Kennington Road

Kennington Road is a long straight road, approximately a mile in length, in the London Borough of Lambeth, SE1 running south from Westminster Bridge Road (at the junction with Baylis Road to the north-east) to Kennington Park Road.

The road is designated as the A23. Formerly open land, in 1751, a year after Westminster Bridge was opened, it was constructed by the Turnpike Trustees to improve communication from the bridge to routes south of the river Thames. With the growing popularity of Brighton as a resort in the later eighteenth century it became part of the route there, used by George IV on his excursions there and later for other London to Brighton events such as the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run.

Lambeth North tube station is located at the north end of the road at the junction with Westminster Bridge Road. The Imperial War Museum (formerly the Bethlem Royal Hospital) is to the east, in Geraldine Mary Harmsworth Park, south of the junction with Lambeth Road (A3203). Kennington Park is to the south.

Though there has been much rebuilding and demolition, many of the grand Georgian terraces lining Kennington Road still survive.

As a child, Charlie Chaplin lived at 287 Kennington Road (now marked by a plaque) and at various other locations on the road and in the immediate vicinity, such as 3 Pownall Terrace (since demolished) [http://www.vauxhallandkennington.org.uk/charliechaplin.pdf] . In the 19th century this area, near the Canterbury and Gatti's music halls in Westminster Bridge Road, was much favoured as a residence by performers in the music hall tradition such as Charlie Chaplin's parents. Public houses on Kennington Road such as 'The Three Stags' (which still exists and now has a 'Chaplin Bar'), 'The White Horse', 'The Tankard' (which still exists) and the famous 'Horns Tavern' (demolished in the 1960s) were also patronised by music hall professionals.

References

* David Robinson (2001), "Chaplin: His Life and Art". Penguin.

External links

* [http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=47056 Survey of London entry (1951)]
* [http://www.londontown.com/LondonStreets/kennington_road_c12.html LondonTown.com information]
* [http://www.ideal-homes.org.uk/lambeth/kennington/old-town-hall.htm Old Town Hall, Kennington Road] , 1925