Peckham: A vibrant and exciting urban community

London house-hunters who want to live in a vibrant location that is going places fast should be sure to consider looking up flats to rent in Peckham.

Part of the London borough of Southwark, the SE15 postcode area is regarded as one of the most exciting and diverse urban locales in the capital, with an interesting background, plenty of unique features and a progressive vision for the future.

Peckham's history extends all the way back to Roman times, when what is now Old Kent Road was part of a major thoroughfare called Watling Street, linking south-east England to the Midlands and other areas further north.

The name Peckham was mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 and continued to develop as a rural part of Surrey until new travel links enlivened the area in the 1800s, allowing Peckham to become part of London in 1890.

It paved the way for an eventful and tumultuous 20th century for the district, during which it became home to some of the first social housing and the famous Pioneer Health Centre and then developed into a thriving retail centre, before its fortunes faded in the 1970s and 80s.

Today, Peckham is home to around 25,000 residents from all sorts of backgrounds, with more than 100 languages spoken and representatives of Africa, Asia and eastern Europe all making their homes here.

This melting pot has produced famous former residents such as Matt and Luke Goss of Bros and Premier League stars Rio and Anton Ferdinand, while the iconic sitcoms Only Fools and Horses and Desmond's were also set in Peckham.

People who choose to come to this area will find it to be an increasingly trendy place to live, with the iconic Rye Lane offering visitors a massive selection of rice, spices, fruit, vegetables and fashions from parts of the world.

A flourishing cultural scene has also been able to take root, thanks to a plethora of local agencies and galleries, as well as the work done by the Creative Industries Group in connecting artists across Peckham.

Elsewhere, residents can take advantage of an award-winning library, a town square and convenient access to the Surrey canal for walking, while they can even see palm trees located on a traffic island.

Despite its inner-city location, there is also plenty here to offer those wishing to lead active lifestyles, from the green spaces of the Peckham Rye and Burgess Park to the new parks and sports facilities connected to the redeveloped five estates area.

However, perhaps the most exciting aspect of life in Peckham is its future prospects, thanks to the extensive redevelopment and regeneration work being put in place by Southwark Council.

Over the last two decades, millions of pounds have been diverted into the demolition of run-down, decaying buildings and estates, with pleasant new properties and facilities being created all the time.

Some 2,000 additional new homes will be created by 2016, as well as new green spaces, arts and leisure facilities, transforming Peckham from the deprived district it once was into a thriving, upwardly mobile community.

Posted by Charles Mackay

Published 30th January, 2012

© 2012 Estates IT Limited