Description
Dulwich Upper Wood was once part of the Great North Wood within the Manor of Dulwich. The area developed rapidly following the Great Exhibition of 1852 when Crystal Palace was re-built at Sydenham Hill with large Victorian houses built on the slopes. After Crystal Palace burnt down in 1936, its railway fell into disuse and the area declined. In addition WWII bombing destroyed Victorian houses on the east side of Farquhar Road, their gardens become overgrown and reverting to woodland. In 1981 the site was created as a nature park by the Ecological Parks Trust, now the Trust for Urban Ecology. The wood is largely mixed oak woodland with a number of ancient oak trees and various trees from the Victorian gardens are also present.
Practical Information
| Site location | Farquhar Road, Dulwich |
|---|---|
| Postcode | SE19 |
| What3Words | ///online.flown.nail |
| Type of Site | Public Open Land |
| Borough | Southwark |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Public Transport | Rail: Gipsy Hill, Crystal Palace. London Overground: Crystal Palace. Bus: 2, 3, 63, 122, 157, 202, 227, 249, 322, 358, 410, 417. |
| Research Updated | 1 April 2012 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Once part of Great North Wood that stretched from New Cross to Croydon, Dulwich Upper Wood was part of the Manor of Dulwich, which belonged to the Abbot of Bermondsey until Henry VIII's dissolution of the Monasteries in 1542. The Manor lands extended from Herne Hill to the southern tip of Sydenham Ridge. In 1605 the Manor was purchased by Edward Alleyn, founder of Dulwich College. The area changed rapidly following the Great Exhibition of 1852 when Crystal Palace was re-erected here on the ridge of Sydenham Hill from Hyde Park. The High Level Railway Station was built, and roads and houses began to be rapidly developed. These included 8 large houses with gardens along the east side of Farquhar Road, in what is now Dulwich Upper Wood. In 1936 the area declined after Crystal Palace burnt down; the railway fell into disuse and was eventually demolished, prefab houses built on its site. Some of the Victorian houses on Farquhar Road were bombed in WWII and others became neglected and were eventually demolished. By 1960 most of the gardens were overgrown and only one house, No.18 Farquhar Road, was inhabited. The basements of the old houses are still visible in the wood.
In 1981 the Dulwich Society, GLC and LB Southwark entrusted the management of the site to the then Ecological Parks Trust, now the Trust for Urban Ecology, as a nature park. When Spinney Gardens Housing Estate was built in 1986, the link road cut through the southern section of the wood, and the separated southern tip now has a small nature garden. Since 1988 improvements have been made to enhance the wildlife value of the site and its educational facilities including provision of disabled access, an Outdoor Resource Area, a habitat demonstration facility in one of the former basements, and a pond/marsh area. The wood is largely mixed oak woodland with a number of ancient oak trees over 300 years old to the north of the site. Various trees from the Victorian gardens are also present, together with numerous sycamore and other native trees.
In 1981 the Dulwich Society, GLC and LB Southwark entrusted the management of the site to the then Ecological Parks Trust, now the Trust for Urban Ecology, as a nature park. When Spinney Gardens Housing Estate was built in 1986, the link road cut through the southern section of the wood, and the separated southern tip now has a small nature garden. Since 1988 improvements have been made to enhance the wildlife value of the site and its educational facilities including provision of disabled access, an Outdoor Resource Area, a habitat demonstration facility in one of the former basements, and a pond/marsh area. The wood is largely mixed oak woodland with a number of ancient oak trees over 300 years old to the north of the site. Various trees from the Victorian gardens are also present, together with numerous sycamore and other native trees.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ336712 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 2.4 |
| Site Ownership | LB Southwark, leased to Trust for Urban Ecology |
| Site Management | Trust for Urban Ecology/Friends of Dulwich Upper Wood |
| Dates | (ancient woodland, C19th), 1980s |
| On National Heritage List for England (NHLE), Parks & Gardens | No |
| Registered common or village green on Commons Registration Act 1965 | No |
| Protected under London Squares Preservation Act 1931 | No |
| Local Authority | Southwark |
| In Conservation Area | No |
| Tree Preservation Order | Not known |
| Nature Conservation Area | Yes - Borough Importance I |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | Yes |
| Special Policy Area | No |
Please note the Inventory and its content are provided for your general information only and are subject to change. It is your responsibility to check the accuracy.
Nearby parks and gardens
Becondale Road Open Space is a triangular woodland garden surrounded by a cul-de-sac of Victorian houses built by Isaiah Hitchcock on land that was once part of Norwood Common. The small central garden was initially the responsibility of the lessee and later became that of Lambeth Borough Council.
Remnants of ancient woodland of the once extensive Great North Wood were incorporated into the landscaping of the Hillcrest Estate, which was built on part of the former route of the Nunhead to Crystal Palace High Level railway line. After the railway closed in 1954, the LCC bought the land and passed much of it to local councils for housing and open space. Woodland survives as strips of trees on steep banks and between houses and blocks of flats. A network of footpaths runs through woodland that has mature trees including sweet chestnut and oak, beech and pear trees, as well as Wellingtonia, Scots pine and cedar of Lebanon. Two old tunnel entrances remain from the railway, now blocked up. Crescent Wood Tunnel is below Upper Sydenham Station's former booking office and stationmaster's house on Wells Park Road, now a private house. The station opened in 1884 and the site of the platforms remain as a level area of grass near the tunnel mouth.
The Kingswood Estate dates back to the C16th, but in the 1890s it was purchased by John Lawson Johnston, a businessman who also invented Bovril, who rebuilt the house that later became known as Bovril Castle. During WWI the house was sub-let as a hospital for Canadian troops, and after the war it was briefly used as a nurses' home. It was purchased by Sir William Vestey in 1919, who became Lord Vestey of Kingswood in 1922. During WWII it was used as offices and the RAF had a barrage balloon in the grounds. After WWII Kingswood House deteriorated but in 1956 it was opened as a community centre and library for the LCC estate that was built over most of the grounds. Remnants of the earlier landscaping survive, and The President John F Kennedy Rest Garden was created