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About Us
Pembroke House was founded in 1885 by students from Pembroke College, Cambridge to be a centre for social action in Walworth, which was then and remains one of London's poorest communities. Also the home of St Christopher's Parish Church Pembroke House occupies buildings on Tatum Street SE17, just off the Old Kent Rd and on the edge of the Aylesbury Estate. Over the past five years the Charity has undergone something of a renaissance, significantly broadening the scope of its activities as it attempts to provide a focal point for a community benefiting from few local resources. The main projects at present are the Pembroke House Youth Centre, Young Visions and the Pembroke Academy of Music (see own pages). Other local groups also use the building, doing so on both a regular and occasional basis, including the Prince's Drawing School's Southwark Drawing Club.
Though supported by the Church, the project work does not have religious content, and is open to people of all faiths and none.
Though disadvantaged in many ways, Walworth is an area of tremendous diversity in terms of ethninicity, culture, faith and age; and it is a place where over 30 different languages are spoken every day. It is a place of real creativity as people of different backgrounds and experiences come together.
Pembroke House retains close links with Pembroke College, the Master and Dean of which are members of the Executive Committee of trustees. There is a long-standing tradition of students of the college volunteering to work for the Charity, while we organize regular visits to Cambridge for members of the local community.
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