Nunhead is a suburb in 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 ...

London London is the capital and 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 down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, England.Southwark Council
Nunhead and Peckham Rye Community Council
It is an inner-city suburb located southeast of

Charing Cross Charing Cross ( ) is a junction in Westminster, London, England, where six routes meet. Clockwise from north these are: the east side of Trafalgar Square leading to St Martin's Place and then Charing Cross Road; the Strand leading to the City; ...

. It is the location of the

Nunhead Cemetery Nunhead Cemetery is one of the Magnificent Seven cemeteries in London, England. It is perhaps the least famous and celebrated of them. The cemetery is located in Nunhead in the London Borough of Southwark and was originally known as All Saints' ...

.BBC London
Nunhead Cemetery
/ref> Nunhead has traditionally been a working-class area and, with the adjacent neighbourhoods, is currently going through a lengthy process of

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

. Nunhead is the location of several

underground reservoir A salt dome is a type of structural dome formed when salt (or other evaporite minerals) intrudes into overlying rocks in a process known as diapirism. Salt domes can have unique surface and subsurface structures, and they can be discovered using ...

s, built by the

Southwark and Vauxhall Waterworks Company The Southwark and Vauxhall Waterworks Company was a utility company supplying water to parts of south London in England. The company was formed by the merger of the Southwark and Vauxhall water companies in 1845 and became part of the publicly ...

.
Peckham and Dulwich
', Old and New London: Volume 6 (1878), pp. 286–303

Etymology

The name is first recorded in a deed of 1583 relating to a land sale including estates "lying at Nunn-head." The origin of the name Nunhead is not certain but is believed to be derived from a local inn named variously ''The Nun's Head or The Nunhead Tavern''. Local historians and local legend maintain that this name refers to the beheading of a nun during the Dissolution of the Monasteries. The legend claims that the head of the Mother Superior of a nunnery, which stood where the current public house The Old Nun's Head now stands, was placed on a spike on the green following her death. There is no evidence to support this claim. However, a nunnery in the area may have been connected with the nunnery of The Augustinian Priory of St. John the Baptist, Holywell (now Shoreditch) which acquired lands in Camberwell and Peckham in the 12th century.

History

A rural settlement of approximately ten buildings named "NoneHead" is clearly visible in the 1762 map titled ''A topographical map of the county of Surrey'' by

John Roque John Rocque (originally Jean; c. 1704–1762) was a French-born British surveyor and cartographer, best known for his detailed map of London published in 1746. Life and career Rocque was born in France in about 1704, one of four children of a ...

. The settlement occupies the land which is now Nunhead Green and Nunhead High Street. At the time it was separated from the nearby settlement of

Peckham Rye Peckham Rye is an open space and road in the London Borough of Southwark in London, England. The roughly triangular open space lies to the south of Peckham town centre. It is managed by Southwark Council and consists of two contiguous areas, wit ...

by fields and the now covered

River Peck The River Peck is a small stream in London that was enclosed in 1823. The stream daylights on the west side of Peckham Rye Park. In South Bermondsey it flows into the Earl's Sluice which has its confluence with the Thames at Deptford Wharf. Pe ...

. In 1834 the Girdlers Company built the Beeston's Gift Almshouses, a terrace of seven Tudor-style cottages which still stand in front of a garden with railings on Consort road. Further almshouses were built in 1853 by the Asylum of the Metropolitan Beer and Wine Trade Association on the edge of Nunhead Green to provide housing for aged members of the trade. In 1868,

Brocks Fireworks Brock's Fireworks Ltd is a manufacturer of fireworks, founded in London and subsequently based in Hemel Hempstead, Dumfriesshire and Norfolk. Brock's was founded in 1698 in Islington by John Brock, and is the oldest British firework manufacture ...

, a manufacturer of fireworks, built a firework 'manufactory' close to where the pub, The Pyrotechnists Arms, still stands. The pub is so-named because of its original proximity to the firework factory. Until 1878, Nunhead formed part of the large ancient parish of

Camberwell Camberwell () is a district of South London, England, in the London Borough of Southwark, southeast of Charing Cross. Camberwell was first a village associated with the church of St Giles and a common of which Goose Green is a remnant. This e ...

in the

Brixton Brixton is a district in south London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. Brixton experienced a rapid rise in population during the 19th ce ...

hundred of Surrey.'Parishes: Camberwell', A History of the County of Surrey: Volume 4 (1912), pp. 24–36
Date accessed: 3 July 2008. The area's population growth led to a separate ecclesiastical parish of St Antholin, Nunhead, being formed in 1878, with the church built in 1877. The area then came within the area of responsibility 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 County ...

in 1855 and was transferred to the

County of London The County of London was a county of England from 1889 to 1965, corresponding to the area known today as Inner London. It was created as part of the general introduction of elected county government in England, by way of the Local Government A ...

in 1889. In 1887 Nunhead is recorded as having a population of 10,727. Having formed part of the Camberwell parish, it became part of the

Metropolitan Borough of Camberwell Camberwell was a civil parish and metropolitan borough in south London, England. Camberwell was an ancient parish in the county of Surrey, governed by an administrative vestry from 1674. The parish was included in the area of responsibility ...

in 1900. There was a Nunhead Football Club from 1888 to 1949. Nunhead has some fine examples of late Victorian/early Edwardian properties; these can be seen on both Carden Road and Tresco Road. It is even reputed, in

Claire Tomalin Claire Tomalin (née Delavenay; born 20 June 1933) is an English journalist and biographer, known for her biographies of Charles Dickens, Thomas Hardy, Samuel Pepys, Jane Austen and Mary Wollstonecraft. Early life Tomalin was born Claire Del ...

's biography of

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian e ...

' mistress

Nelly Ternan Ellen Lawless Ternan (3 March 1839 – 25 April 1914), also known as Nelly Ternan or Nelly Wharton-Robinson, was an English actress known for association with the author Charles Dickens. Birth and family life Ellen Ternan was born in Roches ...

, that Charles Dickens was taken on his death bed from the house he rented for Ternan, at Windsor Lodge in Linden Grove to Gad's Hill to die. The house no longer stands, but was at 31 Linden Grove. Old maps show that the church was next door to where the dental surgery now stands at 42 Linden Grove, so Windsor Lodge was presumably more or less opposite that.

St Antholin's, Nunhead

St Antholin church was built in 1877. Built in red brick it is large and rectangular and was built in the style of the first part of the 13th century. The church was built with funds from the sale of the site of St. Antholin's, Budge Row, which was demolished in 1875. The oak

reredos A reredos ( , , ) is a large altarpiece, a screen, or decoration placed behind the altar in a church. It often includes religious images. The term ''reredos'' may also be used for similar structures, if elaborate, in secular architecture, for ex ...

Sir Christopher Wren Sir Christopher Wren PRS FRS (; – ) was one of the most highly acclaimed English architects in history, as well as an anatomist, astronomer, geometer, and mathematician-physicist. He was accorded responsibility for rebuilding 52 churches ...

and a bell were brought from the original church. The church was destroyed by bombing in 1940 and later rebuilt and consecrated in 1957 and official renamed in 1958 as ''St Antony's Church''. St Antony's was Listed Grade II in 1972 but became surplus to requirements of the Anglican Church and was declared redundant in 2001 and sold to its present owners, a

Pentecostal Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestant Charismatic Christian movement

congregation. It then became the Lighthouse Cathedral. The bell from the original St Antholin's now hangs in St Silas, Nunhead.

Regeneration

Nunhead forms part of Southwark London Borough Council's ''Peckham Programme'' regeneration scheme.Southwark Council
Peckham Programme
/ref> As part of this plan, the area forms part of the East Peckham and Nunhead renewal area.Southwark Council
East Peckham and Nunhead
/ref> A component was the proposal that the

Cross River Tram Cross River Tram (formerly Cross River Transit) was a Transport for London (TfL) proposal for a tram system in London. It was planned to run on a north–south route from Camden Town in the north, via King's Cross, to Peckham and Brixton in th ...

could serve the area,Transport for London
Cross River Tram: Route options 2006
/ref> however in November 2008

Mayor of London The mayor of London is the chief executive of the Greater London Authority. The role was created in 2000 after the 1998 Greater London Authority referendum, Greater London devolution referendum in 1998, and was the first Directly elected may ...

Boris Johnson Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (; born 19 June 1964) is a British politician, writer and journalist who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He previously served as F ...

announced that due to funding constraints this project would be cancelled. The Lighthouse Cathedral - geograph

Nearest Places

East Dulwich East Dulwich is an area of South East London, England in the London Borough of Southwark. It forms the eastern part of Dulwich, with Peckham to the east and Camberwell to the north. This South London suburb was first developed in the nineteen ...

Brockley Brockley is a district and an wards of the United Kingdom, electoral ward of south London, England, in the London Borough of Lewisham south-east of Charing Cross. History The name Brockley is derived from "Broca's woodland clearing", a wood ...

Peckham Peckham () is a district in southeast London, within the London Borough of Southwark. It is south-east of Charing Cross. At the United Kingdom Census 2001, 2001 Census the Peckham ward had a population of 14,720. History "Peckham" is a Saxon p ...

New Cross Gate New Cross is an area in south east London, England, south-east of Charing Cross in the London Borough of Lewisham and the SE14 postcode district. New Cross is near St Johns, Telegraph Hill, Nunhead, Peckham, Brockley, Deptford and Greenwi ...

Transport

Gibbon Road is the location of

Nunhead railway station Nunhead railway station is in the Nunhead area of the London Borough of Southwark. It is measured from . The station is managed by Thameslink. It is in Travelcard Zone 2. Services Services at Nunhead are operated by Southeastern and Thamesli ...

. The station is located on the line from

Blackfriars Blackfriars, derived from Black Friars, a common name for the Dominican Order of friars, may refer to: England * Blackfriars, Bristol, a former priory in Bristol * Blackfriars, Canterbury, a former monastery in Kent * Blackfriars, Gloucester, a f ...

to Sevenoaks and

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

to Dartford. Train services are provided by

Southeastern The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each se ...

.Southeastern
Station facilities: Nunhead
/ref> The area is also served by a variety of

London Buses London Buses is the subsidiary of Transport for London (TfL) that manages most bus services in London, England. It was formed following the Greater London Authority Act 1999 that transferred control of London Regional Transport (LRT) bus se ...

services.Transport for London
Buses from Nunhead
/ref> Bus route 78 starts in Nunhead and terminates in

Shoreditch Shoreditch is a district in the East End of London in England, and forms the southern part of the London Borough of Hackney. Neighbouring parts of Tower Hamlets are also perceived as part of the area. In the 16th century, Shoreditch was an impor ...

running via the commercial area surrounding Liverpool Street as well as going over famous

Tower Bridge Tower Bridge is a Listed building#Grade I, Grade I listed combined Bascule bridge, bascule and Suspended-deck suspension bridge, suspension bridge in London, built between 1886 and 1894, designed by Horace Jones (architect), Horace Jones and e ...

and bypassing the historical

Tower of London The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, which is separa ...

. The P12, which begins its journey in Honor Oak Park, goes through Nunhead, terminating at

Surrey Quays Surrey Quays is a largely residential area of Rotherhithe in south-east London, occupied until 1970 by the Surrey Commercial Docks. Previously known as Surrey Docks, the area was renamed following the construction of the Surrey Quays shopping ce ...

shopping centre. As part of the urban sprawl of London, Nunhead is contiguous with the neighbourhoods of

to the east,

Honor Oak Honor Oak is an inner suburban area principally of the London Borough of Lewisham, with part in the London Borough of Southwark. It is named after the oak tree on One Tree Hill that Elizabeth I is reputed to have picnicked under. Overview One Tr ...

to the south,

to the south west,

to the north west and

New Cross New Cross is an area in south east London, England, south-east of Charing Cross in the London Borough of Lewisham and the SE14 postcode district. New Cross is near St Johns, Telegraph Hill, Nunhead, Peckham, Brockley, Deptford and Greenwich, ...

to the north east.

Politics

Nunhead forms part of the

Camberwell and Peckham Camberwell and Peckham is a List of United Kingdom Parliament constituencies, constituency represented in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, UK Parliament since its 1997 creation ...

Westminster constituency, with a ward in that constituency named Nunhead & Queens Road. Residents elect three councillors to

Southwark Council Southwark London Borough Council is the local authority for the London Borough of Southwark in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council, one of 32 in the United Kingdom capital of London. History There have previously been a number ...

every four years. The constituency has been a safe Labour seat since its inception in 1997. The current MP is Labour's

Harriet Harman Harriet Ruth Harman (born 30 July 1950) is a British politician and solicitor who has served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Camberwell and Peckham, formerly Peckham, since 1982. A member of the Labour Party, she has served in various Cabi ...

and forms part of the Lambeth and Southwark London Assembly constituency represented by

Marina Ahmad Marina Masuma Ahmad ( bn, মেরিনা মাসূমা আহমদ) is a British Labour Party politician and trade unionist who has been the London Assembly Member for Lambeth and Southwark since 2021. She represented Crystal Palace ...

Labour Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...

. Althea Smith was elected in 2010 for the Labour Party, but defected to the All People's Party.

Culture

Open Day occurs every May and is organised by Friends of Nunhead Cemetery. Nunhead Beats the Bounds is an annual event where Nunhead residents march around the perimeter of Nunhead - from Queens Road to Camberwell New Cemetery - to build community spirit. It is generally held the first Saturday afternoon in July. Nunhead American Radio with

Lewis Schaffer Lewis Schaffer is an American comedian and broadcaster, based in Nunhead, south-east London, where he moved in 2000. He currently hosts his own weekly radio show on Resonance 104.4FM in London. He also appears regularly, as of 2023, as a pund ...

on Resonance 104.4FM is a radio programme for and about the residents of Nunhead, with special focus on the immigrant American community. The Nunhead Art Trail is an art and craft showcase organised by volunteers. Nunhead artists and craftspeople exhibit their work in their flats, houses and gardens allowing the public to view and buy the work.

References

{{Authority control Districts of the London Borough of Southwark Areas of London