| Nunhead | |
|---|---|
| Suburb | |
 Gibbon Road and Nunhead station | |
  Nunhead Location withinGreater London | |
| Population | 13,620 (2011 Census. Ward)[1] |
| OS grid reference | TQ355755 |
| • Charing Cross | 4 mi (6.4 km) NW |
| London borough | |
| Ceremonial county | Greater London |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | LONDON |
| Postcode district | SE15, SE4 |
| Dialling code | 020 |
| Police | Metropolitan |
| Fire | London |
| Ambulance | London |
| UK Parliament | |
| London Assembly | |
| 51°27′44″N0°03′03″W / 51.4622°N 0.0508°W /51.4622; -0.0508 | |
Nunhead (/ˈnʌnhɛd/) is an inner-city suburb in theLondon Borough of Southwark, England,[2] 4 miles (6.4 km) southeast ofCharing Cross. It is the location of the 52-acre (0.21 km2)Nunhead Cemetery.[3] Nunhead has traditionally been a working-class area, but is undergoinggentrification.[4][5] It is the location of several undergroundreservoirs, built by theSouthwark and Vauxhall Waterworks Company.[6]
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The name is first recorded in a deed of 1583 relating to a land sale including estates "lying at Nunn-head."[7] The origin of the name Nunhead is not certain but is believed to be derived from a local inn named variouslyThe Nun's Head or The Nunhead Tavern. Local historians and local legend maintain that this name refers to the beheading of a nun during theDissolution of the Monasteries.
The legend claims that the head of the Mother Superior of a nunnery, which stood where the current public house The Old Nun's Head now stands, was placed on a spike on the green following her death.[8] There is no evidence to support this claim.[9] However, a nunnery in the area may have been connected with the nunnery of The Augustinian Priory of St. John the Baptist, Holywell (now Shoreditch) which acquired lands in Camberwell and Peckham in the 12th century.
A rural settlement of approximately ten buildings named "NoneHead" is clearly visible in the 1762 map titledA topographical map of the county of Surrey byJohn Roque.[10] The settlement occupies the land which is now Nunhead Green and Nunhead High Street. At the time it was separated from the nearby settlement ofPeckham Rye by fields and the now coveredRiver Peck.
In 1834 theGirdlers Company built the Beeston's Gift Almshouses, a terrace of seven Tudor-style cottages which still stand in front of a garden with railings on Consort road.[11] Further almshouses were built in 1853 by the Asylum of the Metropolitan Beer and Wine Trade Association on the edge of Nunhead Green to provide housing for aged members of the trade.[12] In 1868,Brocks Fireworks, a manufacturer of fireworks, built a firework 'manufactory' close to where the pub, The Pyrotechnists Arms, still stands. The pub is so-named because of its original proximity to the firework factory.[13]
Until 1878, Nunhead formed part of the large ancient parish ofCamberwell in theBrixton hundred of Surrey.[14][15] The area's population growth led to a separate ecclesiastical parish of St Antholin, Nunhead, being formed in 1878, with the church built in 1877.[14] The area then came within the area of responsibility of theMetropolitan Board of Works in 1855 and was transferred to theCounty of London in 1889. In 1887 Nunhead is recorded as having a population of 10,727.[16] Having formed part of the Camberwell parish, it became part of theMetropolitan Borough of Camberwell in 1900.[14]
There was aNunhead Football Club from 1888 to 1949. Nunhead has some fine examples of late Victorian/early Edwardian properties; these can be seen on both Carden Road and Tresco Road. It is even reputed, inClaire Tomalin's biography ofCharles Dickens' mistressNelly Ternan, that Charles Dickens was taken on his death bed from the house he rented for Ternan, at Windsor Lodge in Linden Grove to Gad's Hill to die. The house no longer stands, but was at 31 Linden Grove. Old maps show that the church was next door to where the dental surgery now stands at 42 Linden Grove, so Windsor Lodge was presumably more or less opposite that.
St Antholin church was built in 1877. Built in red brick it is large and rectangular and was built in the style of the first part of the 13th century. The church was built with funds from the sale of the site ofSt. Antholin's, Budge Row, which was demolished in 1875. The oakreredos designed bySir Christopher Wren and a bell were brought from the original church.[17] The church was damaged by bombing in 1940 and later restored by Lawrence King. The church was reconsecrated in 1957 and officially renamed St Antony's Church in 1958.[18]
St Antony's was Listed Grade II in 1972[19] but became surplus to requirements of the Anglican Church and was declared redundant in 2001 and sold to its present owners, aPentecostal congregation. It then became the Lighthouse Cathedral.[20] The bell from the original St Antholin's now hangs in St Silas, Nunhead.
Nunhead forms part of Southwark London Borough Council'sPeckham Programme regeneration scheme.[21] As part of this plan, the area forms part of the East Peckham and Nunhead renewal area.[22] A component was the proposal that theCross River Tram could serve the area.[23] However, in November 2008,Mayor of LondonBoris Johnson announced that due to funding constraints this project would be cancelled.[24]
Nunhead railway station is located on Gibbon Road. It is on the line fromBlackfriars to Sevenoaks andVictoria to Dartford. Services are provided bySoutheastern andThameslink.[25] The area is also served by a variety ofLondon Buses services.[26] Bus route 78 starts in Nunhead and terminates inShoreditch running via the commercial area surroundingLiverpool Street as well as going over famousTower Bridge and bypassing the historicalTower of London. The P12, which begins its journey in Honor Oak Park, goes through Nunhead, terminating atSurrey Quays shopping centre. As part of theurban sprawl of London, Nunhead is contiguous with the neighbourhoods ofBrockley to the east,Honor Oak to the south,East Dulwich to the south west,Peckham to the north west andNew Cross to the north east.
Most of Nunhead falls within thePeckham Westminster constituency. The current MP isMiatta Fahnbulleh of theLabour Co-op party.
The constituency forms part of theLambeth and Southwark London Assembly constituency represented byMarina Ahmad ofLabour.
Residents elect three councillors toSouthwark Council every four years for theNunhead and Queen's Road ward.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Fiona Colley* | 2,229 | |||
| Labour | Sunil Chopra* | 1,936 | |||
| Labour | Sandra Rhule | 1,820 | |||
| Green | Steve Barbe | 714 | |||
| Green | Valerie Remy | 555 | |||
| Green | Dave Tapsell | 435 | |||
| All People's Party | Althea Smith* | 323 | |||
| Conservative | Robert Clarke | 298 | |||
| Conservative | Gerald Chan | 255 | |||
| Conservative | Harry Chathli | 237 | |||
| Liberal Democrats | Frances Blango | 200 | |||
| Liberal Democrats | Paul Melly | 189 | |||
| Liberal Democrats | Dolly Mace | 163 | |||
| Turnout | 3,336 | 34.3 | |||
| Labourhold | Swing | ||||
| Labourhold | Swing | ||||
| Labourhold | Swing | ||||
Althea Smith was elected in 2010 for the Labour Party, but defected to the All People's Party.
Nunhead Cemetery Open Day occurs every May and is organised by Friends of Nunhead Cemetery.
Nunhead Beats the Bounds is an annual event where Nunhead residents march around the perimeter of Nunhead - from Queens Road to Camberwell New Cemetery - to build community spirit. It is generally held the first Saturday afternoon in July.
Nunhead American Radio withLewis Schaffer onResonance 104.4FM is a radio programme for and about the residents of Nunhead, with special focus on the immigrant American community.
The Nunhead Art Trail is an art and craft showcase organised by volunteers. Nunhead artists and craftspeople exhibit their work in their flats, houses and gardens allowing the public to view and buy the work.[28]
Harold Bride - (born Nunhead, 1890) - Seaman
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