English Martyrs Walworth

A Brief History of English Martyrs Walworth

From Rural to Urban

Before 1750 the Walworth area was largely rural with a few houses along the
Walworth road and near St. Thomas Watering (the site of the Thomas à Becket
public house) which was also the site of the North Surrey gallows. By 1850,
however, the area was largely built over and in 1902 one writer described
the area as "one of the poorest and most densely populated districts in London".

Many of those who moved into the newly built up area were Irish and Italian
Catholics and there were calls in the Catholic Press in 1843 - 1844 for a Catholic
church to be built in the area. The needs of the community were served by a
variety of "Mass Houses". In 1889 the bishop asked for a census of Catholics
in the area and a house was bought in Northampton Place (on the site of the
present infant school adjacent to the present church) and in 1890 the Walworth
Mission was established with Rev. Joseph Reeks being the first rector of the mission.