Birley House Open Air School

By Sheila Carson

In the latter part of the 19th century it was recognised that pollution, overcrowding and unsanitary living conditions in many cities contributed to the development and spread of infectious and debilitating diseases. Children were particularly affected, primarily with tuberculosis, but also with asthma and anaemia. These children were often described as 'delicate', meaning that they were malnourished and underweight.

German studies in the 1890s showed that the health of children with tuberculosis could be improved with good nutrition, fresh air, exercise and rest. Purpose-built schools implemented these interventions alongside education. The first of these ‘forest schools’ or ‘open air schools’ opened in Charlottenburg, near Berlin, in 1904. As a result of the success of this school the idea was copied in many European countries and further afield. A delegation from London County Council visited Charlottenburg, and were so impressed that it was decided to repeat the experiment in London. The first Open Air School in London opened in Bostall Wood, near Abbey Wood in 1907. The following year three more were opened including Birley House School in Forest Hill.

Birley House was a mansion with a large garden located at 108 London Road next to the newly built Horniman Museum. Being high on a hill it was above urban pollution and benefitted from a steady breeze. The school was open all year round but was not residential. Children were brought up daily by tram from the slums on the south bank of the River Thames. The school buildings initially consisted of prefabricated wooden sheds; later, some permanent pavilion-style classrooms with open sides were added. Staff consisted of a trained nurse, a head teacher, three assistant teachers and some domestic help.

By 1913 the school accommodated 90 children from 6 to 14 years of age. At this time, children left school at 14 years old and started work. The children arrived at 9am and were given a breakfast of porridge or bread and milk. During mid-morning they had a snack of bread and butter or dripping or hot soup in the winter. The main meal consisted of meat or fish with two vegetables followed by a pudding or stewed fruit. Before they went home at 6pm they were given tea with bread, butter, jam and a slice of cake. The staff ate with the children but at their own table. The children sat at tables of ten and elected a monitor who supervised table manners and made sure that children ate their food.

 

After the main meal the children had two hours of rest every day. They laid in reclined deck chairs or on the grass and were given blankets. There were weekly checks of underwear and heads for lice followed by a hot bath. The children regularly had their height, weight and haemoglobin measured and recorded. Education focused on developing useful citizens through cooperation, division of labour and self-reliance. Activities for boys and girls included gardening, acting, dancing, cooking, domestic skills and infant care. Other subjects studied included mathematics, geography, music and nature study. The school was successful in improving the health of the children and gave them skills to succeed at work and in their personal lives.

After the Second World War the health of children improved greatly as a result of the use of antibiotics to treat tuberculosis, improved standards of living and the introduction of the National Health Service. Open Air Schools were no longer required. Many closed and some were repurposed as Special Schools for physically handicapped children.

Birley House Open Air School moved and was incorporated into Brent Knoll Open Air School in Sydenham in 1927. Birley House was demolished in the 1950s and the land used to extend Horniman Gardens. No trace of this pioneering school in Forest Hill is visible today.

History of Forest Hill Talk

 

On Monday 14th September, 7:30pm, The Forest Hill Society presents a free online talk on the History of Forest Hill.

Find out about the history of the local area, its buildings and its people.

Please register in advance of the meeting to receive joining instructions: https://historyfh.eventbrite.co.uk

 

Walk through History - 1st February

Meet at 2pm on Saturday, 1st February at St. George's Church, junction of Woolstone Road and Vancouver Road.

A gentle 2 hour circular walk starting and ending at St. George's Church. Read the topography of the edge of Perry Hill with its hidden histories.
We will investigate the theory that a Roman Road briefly enters SE23 at Blythe Vale.Walking on the flat we shall locate Sidnum Place, the origin of the name Sydenham.
We will tell the amazing story of how Sidnum Place is also the origin story behind the Oak of Honor!
We will find the old vinery beside the river Pool and a wetland landscape.

Starting point is close to the bus routes of the 75 and 202 and a short walk from the 185 and 171 bus stop for the Blythe Hill Tavern.

History walk through One Tree Hill - 23rd September

Andrew Orford and Alona Sheridan will lead us on a history walk through One Tree Hill on Sunday 23rd September, 2:30pm. Meet at Honor Oak Park station.

The Capitol and Other Lost Cinemas of Forest Hill

Alistair Dey looks at The Capitol pub and Forest Hill’s other former cinemas.
In May 2016, JD Wetherspoon announced that they were going to sell off The Capitol pub on London Road in Forest Hill. Indeed, two years earlier there had been rumours that the pub was closing or being sold off or being converted back into a cinema. For a large, seemingly successful pub which packs in the drinkers and eaters, I found this to be a slightly strange decision. Over a year on, Wetherspoon’s pub is still there, possibly because they have not yet found anyone to take over the lease or because the building is a Grade II listed building. Whatever the reason, I hope the pub continues and, if sold, the building does not lie empty again as it had previously done in the mid-1970s and late-1990s.

The Capitol is the jewel in the crown of Forest Hill’s cinematic heritage. It is believed that Lewisham borough once had more than 30 cinemas though not all in existence at the same time; Forest Hill had three of these cinemas.

Three houses on London Road had to be demolished to make way for the new  Capitol Cinema. Designed in a Neo-Classical style, the cinema was built in 1928-9 for London & Southern Cinemas and designed by noted cinema architect and garden designer, John Stanley Beard. The building also reflected an Egyptian influence, a style popular at the time following the opening of Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922. The cinema opened on 11th February 1929 with John Gilbert in  the silent film Man, Woman and Sin. The local MP and the Mayor of Lewisham gave speeches at the opening. The opening programme’s advert described the cinema as a “New Mammoth Luxury House of Entertainment.”

The Capitol had class: It had a Compton theatre organ which was in use, as required, until it was removed in the late-1950s, a café for the convenience of patrons and an impressive initial seating capacity of 1,691 in the stalls and circle. The stage was deep and wide and, along with three dressing rooms, it allowed for music and variety shows to be staged — music hall type shows into the 1950s and pop concerts in the 1960s.
Since the cinema was designed and built just at the end of the Silent era of movies, sound equipment had to be installed very soon after it opened for the “Talkies”. The first sound film was The Singing Fool starring Al Jolson on 15 April 1929. This was the follow-up film to Jolson’s Jazz Singer, the first commercial Talkie. Some silent films continued to be shown at The Capitol for another year or so until the sound era took over completely.

The cinema was taken over by Associated British Cinemas (ABC) in July 1933 and they operated it for the remainder of its cinematic life. The cinema was re-named ABC in December 1968 and closed on 13th October 1973 with its last two films being the road movie Scarecrow starring Gene Hackman and Al Pacino and Class of ’44 starring Gary Grimes. The building stood empty for several years until it was leased to Mecca Ltd and opened as a Mecca Bingo Club on 23rd February 1978. It was later leased to the Jasmine group and  was known as the Jasmine Social Club. Bingo ceased in early December 1996 and the building again stood empty and unused.

In September 1993, while still a bingo hall, the building was designated as a Grade II listed building. This means it is of special architectural or historic interest; considered to be of national importance, and therefore worth protecting; and warranting every effort to preserve it. The then Department of National Heritage described the building as “a rare survival of a complete 1920s cinema and the earliest complete cinema by J Stanley Beard now surviving.” This protection partly explains why The Capitol is the only former cinema in the area still recognisable as a cinema.

The building re-opened on 9th May 2001 as part of the Wetherspoon chain of pubs, which brings us, 16 years later, to the pub’s uncertain future.

The Two Other Lost Cinemas of Forest Hill

The Capitol was undoubtedly one of the foremost cinemas in south-east London. There were, at different times, two other cinemas in Forest Hill. The first cinema, The Picture Playhouse, opened in September 1910 but was short-lived. This relatively small 400 seater cinema was created out of existing shop premises, with its auditorium at the rear, where the China House restaurant now stands at 18 Dartmouth Road. By November that year, a tea lounge had been added to the building. The cinema was then refurbished in 1912 and re-named the Empire Picture Theatre. It ultimately closed in February 1914 and the premises then reverted to retail use. In recent times it has been a second-hand furniture shop, Wok Express and now the China House restaurant.

Forest Hill’s other cinema lasted longer before, presumably, succumbing to the embryonic TV age. The Stanstead Picture Palace opened in January 1913 at 12-14 Wastdale Road, just off Stanstead Road. Like The Picture Playhouse in Dartmouth Road, its entrance was created out of shop premises, with its 834-seat auditorium built at the rear. By 1927 it had been renamed the Stanstead Cinema and, in that year, it had a canopy installed over its entrance.

Western Electric Sound was installed in 1931 to bring the cinema into the Talkies era. The cinema had a brief closure while this work was carried out, and re-opened on 26th December 1931 as the Astoria Cinema, with Marion Davies in It’s a Wise Child. Incidentally, this film was a Hollywood “Pre-Code” comedy. “Pre-Code Hollywood” refers to the brief era in the American film industry between the introduction of sound pictures in 1929 and the enforcement of the Motion Picture Production Code censorship guidelines in mid-1934. As a result, films in the late 1920s and early 1930s were often much less sanitised than later films and often featured some strong female characters.

The cinema was renamed the Balmoral Cinema on 11th April 1954, but soon closed on 29th May 1954. It was re-opened as the New Astoria Cinema on 14th November 1954, but only lasted a few more months before finally closing on 26th February 1955.

In August 1968, the building was converted into an independent bingo club. It later became derelict and was ultimately demolished in 1975 — as was much of the surrounding neighbourhood during that “wrecking-ball” decade. The site was later redeveloped and housing was built. The cinema, when it existed, was a few yards away from the old Swiss Cottage pub on Stanstead Road, which was demolished in 1990.

Sydenham’s Cinemas

Although Forest Hill had three former cinemas, this is outmatched by Sydenham, which can claim five former cinemas at one time or another: two on Sydenham Road (where The Sydenham Centre and the empty Budgens supermarket now stand), one in Kirkdale, one in Silverdale and one at the Bell Green end of Perry Hill.

Thanks to the book “The Big 5: Lewisham Super Cinemas” by Ken George and the websites “Cinema Treasures” and “Lewisham’s Lost Cinemas” for much of the information in this article.

Janusz Korczak Talk and Walk

The Forest Hill Society is delighted to welcome Wojciech Lasota, Bartosz Pieliński and Julia Dmeńska from the Polish Korczak Foundation to talk to us about Janusz Korczak and his connection to Forest Hill. The event will take place at 5pm-7:30pm on Friday 21st October at Louise House (which Korczak visited 105 years ago).

Prior to this we will have a guided walk by Steve Grindlay from Horniman Museum, starting at 4:30pm and walking from the Horniman to Louise House, tracing the path of Korczak, and arriving in time for the formal talk.

We realise this is a slightly odd time for an event, this is due to the availability of the speaker. But we couldn't pass up this great opportunity to hear more about this amazing man, and his links to Forest Hill.
To find out more about Janusz Korczak see our previous article.

An Oral History of Forest Hill

Article and photos of paintings, by John Wysocki

As part of their celebrations to mark 30 years of treating NHS patients, ‘Dentistry for You’, 3 Dartmouth Road, have recently installed a couple of paintings of very familiar-looking scenes in their waiting room.

Entitled 'Station and Crossroads, Forest Hill, 1955' and 'Dartmouth Road, Forest Hill, 1955', the scenes (see right) were painted by Kenyan artist Zuber Bakrani, cousin of the practice's owner Esmail Harunani, and based on historical photos.

Readers of this newsletter may be familiar with the Station and Crossroads view since it is somewhat similar to an iconic photograph that was featured in our Spring 2015 newsletter — and that is also featured in local historian Steve Grindlay's book ‘Sydenham & Forest Hill Through Time’ — albeit with the roof missing from the station's clock tower.

German Aerial Bombing of South East London

In this first article of a two-part series about wartime bombing of Forest Hill and South East London, Alistair Dey looks at German bombing in the First World War.

When walking the streets of Forest Hill (or indeed in most big cities of the UK) you come across houses that are out of character with the immediate buildings and architecture. This can be caused by the action of developers or the local Council, but sometimes it is a result of German aerial bombing in the Second World War. However, German bombing of London did not start in September 1940 with the Second World War Blitz. London had also been bombed in the First World War.

Zeppelins

In a curious parallel with Hitler’s initial reluctance to bomb London in the Second World War, Kaiser Wilhelm II initially vetoed the demands of the German military to attack Britain by air. With his close ties to the British royal family, and believing like many that the war would soon be over, he did not want to be held responsible for destroying London’s cultural heritage.

As pressure mounted on him, and more Zeppelins became available, the Kaiser finally approved the bombing of England, and in January 1915 Great Yarmouth was bombed. But the Kaiser continued to exclude London until May of that year, when he approved bombing east of the Tower of London. In July 1915 that approval extended to the whole of London.

On the night of 31 May 1915, a single German Zeppelin airship appeared over North London and began dropping its deadly cargo on the darkened streets below. This was the first time that the capital had been bombed from the air. The Zeppelin raids on London continued in 1916 but tailed off in 1917.

There were 9 successful Zeppelin raids over London between 31 May 1915 and the last raid on 19-20 October 1917. But only four of these bombed South East London: on 7-8 September 1915, 13-14 October 1915, 24-25 August 1916 and 19-20 October 1917. Forest Hill was unscathed, with the nearest bombs landing on Hither Green on the last raid. This last Zeppelin raid over London killed 33 people in all, 15 of them in Glenview Road (now Nightingale Grove), Hither Green.

At the top of One Tree Hill above Honor Oak Park there was a gun emplacement to counter the threat of Zeppelins. A naval gun was mounted here in 1916. The plaque next to the remains of the gun emplacement suggests that not only did the gunners not shoot down any Zeppelins (there’s no shame in that) but might have caused damage to tramlines near Peckham Rye Common with a missed shot.

Aeroplanes

By 1917 Zeppelin raids were being phased out and replaced by the superior Gotha and Giant aeroplanes. One of the technical developments which helped make these aeroplanes serious weapons of war was the introduction of proper bomb-sights in 1915.

The first daylight raids by aeroplanes on London took place in May 1917 and further daylight raids followed in June and July 1917. In September 1917 the Germans switched to night raids, the last one being on 19-20 May 1918. Of about 15 night raids, seven or eight bombed South East London, mostly near the River Thames.

Again Forest Hill escaped damage but Hither Green was once more hit on 17 May 1918 — with thankfully no casualties. The last German bombing raid of World War One was on 19-20 May 1918 and it was one of the deadliest. Lewisham, Lee, Hither Green (2 killed), Catford (1 killed) and Sydenham (18 killed) were all hit. The single 100kg bomb which hit Sydenham caused the most casualties in that last raid and fell on the corner of Sydenham Road and Fairlawn Park, killing 18 people, including 5 soldiers, and destroying 3 shops. There is a memorial to the dead in nearby All Saints Church in Trewsbury Road.

Effectiveness and Consequences of the Bombing
It is easy to forget how new aircraft were in the First World War. The first Zeppelin flew in 1900 and the first powered aeroplane had its first very tentative flight in December 1903, less than 11 years before the outbreak of the First World War. Louis Bleriot had only flown across the English Channel in 1909. And as weapons of war, the first ever bomb from an aeroplane was dropped by the Italian air force on Turkish troops in Libya in the little-known Italian-Turkish War of 1911-12.

The sporadic German bombing of London in the First World War may at first sight seem militarily pointless. It is true that by later standards the bombing had little material effect. Even so, by the end of the war 668 Londoners had been killed, and the government had had to withdraw fighter squadrons from the Western Front and set up anti-aircraft defences. Most attacks were random but some military installations were targeted and hit, albeit to limited effect (Woolwich Arsenal being a case in point).

There also seems to have been a morale effect: while there were no mass panics, many people were understandably very frightened, and the fear persisted and grew in the 1930s — a major factor in the peace movement of that time. After all, if a few airships and bi-planes could inflict such damage, their successors might flatten entire towns and kill hundreds of thousands. To an extent the British Government agreed, hence the policy of appeasement and (more positively) an improved provision of air defences and an evacuation scheme. These were certainly needed in World War Two when London, including Forest Hill, suffered severely.

There is information on First World War bombing of Lewisham in the website of the Lewisham Local History and Archives Centre under “Lewisham War Memorials”.

Pictures of gun emplacement and ‘history’ from one of the seven signs on One Tree Hill. Also shown is a recent picture of the gun emplacement today.

In Search of the Lost Stations of Forest Hill

By Alistair Dey

One of the best things to have happened to Forest Hill in recent years was the opening of the London Overground line in May 2010. This has provided more travel options, opened up new places north of the river and attracted more passengers. The London Overground and National Rail go through the two stations in SE23 – Forest Hill and Honor Oak Park. Forest Hill Station, which opened in 1839, was originally known until 1845 as Dartmouth Arms after the nearby public house which still exists (though not in the original building) a few doors up from the station at 7 Dartmouth Road.
 
But there used to be two other railway stations in Forest Hill – Lordship Lane and Honor Oak stations. They were both on the now closed Crystal Palace High Level Line. Steve Grindlay’s article on this Line in the Summer 2014 (Issue 28) of the Forest Hill Society Newsletter gives information on the Line and the stations.

Suffice to say here that the two lost stations were both built in the 1860s during the heyday of railway expansion, partly to carry visitors to the Crystal Place -  which had been relocated from Hyde Park to Sydenham in 1854. The two stations were both closed on 20 September 1954, several years before the Beeching cuts of the 1960s. It seems that the High Level Line was never quite as successful as hoped. The destruction of the Crystal Palace in the fire of 1936 and the damage and disruption caused by the Second World War were blows which sealed the eventual demise of the Line and the stations.

Lordship Lane Station

With Steve’s article in my rucksack, I set off to locate the two stations. The former Lordship Lane station was located just to the west of Sydenham Hill, and south of London Road, where Sydenham Hill meets London Road. This is the point where London Road becomes Lordship Lane at the junction with Wood Vale, virtually opposite the blue sign that says Welcome to Lewisham. The streets which now occupy the former station are Lapse Wood Walk and North Crofts, Sydenham Hill which both have SE23 post codes but are in the Borough of Southwark, not Lewisham.

In his article Steve states that nothing, apart from sections of the embankment, now survives. This is true and if you did not know a station had been there I doubt you would know that the embankment was once part of a railway station and line. The Green Chain Walk now rather incongruously weaves through the houses and apartment blocks here.


Lordship Lane is the station which was famously painted by Camille Pissarro in 1871 from his viewpoint on the railway bridge which still exists in nearby Sydenham Hill Woods (see above). The painting is commonly known as “Lordship Lane Station, Dulwich” and I have also been to an exhibition where it was described (presumably mistakenly) as “Lordship Lane Station, Upper Norwood” (which is where Pissarro lived). These possibly reflect that in 1871 Forest Hill was not yet a widely recognised district of London.



Honor Oak Station (without the Park)

Wood Vale would once have been one of the best served roads in London for railway stations. With Lordship Lane station at its southern end, it also had Honor Oak station at its northern end. Honor Oak station was the next station from Lordship Lane on the Crystal Palace High Level Line going towards London. The line went over London Road on a bridge and Honor Oak station was located just to the east of Wood Vale and between it and the flat part of Canonbie Road where they meet Forest Hill Road, opposite Brenchley Gardens. No trace of the station remains, although as with Lordship Lane station, there are some traces to be seen (with a little imagination perhaps) of the railway embankment in Buckley Close and the Wood Vale Estate. Apparently, the old station master’s house remains nearby on Canonbie Road.

So nothing much remains to be seen of the two lost railway stations on the western edge of Forest Hill but it was interesting to explore and see, as far as possible, exactly where they were and what they are now.

Local History Talk - Wednesday 25th March

The Forest Hill Society has organised a Local history talk by Steve Grindlay following the publication of his new book ‘Sydenham & Forest Hill Through Time’.

The talk will take place on Wednesday 25th March, 7:30pm. At The Hob pub (opposite Forest Hill Station). Entry is free to members and non-members.

Steve is a great speaker and his talks are always illuminating and well attended. If you want to know anything about the history of Forest Hill you should come along.

Book Launch: Sydenham & Forest Hill Through Time

Saturday 29th November 2014, 3-5pm, Kirkdale Bookshop, Sydenham
With author Steve Grindlay

So much going on in Forest Hill

We have a busy period coming up in the next week or so.  The main events we are organising are a History Talk from Steve Grindlay and a Bring and Take day.  Steve's talks are always interesting, and this one on Thursday, 23 February should be no exception.  Read on for more information...

This week
There are four local events on Saturday 18 February.
Firstly, the Sydenham Police Station is threatened with closure, which will mean the loss of a front counter, but more importantly will also mean that the Safer Neighbourhood Teams for Forest Hill, Perry Vale and Sydenham will be relocated to Catford.  We feel that this is far from ideal and are calling on the Metropolitan Police to review their decision.  There will be a demonstration outside Sydenham Police Station on Saturday 18 February, from 10-11am.  There should be plenty of media coverage as the Sydenham Society have arranged for Mayoral candidate Brian Paddick to attend. You can sign the petition in support of Sydneham police station at http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/save-sydenham-police-station/

After that, help Nature's Gym will be planting whips at the Horniman Triangle  from 11am - 2pm.  Nature’s Gym have been donated more “whips” from Woodland Trust, so come along to the Horniman Triangle to help with planting them and creating a stag beetle loggery.
Also on Saturday, Friends of Albion Millenmium Green will be holding their first AGM at Holy Trinity Church Hall, SE26 4EA just off Sydenham Park from 2-4pm.  Go along to hear about plans for how it is to be used and managed, or to let them know what you want from the green (www.amgfriends.org.uk)

Finally, Canvas & Cream will be opening their doors on Saturday, 18th February, next to Santander on London Road.  The Dining room/Restaurant, Gallery, studios  and healing room will all be open to the public for the first time. Go  and have a nose around at what they have been doing. They will have some Art 'Taster' workshops and information showing you  what will be on offer and therapists will be there to talk to you and  show you their wares.  After the 19th the  studios will be private and the healing room will only be open to the  therapists' customers.

On Sunday evening, 19 February,  Canvas & Cream will finish off with a  one-time-only Dinner and film night. A set menu of two courses followed  by a full screening of Garbage Warrior, an inspirational true story of  maverick US architect Michael Reynolds and his fight to introduce  radically sustainable housing. The event is £30.00 (including the film). Tickets can be purchased from their website,www.canvasandcream.com, but thelittlegreenscreen also has a limited number of cinema only tickets for £6.50 if that is too steep for you.

Next weekOn Monday, 20 February, the Sydenham Arts Festival will be holding their AGM from 7.30pm at Here For Good, 17 Sydenham Road SE26 5EX.  Sydenham Arts Festival 2012 is now underway and will take place from 1st to 15th July 2012.  This year it is part of Lewisham's Cultural Olympiad celebrations. All supporters are invited to attend the AGM and find out what is planned. There are plenty of opportunities for local residents to get involved. If you are unable to attend the AGM but would like to be involved please contact the Festival Administrator at Operationssaf@gmail.com
The next Forest Hill Local Assembly is being held on Wednesday 22 February,  ​7.30-9.30pm​ at Sydenham Girls' School on Dartmouth Road, SE26 4RD.  Topics for discussion will include your chance to suggest improvements for Forest Hill and feedback on progress form the grants which were awarded from the Assemblies Fund.

Steve Grindlay will be giving a talk entitled "The Butcher, the Baker, the Candlestick Maker.  A history of commerce in Forest Hill" on Thursday 23 February from 7:30pm at The Hob, 7 Devonshire Road, SE23 3HE (opposite Forest Hill Railway station).  These talks are usually well attended and provide an interesting insight into Forest Hill's past.

Our next Bring & Take event will be held on Sunday, 26 February from 11am - 3pm at the Holy Trinity Centre (between numbers 35D and 37 on Sydenham Park) just across the street from the entrance to Whittel Gardens.   
Bring usable items you no longer need eg bicycles, pushchairs, books, toys, CDs, DVDs, tools, small items of furniture, musical instruments, good‑quality clothing, electrical goods, kitchenware etc.  
and take items you will find useful - this isn’t a swap so no need to match a 'Bring' item with a 'Take' item.

Please note: items should be in good working order. In addition, Lewisham Council will provide a van for WEEE waste (electrical and electronic equipment), so if you have any small electrical items that no longer work bring them along to be disposed of properly.

Later on..
The next Sydenham Local Assembly will be held on Tuesday, 6 March from 7-9pm at The Grove Centre, 2 Jews Walk, SE26 6PL

Calling all budding artists!As part of the planning permission for the redeveloped Greyhound in Sydenham.  Purelake (the developers) have to incorporate a piece of public art (made from ceramic tiles) on the north wall of the building. A new design competition for 2012 has been launched, replacing the previous competition which failed to find a winning entry. It is open to anyone who lives, works or studies within 2km of the Greyhound, and their family and friends. The design should capture “the Essence of Sydenham” and there's a £1,000 prize for the winning entry. Entries must be submitted before the end of March and the winner will be announced by the end of April. Anyone who wishes to enter and receive a competition brief should email greyhoundcompetition@gmail.com or write to Greyhound Competition, c/o 43 Bishopsthorpe Road, London SE26 4PA before March 17 2012.

New businesses
Finally, three new businesses are opening in Forest Hill.  As mentioned above, Canvas & Cream will be opening their doors on Saturday.   Leaders Estate Agents is now open for business next to the station. The other business due to open its doors very soon is the Sylvan Post, Antic's new pub located in the former Post Office next to Paddy Power on Dartmouth Road.  No date has been finalaised yet, but they are hoping to open before the end of the month and it's looking good inside.  There will be a couple of sungs in the old safes as well as the main bar and a back room. 

 

I hope there is something interesting here for you.  Next month, we will be looking for help with oiur Britain In Bloom entry, which will spread to Honor Oak Station this year, as well as further planting in the Town Centre.  Please let me know if you would like to help in any way.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

Richard Hibbert
Chairman, Forest Hill Society

January News Update

Burns Night

Thursday 26 January (a day late for purists – sorry)

 

Come along to the All Inn One for another great Forest Hill Society Burns Night. A traditional, and fun, evening of addressing the haggis, and then eating it with the usual tasty accompaniments.

“What a great night! The food was delicious and very reasonable. Great people and the entertainment a right hoot”  Burns Night 2011 attendee.

 

We’re also looking for people to get involved in poetry reading on the night (Scottish accents a plus), bagpipe playing and highland dancing.

 

For details on booking and to offer your artistic skills contact alisa@foresthillsociety.com

 

 

The Society’s Local History Evening

Thursday 23 February 

7.30pm – 9.30pm upstairs at The Hob

 

We’ve arranged for the fabulous Steve Grindlay to give a talk on an aspect of Forest Hill History. What Steve doesn’t know about Forest Hill isn’t worth knowing! Come and join us and learn more about this great place we live in.

 

Exact subject yet to be confirmed, but we’ll update you very soon. Open to all, no booking needed.

 

We need You

Membership to the Forest Hill Society is open to everyone and costs just £5 a year. Benefits include 12 newsletters, 12 local events - most free, assistance with planning proposals, making new friends in the local area and, perhaps most importantly, the ability to have a say about where you live.

 

We're a voluntary group and are always looking for people to help with what we do. We have great plans and we need people to help in a number of ways, most very simple and easy things -

 

• Handing out membership leaflets in your street, or one close by
• Distributing our newsletter four times a year, a chance to see different areas of Forest Hill, or maybe do your own road
• Helping to write articles for the newsletter - either sending your own articles or helping with ones already written
• Helping with leaflet design a few hours a few times a year.
• Helping at events - not all, just one is a help - maybe baking a cake, helping on a stall or posting links on local forums

However you can help you'll find us friendly and supportive. if you want to find out more about volunteering with us contact richard@foresthillsociety.com

 

 

Freecycle Event

Saturday 25 February (11am - 3pm)

Holy Trinity Church Hall, Trinity Path, Sydenham

 

A Bring and Take event. Bring stuff you no longer want and, in return, take away stuff you do want. You really can get some amazing things - from CDs to clothes to toys to furniture. What’s not to like?

 

Trinity Path is between 35D and 37 Sydenham Park.

A SIGN OF DAYS GONE BY!

Commuters may have seen the original rear signage that was revealed for the first time for decades during recent building work. This can be seen from the train line. Sadly the brewery has gone, and so may the public house.

The Englishman who Posted Himself

by John Tingey

This recently published book describes the exploits of a little known but endearingly eccentric Forest Hill resident. The local historian, Steve Grindlay, has been reading it.

In 1898 Willie Reginald Bray began a detailed study of the Post Office Guide which contained the regulations defining what could and could not be sent through the post.
Bray decided to put these regulations to the test and so he posted, mostly addressed to himself, a wide variety of unwrapped items including a shirt collar, the sole of a shoe, a bicycle pump, a turnip and a hat. Eventually he posted himself, and the long-suffering postman dutifully delivered him to his home in Devonshire Road.

Bray then turned his attention to autographs. He posted thousands of personal requests to the famous, infamous and largely unknown ranging from Churchill, Hitler and Santa Claus to the station master at Forest Hill station. Bray declared himself “The Autograph King” and few could dispute this. He sent out over 32,000 requests and received some 15,000 responses.

Reggie, as he preferred to be known, was born in Stanstead Road in 1879 and educated at St Dunstan’s College. His family moved to Devonshire Road in 1899 and in 1912 Bray moved to Queens Garth, Taymount Rise where he lived until 1939.

This meticulously researched book (in which Steve played a small part) describes Bray’s life in Forest Hill, and lists many of the challenges that he set the postal service. It is beautifully illustrated with many examples of both the objects that Bray posted and the autographs that he collected.

The book is available from Kirkdale Bookshop, 272 Kirkdale (020 8778 4701) and further information is available from the publisher and elsewhere  online.

Forthcoming Events

Open Day, One Tree Hill Allotments site, Honor Oak Park - Sunday 13th June. 12 to 6pm.

If you didn’t fancy the crowds at Chelsea this year, this is the next best thing! You’ll see a variety of gardening styles from formal allotment layouts to cottage style. There are grand views over South East London from the top, ponds & beehives. There will be three guided walks by allotment members and they start at 2.00pm, 3.00pm & 4.00pm. or you might prefer to do one of the self guided walks.

The main entrance to the allotment site is in the Recreation ground Car park just off Honor Oak Park SE23. The site is 2 minutes walk from Honor Oak Park Railway station. P4, P12, 122, 171, 172 buses. Admission is free but donations welcome. Refreshments will be available. Please wear stout footwear, as it can be slippery if it has been raining and due to the uneven parts of the site some parts are not accessible for Wheelchairs, Buggies or People with walking difficulties although the lower part is. There is a compost toilet on site.


Sydenham Woods walk - Sunday 20th June, 3pm.
Meet at the gate in Crescent Wood Road. This is a guided walk led by Ashley White, the Conservation Projects Officer for Southwark. The local historian, Steve Grindlay, will also give a short talk about the history of the area. The walk will last about1 hour. We would appreciate small contributions for this walk.


Forest Hill Assembly Meeting – Monday, 21 June 2010, 7-9pm.
Sydenham Secondary School, Dartmouth Road, SE26 4RD


The Sydenham Arts Festival’s Summer Season 2010 - has over sixty events during the three summer months (and a little bit of September!) - diverse music, dance, drama, comedy, film, poetry, visual arts, children’s events and workshops – utilising a variety of local venues and parks. It’s a fantastic community event and we really do encourage you to support it. There’s far too much going on to include details in this eNewsletter so please go to their wonderful website www.sydenhamartsfestival.com

A History of Croydon Canal

Presentation by Steve Grindlay 

 

https://www.slideshare.net/foresthill/croydon-canal-talk

 

Croydon Canal Talk from foresthill

Dacres Wood Nature Reserve

The Forest Hill Society had over 80 people of all ages visit the Dacres Wood Nature Reserve.

Information was provided by Alona Sheridan and Steve Grindlay about the history and natural features of the area. Steve Grinlay has kindly made his notes and maps available to us and they can be viewed here.

Below are a few pictures from the afternoon.

Alona speaking	Reflections...
Toad Spawn	Information and Activities

New Blog on the History of Forest Hill and Sydenham

Some great photos and history from Steve Grindlay on this new blog site: http://sydenhamforesthillhistory.blogspot.com

Forest Hill Pool History

Two years ago, as Forest Hill Pools was struggling for survival, the Friends of Forest Hill Pools produced this short documentary, a well crafted and very interesting document on local history as well as history of swimming pools in London.

Directed by James E. Melloy and presented by Steve Grindlay it documents the oldest working swimming pool in London.

The pools closed shortly after this documentary was made and as we upload it on the net we are at the eve of the Mayor of Lewisham approving of its demolition and replacement with a modern one on the same site.

Thanks to Save Ladywell Pool Campaign who posted this video on the Internet.