Dulwich
Dulwich is an area based in south east London, England. The settlement is mostly in the London Borough of Southwark, with parts in the London Borough of Lambeth, and consists of Dulwich Village, East Dulwich, West Dulwich, and the Southwark half of Herne Hill. Dulwich lies in a valley between the neighbouring districts of Camberwell, Crystal Palace, Denmark Hill, Forest Hill, Peckham, Sydenham Hill, and Tulse Hill.
For the last four centuries Dulwich has been centred on the College of God's Gift, also known as the "Old College", which owned most of the land in the area today known as the Dulwich Estate. The College, founded with educational and charitable aims, established three large private schools in the 19th century. In recent decades four large state secondary schools have opened in the area.
Dulwich formed part of the ancient parish of Camberwell in Surrey, which became the Metropolitan Borough of Camberwell within the County of London in 1889; in 1965, the borough was abolished and the area became part of the newly created London Borough of Southwark.
History
The first documented evidence of Dulwich is as a hamlet outside London in 967 AD, granted by King Edgar to one of his thanes. The name of Dulwich has been spelt in various ways since the Medieval period: Dylways, Dullag and most commonly Dilwysshe. The land was granted in 1127 by King Henry I to Bermondsey Abbey who then owned the surrounding land. In 1333, the population of Dulwich was recorded as 100.In 1538, Henry VIII sold the area to goldsmith Thomas Calton for £609. Calton's grandson Sir Francis Calton, due to financial reasons, sold the Manor of Dulwich for £5,000 in 1605 to Elizabethan actor and entrepreneur Edward Alleyn. He vested his wealth in a charitable foundation, the College of God's Gift, established in 1619. The charity's modern successor, The Dulwich Estate, still owns in the area, including a number of private roads and a tollgate. As part of the foundation, Alleyn also constructed a school, the Christ's Chapel and alms houses in Dulwich. Alleyn's original school building is no longer used for that purpose, instead now housing the Estate's Governors.
In the 17th century, King Charles I of England visited Dulwich Woods on a regular basis to hunt. In 1738, a man named Samuel Bentyman was murdered in Dulwich Woods. On 5 August 1677 John Evelyn writes that he took the waters at Dulwich. The Dulwich waters were cried about in the streets of London as far back as 1678. In 1739, Mr. Cox, master of the Green Man, a tavern situated about a mile south of the village of Dulwich, sunk a well for his family. The water was found to be possessed of purgative qualities, and was for some time used medicinally. While the water was popular much custom was drawn to the adjoining tavern, and its proprietor flourished. The oak-lined formal avenue, known as Cox's Walk, leading from the junction of Dulwich Common and Lordship Lane was cut soon after 1732 by Francis Cox to connect his establishment of the Green Man Tavern and Dulwich Wells with the more popular Sydenham Wells.
By 1815 the Green Man had become a school known as Dr. Glennie's academy in Dulwich Grove, although it was demolished about ten years later. Among the pupils here there were a few who became well known, Lord Byron, General Le Marchant and Captain Barclay. Dr Glennie held Saturday evening concerts which attracted visitors from outside the family circle, such as the poet Thomas Campbell, then living in nearby Sydenham, and Robert Barker, inventor of the panorama. Following the closure of the school, the building reverted to its original use and was known as the Grove Tavern. The building has now been boarded up and neglected for many years by owners the Dulwich Estate. In 1803, Samuel Matthews – known as the "Dulwich Hermit" – was also murdered in Dulwich Woods; he was buried in Dulwich Old Cemetery. 1811–1814 saw the building of the Dulwich Picture Gallery.
The school founded by Alleyn expanded in 1842 into a small new building, designed by Sir Charles Barry who designed Westminster Palace, known as the Old Grammar School next to the Old College. In 1857, the foundation was restructured as part of a nationwide review of educational foundations; this resulted in a significant expansion of the school, which was split into an Upper School that moved into new buildings designed by Charles Barry in 1870, and a Lower School which moved to its present day site in Townley Road in 1887.
By 1901, the population had grown to 10,247 from a smaller population of 1,632 in 1851 due to the development of railway networks and a growth in housing for the middle and working classes. In the Second World War, Dulwich was hit by many V-1 flying bombs and V-2 rockets. A possible explanation for this is that the British military when announcing V-1 and V-2 explosions deliberately gave map co-ordinates four miles north of the truth in an attempt to protect densely populated central London and focus the drops on the open spaces in the suburbs instead.
Governance
Dulwich is part of the Dulwich and West Norwood constituency for elections to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom.Dulwich is part of the Dulwich Hill, Dulwich Village and Dulwich Wood wards for elections to Southwark London Borough Council.
Geography
There are a number of recognised districts in Dulwich:- Dulwich Village which includes the traditional village centre
- West Dulwich which is a mainly residential area bordering West Norwood and Tulse Hill.
- Herne Hill which forms the North Dulwich Triangle, borders Brixton, Denmark Hill, Loughborough Junction and Tulse Hill.
- Sydenham Hill Wood and Dulwich Wood – The southern border includes Sydenham Hill station, St. Stephen's Church and the mid-century housing estates of Great Brownings and Peckarmans Wood.
- East Dulwich, also a residential area, bordering Peckham. It includes Lordship Lane.
Sport and leisure
Dulwich is also home to Dulwich Hamlet F.C., founded in 1893 and competing in the Isthmian League today. They ground share with another Non-League football club Fisher F.C. at Champion Hill in East Dulwich. In the early 1990s Sainsbury's acquired the site and built Dulwich Hamlet a new ground.The Old Alleynian Football Club is a local rugby union team originally for former pupils of Dulwich College, but is now open to all who wish to play. Alleyn Old Boys Club – former pupils of Alleyn's School – is located on Burbage Road.
Dulwich has two running clubs, namely Dulwich Park RC and Dulwich Runners.
Local landmarks
was opened in 1890. It was formerly farmland, part of the Court Farm, and now offers duck and rowing ponds, children's play area, bowling green, tennis court, bridle path for horse-riding, and a café.Dulwich Hospital in East Dulwich Grove was designed by Henry Jarvis and built on of land purchased in East Dulwich by the Guardians of the Poor of the Parish of St Saviour, Southwark, for the price of £50,000 in 1885. At the time of opening in 1887, it offered a 723-bed capacity. It was transformed from an infirmary into the Southwark Military Hospital during World War I, when it is estimated 14,000–15,000 wounded soldiers were treated at the hospital. After the Poor Law was abolished in 1930, the Southwark Union Infirmary was renamed Dulwich Hospital and the following year an operating theatre was built. In 1964, the hospital was aligned with King's College Hospital on Denmark Hill. There is no casualty department at Dulwich at present. However, in 2015 it was announced that Dulwich Hospital was to be closed and replaced by a school.
There is a memorial fountain in Dulwich Village which is in remembrance to Dr George Webster, founder of the first British Medical Association, who worked in Dulwich from 1815 until his death in 1875.
Old Burial Ground, Dulwich Village, was created by Edward Alleyn as part of the foundation of his College of God's Gift. The Archbishop of Canterbury, George Abbot, conducted the consecration on Sunday 1 September 1616. Guests included Edmund Bowyer, Thomas Grimes and William Gresham. Thirty five Dulwich victims of the plague were buried in unmarked graves in the ground. Old Bridget, queen of the Norwood Gypsies was also buried here in 1768. The ground was declared "full" in 1858, however the family of Louisa Shroeder obtained special permission for her remains to be interred in 1868. The ground's wrought iron gates and twelve tombs are Grade II listed.
The old Grammar School adjacent to the Old College and Almshouses at the junction of Burbage Road and Gallery Road was designed by Charles Barry.
Houses
Belair House on the boundary between West Dulwich and Dulwich itself, is opposite West Dulwich railway station and was designed in 1785 for John Files. It remained a private house until 1938 when it came into the hands of Southwark Council. It fell into disrepair in the 1990s but was bought in 1998 and refurbished and turned into an upmarket restaurant. The house has a large park ground attached which is now public, including tennis courts and a children's play area. This area used to be the fields for its farm. The lake is the only substantial stretch of the ancient River Effra remaining above ground.Bell House in College Road was designed in 1767 for Thomas Wright, a stationer and later Lord Mayor of the City of London. A large extension was added in the mid-19th century and it is accompanied by a lodge house. The house is Grade II listed. Its name comes from its Bell Tower situated on top of the original house and the bell was restored in the late 1990s. It became a Dulwich College boarding house in 1926 and only returned to private ownership in 1993. The house was bought in the summer of 2016 by an educational charity.
The Crown and Greyhound public house is in Dulwich Village. In the 19th century, two separate pubs stood in this area – the centre of Dulwich Village. The Crown was for the labourers of the area, while the Greyhound across the road, was for local gentry. The Greyhound was a coach stop on the London Piccadilly-Sittingbourne route. Charles Dickens was a frequent visitor to the village and used to drink at The Greyhound pub. The current pub known as "The Dog", is a Grade II listed building. In the 1960s, it used to be known as the venue of the "Dulwich Poets".
One of the area's most famous residents and architects was Sir George Frederick Ellyatt. He was responsible for the design or influence of in excess of 25 homes in the area, each built in its own individual style. One of the most notable homes was Crossways, 1 Dulwich Village, which he built as his own home following being granted permission to do so in January 1927 at a cost of just over £2000 and with a ground rent of £22 10s per annum. Uniquely, Ellyatt sought and was granted permission to build in 9" solid brick walls rather than 11" cavity walls as long as he used cement mortar. The site was originally occupied by a Georgian built home, known locally as "the Hall" which had become partially derelict during World War I and was demolished in 1925. Crossways still exists in substantially the same manner and form as when it was originally built.
The Dulwich Wood and Sydenham Hill area contains mid-century housing estates designed by Austin Vernon and Partners for the Dulwich Estate. Examples include Peckarmans Wood and Great Brownings.