Camberwell's creative community

An art college, innovative galleries, and no tube station. Is Camberwell a model for creative suburbs?

Camberwell used to be famous for the Camberwell Carrot - an ostentatious way of rolling a joint. And this indicates its fame as a place for easy drugs and relaxed parties, rather than as a creative heart.

Camberwell’s creative community
But now, led by some key institutions, Camberwell is generating a location as somewhere interesting, vibrant, and creative.

First, there’s the South London Gallery, where Tracey Emin got her first big break and now a dynamic gallery with international shows on.

Second, there’s the Camberwell College of Arts, a laid back version of Central St Martins with a focus on visual arts.

Then there’s the Camberwell Arts Festival, each June, which has “'art happenings', shows, work shops, street performances and unveilings of new public art works.”

The carrot for culture
And around these three anchors, a whole creative community has developed. The main focus is in visual arts (like the GX Gallery and the House Gallery). Vanguard Court is a cobbled alley of artists' studios and Whirled Art is another studio space crammed into some railway arches.

Sign at the South London Gallery. Credit: Callum Lee

A 2007 study found nearly 100 individual artists, 9 arts organisations, 6 private galleries. All this in an area the size of a small village. There’s also music (Oxjam Camberwell), theatre (Blue Elephant Theatre), and film (Whirled Cinema).
 

The community is the key to Camberwells success

So why has Camberwell been so successful? According to the report, the institutions can take much of the credit, particularly the large number of students, the bars and restaurants they support, and the festivals.

But it’s also about having the transport links. It’s close to central London but not too close to be expensive. And not having a tube means it avoids the feeling of being a commuter town or transit space (like other places do, such as Victoria).

This means creatives stay in the area to collaborate and develop. So Camberwell’s culture is no longer confined to cannabis, the carrot for creatives is the community.