Sydenham Hill Woods / Riverside Walk (Pool river)

[Falkor]

This is supposedly a remnant of the Great North Wood; you can see it's very overgrown and natural looking with lot's of trees. However, there was once houses inside this wood, tennis courts(?), and a railway line with trains running through it! Therefore, I doubt it would have looked very wooded between 1865 and the 2nd world war? Now the trees--no doubt many would have been cut down for past developments on the site--have all returned! Right in the middle of those trees in the remnants of a "Victorian folly" known as "The Hoo"; anyone have info on this? At first glance, it looks as if it could have been a church in the middle of nowhere, but I heard it was simply a feature of somebody's garden living in a house on that side of Sydenham Hill; how disappointing...

Now, there is only about 3 entrances to the woods: the concealed Crescent Wood Road entrance, the back of the Lordship lane estate that replaced the old station, and the very long Cox's walk. However, when I was young I remember a 4th entrance/exit along the middle of Sydenham Hill besides a red painted brick house, but now it's not there! Anyone able to confirm this or am I going mad? What was the last house to be seen inside Sydenham Hill Wood and where exactly was it?

Does Sydenham Hill Wood join onto Dulwich Woods? Is there set paths inside Dulwich Woods, too? Can you walk around there; where are the entrances? Any features inside?

Where can I find information on the history of both these woods? Are there any books published on the subject? I'm pretty sure my Sydenham books don't cover this boundary between Sydenham and Dulwich. BTW, there's a very challenging nature trail on the boundary of Sydenham/Southend/Catford called Riverside Walk (along the Pool River and Railway line); I bet most people wouldn't be aware this part of town even existed. It's actually a cycle route, and looks a bit dangerous to walk down there... Any problems and you would be stuck in the middle of nowhere along a thin stretch of wilderness. Has there been any reports of murders/rapes along this rural part of Sydenham? Apparently, they've got CCTV down there, but I can't imagine this trail staying open for very long; it's 10 times worse than going from Sydenham Park footbridge to Forest Hill station.

[Falkor]

I've sussed out the Woods!! There's a lot more entrances than I thought:

1) Crescent Wood Road (northern end)
2) Cox's Walk (east of Cox's Bridge; comes out near Sydenham Hill/Kirkdale junction)
3) Lordship Lane estate (north-east of the bridge)
4) Dulwich Harvester/Church (north-west of the bridge)
5) Dulwich Golf Course
6) Peckarmans Wood (side entrance; end of the road is gated and can be seen from another part of the woods within)
7) Low Cross Wood Lane (halfway down this shortcut to Sydenham Hill station)

Dulwich Woods and Sydenham Hill Woods are both interconnecting--this is confirmed!*

The wall/gates of the red painted bricked house I referred to still survives opposite Lamas Green estate, but the house itself has been demolished as I suspected. There is fencing blocking this gateway, which was once the previous entrance I reffered to, albeit off-track or just temporary during the late 80s. All along this side of Sydenham Hill Woods is signs visible from behind the black fencing, indicating possibly even more previous entrances along here. However, if you go back far enough, I think there were houses all along here? Not one of these house survives today.

*Dulwich Upper Woods--the place we found on the first walkabout--is an entirely seperate stretch of woodland on the other side of College Road/Fountain Drive; this stretch was once much bigger--most of it must have been cut down for the building of the old Crystal Palace High Level Station in 1865. Of course, if you go back far enough, the 'Upper Woods would have been connected with the rest of Dulwich/Sydenham Hill Wood as part of the Great North Wood.

[Greg Whitehead]

Falkor,

How ironic...I spied one of your hidden entrances today! Reasonably often Katherine and I walk up Kirkdale, through Cox's Walk then through Dulwich Park and into Dulwich Village for Sunday lunch. I did see you fenced up entrance today and thought of you.

I was explaining to Katherine about 'the' hoo' and she agreed she might like to join us next weekend if we wehre to walk along the old railway bed. Would you like some company? I'm up for a good walk around Sydenham Hill Woods at any rate.

[Falkor]

Sorry Greg, I missed your reply for some reason... You know I'm always up for a walkabout anytime... I've already lost 2 stone over the last 3 months... Programming behind a computer for 10 years made me put on weight... I think I'm ready to start doing some light jogging soon around Wells Park or something! Definitely going back to the Shotokan Karate Hall soon--they are going to get a surprise when they see me! I wonder if my old friends are still there...