Jew's Walk

The History of Sydenham from Cippenham to present day. Links to photos especially welcome!
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lambchops
Posts: 770
Joined: 11 Jan 2008 10:57
Location: Your mum's

Jew's Walk

Post by lambchops »

Probably been covered before in a thread, but why's this called Jew's Walk?
Falkor
Posts: 1371
Joined: 10 Feb 2006 17:45
Location: Surrey Quays

Post by Falkor »

http://forum.sydenham.org.uk/viewtopic. ... bf42d72506
Jews Walk was named after two Jewish brothers who lived in Westwood, a large house on the edge of Sydenham Common, where the Shenewood (my preferred spelling, as it is named after a wood owned by Shene Priory) estate now stands. In about 1769 the brothers obtained permission from Lord Dartmouth, the Lord of the Manor, to create a tree-lined walk across the common from what is now Kirkdale to their house. This walk became known as “the Jews’ walk”. When Sydenham Common was enclosed in the early 19th century the name was retained. By at least 1854 the residents of Jews Walk felt that such a name was not appropriate (undertones of anti-Semitism) and they began referring to the street as “The Grove”. In 1878 the Metropolitan Board of Works, a London-wide body amongst whose responsibilities was making sense of house numbers and street names, was petitioned to officially rename Jews Walk to “The Grove”. To their credit the MBW refused to change the name and “Jews Walk”, one of the oldest street-names in Sydenham, survived. However, the Congregational Church continued to be known as the Church in the Grove.
will greenwood
Posts: 352
Joined: 14 Jan 2008 23:45
Location: moorlinch

Post by will greenwood »

I've just added Sydenham Common to the Croydon Canal map;

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie ... &z=14&om=0

...just roughly sketched at present, so feel free to guide the boundaries, if I'm wrong anywhere.
lambchops
Posts: 770
Joined: 11 Jan 2008 10:57
Location: Your mum's

Post by lambchops »

bewdy, thanks guys.

i have now won a bet! i said it was probably because some local jews walked up the road here regularly.
nannyjacks
Posts: 23
Joined: 14 Sep 2006 15:29
Location: medway

Post by nannyjacks »

I was christened in the old church -in -the grove church in 1945 and I still have a photo of my late Mum holding me on the front steps of it
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