Place Name
Originally called Brunswick Road but since the 1870s renamed Flodden Road. Until 1889, Camberwell was under the administration of the County of Surrey. Some years earlier, in 1859, an invasion scare had led to the formation of a Volunteer Force and many had signed up to the local Rifle Volunteer Corps (RVCs). The 1st Surrey RVC or South London Rifles was one of the first such units formed, being based on the existing Peckham Rifle Club. On June 14, 1859, this Corps was officially recognised and its headquarters established in Camberwell. In 1863 a new branch of the London, Chatham and Dover Railway was being plotted, and its route ran right through the Drill Ground at Hanover Park. They were forced to move and on December 27, 1864, the foundation stone of the new Head Quarters was laid and the opening took place on July 1, 1865 by the Lord Lieutenant of the county, the Earl of Lovelace. The street name comes from the English victory over James IV and the Scots at the Battle of Flodden or Flodden Field on September 9, 1513, the English were led in the field by the Earl of Surrey. In terms of troop numbers, it was the largest battle fought between the two kingdoms. James IV was killed in the battle, becoming the last monarch from the British Isles to die in battle. The war itself had been declared by James to honour the Auld Alliance with France by diverting Henry VIII’s English troops from their campaign against the French king Louis XII.
