- Women only
- Friendship, not dating
- Free to join
- Local guide
- October 20, 2026
Make Friends in Camberwell, one Tuesday stitch at a time
Social housing makes up close to half of Camberwell homes, and its library on the green opens seven days a week.
31,400+
people across the Camberwell Green and St Giles wards (Census 2021, ONS)
46%
of Camberwell homes are social housing, twice the London rate of 23% (Census 2021)
17%
of local households are lone-parent families, higher than London at 13% (ONS 2021)
Camberwell knits on Tuesdays
An easy way to make friends in Camberwell is the Knitting and Crochet Club at Camberwell Library, every Tuesday from 3pm to 4pm, right on Camberwell Green. The library also runs a Monday Club and an evening book group on the second Tuesday. On Saturdays a market sets up on the green from 10am, and Burgess parkrun starts less than a mile and a half away. A Camberwell woman from Gofrendly could be your knitting partner.
Camberwell, what locals ask
When is the Saturday market in Camberwell?
The market on Camberwell Green runs every Saturday from 10am to 3pm, organised by Urban Farmers Market, which was taking trader applications for 2026. It is a small, regular market, so going most weeks is how the Camberwell regulars become familiar faces.
What are the library opening hours in Camberwell?
Camberwell Library at 48 Camberwell Green is open Monday to Friday 9am–8pm, Saturday 9am–5pm and Sunday noon–4pm. Every floor can be reached by lift, Denmark Hill station and plenty of buses are close by, and the Knitting and Crochet Club meets there on Tuesday afternoons.
Is there a pool in Camberwell?
Yes. Camberwell Leisure Centre on Artichoke Place, off Camberwell Church Street, has a pool, a fitness suite and boxing, and has served the area since 1892. It is run by Southwark Council as part of Move Southwark, and the council offers free swimming to eligible residents.
How do I meet other mums in Camberwell?
Gofrendly is a women-only friendship app that lists Camberwell women living around you and lets you send the first hello. If you have children, grabbing a coffee once the Saturday market is done, or a buggy walk in Burgess Park, makes an easy first plan.
Building friendships in Camberwell
Camberwell is a mixed and lively neighbourhood. Social housing accounts for nearly half of homes, around one in six households is a lone-parent family, and in a third of households just one person lives alone. If you are juggling shifts, children or study, the friendships that stick usually grow from short, regular slots, such as a weekly club or a Saturday routine, rather than long evenings planned weeks ahead in someone’s diary.
It is quite possible to feel lonely on a road where everyone nods hello. Camberwell Library on the green opens every day, with a lift to all floors, and Camberwell Leisure Centre on Artichoke Place, in a baths building that has served the area since 1892, offers swimming, a fitness suite and boxing. Burgess Park stretches out to the north, and Brunswick Park is a quieter green space close by, good for a slow lap after work. Try these:
1
The Tuesday Knitting and Crochet Club at Camberwell Library.
2
The Saturday market on Camberwell Green.
3
Burgess parkrun from the Walworth Road end of the park.
4
Swimming at Camberwell Leisure Centre.
5
The evening book group on the second Tuesday.
LOCAL TIP
Finish one scarf at the Tuesday club and you will have a room full of people who watched it grow.
How to
Camberwell routines that lead to friendship
1
Drop in to the Monday Club at Camberwell Library, 3pm to 4pm each week.
2
Make the Saturday market on the green part of your weekend shop.
3
Join the 700-odd runners and walkers at Burgess parkrun, or volunteer with the crew.
4
Suggest a swim at the leisure centre to a Camberwell woman who gets in touch through Gofrendly.
Worth ten minutes of your Saturday
Camberwell, written up by our founders and editors
Gofrendly’s founders Claudia Gård and Ulrika Lilja wrote about Camberwell here, helped by our editors, so that women around the green can find friends to see in a lunch break.
Friendship looks different at every stage
More guides for women in this area – each with its own local advice.
Friendship looks different at every stage
More guides for women in this area – each with its own local advice.
Find women near you
See who’s nearby and say hi — it’s free to start.