The South London suburb dates back to the nineteenth century when the land was sold by Alleyn's College and redeveloped with the help of Sir Charles Barry. It is a residential area which has undergone extensive "gentrification" in recent years. It has a very successful shopping area along Lordship Lane which, as well as some high quality independent retail premises, has a selection of decent restaurants and an organic greengrocer. On Fridays and Saturdays there is a small market on North Cross Road with antiques, CDs, second-hand books and specialist food stalls. Almost all the traditional pubs in the area have now been converted to Gastropubs, providing affluent young residents with many more places to eat and drink.