Stockwell means “The well by the stump of wood”. Rich city folk began building houses in the area in the mid-19th century. Even the village common was built on and all that remains is a small patch of land with a clock tower opposite the Stockwell tube station. When the train line was built through the area, large quantities of working men’s houses were also built.

There are particularly large Victorian houses to be had in Albert Square, which is west of the Clapham Road. There are smaller period houses in surrounding streets such as Wilkinson Street and Aldebert Terrace. There are large Victorian houses all along South Lambeth Road and Clapham Road. These are almost all converted into flats. To the west of South Lambeth Road, there are Victorian houses, some still in single family occupation, in Lansdowne Road and the roads off it, such as Guildford Road. Thorne Road contains early Victorian terraces. There are more period properties on the east side of Clapham Road in what is called Stockwell Park, a conservation area containing Regency houses. The most sought-after houses in Stockwell are in Durand Gardens. More Victorian houses are to be found in Stockwell Park Crescent and roads between it and Stockwell Road. In the area west of Stockwell Park Crescent there are streets of Victorian houses such as St Michael’s Road and St Martin’s Road.