On Saturday, September 14th 2024, 20 members of the Forest Hill Society were treated to an exclusive private tour of one of London's most unique parks, and a hidden gem in our local area.
The Brockley Hill Park Estate Ornamental Garden Trust was gracious enough to allow a private tour, organised by the Forest Hill Society, around the 5-acre site in Forest Hill, SE23 for a limited number of members. The purpose was to introduce members to an important green space that can only be accessed by the residents of the houses on Duncombe Hill, Lowther Hill, Brockley View and Brockley Rise that back on to this park. Our guides on the day were Jan, the Secretary of the Trust, and Graham, the Treasurer, who explained not only about how this space was maintained and preserved for future generations, but the complex community effort and collaboration required to do this.
The Park area was first laid out in around 1853, designed from the start to be an exclusive benefit for the professional investors buying the building plots around the park. It was intended to be an Ornamental Garden with a church in the centre. While the church and gardens were never completed, the space remained undeveloped and has since been enclosed by the houses on these roads. In order to keep this space from being developed, residents have maintained the Trust to this day, despite numerous efforts to purchase the land and the effects of bombing during the war. Today, Brockley Hill Park is apparently one of just two private parks in the whole of London to be accessible to residents through their back gardens (as opposed to closed parks in squares as elsewhere throughout London). This steep, wooded park includes a tennis court, a residents' vegetable garden and several social areas and where residents collaborate for events including tennis competitions, annual fireworks, biannual fairs and occasional parties.
While residents of Forest Hill do not have general access to this park, it still plays an important role for local biodiversity and nature which supports the quality of life, and the resilience of our wider local environment. The mature trees in this area are an important habitat for many species of birds and insects that use these green spaces to travel along, linking the larger parks of London via trees like these and those around Horniman Drive as well.
The Forest Hill Society and its members are very grateful to the Trust for this visit, and look forward to repeating this again in future.
For other events like this, including local walks, check out the Forest Hill Society events page.
Comments