Peckham Pram Factories

A friend has lent me a copy of the 1952 Official Guide to 'The Metropolitan Borough of Camberwell' from the days before Southwark Council when Camberwell had its own Council covering Peckham, Nunhead and of course Camberwell itself. One of the things that struck me is how much manufacturing industry there was in the area then - there's a whole section 'Made in Camberwell'. Not sure much of anything, other than art and food, actually gets made in Camberwell today.

Interestingly, the area seems to have been a centre of pram making. The guide states: 'Camberwell can claim to produce some of the finest perambulators in the world. Two well-known firms that specialise in these products pay particular attention to taste in colour and decoration, and the finished articles speak highly for the craftsmanship and regard given, not only to strength and durability, but also to individual character and beauty of line, the sine qua non of British Industry'.

The firms in question were Royale Prams who claimed to make 'The World's most Beautiful Baby Coach' at the Besfoldas Works, 70a Nunhead Grove, SE15; and Deanes Limited who claimed to be 'Makers of Britain's Best Baby Carriage' at the Denette Works, 163 Peckham Rye (their advert is reproduced here).