Camberwell history

In Saxon times Camberwell had a well whose waters were meant to be good for invalids. “Cam” in old Celtic means crooked. So the name probably meant the well of the crippled or crooked.

In the 18th century Camberwell was a village famous for having its local species of butterfly - the Camberwell Beauty. It is now extinct. In the first half of the 19th century it was caught up in the general expansion of housing out from the centre of London. Some quality Georgian houses were built in Camberwell Grove.