"Whatchu lookin' at?" says Muddy the cat!
So I am finally doing a post about my house sit here in London where I have been now for a full week. It is an interesting area – Camberwell. Very multicultural.
My temporary home on Wilson Road
Camberwell is a district of south London, England, and forms part of the London Borough of Southwark. It is a built-up inner city district located 2.7 miles (4.3 km) southeast of Charing Cross. To the west it has a boundary with the London Borough of Lambeth. I am not sure what Lambeth – the word – reminds me of, but it is something either from literature or from a movie. Lambeth, lambeth, lambeth … it will come to me.
The building block from the 18th century on Wilson Rd - of which my flat is part
Now how cool is this little tidbit of information: Camberwell appears in Domesday Book as Cambrewelle. The name may derive from the Old English Cumberwell or Comberwell, meaning ‘Well of the Britons’, referring to remaining Celtic inhabitants of an area dominated by Anglo-Saxons. An alternative theory suggests the name may mean ‘Cripple Well’, and that the settlement developed as a hamlet where people from the City of London were expelled when they had life threatening diseases like leprosy, for treatment by the church and the clean, healing waters from the wells. Springs and wells are known to have existed on the southern slope of Denmark Hill, especially around Grove Park.
The rolling geography of Denmark Hill
And as I was walking to Sainsbury yesterday, I took the above picture because I was quite amazed at the geography. I never considered London to be a hilly place. But here you go. Hills and valleys abound.
The cichlid aquarium - these particular species (some of them) are mouth brooders - look that up!
Up to the mid-nineteenth century, Camberwell was visited by Londoners for its rural tranquillity and the reputed healing properties of its mineral springs. Camberwell today is a mixture of relatively well preserved Georgian and 20th century housing. My flat is in one of those older buildings.
Oh my god - how cute is this - you just want to bury your face in him...
My charges are Muddy the cat – a hilariously affectionate teddy bear of a chocolate brown Persian, and cichlid fish. I have not explored the area too much as of yet, as I wanted to use the first week to work, work, work, so that I could be a bit more lax over Christmas.
Another Muddy shot, because he is just too cute
So stay tuned for posts all about those areas … they will come.