West Dulwich ( ) is a neighbourhood in

South London South London is the southern part of Greater London, England, south of the River Thames. The region consists of the Districts of England, boroughs, in whole or in part, of London Borough of Bexley, Bexley, London Borough of Bromley, Bromley, Lon ...

on the southern boundary of Brockwell Park, which straddles the

London Borough of Lambeth Lambeth () is a London borough in South London, England, which forms part of Inner London. Its name was recorded in 1062 as ''Lambehitha'' ("landing place for lambs") and in 1255 as ''Lambeth''. The geographical centre of London is at Frazi ...

and the

London Borough of Southwark The London Borough of Southwark ( ) in South London forms part of Inner London and is connected by bridges across the River Thames to the City of London and the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It was created in 1965 when three smaller council ...

. Croxted Road and South Croxted Road mark the boundary between Southwark to the east and Lambeth to the west. The

suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area. They are oftentimes where most of a metropolitan areas jobs are located with some being predominantly residential. They can either be denser or less densely populated ...

of West Dulwich dates back to the 17th century when the often flooded land known as Dulwich Common was acquired and drained by

Edward Alleyn Edward Alleyn (; 1 September 156621 November 1626) was an England, English actor who was a major figure of the Elizabethan theatre and founder of the College of God's Gift in Dulwich. Early life Alleyn was born on 1 September 1566 in Bishop ...

's estate. West Dulwich has two main parades of shops, the main one being on the Park Hall road junction, where Croxted Road becomes South Croxted Road and the other on Rosendale Road.

Buildings of interest

In addition to the

College A college (Latin: ''collegium'') may be a tertiary educational institution (sometimes awarding degrees), part of a collegiate university, an institution offering vocational education, a further education institution, or a secondary sc ...

, other buildings of interest are Belair House; the Grade I listed All Saints Church, West Dulwich, home of the Lambeth Orchestra, which burned down in 2000 but reopened on the same site in 2006 thanks to the sustained work of parishioners and the local community;

Kingswood House Kingswood House, formerly known as King's Coppice, is a Victorian mansion in West Dulwich, at the southern tip of the London Borough of Southwark, United Kingdom. It is a Grade II listed building. It is now used an arts and community centre call ...

, a Grade II Victorian mansion; and The Rosendale pub, which is a historic coaching house that still retains the original

Royal Doulton Royal Doulton is an English ceramic and home accessories manufacturer that was founded in 1815. Operating originally in Vauxhall, London, and later moving to Lambeth, in 1882 it opened a factory in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, in the centre of Engl ...

tiles. It was redeveloped into a

gastropub A gastropub or gastro pub is a pub that serves food of high quality, with a nearly equal emphasis on eating and drinking. The term was coined in the 1990s in the United Kingdom. History The term ''gastropub'' (derived from gastronomy) was coi ...

and was awarded the title of TimeOut London Best Gastropub 2007.

Transport

Buses

The London bus routes are 3, 37, 42, 68,

196 Year 196 ( CXCVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Dexter and Messalla (or, less frequently, year 949 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 196 for this yea ...

201 Year 201 ( CCI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Fabianus and Arrius (or, less frequently, year 954 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 201 for this yea ...

322 __NOTOC__ Year 322 (Roman numerals, CCCXXII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Probianus and Iulianus (or, less frequently, year 1075 ''Ab urbe condita''). The ...

468 __NOTOC__ Year 468 ( CDLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Anthemius without colleague (or, less frequently, year 1221 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomin ...

, P13, school route 690 and night buses N3 and N68.

Rail

Direct rail services are available from

West Dulwich railway station West Dulwich railway station is on the Chatham Main Line in England, serving the West Dulwich area in the London Borough of Southwark, south London. It is located on opposite side of the south circular road from Belair Park, down the line fr ...

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

(via the Southeastern Metro Bromley South line) as well as limited service to Blackfriars at peak hours. Nearby railway stations offer services to other destinations:

London Bridge The name "London Bridge" refers to several historic crossings that have spanned the River Thames between the City of London and Southwark in central London since Roman Britain, Roman times. The current crossing, which opened to traffic in 197 ...

can be reached from the nearby North Dulwich or

Tulse Hill Tulse Hill is a district in the London Borough of Lambeth in South London that sits on Brockwell Park. It is approximately five miles from Charing Cross and is bordered by Brixton, Dulwich, Herne Hill, Streatham and West Norwood. History The a ...

stations by the Southern Metro via

Peckham Rye Peckham Rye is an open space and road in the London Borough of Southwark, London, England. The roughly triangular open space lies to the south of Peckham and consists of two contiguous areas, Peckham Rye Common to the north and Peckham Rye Park t ...

line. The nearest

London Underground The London Underground (also known simply as the Underground or as the Tube) is a rapid transit system serving Greater London and some parts of the adjacent home counties of Buckinghamshire, Essex and Hertfordshire in England. The Undergro ...

station is

Brixton Brixton is an area of South London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. Brixton experienced a rapid rise in population during the 19th century ...

on the

Victoria line The Victoria line is a London Underground line that runs between in South London, and in the east, via the West End of London, West End. It is printed in light blue on the Tube map and is one of the only two lines on the network to run comp ...

Green spaces

Belair Park is located in West Dulwich, and

Brockwell Park Brockwell Park is a park located south of Brixton, in Herne Hill and Tulse Hill in south London. It is bordered by the roads Brixton Water Lane, Norwood Road, Tulse Hill and Dulwich Road. The park commands views of the skyline of City of Lond ...

, Dulwich Park and

Dulwich Wood Dulwich Wood, together with the adjacent Sydenham Hill Wood, is the largest extant part of the ancient Great North Wood in the London Borough of Southwark.

are all within walking distance of West Dulwich. The Rosendale Allotments, which were established in 1908, are on an site owned by the

Dulwich Estate The Dulwich Estate, previously the Estates Governors of Alleyn's College of God's Gift at Dulwich, is a Charitable organization, registered charity in England, one of the successors to the historic charity Edward Alleyn's College of God's Gift t ...

in West Dulwich between

Herne Hill Herne Hill () is a district in South London, approximately four miles from Charing Cross and bordered by Brixton, Camberwell, Dulwich, and Tulse Hill. It sits to the north and east of Brockwell Park and straddles the boundary between the London ...

and Knight's Hill. The Old College Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club is on the east side of

Gallery Road The historical Gallery Roads (), also known as Cliff Roads or Plank Roads, were routes traversing remote mountainous regions of China. The roads were fashioned using wooden planks securely fastened within holes carved into cliff sides. Primari ...

Knight's Hill

There are two areas called Knight's Hill nearby; the better known area is the residential area and electoral ward in

West Norwood West Norwood is a largely residential area of south London within the London Borough of Lambeth, located 5.4 miles (8.7 km) south south-east of Charing Cross. The centre of West Norwood sits in a bowl surrounded by hillsides on its east, ...

by the road called Knights Hill. But there is a hill to the north, in West Dulwich near Thurlow Park Road, known as Knight's Hill, in which is the Knight's Hill railway tunnel. This second Knight's Hill includes the hilly land between the western end of Thurlow Park Road (South Circular), Peabody Hill and Lovelace Road, where the adjoining Rosendale allotments in Dulwich stand today. The green area is still marked as Knight's Hill on detailed maps, but to avoid confusion is not normally named on modern street maps. Both areas have similar origins, first mentioned as belonging to Thomas Knyght in 1545, and were known as Knight's Hill Common and Knight's Hill Farm, respectively. The train line between

North Dulwich railway station North Dulwich railway station is in the London Borough of Southwark in Dulwich, south London. The station and all trains serving it are operated by Southern, and it is on the boundary of Travelcard Zone 2 and Travelcard Zone 3 (Travelcards w ...

and

Tulse Hill railway station Tulse Hill railway station is in the Tulse Hill area of the London Borough of Lambeth in south London, between railway bridges over the A205, South Circular Road and the A215, Norwood Road. It is measured from . There are currently 4 platfo ...

runs through the hill. Today the Peabody Hill estate lies on the western side of Tulse Hill with the Rosendale Road allotments on the top.

Politics

West Dulwich forms part of the Dulwich and West Norwood constituency whose current member of Parliament is

Helen Hayes Helen Hayes MacArthur (; October 10, 1900 – March 17, 1993) was an American actress. Often referred to as the "First Lady of American Theatre", she was the second person and first woman to win EGOT, the EGOT (an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and ...

MP of the Labour Party. At the local government level, West Dulwich is split between Dulwich Village and Dulwich Wood wards in the

and West Dulwich ward in

. Dulwich was traditionally a

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

area but as of the 2018 local elections, all wards comprising the West Dulwich area were represented by Labour councillors. For the

2022 Lambeth London Borough Council election The 2022 Lambeth London Borough Council election took place on 5 May 2022. All 63 members of Lambeth London Borough Council were elected. The elections took place alongside 2022 London local elections, local elections in the other London bor ...

, the area became part of the West Dulwich ward.

Schools

West Dulwich has four state primary schools (Rosendale Primary School and three others) and one secondary school,

Kingsdale Foundation School Kingsdale Foundation School (KFS) is a British mixed secondary school with academy status in West Dulwich, London, with an age range of 11–19 (Year 7 to sixth form). Admissions to the school are coordinated by the Southwark London Borough C ...

. There are a number of private schools in or near the area:

Dulwich College Dulwich College is a 2-18 private, day and boarding school for boys in Dulwich, London, England. As a public school, it began as the College of God's Gift, founded in 1619 by Elizabethan actor Edward Alleyn, with the original purpose of ...

, Dulwich Prep London,

Oakfield Preparatory School Oakfield Preparatory School is an independent coeducational preparatory school in West Dulwich, Lambeth. in the United Kingdom Oakfield is a member of the Independent Schools Association. Over 350 boys and girls aged between 2 and 11 are enro ...

, and Rosemead Preparatory School.

Sport and leisure

West Dulwich has a

Non-League football Non-League football describes association football, football leagues played outside the top leagues of a country. Usually, it describes leagues which are not fully professional. The term is primarily used for football in England, where it is ...

club

Wanderers F.C. Wanderers Football Club was an English association football club. It was founded as "Forest Football Club" in 1859 in Leytonstone. In 1864, it changed its name to "Wanderers", a reference to it never having a home stadium, instead playing at ...

who play at Belair Park. This club is famous for winning the

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...

five times between 1872 and 1878.

Timeline

Saxon Dulwich

967 –

Edgar the Peaceful Edgar (or Eadgar; 8 July 975), known sometimes as Edgar the Peacemaker or the Peaceable, was King of the English from 959 until his death in 975. He became king of all England on his brother Eadwig's death. He was the younger son of King Edm ...

granted Dilwihs to a thane named Earl Aelfheah. Dilwihs meant 'meadow where the dill grew'.

Medieval Dulwich

1066 – King

William I of England William the Conqueror (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), sometimes called William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England (as William I), reigning from 1066 until his death. A descendant of Rollo, he was ...

became owner of Dulwich, taking the land from King

Harold II of England Harold Godwinson ( – 14 October 1066), also called Harold II, was the last crowned Anglo-Saxon King of England. Harold reigned from 6 January 1066 until his death at the Battle of Hastings on 14 October 1066, the decisive battle of the Norman ...

Lordship Lane was the eastern boundary of Dulwich Manor with Friern Manor and Croxted Road (formerly Croks Street Lane) the western boundary with Lord Thurlow's estate.

Tudor Dulwich

1538 – Dulwich ceased to be the property of

Bermondsey Abbey Bermondsey Abbey was an English Benedictine monastery. Although generally regarded as having been founded in the 11th century, it had a precursor mentioned in the early 8th century. It was centred on what is now Bermondsey Square, the site ...

following the abbey's dissolution. 1544 – Dulwich was granted to goldsmith Thomas Calton for £609 by

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...

Stuart Dulwich

1605 – The estate was sold for £4,900 to

by Sir Francis Calton. 1619 – Dulwich College was founded by Edward Alleyn.

Georgian Dulwich

1785 – Belair House was built (probably by architect Henry Holland). 1805 (+1814) – Dulwich Common was enclosed. 1812 –

was built by William Vizard.

Victorian Dulwich

1851 – Dulwich's population reached 1,632. 1862 –

was opened as Knights Hill Station. 1868 – The Old village green was bought for public use. 1870 – Dulwich College moved to a new campus on College Road designed by Charles Barry Junior. 1888 – All Saints Church was built between 1888 and 1897; it was designed by G H Fellowes Prynne. 1890 – Dulwich Park was opened.

Modern Dulwich

1900 – Dulwich became part of the

Metropolitan Borough of Camberwell Camberwell was a civil parish and metropolitan borough in south London, England. Camberwell was an ancient parish in the county of Surrey, governed by an administrative vestry from 1674. The parish was included in the area of responsibility of ...

. 1901 – Dulwich's Population reached 10,247. 1940s –

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

The Blitz The Blitz (English: "flash") was a Nazi Germany, German bombing campaign against the United Kingdom, for eight months, from 7 September 1940 to 11 May 1941, during the Second World War. Towards the end of the Battle of Britain in 1940, a co ...

and the V1 flying bombs &

V-2 rocket The V2 (), with the technical name ''Aggregat (rocket family), Aggregat-4'' (A4), was the world's first long-range missile guidance, guided ballistic missile. The missile, powered by a liquid-propellant rocket engine, was developed during the S ...

s caused widespread damage to Dulwich. 1965 – Dulwich became part of the new

and

Notable residents

Liv Boeree Olivia "Liv" Boeree (born 18 July 1984) is a British science communicator, television presenter, host of the ''Win-Win'' podcast, and professional poker player. Dubbed "The Poker Queen", Boeree is a World Series of Poker (WSOP) and European Pok ...

Peter Cushing Peter Wilton Cushing (26 May 1913 – 11 August 1994) was an English actor. His acting career spanned over six decades and included appearances in more than 100 films, as well as many television, stage and radio roles. He achieved recognition f ...

John Lawson Johnston John Lawson Johnston (1839 – 24 November 1900) was a Scottish entrepreneur and the creator of Bovril. He was born in 29 Main Street, Roslin, Midlothian. A memorial plaque is on the property and can be seen above the door. The plaque was put t ...

also known as 'Mr Bovril' *

Ernest Shackleton Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton (15 February 1874 – 5 January 1922) was an Anglo-Irish Antarctic explorer who led three British expeditions to the Antarctic. He was one of the principal figures of the period known as the Heroic Age of Antarcti ...

* Gerry Wells, founded the British Vintage Wireless and Television Museum to host his collection of over 1,300 vintage radio and television sets. * P G Wodehouse attended the College

Nearest places

Dulwich Village Dulwich Village is an affluent area of Dulwich in South London, England. It is located in the London Borough of Southwark. History "Dulwich Village" is also the name of the village High Street. Residents in Dulwich Village have to pay ground re ...

Gipsy Hill Gipsy Hill in south London is a hilly and leafy neighbourhood spanning the southern parts of the London Boroughs of Lambeth and Southwark characterised for its stunning views of the City of London and Dulwich. Historically, north of its tra ...

Sydenham Hill Sydenham Hill forms part of Norwood Ridge, a longer ridge and is an affluent Human settlement, locality in southeast London. It is also the name of a road which runs along the northeastern part of the ridge, demarcating the London Boroughs of ...

References

External links

Hidden London
{{LB Lambeth Areas of London Districts of the London Borough of Southwark Districts of the London Borough of Lambeth Dulwich