property, homes and houses for sale in Peckham

Posh and Peckham.

Living in Peckham

One of Southwark’s famous ‘villages’ mentioned in the Doomsday Book, today Peckham is a vibrant, colourful, cultural melting pot full of trendy galleries and controversial street art.

In the 1960s Peckham developed a less attractive image – that of the neglected area depicted in the TV series ‘Only Fools and Horses’. However, thanks to a European incentive to regenerate this part of Southwark, Peckham has begun to look more like a hip bohemian hangout than a high-rise wilderness.

Some of the more salubrious residential developments have been torn down and grants have been given to upgrade houses and local businesses.

Not many people associate Peckham with romance, but the pretty Bellenden conservation area has roads of early Victorian flat-fronted cottages and larger houses.

Choumert Square, although more an alleyway than a square, is unique in London. Here, small front gardens overflow with plants, which the owners open up to the public every year under the National Gardens Scheme.

Peckham is a bustling town framed by the acclaimed Peckham Library and new leisure centre, the Peckham Pulse. It offers a combination of high street shops including a large supermarket, banks and building societies and South London's cheapest and most successful independent cinema.

It is also home to a popular farmers’ market selling organic produce every Sunday morning. The large Peckham Rye Park is nearby, but you only need to explore the nearby streets to find a multitude of smaller hidden green spaces, suitable for walking dogs, playing with your children or just relaxing in the sun.

Transport

The area is well served by several National Rail and bus routes. Peckham Rye station operates regular and fast services to London Bridge, Victoria, Blackfriars and Elephant & Castle.

Peckham has a good network of day and night bus routes – 13 services run to destinations across London. With even more available just five minutes up the road at Camberwell there's plenty of choice, wherever you’re heading.

There are proposals to bring the tram to Peckham by 2016.

For more detailed information on travelling around London visit www.tfl.gov.uk.

History and culture

During the 18th century Peckham flourished as a commercial centre, with extensive market gardens and orchards supplying much of London with fruit.

Rye Lane probably takes it name from the cereal that was grown on the farm that owned the land until the end of the 19th century.

Rye Lane today is well known for rice, spice, fruit and vegetables from all over the world.

The area is seen as an increasingly fashionable place to live, particularly following positive publicity surrounding the Bellenden Renewal programme with artwork from Anthony Gormley, Zandra Rhodes and others.

For further information please visit www.southwark.gov.uk.