Description
Dulwich Woods and the adjacent Sydenham Hill Wood are survivors of the Great North Wood, which once covered large tracts of land here, a chain of oak woods and wooded commons that extended from Selhurst to Brockley. In 1605 the Manor of Dulwich was purchased by Edward Alleyn and the woods remain in the ownership of the successor to Alleyn's charitable foundation, now managed by the Trustees of The Dulwich Estate. After 1787 Dulwich tenants lost their common rights following the Enclosure Acts. A woodman was appointed to look after Dulwich Estate Woods in 1900, a post that continued until 1914, after which the woodland became rather neglected and overgrown. The woods survived until the development of Crystal Palace in the mid C19th, which led to some loss to housing development.
Practical Information
| Site location | Grange Lane/Low Cross Wood Lane |
|---|---|
| Postcode | SE26 |
| What3Words | ///parent.banks.groom |
| Type of Site | Public Open Land |
| Borough | Southwark |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Public Transport | Rail: Sydenham Hill |
| Research Updated | 1 April 2012 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Dulwich Woods and the adjacent Sydenham Hill Wood (q.v.) were part of the Manor of Dulwich, for which they were a much-used resource that was managed through coppicing and pollarding to provide wood for the locality for a variety of purposes. In the C16th coppiced areas became known as Dulwich Coppices. When the Manor was acquired in 1605 by Edward Alleyn he set aside 10 enclosed coppices surrounding the common and Sydenham Hill, reserving the wood and timber therein for his charitable foundation; after his death in 1629 these coppices were leased, although by the end of the C18th the foundation appears to have taken back the management of the coppices. The Dulwich Estate today consists of nearly 608 hectares (1500 acres) and continues to be managed by the successor to Alleyn's charitable foundation.
Edward Alleyn was a well-known Elizabethan actor-manager and impresario, also putting on bull- and bear-baiting, as a result of which he had been appointed Joint Master of the Royal Bears, Bulls and Mastiff Dogs in 1604. By now a wealthy man, he bought the Manor of Dulwich in 1605 although he continued to live in London until 1613, staying at Dulwich in the summer. He then decided to establish a charitable foundation in Dulwich to be endowed with his property at Dulwich and elsewhere. Following the foundation of Alleyn's College of God's Gift granted by James I in 1619 he began building his Almshouses for 'six poor brothers and six poor sisters' and his School 'for twelve poor scholars'. All the beneficiaries were to be chosen from four parishes: St Giles' Camberwell and the 3 London parishes with which he was closely connected, St Botolph's Bishopsgate, St Saviour's Southwark and St Giles Cripplegate (q.q.v.), the latter replaced as nominating body by the new parish of St Luke's in 1773.
The charitable foundation underwent reorganisation over the years particularly as a result of the expansion of its educational provision by James Allen, who was Warden and Master of the College from 1712-1746. Rents from his properties in Kensington enabled 2 small schools to be set up in Dulwich after 1741, and in 1842 a grammar school was established. These schools later led to what are now Dulwich College, James Allen's Girls' School and Alleyn's School (q.q.v.). From 1882 2 separate boards of trustees were established, the Estates Governors who had responsibility for the Estate and Almshouses, and the College Governors who had responsibility for the schools, chapel and Dulwich Picture Gallery (q.v.), which had opened in 1814. In 1995 new arrangements came into being whereby the properties, investments and other estate activities now come under the Trustees of The Dulwich Estate, which includes management of Amenity Areas, that now comprise 28 separate parcels of land. The largest area is Dulwich Woods, but it also include footpaths, verges, greens and shrubberies, as well as the garden of the Old College. There are some freehold 3800 properties on the Dulwich Estate, which are all subject to the Estate's Scheme of Management established by law in 1974 as a means of preserving the estate's exceptional environment. The Amenity Areas are all maintained by the Managers of the Scheme out of a charge made as part of the Scheme and freeholders are also obliged to maintain their properties, gardens and boundaries in a good state.
The Trustees of The Dulwich Estate also acts as Trustees of the Charity of Christ's Chapel of God's Gift at Dulwich. Boards of Governors were set up for Dulwich College, Alleyn's School and Dulwich Picture Gallery. A separate board of Trustees of the Dulwich Almshouse Charity still maintains links with the four parishes of the original foundation.
Edward Alleyn was a well-known Elizabethan actor-manager and impresario, also putting on bull- and bear-baiting, as a result of which he had been appointed Joint Master of the Royal Bears, Bulls and Mastiff Dogs in 1604. By now a wealthy man, he bought the Manor of Dulwich in 1605 although he continued to live in London until 1613, staying at Dulwich in the summer. He then decided to establish a charitable foundation in Dulwich to be endowed with his property at Dulwich and elsewhere. Following the foundation of Alleyn's College of God's Gift granted by James I in 1619 he began building his Almshouses for 'six poor brothers and six poor sisters' and his School 'for twelve poor scholars'. All the beneficiaries were to be chosen from four parishes: St Giles' Camberwell and the 3 London parishes with which he was closely connected, St Botolph's Bishopsgate, St Saviour's Southwark and St Giles Cripplegate (q.q.v.), the latter replaced as nominating body by the new parish of St Luke's in 1773.
The charitable foundation underwent reorganisation over the years particularly as a result of the expansion of its educational provision by James Allen, who was Warden and Master of the College from 1712-1746. Rents from his properties in Kensington enabled 2 small schools to be set up in Dulwich after 1741, and in 1842 a grammar school was established. These schools later led to what are now Dulwich College, James Allen's Girls' School and Alleyn's School (q.q.v.). From 1882 2 separate boards of trustees were established, the Estates Governors who had responsibility for the Estate and Almshouses, and the College Governors who had responsibility for the schools, chapel and Dulwich Picture Gallery (q.v.), which had opened in 1814. In 1995 new arrangements came into being whereby the properties, investments and other estate activities now come under the Trustees of The Dulwich Estate, which includes management of Amenity Areas, that now comprise 28 separate parcels of land. The largest area is Dulwich Woods, but it also include footpaths, verges, greens and shrubberies, as well as the garden of the Old College. There are some freehold 3800 properties on the Dulwich Estate, which are all subject to the Estate's Scheme of Management established by law in 1974 as a means of preserving the estate's exceptional environment. The Amenity Areas are all maintained by the Managers of the Scheme out of a charge made as part of the Scheme and freeholders are also obliged to maintain their properties, gardens and boundaries in a good state.
The Trustees of The Dulwich Estate also acts as Trustees of the Charity of Christ's Chapel of God's Gift at Dulwich. Boards of Governors were set up for Dulwich College, Alleyn's School and Dulwich Picture Gallery. A separate board of Trustees of the Dulwich Almshouse Charity still maintains links with the four parishes of the original foundation.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ339724 |
|---|---|
| Site Ownership | The Dulwich Estate |
| Site Management | Managers of the Scheme of Management (Trustees of The Dulwich Estate Charity) |
| 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 | Yes |
| Conservation Area Name | Dulwich Wood |
| Tree Preservation Order | Not known |
| Nature Conservation Area | Yes - Metropolitan Importance w. Sydenham Hill Wd |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | Yes |
| Special Policy Area | No |
| Other LA Designation | Green Chain Walk along Lower Cross Wood Lane |
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
St Stephen's Church was built to serve the growing population in South Dulwich that developed following the establishment of the Crystal Palace on Sydenham Hill and the arrival of the railway.
The ragstone church with its fine slate spire was built in 1867-8, designed by Charles Barry Jnr, the architect of Dulwich College. Surrounded by Dulwich Woods, the church has a neat garden with war memorial, lawns, shrub and flower beds with hedging to the road. Soon after it was completed, the painter Camille Pissarro painted the church in its woodland setting in 1870.
Sydenham Hill Wood and Dulwich Woods to the west are survivors of the Great North Wood, which once covered large tracts of land here, a chain of oak woods and wooded commons that extended from Selhurst to Brockley. After 1787 Dulwich tenants lost their common rights following the Enclosure Acts, although the woods survived until the development of Crystal Palace following the Great Exhibition, which led to housing development. The steep slope of woodland running west from Sydenham Hill became the gardens of several Victorian houses, since demolished, their gardens are now back within the woodland. Although the gardens have disappeared, evidence remains in the form of exotic garden trees, and fragments of built features. Also within the woods is the disused railway track of the Crystal Palace High Level Railway.
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