'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
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