Quick question: where was Sydenham Farm?

[Falkor]

I once asked the guy in Lewisham Library about this, but have since forgotten. Please can someone tell me which group featured this pair of buildings (house and cottages) that formed Sydenham Farm?

[Falkor]

Anyone know where Orchard House stood? I mean, it was there from the 1600s to the early 1900s, but I just cannot find it... It's a different building to the terrace known as Orchard Place seen by the river.

Two descriptions:
1) "300 yards west of Laurel Brook"
2) "Southern corner of Castlands Road"

Once again, any help would be much appreciated!

[Falkor]

Which house was Ivy Wall?

[Steve Grindlay]

I'm pretty sure that Sydenham Farm was the group of buildings marked "2". In 1842 Samuel Riddington took over the lease of Sydenham Farm, and in the 1843 Tithe Apportionments he is shown as the occupant of several fields around the farm, and also of the farm itself. The plots involved are 2403, 2404, 2405 and 2406.

Orchard House was on the southern corner of the junction of Castlands Road and Perry Hill.

I think Ivy Wall is 2. Leland Duncan, writing in 1908, mentions the footpath that ran north of Perry Hill House to Woolstone Road (it still does). North of the footpath he mentions Ratcliffe Cottage then "another old house near the footpath...[that] has been pulled down. Next to Ratcliffe Cottage is Ivy Wall, an old house much added to; beyond this was another house, now removed." Not conclusive, perhaps, but I think it makes 2 more likely.

[Falkor]

Thanks for corroborating building (2) as Ivy Wall. Building (1) turns out to be a yard for the large unnamed house nextdoor, so that's even more evidence in support of building (2) being Ivy Wall.

After chatting to John Coulter some weeks back, it seems Orchard House may have been built on the site of the ancient farm known as "Brongers". However, after reading a section in the Duncan book, I get the impression that Brongers may have still been standing in the 19C. Therefore, the building on the southern corner of Castlands Road is still disputed to be either Orchard House or Brongers, unless they are both the same.

[S.filmer]

Have just come across your site refering to Sydenham Farm, it seems possible that my Great great grandfather was there, in the census for 1851 he is located at Bells Green. His name was Joseph Clark Riddington and he had 2 sons in Lewisham ,Joseph(jnr) who was a butcher and Stephen who was a baker. They were all born at Colnbrook in Bucks.
You mention a lease for Sydenham Farm to Stephen Riddington so maybe he took on the lease for his father. Interesting.
Yours Sue Filmer

[FergussonFamily]

What struck me on that Perry Hill map was the meandering River Pool running past an orchard and farms. It seems beautiful and idyllic, quite a contrast with the concrete culverted River Pool that is there now.