Educational Displays for Schools
3. Here come the railways - all change!
In 1849, the railway reached our area. This meant that people could live here and work elsewhere. Gradually, houses and streets began to cover the fields and meadows. Often buildings came right up to the edge of the river.
Notes for teachers
In south London, the development of railways in the 19th century stimulated a huge building boom, with ribbon development following the railways into the suburbs. The pace of development can be followed by obtaining maps of different ages. Reminders of former land use can be found in local place names such as Loampit Vale or Silk Mills Path (both in the centre of Lewisham).
- Find a map from the past that includes your school and do some detective work.
- Consider what it would have been like to commute on a new steam train.