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|Old Kent Road|
|SL Districts||Welcome to Old Kent Road History|
Anerley & Penge
Elephant and Castle
Old Kent Road
Now known as Kent Street (now Tabard Street). It adjoined Borough High Street.
C15? Pilgrims to shrine of Becket at Canterbury Cathedral stopped to water horses at stream on
Old Kent Road on Walworth Common. Place was known as St Thomas a Watering (now Thomas a Becket pub).
1415 Clergy of London met Henry V at St Thomas a Watering after his victory at Agincourt.
1539 Vicar of Wandsworth & others hung drawn & quartered at St Thomas a Watering
for denying Henry VIII’s supremacy over Rome in matters of faith in England.
1660 Charles II returned to London via the Kent Road on his restoration
Became known as Kent Road
1740 Last use of gallows at St Thomas a Watering
1750 Old Westminster Bridge built. Led to new roads to Elephant.
1751 Turnpike Trust upgraded a local footpath into New Kent Road
1789 Paragon by Michael Searles
1796 Surrey Square built by by Michael Searles off Kent Road
(circa) World Turned Upside Down established (145 Old Kent Road)
(circa) Kentish Drovers established
1807 Deaf and Dumb Asylum founded (68b Old Kent Road)
1811 Surrey Canal opened- crossed Kent Road at Canal Bridge
1827 Licensed Victuallers' Asylum founded
1831 Lizzie Siddell moved to area with her family. Later to model for `Rossetti.
1833 South Metropolitan Gas works at Old Kent Road began. Coal supplied by canal.
Became known as Old Kent Road
1837 Cary’s map of London
1838 Christ Church built on Ruby Street North of Old Kent Road.
1844 Bricklayers Arms railway station opened
1845 Glengall Road built.
1852 Bricklayers Arms railway station closed. Replaced by engine sheds.
1856 Old Dun Cow opened (279 Old Kent Road). Gin palace with several rooms.
1861 Horse drawn Trams
1866 Old Kent Road railway station opened on South London Line (by current railway bridge)
1868 Old Christ Church closed to make way for new gas works
New Christ Church opened on South side of Old Kent Road
1871 East London Line linked with South London Line (closed in 1966)..
Ordnance Survey map of Old Kent Road order now
1877 Kent Street renamed Tabard Street
1890 Livesey Museum opened
1891 Albert Chevalier wrote Music Hall number Knock'd Em In The Old Kent Road
1894 Ordnance Survey map of Old Kent Road order now
190* Fire station opened
1910 Old Kent Road Picture Palace 42-44 Old Kent Road. 1,450 seats
Picture House closed 1956.