lambeth Walk was in the 18th century a country lane known as
Three Coney Walk. Lambeth Wells, a place of public entertainment,
was opened there towards the end of the 17th century. It flourished for about
50 years, but became disreputable and was closed. The premises were for a
time used as a Methodist meeting house. (ref. 6)
The Mill
Rocque's map (1741–45) shows a circular building to the west of
Three Coney Walk approximately on the site of Mill Street (now Juxon
Street). The rate book for 1773 has an entry after Paradise Row “Thomas
Corner for ye Mill,” (ref. 45) but there is no similar entry in subsequent years.
Walford's Old and New London gives a view of the mill which is almost
identical with that reproduced on Plate 108a except that the latter shows the
river on the left (see p. 26n.). Walford states that the mill belonged to the
Apothecaries' Company and was used for the grinding of drugs, but nothing
has been found in the records of the company to confirm this.