Roupell Street, Crossbones Graveyard and Marshalsea Prison Wall

Conservation area near Waterloo station

I had an afternoon free. Not long enough to do a major walk or visit far away, so I thought I'd look for the place everyone talks about....Roupell Street, a stones throw from Waterloo Station.

The daft thing is that I have been close to this at least once and not realised. The whole area, a few streets clubbed together, is a conservation area, for the houses are the only ones remaining here built in the 19th century.

These houses survived the coming of the railway and the Blitz, and were the homes of workers, blacksmiths, printers, and nurses, with up to twenty people living in the same house. Another good website to look at is this one. Here you will find more of the history with maps and photos from bygone days, including a few photos of the inside of the houses.

Roupell Street has been used for filming Call The Midwife, Mr Selfridge, James Bond and Dr Who, to name just a few.

Roupell Street (above) and just around the corner is the modern!

From Roupell Street I walked to Borough, passing the Crossbones Graveyard, which these days has open days. It has certainly grown since the first days of it being discovered. Do visit this informative website. It tells you the history of the place.

The Cut

The London School of Musical Theatre

Lambeth Town Hall

Crossbones Graveyard

Entrance to Crossbones Graveyard

The intention of finding the old wall of the former Marshalsea Prison, where Charles Dickens' father once spent time as a debtor (while Charles worked at the blacking factory). I had been there before many years ago when I was researching my maternal grandfather's family who lived in Bermondsey (then in Surrey, not London!), but how easy was it to find? I walked passed it twice and was up and down roads several times. The place isn't signposted and my London map hadn't marked it. Google Maps had, but I still had trouble. I should have looked at the website highlighted above before I went!

Taken through the gates to the gardens

The back of Marshalsea Prison

Once I found it, the gardens to it were closed, though supposed to be open. That was a bit disappointing. I walked around the back of it where there is a path with plagues set into the walkway.