Lambeth () is a

London borough The London boroughs are the 32 local authority districts that together with the City of London make up the administrative area of Greater London; each is governed by a London borough council. The present London boroughs were all created at ...

in South London,

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, which forms part of

Inner London Inner London is the name for the group of London boroughs which form the interior part of Greater London and are surrounded by Outer London. With its origins in the bills of mortality, it became fixed as an area for statistics in 1847 and was u ...

. Its name was recorded in 1062 as ''Lambehitha'' ("landing place for lambs") and in 1255 as ''Lambeth''. The geographical centre of

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

is at Frazier Street near

Lambeth North tube station Lambeth North is a London Underground station in the district of Lambeth, at the junction of Westminster Bridge Road and Baylis Road. It is on the Bakerloo line, between Elephant & Castle and Waterloo, and is in Travelcard Zone 1. It is locate ...

, though nearby Charing Cross on the other side of the Thames in the City of Westminster is traditionally considered the centre of London.

History

Origins

Lambeth was part of the large ancient parish of Lambeth St Mary, the site of the archepiscopal Lambeth Palace, in the

hundred of Brixton Brixton Hundred or the Hundred of Brixton was for many centuries a group of parishes (hundred) used for meetings and taxation of their respective great estates in the north east of the county of Surrey, England. Its area has been entirely absorbed ...

in the county of Surrey. It was an elongated north–south parish with of

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...

frontage opposite the cities of

and

Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, B ...

. Lambeth became part of the Metropolitan Police District in 1829. It remained a parish for Poor Law purposes after the

Poor Law Amendment Act 1834 The ''Poor Law Amendment Act 1834'' (PLAA) known widely as the New Poor Law, was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom passed by the Whig government of Earl Grey. It completely replaced earlier legislation based on the ''Poor Relie ...

, and was governed by a

vestry A vestry was a committee for the local secular and ecclesiastical government for a parish in England, Wales and some English colonies which originally met in the vestry or sacristy of the parish church, and consequently became known colloquiall ...

after the introduction of the

Metropolitan Board of Works The Metropolitan Board of Works (MBW) was the principal instrument of local government in a wide area of Middlesex, Surrey, and Kent, defined by the Metropolis Management Act 1855, from December 1855 until the establishment of the London Cou ...

in 1855.

Borough origins

Until 1889, Surrey included the present-day London borough of Lambeth. When the government drew the boundaries for the present London boroughs, it initially suggested that the

Metropolitan Borough of Lambeth Lambeth was a civil parish and metropolitan borough in south London, England. It was an ancient parish in the county of Surrey. The parish was included in the area of responsibility of the Metropolitan Board of Works in 1855 and became part of t ...

and the

Metropolitan Borough of Southwark The Metropolitan Borough of Southwark (''Br'' �sʌðɨk was a metropolitan borough in the County of London from 1900 to 1965. It was created to cover the western section of the ancient borough of Southwark and the parish of Newington. In common ...

be merged into a new borough; the southern and eastern sections of the

Metropolitan Borough of Wandsworth The Metropolitan Borough of Wandsworth was a Metropolitan borough under the London County Council, from 1900 to 1965. History The borough was formed from five civil parishes: Clapham, Putney, Streatham, Tooting Graveney and Wandsworth. In 190 ...

(including

Clapham Clapham () is a suburb in south west London, England, lying mostly within the London Borough of Lambeth, but with some areas (most notably Clapham Common) extending into the neighbouring London Borough of Wandsworth. History Early history ...

, Streatham and

Tooting Tooting is a district in South London, forming part of the London Borough of Wandsworth and partly in the London Borough of Merton. It is located south south-west of Charing Cross. History Tooting has been settled since pre- Saxon times ...

) would form another. South Shields town clerk R.S. Young was commissioned to make final recommendations to the government on the shape of the future London boroughs, and he noted that the Wandsworth council opposed the partition of its borough. However, Wandsworth's suggestion to merge Lambeth with the

Metropolitan Borough of Battersea Battersea was a civil parish and metropolitan borough in the County of London, England. In 1965, the borough was abolished and its area combined with parts of the Metropolitan Borough of Wandsworth to form the London Borough of Wandsworth. The b ...

was rejected by both councils involved. Young believed that residents of Clapham and Streatham would be more familiar with Brixton than with Wandsworth, and recommended a new borough formed from the Metropolitan Borough of Lambeth and six wards and portions of two others from the Metropolitan Borough of Wandsworth.

Political events

In 1979, the administration of Edward ("Red Ted") Knight organised the borough's first public demonstration against the Thatcher government.Kate Hoey MP and Lambeth Labour Party – Brian Deer investigates
Briandeer.com (8 August 1993). Retrieved on 17 July 2013. In 1985 Knight's Labour administration was subjected to rate-capping, with its budget restricted by the government. Knight and most of the Labour councillors protested by refusing to propose budgets. As a result of the protest, 32 councillors were ordered to repay interest lost by the council due to budgeting delays and were disqualified from office for five years. In 1991,

Joan Twelves Joan may refer to: People and fictional characters * Joan (given name), including a list of women, men and fictional characters *:Joan of Arc, a French military heroine *Joan (surname) Weather events *Tropical Storm Joan (disambiguation), multipl ...

' administration failed to collect the poll tax and opposed the war in the

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a mediterranean sea in Western Asia. The bod ...

. The following year, Twelves and 12 other councillors were suspended from the local Labour Party by regional officials for advocating non-payment of the poll tax and other ideas. Twelves' deputy leader at this time was

John Harrison John Harrison ( – 24 March 1776) was a self-educated English carpenter and clockmaker who invented the marine chronometer, a long-sought-after device for solving the problem of calculating longitude while at sea. Harrison's solution revol ...

. From 1978 to 2002 the council comprised 64 members, elected from 20 three-member and two two-member wards. Before this, the council had 60 members elected from 20 three-member wards. Just before the 2010 election, its political balance was 37 Labour members, 18 Liberal Democrats, seven Conservatives and one Green, giving Labour an eleven-member majority. In the

2010 Lambeth Council election Elections to Lambeth London Borough Council were held on 6 May 2010. All 63 seats were up for election. Turnout was 58%.2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

the Liberal Democrats lost their seats, Conservatives were reduced to three and the Greens to one. Labour, gaining seats from the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats, had 59 seats. In the 2016 European Union referendum, Lambeth had the highest share of Remain votes in the United Kingdom at 78.62%, second to overseas territory

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's 95.9%.

Geography

Lambeth is a long, thin borough, about wide and long. Brixton is its civic centre, and there are other town centres. The largest shopping areas are (in order of size) Streatham, Brixton,

Vauxhall Vauxhall ( ) is a district in South West London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. Vauxhall was part of Surrey until 1889 when the County of London was created. Named after a medieval manor, "Fox Hall", it became well known for ...

and

West Norwood West Norwood is a largely residential area of south London within the London Borough of Lambeth, located 5.4 miles (8.7 km) south south-east of Charing Cross. The centre of West Norwood sits in a bowl surrounded by hillsides on its east, ...

. In the northern part of the borough are the central London districts of the South Bank,

and Lambeth; in the south are the suburbs of

Gipsy Hill Gipsy Hill in south London is a hilly neighbourhood spanning the southern parts of the London Boroughs of Lambeth and Southwark characterised for its great views of the City of London and Dulwich. Historically, north of its traditional Wes ...

, Streatham,

West Dulwich West Dulwich ( ) is a neighbourhood in South London on the southern boundary of Brockwell Park, which straddles the London Borough of Lambeth and the London Borough of Southwark. Croxted Road and South Croxted Road mark the boundary between S ...

and

. In between are the developed and inner-city districts of Brixton,

Brixton Hill Brixton Hill is the name given to a section of road between Brixton and Streatham Hill in south London, England. Brixton Hill and Streatham Hill form part of the traditional main London to Brighton road (A23). The road follows the line of a ...

Streatham Hill Streatham ( ) is a district in south London, England. Centred south of Charing Cross, it lies mostly within the London Borough of Lambeth, with some parts extending into the neighbouring London Borough of Wandsworth. Streatham was in Surre ...

Clapham Park Clapham Park is an area in the Borough of Lambeth in London, to the south of central Clapham and west of Brixton. History The original Clapham Park Estate was a speculative development by Thomas Cubitt, who bought of Bleak Hall Farm in 1825 ...

Herne Hill Herne Hill is a district in South London, approximately four miles from Charing Cross and bordered by Brixton, Camberwell, Dulwich, and Tulse Hill. It sits to the north and east of Brockwell Park and straddles the boundary between the borou ...

, Stockwell,

Tulse Hill Tulse Hill is a district in the London Borough of Lambeth in South London that sits on Brockwell Park. It is approximately five miles from Charing Cross and is bordered by Brixton, Dulwich, Herne Hill, Streatham and West Norwood. History The a ...

and Kennington, each at different stages of

gentrification Gentrification is the process of changing the character of a neighborhood through the influx of more affluent residents and businesses. It is a common and controversial topic in urban politics and planning. Gentrification often increases the ec ...

with suburban and urban elements.

and South Lambeth are central districts in the process of redevelopment with high-density business and residential property. Streatham lies between suburban London and inner-city Brixton, with the suburban and developed areas of Streatham,

and Streatham Vale. The

London Borough of Southwark The London Borough of Southwark ( ) in South London forms part of Inner London and is connected by bridges across the River Thames to the City of London and London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It was created in 1965 when three smaller council areas ...

lies to the east of the Borough of Lambeth. To the west is the London Borough of Wandsworth; to the south-west is the

London Borough of Merton The London Borough of Merton () is a borough in Southwest London, England. The borough was formed under the London Government Act 1963 in 1965 by the merger of the Municipal Borough of Mitcham, the Municipal Borough of Wimbledon and the Merton ...

; and to the south is the

London Borough of Croydon The London Borough of Croydon () is a London borough in south London, part of Outer London. It covers an area of . It is the southernmost borough of London. At its centre is the historic town of Croydon from which the borough takes its name; ...

Parks and green space

Lambeth's open spaces include

Brockwell Park Brockwell Park is a 50.8 hectare (125.53 acres) park located south of Brixton, in Herne Hill and Tulse Hill in south London. It is bordered by the roads Brixton Water Lane, Norwood Road, Tulse Hill and Dulwich Road. The park commands views of th ...

and

Lido Lido may refer to: Geography Africa * Lido, a district in the city of Fez, Morocco Asia * Lido, an area in Chaoyang District, Beijing * Lido, a cinema theater in Siam Square shopping area in Bangkok * Lido City, a resort in West Java owned by MN ...

Streatham Common Streatham Common is a large open space on the southern edge of Streatham in the London Borough of Lambeth. The shallow sloping lower (western) half of the common is mostly mowed grass, and the upper (eastern) half is mostly woodland with some s ...

, half of

Clapham Common Clapham Common is a large triangular urban park in Clapham, south London, England. Originally common land for the parishes of Battersea and Clapham, it was converted to parkland under the terms of the Metropolitan Commons Act 1878. It is of g ...

West Norwood Cemetery West Norwood Cemetery is a rural cemetery in West Norwood in London, England. It was also known as the South Metropolitan Cemetery. One of the first private landscaped cemeteries in London, it is one of the " Magnificent Seven" cemeteries of ...

Archbishop's Park Archbishop's Park is a park in Lambeth in the London Borough of Lambeth in London, England, which opened to the public in 1901. Before it became a park, it formed part of the grounds of Lambeth Palace. History Lambeth Palace has been the ...

Norbury Park Norbury Park is a swathe of mixed wooded and agricultural land associated with its Georgian manor house near Leatherhead and Dorking, Surrey, which appears in the Domesday Book of 1086. It occupies mostly prominent land reaching into a bend in th ...

Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens Vauxhall Gardens is a public park in Kennington in the London Borough of Lambeth, England, on the south bank of the River Thames. Originally known as New Spring Gardens, it is believed to have opened before the Restoration of 1660, being m ...

and Ruskin and Larkhall Park and Kennington Parks.

Landmarks

Along and around the South Bank, a tourist area has developed around the former Greater London Council headquarters of County Hall and the Southbank Centre and National Theatre. Also on the river is the London Eye and

Shell Centre The Shell Centre in London is the global headquarters of oil major Shell plc. It is located on Belvedere Road in the London Borough of Lambeth. It is a prominent feature on the South Bank of the River Thames near County Hall, and now forms ...

. Nearby is St Thomas' Hospital, Lambeth Palace and the

Florence Nightingale Museum The Florence Nightingale Museum is located at St Thomas' Hospital, which faces the Palace of Westminster across the River Thames in South Bank, central London, England. It is open to the public five days a week, Wednesday to Sunday 10:00am u ...

. Nearby is Brixton, home of

Lambeth Town Hall Lambeth Town Hall, also known as Brixton Town Hall, is a municipal building at the corner of Brixton Hill and Acre Lane, Brixton, London. The town hall, which is the headquarters of Lambeth London Borough Council, is a Grade II listed building ...

and the

Brixton Murals The Brixton murals are a series of murals by local artists in the Brixton area, in London. Most of the murals were funded by Lambeth London Borough Council and the Greater London Council after the Brixton riots in 1981. The murals portray pol ...

Landmark church buildings include: * St Mary's, Lambeth (now the

Garden Museum The Garden Museum (formerly known as the Museum of Garden History) in London is Britain's only museum of the art, history and design of gardens. The museum re-opened in 2017 after an 18-month redevelopment project. The building is largely th ...

) * The four "Waterloo Churches" in the former Lambeth Parish: ** St Matthew's, Brixton ** St Mark's, Kennington ** St Luke's, West Norwood ** St John's, Waterloo * Holy Trinity, Clapham * St Leonard's, Streatham * Christ Church, Streatham Hill * Christ Church (Church of England), Brixton Road, North Brixton *

All Saints' Church, West Dulwich All Saints' Church is a Church of England parish church in West Dulwich, South London. It is a red brick building designed in a Gothic Revival style by George Fellowes Prynne and built 1888–91. It is Grade I listed. Parish All Saints' par ...

(Church of England) * Holy Trinity, Trinity Rise, Tulse Hill * St John the Divine (Church of England), Vassall Road Saint John The Divine Kennington

The Oval The Oval, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Kia Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, located in the borough of Lambeth, in south London. The Oval has been the home ground of Surrey County Cricket Club since ...

cricket ground in Kennington is the home of Surrey County Cricket. The Basaveshwara statue at the Albert Embankment erected by the former Mayor of Lambeth

Neeraj Patil Neeraj Patil (Kannada: ಡಾ. ನೀರಜ್ ಪಾಟೀಲ್) is a British politician from The Labour Party who was currently selected by the Labour party to re-connect British Hindu community and organisations to the Labour party based on ...

was unveiled by the Prime Minister of India on 14 November 2015.

Demography

Ethnicity

Language

Religion

Sexuality

Lambeth is the local authority with the highest relative

gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...

or lesbian population in the UK, at 5.5%, with the borough containing the

gay village A gay village is a geographical area with generally recognized boundaries that is inhabited or frequented by many lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBT) people. Gay villages often contain a number of gay-oriented establis ...

of Vauxhall and the area around Clapham Common.

Arts

South London Theatre The South London Theatre is a community theatre housed in a Grade II listed former fire station, in West Norwood in the London Borough of Lambeth, England. The first play opened in October 1967, and it is now a busy theatrical venue, presenti ...

, a community theatre in West Norwood * National Theatre * Southbank Centre *

Old Vic Theatre The Old Vic is a 1,000-seat, not-for-profit producing theatre in Waterloo, London, England. Established in 1818 as the Royal Coburg Theatre, and renamed in 1833 the Royal Victoria Theatre. In 1871 it was rebuilt and reopened as the Royal ...

Young Vic Theatre The Young Vic Theatre is a performing arts venue located on The Cut, near the South Bank, in the London Borough of Lambeth. The Young Vic was established by Frank Dunlop in 1970. Kwame Kwei-Armah has been Artistic Director since February 201 ...

* Ballet Rambert *

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery (United Kingdom), National Lot ...

* Black Cultural Archives * Beconsfield *

Gasworks Gallery Gasworks is a contemporary art organisation based near The Oval cricket ground in Kennington, South East London, which comprises a gallery and 13 artist studios as well offering residencies, international fellow A fellow is a concept w ...

* Newport Street Gallery * Ovalhouse theatre * Cinema Museum (London), Cinema Museum

Civic affairs

Borough Council

Lambeth_London_UK_labelled_ward_map_2002

Since 2002, Lambeth London Borough Council, Lambeth Borough Council has had 63 members elected in 21 three-member wards by means of a Plurality-at-large voting, plurality bloc voting system. The wards are Bishop's ward, Bishop's, Brixton Hill ward, Brixton Hill, Clapham Common ward, Clapham Common, Clapham Town ward, Clapham Town, Coldharbour (Lambeth ward), Coldharbour, Ferndale (Lambeth ward), Ferndale, Gipsy Hill ward, Gipsy Hill, Herne Hill ward, Herne Hill, Knight's Hill (ward), Knight's Hill, Larkhall, lambeth, Larkhall, Oval ward, Oval, Prince's ward, Prince's, St Leonard's ward, St Leonard's, Stockwell ward, Stockwell, Streatham Hill ward, Streatham Hill, Streatham South ward, Streatham South, Streatham Wells ward, Streatham Wells, Thornton ward, Thornton, Thurlow Park ward, Thurlow Park, Tulse Hill ward, Tulse Hill and Vassall ward, Vassall. The independent Local Government Boundary Commission for England reviewed Lambeth’s electoral arrangements. The Commission’s recommendations have now passed into law and take effect on 2022 Lambeth London Borough Council election, Thursday 5 May 2022, when council elections take place across the borough. Most wards will have a new name, 12 wards will be represented by 2 councillors, 13 wards will be represented by 3 councillors and Lambeth’s total number of councillors stays the same at 63.

Civic council affairs

The council is run by a Cabinet-style council, leader and cabinet, chaired by council leader Claire Holland. All cabinet members are from the ruling Labour Party UK, Labour Party who hold 55 of the 63 seats on Lambeth Council. The Leader of the official Opposition is Jonathan Bartley (Green Party of England and Wales, Green) and the leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Conservative group is Tim Briggs. From 1994 to 2014, the Mayor of Lambeth was elected unanimously by their fellow councillors, with each of the three political parties supplying a candidate in rotation. According to the borough's website, this underscored the mayor's apolitical role and enables him or her to represent all the borough's citizens. Since 2014, the predominance of the Labour Party has meant that all subsequent Mayors have been members of the Labour Party (UK), Labour group.

Coat of arms

The borough's coat of arms is that of the former

, with two gold stars (mullets) in the second and third quarters of the shield indicating the addition of the districts of

and Streatham. Its motto is ''"Spectemur agendo"'' ("Let us be judged according to our conduct").

Westminster Parliament

The borough has three Parliament of the United Kingdom, Parliamentary constituencies: Dulwich and West Norwood (UK Parliament constituency), Dulwich and West Norwood (shared with London Borough of Southwark, Southwark), Streatham (UK Parliament constituency), Streatham, and Vauxhall (UK Parliament constituency), Vauxhall.

Twinning

The former

and its successor have been town twinning, twinned with the Vincennes district of Paris in France since 1955. Lambeth is also twinned with Bluefields, Nicaragua; Brooklyn, New York; and Spanish Town, Jamaica.

Transport

The borough covers London Waterloo railway station, the Waterloo tube station network and (until 2007) the Waterloo International railway station, London terminus for Eurostar. National Rail service in Lambeth is provided by South Western Railway (train operating company), South Western Railway, Southeastern (train operating company), Southeastern, Southern (train operating company), Southern, Govia Thameslink Railway, Thameslink and London Overground.

Bridges and tunnels

Stockwell Deep Level Shelter Entrance - Diliff

*Waterloo Bridge, incorporating the National Film Theatre *Hungerford Bridge and Golden Jubilee Bridges *Lambeth Bridge *Westminster Bridge *Vauxhall Bridge Hungerford Bridge, River Thames, London, England

Hungerford Bridge, River Thames, London, England

Railway stations

*Brixton railway station, Brixton *Gipsy Hill railway station, Gipsy Hill *Herne Hill railway station, Herne Hill *Loughborough Junction railway station, Loughborough Junction *Streatham railway station, Streatham *Streatham Common railway station, Streatham Common *Streatham Hill railway station, Streatham Hill *Tulse Hill railway station, Tulse Hill *Vauxhall railway station, Vauxhall *London Waterloo railway station, Waterloo *Waterloo East railway station, Waterloo East *West Norwood railway station, West Norwood

London Overground stations

*Clapham High Street railway station, Clapham High Street *Wandsworth Road railway station, Wandsworth Road

Tube stations

*Brixton tube station, Brixton *Clapham Common tube station, Clapham Common *Clapham North tube station, Clapham North *Lambeth North tube station, Lambeth North *Nine Elms tube station, Nine Elms *Oval tube station, Oval *Stockwell tube station, Stockwell *Vauxhall tube station, Vauxhall *Waterloo tube station, Waterloo

Commuting

In March 2011, the primary forms of transport borough residents used to travel to work were the London Underground, metro, light rail or tram (21.4 percent of residents aged 16–74); bus, minibus or coach (10 percent); train (10 percent); automobile (8.6 percent); bicycle (5.7 percent), or walking (5.4 percent). A small percentage (3.2 percent) worked mainly at—or from—home. Percentages are of all residents aged 16–74 including those not in employment. Respondents could only pick one mode, specified as the journey's longest part by distance.

References

External links

Lambeth.gov.uk
London Borough of Lambeth Official Website
electionmemory.com
Independent Lambeth Council Elections Forum

Community Police Consultative Group for Lambeth
Independent forum for community and statutory agencies to address community safety and policing issues. {{DEFAULTSORT:Lambeth (London borough) London Borough of Lambeth, 1965 establishments in the United Kingdom Local authorities adjoining the River Thames London boroughs