Ancient Sydenham
Ancient Sydenham
Was Sydenham Road/Perry Hill inhabited before the 1600s? I know Kent House Farm (Beckenham) and Place House (Catford) go back far, but was there ever any Tudor style cottages with typical jettied fronts? I know Catford is mentioned in the Domesday Survey, but Sydenham is apparently not; however, besides all the farm houses, what's the chances of cottages having been built--in Catford or Sydenham--during the Medievel/Tudor periods? Which society is in charge of Archaeology around Sydenham? Has any digs ever been carried out? Any signs of Celtic, Roman or Saxon remains?
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Steve Grindlay
- Posts: 606
- Joined: 4 Oct 2004 05:07
- Location: Upper Sydenham
Sydenham Road, from the railway bridge to Bell Green together with land on either side, is designated by the council as "an Area of Archaeological Priority". This means that when the opportunity arises archaeologists (usually from the Museum of London Archaeological Service) are invited to conduct an excavation. The reports are then lodged with Lewisham Local History Centre, where they can be seen. I can remember three such digs; on the Kwik Fit site, the Children's Hospital site and on the corner of Bell Green Lane, near Haseltine School.
For more than fifty years there has been a suggestion that a Roman road branched off from Watling Street at Peckham, and ran through Lower Sydenham to Lewes. This quote (from "Roman Roads in Britain" by Ivan Margary (1973)) describes its route:
"The road crossed Brockley Rise at St Hilda's Church and made straight for Blythe Hill … where the course of the road shows a slight hollow. Then it crossed the Pool River close to the present footbridge from Perry Hill to Broadmead, Bellingham." It then continued to Southend Lane. The route of this road is also designated an "Area of Archaeological Priority".
There have been at least two attempts to find traces of the road in Lower Sydenham, the most recent in 2003. This involved a large trench in the Firhill Playing Fields (other side of railway line from Savacentre). Unfortunately they found no evidence of a Roman road and in fact one of the archaeologists suggested that it "may be a figment of our imagination".
Most of Perry Hill is also an archaeological priority site.
For more than fifty years there has been a suggestion that a Roman road branched off from Watling Street at Peckham, and ran through Lower Sydenham to Lewes. This quote (from "Roman Roads in Britain" by Ivan Margary (1973)) describes its route:
"The road crossed Brockley Rise at St Hilda's Church and made straight for Blythe Hill … where the course of the road shows a slight hollow. Then it crossed the Pool River close to the present footbridge from Perry Hill to Broadmead, Bellingham." It then continued to Southend Lane. The route of this road is also designated an "Area of Archaeological Priority".
There have been at least two attempts to find traces of the road in Lower Sydenham, the most recent in 2003. This involved a large trench in the Firhill Playing Fields (other side of railway line from Savacentre). Unfortunately they found no evidence of a Roman road and in fact one of the archaeologists suggested that it "may be a figment of our imagination".
Most of Perry Hill is also an archaeological priority site.
That's interesting... There were no Roman roads where I'm currently living, but there are 2 rivers--Cray and Darent--comparable with the Pool and Ravensbourne rivers, respectively. Around the Cray valley alone there have been over 130 Roman finds, ranging from coins and pottery to houses and villas. The River Darent was home to many villas, including the famous Lullingstone one in Eynesford.
In Greenwich Park, the Time Team excavated remains of an ancient Roman temple not far from where Watling Street (based on the route of a Roman road) intersects the start of the Ravensbourne--atleast they mention the Ravensbourne several times in the program. I wonder how far down the Ravensbourne/Pool rivers the Romans settled?
If anything else comes to light, or if anyone has found some Roman coins in their back garden, please don't hesitate to contribute to this topic in the near future!
In Greenwich Park, the Time Team excavated remains of an ancient Roman temple not far from where Watling Street (based on the route of a Roman road) intersects the start of the Ravensbourne--atleast they mention the Ravensbourne several times in the program. I wonder how far down the Ravensbourne/Pool rivers the Romans settled?
If anything else comes to light, or if anyone has found some Roman coins in their back garden, please don't hesitate to contribute to this topic in the near future!
To support my comparison of Roman finds along both pairs of aforementioned rivers, here's a wall plan taken from inside the building that houses the remains of the Crofton Roman Villa at Orpington: (click for larger image)
Notice how many major Roman finds have been discovered along the Cray and Darent rivers, but, alas, nothing along the Pool and Ravensbourne rivers!? And the latter pair even had an additional Roman road beside them!
Didn't they find anything when they developed the Savacentre?? I think I need to bring a spade along to the Riverside Walk, but only if somebody else comes with me, okay?
Notice how many major Roman finds have been discovered along the Cray and Darent rivers, but, alas, nothing along the Pool and Ravensbourne rivers!? And the latter pair even had an additional Roman road beside them!
Didn't they find anything when they developed the Savacentre?? I think I need to bring a spade along to the Riverside Walk, but only if somebody else comes with me, okay?