In Lambeth there was a royal palace, a serial poisoner, oceans of gin and vinegar, the first English circus, a most famous pottery, Vauxhall Motors, a reviving Festival, and Charlie Chaplin. Here, too, the Archbishop of Canterbury has his London home and in his palace once lived two wives of Henry VIII, both of whom were beheaded. On the Lambeth bank of the Thames the Gunpowder Plot was hatched. In humdrum Lambeth the National Theatre was born at the Old Vic and London's County Hall governed the capital for 64 years. One of our most famous gardeners lived next door to the Archbishop and his collection of curiosities helped to form the basis of the Ashmolean Museum.
Today, the once unregarded Lambeth has the South Bank complex, the London Eye and is fast being redeveloped.
This book, full of information, is a fascinating read.
245 x 185mm (hardback with 148 illustrations) 176 pages
Published 2006
