Lambeth High Street

People are sometimes puzzled by the name of Lambeth High Street, which runs southwards from St. Mary’s church, Lambeth to join Black Prince Road. It seems so unlike the typical high street scene, and yet a hundred years ago this is exactly what it was.

It was especially a place for traders connected with the river or with pottery. John Doulton’s works opened here in 1815 and later Stiff’s pottery, the street being called Back Lane.

Enquiries made in 1978 by Arthur Lefevre gives the following picture of Lambeth High Street in 1887.

Nos 1 and 2	Thomas Lapthorne & Co	builders
No 5	Frederick Bond and Elizabeth Bond	boilermaker and shirtmaker
No 9	Mrs Maria Oliver	chandler’s shop
No 13	Workshop of Matthew Wood	boatsmith
No 14	Daniel Moss	marine stores
No 16	Nathaniel Barton	grocery
No 18	Archbishop Tenison’s Girls School
No 20	Messrs Leaver and Goulty	oar and scull manufacturers
No 23	Arthur Dunk	grocery
No 28	Doulton & Watts/J Stiff and sons	potters
No 44	The Windmill public house	site occupied by an inn since 1454, first  licence issued to John Calcot, previous name was ‘The Chequers’
No 48	Henry Jones’ workshop	engineer
No 50	Dennis Connor	bootmaker
No 52	John Ball	chandler’s shop
No 54	King Henry VIII public house
No 55	George Cook	chandler’s shop
No 63	Henry Doulton	drainpipe manufactory
No 68	Octavius Ward	beer retailer
No 69	Thomas Janeway	pottery

Another feature of Lambeth High Street was, and is, the burial ground, consecrated in 1705 and enlarged in 1815 by demolishing some buildings in High Street and Paradise Street. It became a public open space in 1884 when the gravestones were placed round the edge. Many streets and lanes leading off High Street have disappeared, including Calcot Alley which is reputed to have been the home of Francis Moore, of Almanac fame. The side streets were the sites of potteries mostly bought up by Stiff and Doulton.