Walworth facts

'Did you know that the bones and teeth of a prehistoric Woolly Mammoth were found under Hillingdon Street, just off the Walworth Road? Walworth has more history than first meets the eye. Stone Age people settled in the area about 4,500 years ago and archaeologists believe that Walworth was a centre for Stone Age tool making, given the extraordinary number of stone carved flints that have been found.

The population

Factories, warehouses and railways replaced many houses in the centre of London, which meant that London's overflowing population spread out into Walworth. As a result, Walworth changed from a small community into a highly populated area. In 1801 there were 14,800 people in Walworth. By 1901 the figure had risen to 122,200, four times that of 1981, which shows how cramped conditions must have been. It is no wonder that in the 1880's and 90s poverty increased. For the poorest in Walworth it meant going into the 'Newington Workhouse', a grim place whose inmates were forced to do hard labour in return for food and shelter.

The locals

A map of 1681 shows only a few houses along Walworth Street, which became the Walworth Road. It has been recorded that many Walworth residents made their income by selling poultry, wool, and honey. Locals were allowed to keep their animals on Walworth Common, which has since been built over and is now the Aylesbury Estate.'

Information from www.southwark.gov.uk

Miroslav Sasek's book 'This is London' from his series of 'This is..' books based on different cities from around the world. These books are aimed at young readers and feature illustrations accompanied by a small bit of text helping the reader to learn about the culture of the city. From having read and enjoyed all of these books for both the amazing illustration and for how he manages to capture each city so well, I've become influenced to produce my own form of educational guide which informs people about the area of Walworth. Looking at its history, the current phase its going through and what could possibly happen to it in the near future. This could work as reportage or even narrative and could adjust to suit any audience but most importantly the local community. I will have to further my research by collecting first hand information through interviews and my own observations in order to be at a point where I am educated enough to help educate others around me.

'LGA chairman Margaret Eaton said: “If ever there is an image that symbolises the times we are in, it is desolate town centres with rows of empty shops where once there were small local retailers, a Woolworths or a Zavvi.

Decisive action must be taken to stop our high streets turning from clone towns into ghost towns.

The aim would be to get businesses back into these shops, but at the very least councils would be able to make sure that buildings aren’t allowed to fall into a state o disrepair that ends up blighting a whole town centre.'

A quote from the Telford Journal about high street shops becoming vacant. Although I agree with this statement, in today's society it seems unlikely that small businesses will be able to move back into the high street and survive alongside corporate businesses.

Tom Duxbery's book 'In Memoriam'. I recently found this at the Brighton BA Illustration show. A narrative Shirley Jackson's novel 'We have always lived in a castle'. The illustrations show a strong representation of traditional England all brought together with great composition and colour. Although the top image slightly reminds me of Russian propaganda posters from the type, sharp shapes overlayed and the combination of colours, not sure if this was his influence but i think it works really well.

Above are several shops I found on Walworth road and on some roads just off of it. These shops have all closed down over the past couple of years. Each shop provides an individual service which has recently become outdated due to larger chain stores moving into the area which provide all of these services within one store. These stores such as Tescos or Morrisons allow local residents to gather all of their food shopping in one visit which is seen as an advantage as it saves time and money. Although at the same time it is putting small businesses such as Kennedeys sausages out of business, taking away jobs from the local community and also taking away the communities individuality and making it aesthetically like any other redeveloped area around London.
Each of the stores above has an individual look to them which can't be found elsewhere, which brings a unique look to the row of shops. Unfortunately it will soon become a road full of corporate brands making it indistinct and lacking in character. I aim to talk to the local residents of the area to find out what it used to be like before these stores shut down and when there weren't any large corporate brands on the road. I'd also like to find out what the locals think about the redevelopment and whether or not they care about the changes it will have on the individuality of the area.

Walworth Road

Images from -www.londonshopfronts.com

Here are a selection of shops from Walworth road. Some still present, some closed down. Each of these shops bring individuality and character to the area and provide a unique service. These shops are what distinguish Walworth road and make it stand out from most roads within London. Unfortunately these shops face closure due to the fore-coming regeneration of Walworth road. This regeneration will destroy the atmosphere and personality of the area and will take away the home in which community knew and grew up with. The remaining residents and shop owners are all that can change what's to come and I hope to make this obvious to the general public to help avoid it happening to the whole city.

All of the shops above no longer sit well with the new corporate brands opening stores on the same street. Their fronts show lack of care with outdated and unprofessional design. Unfortunately it's not possible for some of these shops to replace or upgrade in the presentation and advertising because of budget. Especially with new corportate brands moving in next door taking away their custom. This is why I intend to extend my research into this area and it's services so that I can learn how this area can be improved to help sustain the character of Walworth road.