London Ambulance Service: A Brief History

On Waterloo Road you will find the headquarters for the London Ambulance Service, which has been in this building since 1973.

On their forecourt you will find three ambulances: a 1949 Daimler DC27, a 1965 Morris LD and a 2004 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Ambulance.

The 1949 Daimler DC27 is one of 120 that were built. This was the first, fleet number A1 and it remained in operation until the late 1950s.

The Morris LD ambulance replaced the Daimler DC27, coming into service in 1965. Shorter, lighter and more manoeuvrable it was better suited to London's congested roads.

The 2004 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter carries far more equipment than any of its predecessors, which only carried a stretcher, oxygen and treatment boxes, as they weren't expected to do much remedial work at the scene.

Affixed to the wall of the headquarters are various information boards which give a history of the service, along with photographs taken throughout the years.

A small well-maintained memorial garden is a space for family, friends and work colleagues of the staff and volunteers who have died, in service or retirement, to come and remember them.

There is also a memorial plaque, which is a copy of a plaster relief sculpted by Station Officer D.M. Thrupp of the London Auxiliary Ambulance Service, in 1941.

In April 2021 a tree was planted, in the memorial garden, to remember London Ambulance Service staff who died during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This year marks 60 years of the London Ambulance Service, as we know it now. So, let us take a look at its remarkable history.

Serving around 8.6 million people, the London Ambulance Service is the busiest ambulance service in the United Kingdom and one of the busiest in the world, employing around 5,300 staff. In a typical year the London Ambulance Service responds to over 2.1 million 999 calls and attends 1.2 million incidents.

The Bus Cafe

The Bus Cafe, within Waterloo Bus Garage, is a hidden gem of a place, offering a cheap eating experience for those in the know.

This traditional canteen, originally solely for bus drivers, has a simple decor, no frills plastic furniture and a pool table. Today it is a friendly and relaxed place with a retro vibe. 

Its menu, with many of its meals priced below £10, offers full English breakfasts, burgers, salads, sandwiches, soups, sandwiches and much more. Then there are the West Indian specialities like jerk chicken and mutton pies. There are also 'specials' that change frequently.

As the cafe is now open to anyone it attracts locals, office workers and tourists, while still serving bus drivers and maintenance crews. 

The Bus Cafe is located at 6 Cornwall Road, within Waterloo bus garage, with its entrance opposite Emma Cons Gardens.

Go through the gate, but keep to the pedestrian footpath, and the Bus Cafe entrance will be on your right. There is an outdoor seating area, but this is purely for bus drivers.

Waterloo Bus Garage

The site on which Waterloo bus garage now stands, was first used in 1951, as a storage and servicing location for buses attending the Festival of Britain.

It wasn't until the 1980s that it became a bus garage, operating London bus limited stop routes which were used as high frequency commuter services, in central London.

In the 1990s London's first fleet of Mercedes-Benz Citaro articulated buses replaced the AEC Routemasters that operated route 11. These Routemasters were transferred to Stockwell bus garage, as the articulated buses required more room.

In 2009 the Mercedes-Benz Citaro articulated fleet was replaced with Mercedes-Benz O530 Citaros.

In 2016 Waterloo bus garage was the first bus garage, in Europe, to be fully converted to electric.

In 2019 the bus garage won the prize for 'Sustainable Energy' at the 'Energy Globe' awards.

In 2023 bus routes 507 and 521 were withdrawn, leaving Waterloo bus garage with just one route, the 214. This is a 24-hour service between Highgate Village and Finsbury Square.

Walking with friends: Waterloo to Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens... and beyond

Wednesday August 27, 2025.

Having arrived back from our family holiday, in Lanzarote, on Monday, I was itching to get back to walking London's streets and discover new places.

Fortunately, I still had some time off, before I return to work next month.

My friend and colleague, Steve, also had this week off from work, so we met at Watford underground station and set off for London. Our Metropolitan line train took us to Finchley Road, where we switched to a Jubilee line train to take us to Waterloo, where our walk would begin.

As the weather forecast said rain was due in the afternoon, we both had light coats with us 

Exiting Waterloo station, we crossed Waterloo Road and made our way to the Waterloo Bus Garage, where we would have breakfast at the Bus Cafe. Now, Waterloo Bus Garage is a significant place as it became the first fully electric bus depot, in Europe, in 2016.

On entering the Bus Cafe we grabbed an available table, before I ordered two Full English breakfasts, with coffee. We didn't have to wait too long before it was served to us. As we ate the rain, that was promised for the afternoon, suddenly released a deluge. 

After we had finished we got speaking with a man at a neighbouring table. It turns out he had just flown in from Canada and, on hearing about the Bus Cafe, had entered to try his first ever Full English breakfast. A mum and daughter, at another table, were also here on their first visit. The rest of the cafe was full of bus drivers on their breaks or preparing to start their shifts.

We left the Bus Cafe and headed down Waterloo Road towards the London Ambulance Service Headquarters, where we looked at the three ambulances preserved on the forecourt, taking photos and reading about the history of the London Ambulance Service.

From here we headed down Pearman Street, crossed Westminster Bridge Road and continued down King Edward Walk, crossed Lambeth Road and cut through Geraldine Mary Harmsworth Park to reach Kennington Road.

We followed Kennington Road until we turned down Chester Way, then Kennington Lane where we turned down White Hart Street. It was here, on the Kennings Estate that we discovered some ARP stretchers being used as railings. Eventually we found ourselves on Kennington Park Road.

From here we rejoined Kennington Road and made our way to 'The Dog House', as we had heard great things about it. Plus, we were getting thirsty. Unfortunately, the pub was late in opening, so we entered 'The Tommyfield', which stands opposite.

We ordered our drinks and grabbed a table, from where we checked out the pub. It turns out that this pub has comedy nights, where various comedy figures have played.

Suitably hydrated we crossed Kennington Lane and entered 'The Dog House'. And what a delight it was. We had entered into what, at one time had been the 'public' bar, where a glass cabinet held taxidermied birds, while teapots hung from the ceiling. A short corridor, covered in small movie posters promoting various horror and science fiction films.

Entering the 'Saloon' bar we discovered more taxidermied animals, while empty bird cages hung from the ceiling. The walls were adorned with random photos, prints, African tribal masks and so much more. A small snug had oriental parasols hanging above it. It is an eclectic place. After looking around as much as we could and having spoken with the landlord, about the building, we took our drinks outside to the beer garden and relaxed.

On leaving 'The Dog House' we passed the house where Charlie Chaplin had lived, from 1889-1978, before crossing Kennington Road and heading down Black Prince Road. We passed 'The Black Prince' pub and Venn Park, before reaching Tyers Street, where we stopped for a drink at 'The Jolly Gardeners'. 

Now, I have been here before and this pub houses a piano that was, supposedly, played by Charlie Chaplin Senior. It is stood in the corner of the pub, in a sorry looking state. There is no plaque or information that states its history, but it is still an intriguing piece to look at. After looking at the piano we sat in the open-air garden and sipped our drinks.

On leaving the pub we continued along Black Prince Road, where I pointed out 'The Queen's Head' pub, which is now a bistro. At one time, in its past, this pub was frequented by Charlie Chaplin as it was run by his Uncle. It was here that he drew inspiration for his "Tramp" character, after noticing a patron, Archibald Binks, who wore large loose fitting trousers and walked with a shuffle.

We continued our walk until we reached the 'Doulton' building, with its ornate office building, on the corner of Lambeth High Street. This is one of my favourite buildings in the area.

Turning up Lambeth High Street we stopped, so that Steve could have his photo taken with some firemen.

 

We then entered 'The Windmill Pub'. This is another pub that I had visited before and was eager to show Steve its wonderful interior and its amazing and entertaining 'If Places Were Faces, London' drawing. And Steve loved it, spending far too much time laughing at the names and faces on it. We then looked around the pub, before sitting to sip our drinks.

We then headed back down Lambeth High Street and back along Black Prince Road until we reached Vauxhall Walk, which we followed, passing the National Crime Agency building, until we reached Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens. 

St Peter Westcheap Churchyard

St Peter Westcheap was built in the 12th century and was rebuilt in the 16th century, when it was known as 'St Peter's at the Crosse in Cheape', because of the memorial cross erected there by King Edward I, in 1291. The cross was to honour Queen Eleanor and marked one of the twelve places where her body rested on the journey from Nottinghamshire to Westminster Abbey.

It became a holy shrine, adorned with religious carvings, and was consequently removed by the Puritans. Musicians often performed on the leads of the church during processions; and it was here that Queen Elizabeth I, on her procession through the City of London, was presented with a copy of the English translation of the Bible. 

Three Lord Mayors are buried in the churchyard.

The church was not rebuilt after the Great Fire of 1666.

The shop on the corner, backing on to the churchyard, L & R Wooderson, was built just 21 years after the Great Fire.

Today, the churchyard is a pocket park, offering a place of quiet respite, just a stone's throw from St Paul's Cathedral. It is also home to a London Plane tree, said to be "the oldest tree" in the City of London.

York Watergate, Victoria Embankment Gardens

It is hard to believe, now, but that this small building once stood on the north bank of the River Thames.

Originally an entranceway with stone steps that was used to reach the river, where boats moored along the river's edge could be boarded. 

This building has not been moved. But the River Thames was narrowed, in 1862, when construction began on the new sewer system and Victoria Embankment was created, which has resulted in this building now resting some 133 metres (436 feet) from the banks of the river.

A large tablet close to the gateway reads:

THIS GATEWAY MARKS THE POSITION

OF THE NORTHERN BANK OF THE RIVER THAMES

BEFORE THE CONSTRUCTION

OF THE VICTORIA EMBANKMENT 1862.

It was built in 1626 by Nicholas Stone.

Master Mason for George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham, to serve

as the watergate to York House, which the Duke had acquired from

the Archbishop of York, in 1624. The arms on the river front and the motto

'Fidei Coticula Crux' (the Cross is the Touchstone of Faith) on the land side

are those of the Villiers family. York House was demolished in 1675 and

streets were laid out on the site. In 1893, the gate having fallen into

decay, the London County Council obtained parliamentary powers

to acquire and preserve it as an object of public interest.

However, although the tablet attributes its erection to Nicholas Stone, Indigo Jones and Balthasar Gerbier may also have had a part in it.

It is built of stone in three bays, with rusticated bands on the side facing the river. The two lions on the top hold shields with anchors to symbolise the Duke of Buckingham's service as Lord High Admiral.

Today, it lacks its balustrade, stone-paved landing stage and steps.