What’s the history behind these grand-looking buildings off the Old Kent Road?

Caroline Gardens is one of those spots that would grab your attention when walking past and make you wonder what are the origins of such a grand-looking set of buildings? Writes Frankie Hills..

Just off Old Kent Road, on Asylum Road and on the way to Peckham proper this largely Georgian complex is subtly tucked away, but it was always home to the area's poor and is now a mixture of mostly social housing, with a few private rentals.

When and why was Caroline Gardens built?

Caroline Gardens was founded around in 1827, designed specifically to act as charitable housing, known as almshouses.

The complex was originally known as the Licensed Victuallers’ Benevolent Institution Asylum (LVBI) and it came to form the largest complex of almshouses in London.

It should be noted, however, that the site was not a psychiatric facility, rather, the term asylum is traditionally used to describe a sanctuary.

With construction starting in 1828, the houses were designed by little known architect Henry Rose, who worked almost exclusively in the modern-day borough Southwark, consisting of Southwark Borough, Bermondsey Borough and Camberwell Borough which Caroline Garden was situated in. The site that is now Caroline Gardens is considered to be Henry Rose's most impressive surviving work.

The first patron of the facility was HRH Prince Augustus Frederick, the Duke of Sussex, who laid the first stone on the 28 th May 1828. Their specific purpose was to support those who were ‘advanced in age and suffering from infirmity…and no longer capable of supporting themselves’, as well as retired pub landlords.

Original plans saw the erection of 101 dwellings, each containing three rooms. However, this was gradually expanded in subsequent decades.

By 1866 the site hosted 170 separate dwellings and included a chaplains residence, library, as well as a board and court room.

The site was considered exceptionally large, sitting on a six-acre plot and was considered by renowned 20 th century architectural historian, Nikolaus Pevsner to be “the only grand composition among the many almshouses of Camberwell.”

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What were residents entitled to at Caroline Gardens?

Residents housed at the facility were entitled to a small weekly cash payment, as well as coal, medicine and medical care.

The existence of facilities like the LVBI therefore became an important part of life, as the welfare state was still 100 years from being created.

Almshouses in turn provided the only viable avenue which Georgian or Victorian elders could access, lest they face destitution or be confined to workhouses until death.

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The Chapel - become Caroline Gardens' crowning glory

However, it was in 1850 that the most impressive part of the complex and centre place to the facility was completed, this being the Asylum Chapel.

Despite North Peckham being a largely rural location at the time, the opening ceremony of the chapel was attended by a reportedly impressive crowd of around 10,000 people.

The chapel quickly became the heart of the community, with accounts recalling the excellence of the congregations singing, due to the pre-established association the chapel had with the Licensed Victuallers’ Choral Association.

It is clear from records that the chapel thrived thanks to its congregations, being in receipt of several contributions and benefactors. One way in which this was clear was the chapel's possession of a handmade Messrs Bevington and Sons organ, funded entirely by voluntary contributions.

Prince Albert adds 24 dwellings

Other striking features of the church are “several costly tablets to the memory of benefactors” which adorn its walls. Amongst its most conspicuous benefactors was HRH the Prince Consort; Prince Albert.

The Prince Consort’s involvement with the site was surprisingly extensive. With the LVBI receiving it’s royal charter in 1842, subsequently, the Prince became its patron.

In 1858, the first brick laid was laid by the Prince himself for the ‘Albert Wing’ which added an initial 24 dwellings to the complex.

Following the Albert’s death in 1863, a statue was erected in his memory within the asylum grounds. The statue measured 16ft in height and was unveiled by HRH The Prince of Wales, the future King Edward VII.

Decline - bombing, evacuating and taking Albert away

Beyond the Victorian era, sadly, the site fell into a period of relative decline.

In World War Two, the chapel took a direct hit from a bomb, destroying the original roof.

It was also with the onset of the Second World War that the LVBI made the decision to start evacuating its tenants from the site to the village of Denham, Buckinghamshire.

This process was finally completed in 1959, ending over 100 years of occupation and administration of the site by the charity. The LVBI also took the statue of Prince Albert with them.

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Moreover, the roof to the chapel was never properly replaced following the bombing, only being given a temporary roof and not being properly restored. During this period, the interior of the chapel also became derelict.

Transition into social housing

Following the LVBI’s decision to leave the Asylum, the property was sold to the council in 1960.

It was at this point the site takes on its role as we know it today, with its wings becoming social housing.

With the transition of the site into local authority housing, it is at this time the Asylum received its modern day name ‘Caroline Gardens’.

The name is reportedly derived from Caroline Seckner, a former resident and widow of James Seckner, a veteran of the Battle of Trafalgar and said to have caught Nelson when he fell in battle in 1805.

Dereliction of the chapel

Whilst the rest of Caroline Gardens took on a new role providing much needed council homes with the creation of the welfare state, the chapel sadly remained dilapidated.

Several attempts were made by to find a purpose for the building. In 1960 it was suggested the chapel could be made into a theatre. Then in 1977, as part of the celebrations for the Queen's Silver Jubilee, inquiries were made about restoring the roof of the chapel. Both of these proposals came to nothing.

It was not until 1999 that a serious proposition was put forward to convert the chapel into a community centre, gaining the support of local MP Harriet Harman and Baroness Blackstone, then the Minister for the Arts. However, this also came to nothing.

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It's modern day restoration

Finally, in 2010, the chapel was converted into a not-for-profit venue for art, theatre projects, exhibitions and photo shoots.

A licence was also attained for the buildings use for weddings and in 2013, a 12-year lease was taken in the name of Maverick Projects.

Consequently, the local authority took major steps in supporting the chapels future, and in 2018 it was awarded a large sum of funding from Historic England and the National Lottery Heritage Fund. The money is being used to restore the roof and portico, which is still ongoing.

Today, the chapel remains a popular venue for couples looking to tie the knot.

The research for this article was assisted by the Peckham Society. For any readers who are interested in reading up further on Peckham's almhouses and various other historical sites, you can find a link for their book here: https://peckhamheritage.org.uk/buy-our-book/