We recently rediscovered , written by Mary Chamberlain (born in Lambeth in 1947) and published by Virago in 1989. It paints a fascinating picture of life in Lambeth in the 20th century through oral history and her own experiences. You can pick up a copy for 1p on Amazon.

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“It feels as if every possible detail and document relating to the gardens have been scanned and assimilated. The result is the most complete reconstruction of this vital place there is likely to be.” Read The Guardian’s review of Vauxhall Gardens: A History by David Coke and Alan Borg. Yale University Press review

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I read this book, a few pages at a time, on the bus to work. Every day I get off at the Elephant and Castle and walk down Great Guildford Street to Southwark Street. I pass the junction with Lavington Street, where Gwen Southgate, according to her fascinating memoir of life in Waterloo, regularly went to the public swimming baths in the Thirties. There is no sign of the baths now. Gwen’s world has almost completely disappeared, done for...

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In These Were Our Sons Naomi Lourie Klein has researched the lives of 574 men whose names are carved into the stone panels of Stockwell War Memorial. Using census information from 1911 and earlier, Commonwealth War Graves Commission information, original Service and Pension files, rolls of honour, contemporary maps and the vast resources of the internet, she has pieced together the lives of men whose stories would otherwise be known only to their families. Some of the families have...

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Prolific Vauxhall author (17 books) and Vauxhall Society member Michael Leapman talks about the republication of his first book, One Man and His Plot, how it grew out of his Brixton allotment and how, 37 years on, allotment, book and author are still going strong. How I never lost the plot Vauxhall author Michael Leapman on how the first of his many books, One Man and His Plot, grew out of a Brixton allotment and is proving no has-bean...

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Vic’s pre-1920 childhood in Lambeth, London, gives a rich insight into the time. Vic started work at 14 and worked as a waiter at the famous Waldorf Hotel, in London’s Aldwych, haunt of the rich and famous. “London County Council was building a new estate, China Walk Estate. Around the back of the house and including Richmond Street and St Albans Street had all been cleared and already new flats had been built. Just our row in the Kennington...

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A handsomely presented, large-format survey of the area’s history from earliest times to present day by author, Vauxhall resident and TVS member Hannah Renier. The text is accompanied by a wealth of maps and illustrations as well as an extensive reading list of other books about the area.  Indispensable reading for anyone interested in the history of Vauxhall. Amazon, £15.95

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‘Must-have book for MPs’ Evening Standard, 23 July 2010 Who was the hired killer that gave Vauxhall its name and who was the King who forced a teenage widow to marry the brute? Did you know that Vauxhall gave the world the first open-air pop festival, mass audience for art and music, plus celebrity PR, royal endorsement and portion control? Long-time Vauxhall resident and TVS committee member Ross Davies’s book Vauxhall, A Little History, published by Nine Elms Press,...

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