Old Kent Road

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Old Kent Road is a road in south London, England. Although the name appears as simply "Old Kent Road" on maps, it is usually referred to by Londoners as "the Old Kent Road". The Old Kent Road runs from the Bricklayer's Arms Roundabout, where it meets the New Kent Road, Tower Bridge Road, and Great Dover Street, to New Cross. It forms the boundary between Walworth and Peckham to the south and Bermondsey to the north.

The Old Kent Road forms part of Watling Street, the Roman road which ran from Dover to Holyhead. Chaucer's pilgrims would probably have travelled along Watling Street on their way to Canterbury.

[edit] Trivia

The street is famous as the cheapest property on the London Monopoly Board and the only one in South London.

Old Kent Road is the title of a song by London-based indie pop group Pipas.

In The Little Princess Shirley Temple sings a song titled Knocked 'em in the Old Kent Road, of which the chorus gives a good idea of the sort of language used in the area:

"Wot cher!" all the neighbours cried

"Who yer gonna meet, Bill

Have yer bought the street, Bill"?

Laugh? — I thought I should've died

Knocked 'em in the Old Kent Road! [1]