This part of Camberwell sits nestled just above the bustling centre of Brixton. Lively on its own, it does maintain a slightly calmer feel than its southern neighbour. While the area has historically attracted mostly working-class families, more and more young professionals have been moving in. Aside from the many terraced houses converted into flats, locals love the quirky attractions like the Camberwell Submarine Museum. Younger folks flock to the Phonox venue for a wide array of concerts following a drink or two at The Beehive. The area is also bursting with a great variety of affordable but delicious eateries like the Caribbean food at Turtle Bay Brixton. Seeing all that the neighbourhood has to offer, it’s easy to understand the area’s growing popularity.

Camberwell began as a medieval village. However, by the 17th century, the area had grown into a small town with a large school established by the vicar of St Giles. Later on, in the 18th century, the area became known for its market gardening - which attracted many visitors and businesses. This allowed the neighbourhood to grow into a commuter village, with high-end terraced houses. Once horse-drawn trams arrived in the 1870s, the neighbourhood quickly became less desirable, leading to the subdivision of many of the Victorian homes, and the neighbourhood grew into a working class suburb. In recent years, the neighbourhood’s declining trend has been reversed, and many of the older properties have begun to be refurbished as middle-class families and young professionals move in.

Renowned writer, Henry Havelock Ellis (1859-1939), lived in the area. He was famous for studying sexual behaviour, a topic that was especially taboo to Londoners at the time. In 1933, he published The Psychology of Sex.

As the area has become more and more trendy, housing prices have been steadily increasing. While this may eventually affect long-time residents in the area, at this point - there are still pockets of affordable housing available.

Private development interest has seeped in the area from Brixton Central. In 2020, a proposal was made to develop two very large high-rise tower blocks (rising to 29 and 20 storeys high) at Hardess Street in Loughborough Junction. The proposed development includes light industrial/public spaces on the ground floor, with the developers promising the usual portfolio of affordable workspaces, community engagement, and a guarantee of 35% affordable housing. The project has, however, garnered strong opposition from the local public, especially given its suddenness and the developer’s lack of initiative to consult the wider community.

Balancing these private development schemes are a number of community initiatives in the area. Lambeth Council in 2014 partnered with Loughborough Junction Action Group (LJAG), J.P. Morgan and Network Rail to manage a programme called The Platform. With funding to support the initiative for 2 years, the the programme allows the Meanwhile Space organisation to offer otherwise vacant spaces to early entrepreneurs and businesses at highly subsidised rates. Following the programme’s success, the organisation has been able to maintain its operations and to this day still provides affordable workspaces to businesses in need. The LJAC, following the devastating impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and repeated lockdowns, was able to develop an ambitious project that includes an adventure playground, a community food growing project, a café and craft workshops, through funding granted by Power to Change.