is a place in the south of London in the
London Borough Of Lambeth . It is the location of the
The Oval , the well-known
Cricket venue.
Edward III gave the manor of Kennington to his oldest son Edward "the
Black Prince " in 1337, and the prince then built a large royal palace between what is now Black Prince Road and Sancroft Street.
Geoffrey Chaucer was employed at Kennington as Clerk of Works in 1389. He was paid 2 shillings. This area of Kennington continues to be owned by monarch's elder sons (Princes of Wales and
Dukes Of Cornwall ) to the present day.
Kennington Park (laid out by Victorian
Architect James Pennethorne ) and St Mark's Churchyard now cover the site of . In
1746 the Surrey County Gallows at the southern end of the common was used for the execution of nine leaders of the
Jacobite Rebellion of
1745 . The Common was also where the
Chartists gathered for their biggest demonstration in
1848 .
(Fuller details of the Common's history are in the
Kennington Park article.)
Kennington Park Road and Clapham Road is a long and straight stretch of road because it follows the old Roman
Stane Street . This ran down from the Roman London Bridge to Chichester via the gap in the
North Downs at
Box Hill near
Dorking . Another Roman road branched off opposite Kennington Road and went down through what is now Kennington Park and down the Brixton Road. It carried on through the North Downs near Caterham to Hassocks, just north of the South Downs.
Nearest places:
Nearest tube stations:
There are also two villages in England with the name:
External Links
Vauxhall Society - Executions on Kennington Common
