B is for Baldwin's - Walworth A to Z

B is for Baldwin’s

Before the creation of the Heygate Estate the thriving retail community in Walworth Road continued right up to the railway bridge. Older folks will remember that Baldwin’s stood on the corner of Elephant Road. When it moved to its present location the wooden shelves and drawers lined with jars full of herbs and spices, the weighing scales, and all the quaint hand painted signage endorsing weird and wonderful concoctions came with it.

One sign promoting a cure-all, reads: “The invalid’s friend. Baldwin’s Small Herb Pills prepared from nature’s remedies of herbs and roots only. For sick headaches, piles, pains in the back & kidneys, impure blood, pimples, dizziness, swimming pains in the head & disorders of the bowels.” The shop had an old-worldly feel. Add to that the exotic fragrances and aromas filling the air and the sarsaparilla on tap, Baldwin’s will always be one of the most evocative places in Walworth. 

George Baldwin opened the doors to London’s longest running herbalists almost 170 years ago providing natural remedies to life’s ailments with his oils, ointments and herbs. The modern revamp and a mail order side brought the store into the 21^st century, attracting even more visitors from far and wide.

No.77 Walworth Road, the junction with Elephant Road.