Description
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.
Practical Information
| Site location | Sydenham Hill/Crescent Wood Road |
|---|---|
| Postcode | SE26 |
| What3Words | ///launch.covers.pink |
| Type of Site | Public Open Land |
| Borough | Southwark |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Facilities | Woodland Bat Roost Project |
| Public Transport | Rail: Sydenham Hill. London Overground: Forest Hill. Bus: P4, 176, 185, 197, 202, 356, 363 |
| Research Updated | 1 April 2012 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Sydenham Hill Wood and Dulwich Woods (q.v.) were part of the Manor of Dulwich, a much-used resource and managed. In the C16th coppiced areas became known as Dulwich Coppices. When the Manor was acquired n 1605 by Edward Alleyn, later founder of Dulwich College, he set aside 10 enclosed coppices surrounding the common and Sydenham Hill, reserving the wood and timber therein for the College; after his death in 1629 these coppices were leased, although by the end of the C18th the College appears to have taken back the management of the coppices. 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 a spate of housing development. As a result the steep slope of woodland running west from Sydenham Hill became the gardens of several Victorian houses, since demolished. The gardens can no longer be identified, but evidence of their existence can be found in the woodland, including the remnants of a formal pool, a fake ruined arch with incised lines simulating stonework very much like those on the bridge in Buckingham Palace gardens, and the site of tennis courts. A number of garden trees including exotic species occur in the woods, such as a monkey puzzle and a cedar of Lebanon, one of the largest trees in the wood.
Pulham & Co. is known to have undertaken some work for Alderman Stone at Hill Wood in 1863 and 1866. The Pulham catalogue indicates that the firm worked extensively in this area in the 1870s; in Kingswood Drive, which may have been the garden of Kingswood House, there are Pulham-style remains. Also within the woods is the disused railway track of the Crystal Palace High Level Railway that ran from 1865-1954 and the bricked-up Crescent Wood Tunnel.
Sydenham Hill Wood has been managed by the London Wildlife Trust since 1982. The wood was for sale for development c.1988 but to date this has been prevented. Cox's Walk (q.v.) crosses through the woods, also managed by London Wildlife Trust.
Pulham & Co. is known to have undertaken some work for Alderman Stone at Hill Wood in 1863 and 1866. The Pulham catalogue indicates that the firm worked extensively in this area in the 1870s; in Kingswood Drive, which may have been the garden of Kingswood House, there are Pulham-style remains. Also within the woods is the disused railway track of the Crystal Palace High Level Railway that ran from 1865-1954 and the bricked-up Crescent Wood Tunnel.
Sydenham Hill Wood has been managed by the London Wildlife Trust since 1982. The wood was for sale for development c.1988 but to date this has been prevented. Cox's Walk (q.v.) crosses through the woods, also managed by London Wildlife Trust.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ344725 |
|---|---|
| Site Ownership | The Dulwich Estate, leased to LB Southwark |
| Site Management | London Wildlife Trust |
| Dates | c1870 |
| 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 (with Dulwich Wood) |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | Yes |
| Special Policy Area | No |
| Other LA Designation | Green Chain Walk; Local Nature Reserve |
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
Baxter's Field is on sloping land that remained open land as housing gradually surrounded it from the late C19th. The OS Map of 1952/3 shows the north-west part in use for allotments, with playing fields to the south-east crossed by a line of trees, and provided with a drinking fountain, but it is unclear whether this was public open space or part of the adjacent Sydenham School grounds. By 1970 it all appears to be one site, crossed by a path on the line of the former boundary between allotments and playing field. A plaque erected by the Sydenham Society in 1980 at the west entrance gives information about George Baxter (1804-1867) after whom the park is named. Now sandwiched between suburban housing the park is largely grass with railed shrubberies, a few trees, a perimeter path and another path crossing the park between the entrances.
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.
Horniman's Triangle is a small park close to Horniman Museum and Gardens, a triangular area of sloping grassland, hedged to the road with trees and mounds. It was previously a smallholding with a house adjacent to Sydenham Rise known as Sydenham Rise Cottage and was incorporated into Horniman Gardens in the early 1950s, and now owned by LB Lewisham. There was once a paddling pool in the park, now converted to a sandpit.