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 ...

, 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 ...

. 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 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 ...

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 Lambeth Palace is the official London residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury. It is situated in north Lambeth, London, on the south bank of the River Thames, south-east of the Palace of Westminster, which houses Parliament, on the opposit ...

, in the hundred of Brixton in the county of

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant ur ...

. It was an elongated north–south parish with of

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, se ...

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, 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 Coun ...

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 (including Clapham,

Streatham 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 Surrey ...

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. Th ...

) 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 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), multip ...

' 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 bo ...

. 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 revo ...

. 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 wa ...

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

Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = "Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gibr ...

'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)

, 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 ...

, Clapham 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 Central London is the innermost part of London, in England, spanning several boroughs. Over time, a number of definitions have been used to define the scope of Central London for statistics, urban planning and local government. Its characteris ...

districts of the

South Bank The South Bank is an entertainment and commercial district in central London, next to the River Thames opposite the City of Westminster. It forms a narrow strip of riverside land within the London Borough of Lambeth (where it adjoins Alber ...

and

Lambeth Lambeth () is a district in South London, England, in the London Borough of Lambeth, historically in the County of Surrey. It is situated south of Charing Cross. The population of the London Borough of Lambeth was 303,086 in 2011. The area e ...

; 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 ...

, West Dulwich 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, Clapham, Clapham Park,

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 borough ...

Stockwell Stockwell is a district in south west London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. It is situated south of Charing Cross. Battersea, Brixton, Clapham, South Lambeth, Oval and Kennington all border Stockwell. History The name ...

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 ar ...

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 ...

with suburban and urban elements.

and South Lambeth are central districts in the process of redevelopment with high-density

business Business is the practice of making one's living or making money by producing or buying and selling products (such as goods and services). It is also "any activity or enterprise entered into for profit." Having a business name does not separ ...

and residential property.

lies between suburban London and inner-city Brixton, with the suburban and developed areas of

, Streatham Hill and

Streatham Vale 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 ...

. The London Borough of Southwark lies to the east of the Borough of Lambeth. To the west is the

London Borough of Wandsworth Wandsworth () is a London borough in southwest London; it forms part of Inner London and has an estimated population of 329,677 inhabitants. Its main named areas are Battersea, Balham, Putney, Tooting and Wandsworth Town. The borough border ...

; 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 Mer ...

; and to the south is the London Borough of Croydon.

Parks and green space

Lambeth's open spaces include Brockwell Park and Lido, Streatham Common, half of Clapham Common, West Norwood Cemetery,

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, Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens and Ruskin and Larkhall Park and Kennington Parks.

Landmarks

Along and around the

, a tourist area has developed around the former

Greater London Council The Greater London Council (GLC) was the top-tier local government administrative body for Greater London from 1965 to 1986. It replaced the earlier London County Council (LCC) which had covered a much smaller area. The GLC was dissolved in 198 ...

headquarters of County Hall and the

Southbank Centre Southbank Centre is a complex of artistic venues in London, England, on the South Bank of the River Thames (between Hungerford Bridge and Waterloo Bridge). It comprises three main performance venues (the Royal Festival Hall including the Nati ...

and National Theatre. Also on the river is the London Eye and Shell Centre. Nearby is

St Thomas' Hospital St Thomas' Hospital is a large NHS teaching hospital in Central London, England. It is one of the institutions that compose the King's Health Partners, an academic health science centre. Administratively part of the Guy's and St Thomas' NHS ...

and the Florence Nightingale Museum. 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 buildin ...

and the Brixton Murals. London Eye Twilight April 2006

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 (Church of England) *

Holy Trinity The Christian doctrine of the Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the central dogma concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God th ...

, 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 The prime minister of India (IAST: ) is the head of government of the Republic of India. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and their chosen Council of Ministers, despite the president of India being the nominal head of the ...

on 14 November 2015.

Demography

Ethnicity

Language

Religion

Sexuality

Lambeth is the local authority with the highest relative gay or

lesbian A lesbian is a Homosexuality, homosexual woman.Zimmerman, p. 453. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate n ...

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, bisexuality, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBT) people. Gay villages often contain a number of gay-orien ...

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, presenting ...

, a community theatre in West Norwood * National Theatre *

* Old Vic Theatre *

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 2018 ...

Ballet Rambert Rambert (known as Rambert Dance Company before 2014) is a leading British dance company. Formed at the start of the 20th century as a classical ballet company, it exerted a great deal of influence on the development of dance in the United Kingd ...

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 to encourage film production, ...

Black Cultural Archives Black Cultural Archives (BCA) is an archive and heritage centre in Brixton, London, devoted to the histories of people of African and Caribbean descent in Britain. Also known as BCA, it was founded in 1981, by educationalist and historian Len Ga ...

* 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 who ...

* Newport Street Gallery * Ovalhouse theatre * Cinema Museum

Civic affairs

Borough Council

Lambeth_London_UK_labelled_ward_map_2002

Since 2002, Lambeth Borough Council has had 63 members elected in 21 three-member wards by means of a plurality bloc voting system. The wards are Bishop's,

, Clapham Common, Clapham Town, Coldharbour, Ferndale,

, Knight's Hill, Larkhall, Oval, Prince's, St Leonard's,

, Streatham Hill, Streatham South, Streatham Wells, Thornton, Thurlow Park,

and 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 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 leader and cabinet, chaired by council leader

Claire Holland Claire Holland is a British woman who disappeared from a pub in Bristol, England on 6 June 2012. As of 2023, no trace of her has been found. Disappearance Holland, a 32-year-old woman from Lawrence Weston, vanished after leaving the Seamus O ...

. All cabinet members are from the ruling Labour Party who hold 55 of the 63 seats on Lambeth Council. The Leader of the official Opposition is Jonathan Bartley (

Green Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by a combin ...

) and the leader of the

Conservative group da, Den Konservative Gruppe no, Den konservative gruppen is, Flokkahópur hægrimanna , logo = Logo of the Conservative Group.png , colorcode = , headquarters = Christiansborg DK-1240 København K , chairman = ...

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 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 Clapham and

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

Westminster Parliament

The borough has three

Parliamentary A parliamentary system, or parliamentarian democracy, is a system of democratic governance of a state (or subordinate entity) where the executive derives its democratic legitimacy from its ability to command the support ("confidence") of the ...

constituencies:

Dulwich and West Norwood Dulwich and West Norwood is a constituency in South London created in 1997. It has been represented by Helen Hayes of Labour since her election in 2015. In the 2016 EU referendum, Dulwich and West Norwood voted to remain in the European Unio ...

(shared with

Southwark Southwark ( ) is a district of Central London situated on the south bank of the River Thames, forming the north-western part of the wider modern London Borough of Southwark. The district, which is the oldest part of South London, developed ...

, and

Twinning

The former

and its successor have been twinned with the Vincennes district of Paris in France since 1955. Lambeth is also twinned with Bluefields,

Nicaragua Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the coun ...

;

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, New York; and

Spanish Town Spanish Town ( jam, label= Jamaican Creole, Panish Tong) is the capital and the largest town in the parish of St. Catherine in the historic county of Middlesex, Jamaica. It was the Spanish and British capital of Jamaica from 1534 until 1872. T ...

, Jamaica.

Transport

The borough covers London Waterloo railway station, the Waterloo tube station network and (until 2007) the London terminus for Eurostar. National Rail service in Lambeth is provided by South Western Railway,

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 sep ...

Southern Southern may refer to: Businesses * China Southern Airlines, airline based in Guangzhou, China * Southern Airways, defunct US airline * Southern Air, air cargo transportation company based in Norwalk, Connecticut, US * Southern Airways Express, M ...

Thameslink Thameslink is a 24-hour main-line route in the British railway system, running from , , , and via central London to Sutton, , , Rainham, , , , and . The network opened as a through service in 1988, with severe overcrowding by 1998, carrying ...

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 *

* Loughborough Junction *

* Streatham Common * Streatham Hill *

* Waterloo *

Waterloo East Waterloo East railway station, also known as London Waterloo East, is a railway station in central London on the line from through London Bridge towards Kent, in the south-east of England. It is to the east of London Waterloo railway station ...

London Overground stations

* Clapham High Street * Wandsworth Road

Tube stations

* Brixton * Clapham Common * Clapham North * Lambeth North *

Nine Elms Nine Elms is an area of south-west London, England, within the London Borough of Wandsworth. It lies on the River Thames, with Battersea to the west, South Lambeth to the south and Vauxhall to the east. The area was formerly mainly industrial ...

* Oval *

* 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) 1965 establishments in the United Kingdom Local authorities adjoining the River Thames London boroughs