LAMBETH

inner borough of London, part of the historic county of Surrey, extending southward from the River Thames. It includes the districts of (roughly north to south) Lambeth, Vauxhall, Kennington, South Lambeth, Stock Well, and Brixton and large parts of Clapham, Balham, Streatham, and Norwood. It was established in 1965 by the amalgamation of the former metropolitan boroughs of Lambeth and Wandsworth (in part). Settlement of the area dates to Roman times or earlier, and many of its place-names may be of ancient derivation. The origin of the name Lambeth is disputed, but the name Lamhytha (probably indicating Harbour Landing for Lambs) was recorded in 1088 CE; Domesday Book (1086) records Brixiestan (Brixton) and Chenintune (Kennington). Parish churchwardens' and vestry records exist from the 16th century. The borough was sparsely populated until the 18th century, and the majority of its inhabitants lived and worked along the Thames. Direct access to the left bank was by ford, horse ferry, or boat until 1750, when Westminster Bridge was opened. Because of its proximity to central London and the use of the river for bulk transportation, Lambeth's northern section became an important manufacturing centre by the 18th century. Glass and pottery works and, later, machine shops were established. Public gardens laid out at Vauxhall about 1660 were a favourite resort of the diarist Samuel Pepys and others. By 1859 the increasing urbanization of London caused the gardens to be closed and used as a building site. During World War II Lambeth's riverfront industrial areas were heavily bombed, and some commercial and government offices (such as County Hall) later arose in their places near the huge rail terminus of Waterloo Station. The riverfront is also graced by one of Europe's major cultural centres, the South Bank arts complex, which includes the Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, the Purcell Room, the Royal National Theatre, the National Film Theatre, the Museum of the Moving Image, and the Hayward Gallery. Although famous for these waterfront developments, which are directly across the Thames from the Houses of Parliament and the City of Westminster, Lambeth is largely residential. The borough's centre of government is two miles south, in Brixton, where there is a sizable Afro-Caribbean community. Africans, South Asians, and Chinese also are numerous; ethnic minorities in Lambeth make up one-third of the population. In Archbishop's Park the parish church, St. Mary's, lies alongside Lambeth Palace, the London residence of the archbishop of Canterbury . Famous hospitals include St. Thomas's and King's College, both with medical schools. The Oval cricket ground is in Kennington, and the borough's parklands include large parts of Clapham, Tooting Bec, and Streatham commons. Area 11 square miles (27 square km). Pop. (1998 est.) 269,500. See also Lambeth from Encyclopdia Britannica's 3rd edition (178897), which includes a description of the palace and parish church, as well as the area's thriving industry and commerce. Lambeth has long been known for its archiepiscopal palace and for its industry, which in the 1790s consumed a seemingly inexhaustible supply of natural resources from the European mainland. The excerpt that follows is from section 118 of the unsigned article London, in the 3rd edition (178897) of Encyclopdia Britannica. Portions of the article are directly quoted from Thomas Pennant's Some Account of London (1790). In the academic style of the times, there are frequent references to our author, this naturalist, or simply, Mr Pennant. This extensive borrowing of published material was not uncommon among publishers in the late 18th century. The text below is presented in modern typography for ease in reading but otherwise retains the original punctuation, capitalization, italics, and spellingincluding typographical errors. Lambeth Brobdignag is the land of giants in Jonathan Swift's fictional Gulliver's Travels, thus the term Brobdignagian refers to anything of enormous size. Lilliput, in contrast, is Swift's land of miniature people. For further treatment of Lambeth and its role in the history of the metropolis, see the current articles Lambeth, Lambeth Palace, and London. For similar excerpts from early editions of Encyclopdia Britannica and the Britannica Book of the Year, see BTW: London Classics.