[3] The area of the modern borough had historically been part of the county of Surrey, and generally corresponds to the three ancient parishes of Lambeth, Clapham and Streatham.

It was an elongated north–south parish with two miles (three kilometres) of River Thames frontage opposite the cities of London and Westminster.

From 1856 the area of the modern borough was governed by the Metropolitan Board of Works, which was established to provide services across the metropolis of London.

[7] In the 2016 European Union referendum, Lambeth had the highest share of Remain votes in the United Kingdom at 78.62%, second to overseas territory Gibraltar's 95.9%.

The largest shopping areas are (in order of size) Streatham, Brixton, Vauxhall, Clapham and West Norwood.

Vauxhall and South Lambeth are central districts in the process of redevelopment with high-density business and residential property.

Along and around the South Bank, a tourist area has developed around the former Greater London Council headquarters of County Hall and the Southbank Centre and National Theatre.

The Basaveshwara statue at the Albert Embankment erected by the former Mayor of Lambeth Neeraj Patil was unveiled by the Prime Minister of India on 14 November 2015.

National Rail service in Lambeth is provided by South Western Railway, Southeastern, Southern, Thameslink and London Overground.