For nearly 140 years, Pembroke House has been a place where people have come to learn, build relationships, and become part of something bigger than themselves. With the Becoming Neighbours project, we’re taking a moment to look back at the generations of Residential Volunteers, and neighbours who have helped shape Pembroke House and imagining together what the future of the Residency could look like. 

—

Pembroke House has always been more than a house, it has been a home. For nearly 140 years, people have come from far and wide to live, work and volunteer here. 

This began first in 1885, when graduates from Pembroke College, Cambridge came to Walworth sharing their skills, time and lives with the local community, and making Walworth their home. They developed ideas, relationships and projects that are still active today– including our Lunch Club for seniors, and the Pembroke Academy of Music (PAM). 

This history of residential volunteering did not end with those students, as year after year people continued in their legacy and came to live and work alongside the local community at Pembroke House. But the stories of those residential volunteers had never been collected, until now.

The Becoming Neighbours project seeks to uncover the stories of Pembroke House’s Residency, by looking backwards to look forwards. The project has two major aims.

1. To collect the stories of the residency, archive them and share them with the wider community, preserving a piece of Pembroke House’s and local history.
2. To collectively reimagine the future of the residency and create a blueprint for its relaunch.

So far, we are in the process of collecting the stories. We have recruited a working group from members of our community. We met up, and collectively created an interview template. Each working group member conducted one or more interviews with former residents.

Quotes and audio excerpts from the interviews were showcased in our project launch on the 27th November, alongside other trinkets! Members of the local community, Pembroke House staff, St Christopher’s church and former residential volunteers  came together to connect, share a meal and hear more about the project from Mattias, the lead researcher.

Other items displayed included pictures of former residents throughout the years as well as a suitcase that has been in the Residency since the 1940s, only now shown to the public now! 

We are always looking for people who are interested and willing to help conduct interviews and have conversations with former residents.

We would love for you to save the date to the Becoming Neighbours event on Saturday 16th May 2026. It will be a chance for former residential volunteers, those interested in local history and stories, the residency and community living to help collectively shape the Residency and prepare for its reopening.

To follow along, please check out the page on our website and or contact Juliette to see how you could be involved!