Green’s Dictionary of Slang

Camberwell death trap, the n.

the Surrey Canal.

1883		Daily News 27 Sept. in Ware (1909) 61/1: Mr Powell, whose little nephew was recently drowned in the Surrey Canal, has called attention in a contemporary to the dangerous condition of that waterway. He regards it as a pitfall for little boys who walk on or play about its banks, and he tells us that it is locally known as ‘the Camberwell Death-trap’.
1896		Chelsford Chron. 25 Sept. 6/6: A gallant rescue from drowning was witnessed [...] at what is known as the ‘Camberwell Death Trap,’ a stretch of water on the Surrey Canal.
1909		J. Ware Passing Eng. of the Victorian Era.