List of people from the London Borough of Southwark explained

The list of people from the London Borough of Southwark includes residents who were either born or dwelt for a substantial period within the borders of this modern London borough. It does not comprise notable individuals who only studied at educational institutions in the area, such as the Camberwell School of Art and the Dulwich College. Several of the men and women listed have been honoured with blue plaques in various parts of the borough, including more than 50 commemorative plaques awarded by the Southwark Council since 2003.^[1]

In 1965, the Metropolitan Borough of Southwark, the Metropolitan Borough of Camberwell, and the Metropolitan Borough of Bermondsey were amalgamated to form the London Borough of Southwark. Located in the eastern part of South London, it is, along with the City of London, the oldest part of Greater London, with a history of civilisation that dates back to the Roman times.^[2] One of the 32 London boroughs, it constitutes several urban and suburban neighborhoods, including Bermondsey, Bankside, Camberwell, Dulwich, Peckham, Nunhead, Rotherhithe, Walworth, and The Borough, located at the southern bank of the river Thames.

The 2001 census recorded the population of Southwark to be nearly 244,866 residents, sixty-three per cent of whom are whites, sixteen per cent black African and 8 percent black Caribbean. For a decade, between 1997 and 2007, the borough's population grew at three times the rate of England as a whole. Sixty per cent of the borough's inhabitants are currently known to live in social housing.^[3]

Notable residents

Key to "Notes" regarding the residents' affiliation to Southwark:

Letter	Description
B	Indicates that the resident was born in Southwark.
D	Indicates that the resident died in Southwark.

Citations in the Notes box refer to the information in the entire row.

Academia and research

width=	Name	width=	Notability	width=	District ^[4]	width=	Notes ^[5]
Michael Faraday	Chemist and physicist, invented the electric motor	Newington	B
Clement le Neve Foster	Geologist and mineralogist	Camberwell	B^[6]
Benjamin Jowett	Classical scholar, served as Master of Balliol College, Oxford		B^[7]
			B^[8]
	Economist, wrote the popular textbook Principles of Economics (1890)	Bermondsey	B^[9]
	Physician and mathematician, invented the "equals" sign (=) in 1557	Southwark	D^[10]
Edward Burnett Tylor	Anthropologist, affiliated with the sociocultural evolutionism	Camberwell	B^[11]

Arts and entertainment

width=	Name	width=	Notability	width=	District	width=	Notes
Jenny Agutter		Camberwell	^[12]
Edward Alleyn	Actor of the Elizabethan theatre, founded Dulwich College and Alleyn's School	Dulwich	^[13]
Richard Ayoade	TV and film actor, director, writer	East Dulwich
Pete Bennett	Winner of Big Brother 7 television reality series	Camberwell	B^[14]
John Boyega	Film actor currently starring in FOX series , alongside fellow British-American actor, Kiefer Sutherland	Peckham
Joshua Bradley	YouTuber and member of the Sidemen	Bermondsey	^[15]
Kenneth Branagh	Actor and film director, won an Emmy Award and received an Oscar nomination	Camberwell	^[16]
Michael Caine	Actor, recipient of two Academy Awards, a BAFTA, and four Golden Globe Awards	Rotherhithe	B
Charlie Chaplin	Actor, comedian and filmmaker, recipient of two Academy Awards	Walworth	B^[17]
Pat Coombs	Character actress, worked in film, radio and television	Camberwell	B^[18]
Madeline Duggan	Character actress, known for work in the BBC soap opera EastEnders	Bermondsey	B^[19]
	Comedian, actress and novelist	Camberwell	^[20]
Chiwetel Ejiofor	Actor with special prominence on the London stage	Camberwell	^[21]
Jade Goody	Reality TV personality	Bermondsey	B
Leslie Grantham	Television actor, known for work in the BBC soap opera EastEnders	Camberwell	B^[22]
Patricia Hayes	Comedy actress, prominent for her work in television	Camberwell	B^[23]
Lynette Hemmant	Artist and illustrator	Camberwell	^[24]
Albert Houthuesen	Artist of still-lives, landscapes, seascapes, and portraits	Camberwell	^[25]
Terry Jones	Comedian, actor and filmmaker, best known as member of the Monty Python team	Camberwell	^[26]
	Actor, best recognised as Frankenstein's monster in the 1931 film Frankenstein	Camberwell	B^[27]
	Playwright and film director, Academy Award winner	Camberwell	B^[28]
Ivor Moreton	Singer and pianist, known for performing in a duo with Dave Kaye	Peckham	^[29]
Erin O'Connor	Fashion model	Camberwell	^[30]
Samuel Palmer	Romantic landscape painter, etcher, printmaker and writer	Newington	B
Claude Rains	Actor and film star, winner of a Tony Award	Camberwell	B^[31]
Tim Roth	Film actor	Dulwich	B^[32]
Thomas Sangster	Film and voice actor	Southwark	^[33]
Steve Chandra Savale	Musician	Camberwell	B
Nicholas Serota	Art curator, serving as director of Tate Gallery	Camberwell	^[34]
Siouxsie Sioux	Singer-songwriter of Siouxsie and the Banshees	Southwark	B
John Stainer	Organist, composer, and professor of music at University of Oxford	Southwark	^[35]
Tommy Steele	Entertainer who brought rock music to the UK	Bermondsey	B
Emma Thompson	Actor and screenwriter, winner of Oscars, BAFTAs, an Emmy, a Golden Globe Award	Camberwell
Mark Wallinger	Sculptor, a YBA known for the Ecce Homo (1999), and State Britain (2007) sculptures	Camberwell	^[36]
Florence Welch	Singer/songwriter (Florence + The Machine)	Camberwell	B^[37]

Engineering and technology

width=	Name	width=	Notability	width=	District	width=	Notes
Charles Babbage	Victorian mathematician, inventor of the first mechanical computing machine	Walworth	B^[38]
Isambard Kingdom Brunel	Victorian engineer, designed Great Western Railway and SS Great Britain	Rotherhithe
Marc Isambard Brunel	Engineer, known for designing the construction of the Thames Tunnel		^[39]
Edward Turner	Engineer, designed Ariel and Triumph motorcycles and Daimler cars	Camberwell	B https://web.archive.org/web/20110726105815/http://www.southwarknews.co.uk/00,news,8674,8492,00.htm

Journalism and media

width=	Name	width=	Notability	width=	District	width=	Notes
Jeremy Bowen	Reporter and television presenter, best known as a war correspondent for the BBC	Camberwell	^[40]
Peter Preston	Editor of The Guardian (1975–1995) and a chairman of International Press Institute (1995–97)		^[41]
Zoe Williams	Reporter and columnist for The Guardian and the New Statesman		^[42]

Literature

width=	Name	width=	Notability	width=	District	width=	Notes
	Children's author, with popular work like the Famous Five and Secret Seven series	East Dulwich	B
	Victorian poet and playwright, known for mastery of dramatic verse	Camberwell	B^[43]
Camilla Dufour Crosland	Victorian poet, novelist and writer on social and historical subjects, died in East Dulwich	East Dulwich	B^[44]
	Victorian novelist, journalist and social campaigner	Southwark
Harry Buxton Forman	Victorian bibliographer, editor, Shelley scholar	Camberwell	^[45]
Philip Massinger	Playwright of works such as A New Way to Pay Old Debts and The Roman Actor	Southwark	D^[46]
John Ruskin	Art critic, social theorist, painter and writer		^[47]
Hester Thrale	Diarist and author, whose writings illuminate life in 18th-century England	Southwark
Mary Wollstonecraft	Author and feminist, known for writing A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792)

Politics and government

width=	Name	width=	Notability	width=	District	width=	Notes
Lord Eric Avebury	Liberal Member of Parliament, 1962–70; Liberal Democrat Representative peer, 1999-	Camberwell	^[48]
Joseph Chamberlain	Liberal and Liberal Unionist politician, entrepreneur and imperial statesman	Camberwell	B ^[49]
	Labour Member of parliament, 1983-; Leader of the House of Commons, 2007–	Dulwich	^[50]
	Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament (1983-) and party President (2004-)	Bermondsey
	General Secretary of the Transport and General Workers' Union, 1968–77	Denmark Hill	^[51]
Sir Timothy Laurence	Naval officer, Equerry to Queen Elizabeth (1986–89), and husband of Princess Anne	Camberwell	B^[52]
Henry Thrale	Anchor Brewery heir, Member of Parliament (1765–80), Sheriff of the City of London	Southwark	^[53]
	Labour politician; General Secretary of the Labour Party (1985–94)	Camberwell	^[54]

Religion

width=	Name	width=	Notability	width=	District	width=	Notes
Hester Biddle	Quaker pamphleteer, preacher and traveller	Bermondsey	D^[55]
Edmund Bonner	Bishop of London, known for persecuting heretics in Queen Mary I's Catholic rule	Southwark	D
John Harvard	English clergyman, first benefactor to College, 1639 named Harvard University in his honour		B^[56]
Francis Pott	English clergyman and hymnwriter		^[57]
Mother Mary Potter	Founder of the Little Company of Mary in 1877. On 8 February 1988, Pope John Paul II proclaimed her Venerable.	Bermondsey	B^[58]
Charles Spurgeon	Reformed Baptist preacher and eponym for Spurgeon's College	Elephant and Castle	^[59]

Sports

width=	Name	width=	Notability	width=	District	width=	Notes
Bobby Abel	Cricketer (1881–1904), played as an opening batsman for the England cricket team	Rotherhithe	B
John Bostock	Footballer, plays as a midfielder for OH Leuven	Camberwell	B^[60]
Rio Ferdinand	Former footballer, played as a centre-back most notably for Manchester United; was also a former captain of England; currently a pundit for BT Sport	Peckham	B^[61]
Duncan Goodhew		Camberwell
David Haye	Boxer, former WBA heavyweight champion, former unified world cruiserweight champion and former European cruiserweight champion	Bermondsey
John Keene	Cricketer (1897–1907), played as a bowler for Surrey, Worcestershire, and Scotland		B
	Boxer and actor	Camberwell	B^[62]
Martin Ruane	Wrestler, known as "Giant Haystacks" and a European Union Heavyweight Champion		B^[63]
Kenny Sansom	Footballer, played as a left back for Arsenal and England		B^[64]

See also

• List of people from London

Notes and References

1. Web site: WELL OVER 50 BLUE PLAQUES LATER... AND COUNTING... . Southwark News . 2008-08-18 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110726105518/http://www.southwarknews.co.uk/00%2Cnews%2C7963%2C8506%2C00.htm . 2011-07-26 .
2. Web site: Southwark Council: your community . southwark.gov.uk . 2007-12-15 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20030823053449/http://www.southwark.gov.uk/YourCommunity/ . 2003-08-23 .
3. Web site: Case study: London Borough of Southwark. idea.gov.uk. 2007-12-15. https://web.archive.org/web/20110716161827/http://www.idea.gov.uk/idk/core/page.do?pageId=6256750. 2011-07-16. dead.
4. Entries with no sourced locality (district) of residence available are marked with a "?".
5. All entries contain a reliably sourced reference. Entries may also contain a letter indicating Birth or Death.
6. H. T. Wood, ‘Foster, Sir Clement Le Neve (1841–1904)’, rev. R. C. Cox, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004
7. [Edwin Abbott Abbott|E.A. Abbott]
8. Web site: Anthony J. Leggett: Autobiography. nobelprize.com. 2008-08-15.
9. Alfred Marshall (1842–1924). Rita . McWilliams Tullberg . May 2005 . 2008-04-25 . 10.1093/ref:odnb/34893.
10. Newman, James R. (1956). The World Of Mathematics. Courier Dover Publications.
11. R. R. Marett (1936). Tylor. London: Chapman and Hall.
12. News: Actress who built successful career. The Independent. 2008-08-15 . London . 2004-05-31.
13. Hodges, S (1981). God's Gift: A Living History of Dulwich College. London: Heinemann
14. Index of Births, Marriages and Deaths in England and Wales, 1837-1983.
15. Book: 18 October 2016. The Sidemen Book. 22 June 2021. Hodder & Stoughton. 9781473648197.
16. Kenneth Branagh, Theatre's New Young King. Reader's Digest. 2008-08-15.
17. Web site: Blue plaques and location . 'scotland.gov.uk . 2008-08-15 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20081006162613/http://www.southwark.gov.uk/DiscoverSouthwark/BluePlaquesSection/blueplaquesandlocations.html . 2008-10-06 .
18. News: Obituary: Pat Coombs. The Guardian. 2008-08-15 . London . 2002-05-28 . Dennis . Barker.
19. Web site: BBC EastEnders – Characters & Cast – Madeline Duggan . 3 November 2015 .
20. News: Ministering to the exterior. The Guardian. 2008-08-15 . London . 2006-03-11 . Gareth . Rubin.
21. News: Curtain up on a force too powerful even for a Jedi. https://web.archive.org/web/20110616034418/http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/stage/theatre/article3022107.ece. dead. June 16, 2011. The Times. 2008-08-15 . London . 2007-12-09.
22. Web site: Interview with Leslie Grantham. BBC. 2008-08-15.
23. News: Star Patricia Hayes dies at 88. BBC. 2008-08-15 . 1998-09-20.
24. Web site: About Lynette Hemmant.
25. Web site: Chronology and biography. houthuesen.com. 2008-08-15.
26. News: Terry Jones: Blood and circuses. The Independent. 2008-08-15 . London . 2006-05-19.
27. News: Karloff, Boris . https://archive.today/20120708070755/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_gx5229/is_2003/ai_n19153144 . dead . 2012-07-08 . UXL Encyclopedia of World Biography . 2008-08-15 . 2003 .
28. News: The Guardian profile: Martin McDonagh. The Guardian. 2008-08-15 . London . Henry . McDonald . 2008-04-25.
29. News: 1935-05-08. Girl Sues Dance Band Crooner. 7. Birmingham Gazette. 2022-02-03.
30. News: Erin O'Connor. The Guardian. 2008-08-15 . London . Caroline . Roux . 2006-03-12.
31. Harmetz, Aljean (1993). Round Up the Usual Suspects: The Making of "Casablanca". Orion Publishing Co.
32. News: Look back in anger. The Guardian. 2008-08-15 . London . 1997-03-28.
33. http://www.findmypast.com/BirthsMarriagesDeaths.jsp Births England and Wales 1984–2006
34. News: 2007-02-14. Getting warmer. . Purnell, Sonia.
35. Dibble, Jeremy (2007). John Stainer: a life in music. Woodbridge: Boydell Press.
36. News: Humble Christ beats war-like Thatcher to place on pedestal. The Independent. 2008-08-15.
37. News: Florence gets first headline slot. BBC. 2010-03-10 . 2010-03-10.
38. Web site: Blue Plaque winners . Southwark Council . 2008-08-15 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20080724075019/http://www.southwark.gov.uk/DiscoverSouthwark/BluePlaquesSection/BluePlaques2003/BPWinners.html . 2008-07-24 .
39. Web site: Marc Brunel . . 2008-08-15 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080614215811/http://www.brunel-museum.org.uk/brunel_mb.aspx . 2008-06-14 . dead .
40. News: Suspect arrested for Bowen mugging. The Guardian. 2008-08-15 . London . Dan . Milmo . 2001-11-09.
41. News: It's Southwark, not Somalia. The Guardian. 2008-08-15 . London . Peter . Preston . 2007-02-18.
42. News: My neighbour, the Leopard Man of Peckham. The Guardian. 2008-08-15 . London.
43. Web site: Robert Browning - Biography. The Victorian Web. 2008-08-15.
44. The Feminist Companion to Literature in English, eds Virginia Blain, Patricia Clements and Isobel Grundy (London: Batsford, 1990), p. 251.
45. -Collins, John (1992). The Two Forgers: A Biography of Harry Buxton Forman and Thomas James Wise. New Castle, Delaware, USA: Oak Knoll Press.
46. Adler, Dorris. Philip Massinger. (Twayne's English authors series; 435) Boston: Twayne, 1987. .
47. Web site: John Ruskin - Biography. The Victorian Web. 2008-08-15.
48. News: 1999-10-23. Peers put their names forward. . Landale, James.
49. [Julian Amery]
50. News: Harriet Harman abandons home after Fathers4Justice protest on roof. The Times. 2008-08-15 . London . Hannah . Fletcher . 2008-06-08.
51. Jones, Jack (1986). Union Man. Harper Collins.
52. News: 1992-12-13. Born with a heritage of service . .
53. News: Thrale family. Papers: Guide.. harvard.edu. 2008-08-15. https://web.archive.org/web/20111001225928/http://oasis.lib.harvard.edu/oasis/deliver/~hou01750. 2011-10-01. dead.
54. Web site: Rural Development Minister meets Lord Whitty. 'scotland.gov.uk. 2008-08-15.
55. Web site: ODNB. 2015-04-30.
56. Web site: John Harvard . Southwark Council . 2008-08-15 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20081009181003/http://www.southwark.gov.uk/DiscoverSouthwark/HistoricSouthwark/JohnHarvard.html . 2008-10-09 .
57. A Dictionary of Hymnology - Book: Julian . John . A Dictionary of Hymnology . 1907 . 29 September 2019.
58. Web site: About Ven. Mother Mary Potter and Devotion For The Dying. catholictradition.org. 24 June 2018.
59. The Standard Life of C. H. Spurgeon. London: Passmore and Alabaster, 1800s.
60. Web site: John Bostock. MLSSoccer.com.
61. Ferdinand, Rio (2006). Rio: My Story. Headline Publishing.
62. Book: Powell, Nosher. Hall, William . Nosher!. John Blake Publishing. 2001. 1-85782-491-1.
63. Book: Matthew, Henry Colin Gray. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography: In Association with the British Academy. registration. Brian Howard Harrison . 63. 0-19-861398-9. Oxford University Press. 2004.
64. News: Sansom backs Ashley to stand out on his own. . . 2008-08-15.