Before renaming in 1893, Fitzalan Street was one of the many ’Union Street’s of London. It is a narrow road aligned northwest-southeast and was already in existence at the turn of the nineteenth century. On the John Rocque map dating from fifty years earlier, the area seems to have been an orchard or market garden.
There is a notable 19th century pub (The Royal Oak) in the street. The Kennington Runoff Blog explored the pub in 2015.
After the Second World War there was much redevelopment which replaced streets to its south – Topaz Street, John Street, William Street and Saunders Street – by a park, the Lambeth Walk Open Space.
As late 19th century maps show, the street was once surrounded on all sides by dense housing, but today has a spacious and open feeling due to the Lambeth Walk open space to the south; this is laid to lawn and lined with mature street trees.
Children of Fitzalan Street (1921)