William Blake moved to Lambeth in 1790 at age 33, where he lived for the next 10 years. This was one of the most productive periods of his life as an artist, poet, and inventor. Lambeth was undergoing rapid development at the time from a village to an urban area. Blake produced many of his illuminated works during this time in Lambeth, developing a unique technique of combining image, text, and color. His works were largely unknown during his lifetime but he gained recognition in the decades after his death.

6. Maps of Lambeth 1755 & 1828 showing the rapid change from countryside to city