From the workhouse to the music halls: the world of Charlie Chaplin

This is a brand new walk through the streets of Waterloo and north Lambeth in the footsteps of Charlie Chaplin. Chaplin was the archetypal London boy made good. Born into grinding awful poverty at the end of the nineteenth century he was sent to the workhouse as his mother was confined to an asylum. He began to make a career in the music halls of London and, in 1913, went to the USA where in a few years he became one of the highest paid performers in the world.

On this walk we’ll explore the world of late nineteenth century poverty and entertainment; see where Chaplin lived and where he was sent to the workhouse. We’ll talk about the efforts to improve living conditions for the poor and sick and where Virginia Woolf, Emmeline Pankhurst and Gustav Holst worked to educate the poor.

You’ll need to bring your historical imaginations with you - the area was heavily blitzed and often unsympathetically developed but there are pockets left that would be all too familiar to Chaplin.

We’ll end at the Elephant and Castle where you can get the tube or end up in a welcoming pub.

Fee is £12 payable by card or cash on the day or by bank transfer. Phone is O7846899156