Peckham - situated between Rotherhithe in the north and Forest
Hill in the south - was mentioned in the Doomsday Book (1087)
where it is called 'Pecheha'. The name is probably Anglo Saxon
and means 'village among the hills'. The old English word for
hill being 'peac' and 'ham' meaning village. The nearby hills
would be Honor Oak, Forest Hill and Telegraph Hill. Rye comes
from the Old English 'brook' and would have been named after the
little river Peck that once flowed across the Rye. Part of this
stream can still be seen on the West side of Peckham Rye Park
today. During the reign of Henry I, Peckham belonged to the King
and he gave it to his illegitimate son, Robert the Earl of
Gloucester, who became the Lord of the Manor. Peckham was a
village back then with mostly a farming community. Much of the
land was used for growing crops and fruit and by the 18th
century Peckham was famous for its melons, figs and grapes. Due
to its proximity to the centre of London some of this fruit was
destined for the Palace. W