Place Name
A well-established route, this appears on John Rocque’s 1741 map of Camberwell as Dog Kennel Lane between Camberwell and Goose Green, continuing south via Lordship Lane. The name is topographical and reflects its proximity to The Grove, which appears on Rocque’s map as the name for an area east of Camberwell Grove, at that time an unnamed, tree-lined avenue leading to a mansion at the junction with Camberwell Church Street. In the late 18thCentury, the name lent itself to an estate called Grove Hill. The Quaker doctor and philanthropist Dr John Coakley Lettsom built a house, famous for its gardens, hothouses and orchards, at Grove Park in about 1780 and lived there until 1810. About ten years after he sold the estate, building started in earnest, though the house itself survived up until 1890. Before Lettsom’s time, this land was part of the ancient manor of Camberwell which is mentioned in the Domesday Book in 1086 as belonging to Haimo. Its earlier name, Dog Kennel Lane, is probably a literal one, reflecting the popularity of the hunt in this area. Today this is part of the A2216.
