Hi there
I wonder if you can help? I'm new to this site and have found it to be fascinating.
Having moved about 5 years ago from Sydenham to the country, I am interested to hear if anyone knows about the house I used to live in with my partner? We lived in Dover and Chatham House (which had been converted into four flats) at the top of Westwood Hill.
I would love to know the history of it and if any of you have any old photos of this property.
Thanking you in advance.
Regards
Emma
P.S. sorry i should have given you the number of the house - its
100 Westwood Hill
Dover and Chatham House, Westwood Hill
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Steve Grindlay
- Posts: 606
- Joined: 4 Oct 2004 05:07
- Location: Upper Sydenham
98-100 Westwood Hill were built about 1860 and are, apart from the group of houses between Jews Walk and St Barts, the oldest surviving houses on Westwood Hill.
At the time they were built there were few other houses in this area, as this extract from an 1868 map shows:
Chatham House (no.98) and Dover house (no.100) are above the "S" in West Hill. The brickfields to the south and brick kilns to the north could well have produced brick for parts of the Crystal Palace, and for the High Level railway line, that had recently been completed. Brick would also be in demand for the extensive house-building that was just about transform the area.
Next to Chatham and Dover houses was what was described in 1867 as the "London, Chatham and Dover Railway Office". This company had recently completed and opened the High Level line, from Nunhead, Honor Oak, Lordship Lane, Upper Sydenham (Wells Park Road) to the Crystal Palace High Level station. I imagine this office was used to plan and supervise the construction of the line. It is also possible that the two houses were built by the company. Certainly in the early 1860s Chatham House was occupied by a civil engineer, John Baldwin, and his family.
At the time they were built there were few other houses in this area, as this extract from an 1868 map shows:
Chatham House (no.98) and Dover house (no.100) are above the "S" in West Hill. The brickfields to the south and brick kilns to the north could well have produced brick for parts of the Crystal Palace, and for the High Level railway line, that had recently been completed. Brick would also be in demand for the extensive house-building that was just about transform the area.
Next to Chatham and Dover houses was what was described in 1867 as the "London, Chatham and Dover Railway Office". This company had recently completed and opened the High Level line, from Nunhead, Honor Oak, Lordship Lane, Upper Sydenham (Wells Park Road) to the Crystal Palace High Level station. I imagine this office was used to plan and supervise the construction of the line. It is also possible that the two houses were built by the company. Certainly in the early 1860s Chatham House was occupied by a civil engineer, John Baldwin, and his family.
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chris_thomas
- Posts: 27
- Joined: 15 Jan 2007 20:32
- Location: Sydenham
I live at 96 Westwood Hill and have been trying to find out the history of the house (next door to yours) but to no avail as yet.
I assume we (96) is above the "T" in the 1868 map. The interesting thing is that in your back garden you have a "beehive" shaped brickwork which tops the mine shaft down to the railway tunnel that connects Sydenham Hill to Penge East Station. This was part of the London, Chatham and Dover railway's Metropolitan Extension to Victoria opened on 6 October 1862. Therefore, I assume the brick kilns behind were for the construction or tunnel strengthening of that part of the track. What better place to supervise the building of a railway!
I would have thought it a bit of an uphill trek to transport bricks to either High Level Station or Upper Sydenham Station (both part of the London, Chatham and Dover's Crystal Palace & South London Junction Railway opened in 1862).
I do hope you find out more info.
Best regards
Chris
I assume we (96) is above the "T" in the 1868 map. The interesting thing is that in your back garden you have a "beehive" shaped brickwork which tops the mine shaft down to the railway tunnel that connects Sydenham Hill to Penge East Station. This was part of the London, Chatham and Dover railway's Metropolitan Extension to Victoria opened on 6 October 1862. Therefore, I assume the brick kilns behind were for the construction or tunnel strengthening of that part of the track. What better place to supervise the building of a railway!
I would have thought it a bit of an uphill trek to transport bricks to either High Level Station or Upper Sydenham Station (both part of the London, Chatham and Dover's Crystal Palace & South London Junction Railway opened in 1862).
I do hope you find out more info.
Best regards
Chris