The annual Walworth History Festival is underway, starting last Saturday and running until October 20.
The week-long festival organised by Walworth Society volunteers and local history buffs aims to tell the history of Walworth through its homes and community.
A team of enthusiasts have been trained up, with a bit of support, in archive research and conducted their own research into the history behind their front doors.
Neil Crossfield, one of the local history-based researchers, explains: ”London history has always fascinated me, but unfortunately, much of what has been written focuses on the ‘great and good’ and major events.
“Being involved in researching the history of my house has allowed me to look at the lives of ordinary people and how they lived in the past.
“Using the research skills, I learnt during volunteer sessions at the Southwark Local History Library, I have discovered a lot about the people who previously lived in where I do now.
“Finding out the names of previous tenants and their stories have brought history to life for me.”
An exhibition of these ‘Front Doors’ is now on display. Upcoming highlights at the festival’s base at the gallery at Art Academy, 155 Walworth Road (the former Newington Library) include a talk by award-winning author Stella Duffy on her Walworth-inspired novel London Lies Beneath and a virtual reality documentary film on the Aylesbury Estate by Darren Emmerson.
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All Walworth Society events are free, and taking place at 155 Walworth Road, formerly Newington Library.
Visit www.walworthsociety.co.uk for more information.