Bringing history to life with Lambeth’s Heritage Festival

Celebrate the history and heritage of Lambeth throughout September with the borough’s specially curated heritage festival.

Organised by Lambeth Archives and the Lambeth Local History Forum, Lambeth’s Heritage Festival will bring together more than 80 different events and activities celebrating the history and heritage of the South London borough.

Events include talks about lost rivers, the history of Ovalhouse theatre and prolific female artists as well as online workshops on family history and an urban sketching tour of Brixton.

Opportunities to explore Lambeth’s hidden corners will also be on offer with tours of Brixton Market, St Leonard’s crypt, a walk exploring Streatham’s Art-Deco heritage, Lambeth and Streatham Cemeteries, Brixton Windmill, Henry Tate’s gardens, and a tour of Brixton through the eyes of the Windrush generation.

Lambeth Archives, based in its new building in Brixton Hill, will use the festival to celebrate the return of three Shakespeare folios on loan to the British Library for the last 75 years.

A Shakespeare in Lambeth exhibition is set to highlight key Shakespeare moments in Lambeth’s theatres, from when Richard III performed on horseback at Astley’s Amphitheatre, to Lilian Baylis’s revival of Shakespeare at the Old Vic during the First World War.

Councillor Donatus Anyanwu, Lambeth Cabinet Member for Stronger Communities, said: “I am passionate to ensure that the history of Lambeth’s people and places is shared widely with residents and other Londoners, and is preserved for generations to come, as well as using it to help connect local people with the opportunities and challenges in Lambeth today”.

Get your copy of the month’s programme from any of Lambeth’s libraries or from Archives at 16 Brixton Hill.

Pictured top: Lambeth’s Heritage Festival (Picture: Lambeth council)