Peckham

Peckham is a place in London, England in the London Borough of Southwark. It was the setting for the popular sitcom "Only Fools and Horses" throughout the eighties and early nineties, and has not yet shaken off its reputation as a run-down, dangerous part of south London as it was depicted in the TV series. Most media coverage of Peckham is in relation to its high crime rate - recent famous cases include the murder of Damilola Taylor in 2001 and the machine-gunning of eight or nine (contemporary reports vary) people queueing outside Chicago's nightclub in the summer of 2000.

Whilst it is true that Peckham is a poor area, and that gang-related shootings continue to occur with depressingly high frequency, the area has a number of good points - a lot of money has been pumped into the area by the European Union, some of which was spent on building the futuristic, award-winning Peckham Library and a new town square. The author can recommend Paul's Cafe in the High Street, opposite the bus station, for a traditional English fried breakfast, and the Wishing Well on Bellenden Road for a pint of proper bitter (beer) and a game of pool.

Nearest places:

• Camberwell
• Walworth
• Newington
• Bermondsey
• Brockley

Nearest railway station:

• Peckham Rye railway station