'Nelly's Lambeth Walk' Guided Cemetery Tour

Their recent Lambeth Cemetery Walks have been such a big hit that Tracey and Geoff are reunited and doing it all again for the Lambeth Heritage Festival ! Nestling unobtrusively alongside the Wandle, Lambeth Cemetery stretches the length of Blackshaw Road, from Summerstown to St George's Hospital and with over a quarter of a million graves, there are a wealth of stories to unravel. From The Sausage King to orchid artist extraordinaire Nelly Roberts; from Dan Leno to Charlie Chaplin's Dad. From the tragic story of the man who fell from the sky to the mind-blowing tale of Sophar Rangoon, snatched from his Burmese homeland and raised in a Royal household. Particularly noteworthy are the many music hall entertainers among those who rest here and Tracey and Geoff will be telling you some of their stories on this informative and engaging tour!

Geoff Simmons runs a community history project in south west London called Summerstown182 alongside his job as a graphic designer. This involves Guided Walks and Talks, working with schools and putting up plaques. Over the last ten years a trail of these have emerged along the Wandle Valley, shining a light on some of the lesser-known history in this area. They range from the youngest soldier to serve this country in the First World War to a ground-breaking plaque acknowledging Romany Gypsy and Traveller heritage in Wandsworth. 'Planet Tooting' is an ongoing initiative championing the outstanding migrant contribution to our neighbourhood which resulted in a blue plaque on Tooting Market. Have a look on Geoff's blog for more details or follow @summerstown182 on twitter.

Tracey's Loughborough Road Histories project organised a memorial on Nelly's unmarked grave two years ago and followed it up a few months later with a plaque on her lifelong home!

Host or Publisher Geoff Simmons, Summerstown182