http://www.flickr.com/photos/stevegrindlay/
The latest additions include a large series on Sydenham High Street.
I'm very grateful to Steve for sharing all these pictures and information. What I can really appreciate more than anything is the quality of the scans; for example, if you click on the different sizes, one is able to download typical images at around 300-600dpi and zoom right in to any point. Now I know a lot of people would take that for granted. Most collectors I know have what I call a "holding back" mentality because knowledge is power, and their hobby is usually the biggest thing in their life, so it makes them feel superior; atleast that's what I think, although I'm certainly no psychologist. Steve is different; he doesn't mind sharing with us, so, on behalf of the Sydenham Town Forum I would like to say a very big THANK YOU to Steve!
I've put together a selection of my 10 favourite pictures contributed by Steve:
This is my favourite picture so far that Steve has uploaded! Not only does it show Jews Walk and the original trees that once lined it, but also the first wave of buildings along Wells Park Road, including one of only 2 views of Sydenham Windmill!
In second place is another painting showing Sydenham Windmill, which stood in the area of Mill Gardens, hence the name. This picture also shows an early view of Halifax Street, the post office (on the left), and The Woodman (before the Victorian facade was added to the front and sides).
In third place is this early aerial photo, taken from a newspaper article, showing Upper Sydenham before the Wells Park Road North area was re-developed. If you zoom in on the original size image, you can just about make out the generating station and some extinguished roads, as well as the mysterious plot of land beside the wooded gardens of St Mary's Oratory (before Sydenham Hill Estate was built). Running vertically across Wells Park is some kind of early trackway. The view of Crystal Palace Park Road is also quite contrasted. I would love to be proven wrong, but I reckon this might be the only known aerial photo taken of Upper Sydenham before the 1960s--atleast I couldn't find any in Lewisham Local Studies--all Aerial views there were taken post-60 (shortly after Sydenham Hill Estate et all had been developed on this side of Wells Park Road). That's what makes this view so unique and in my Top 10.
Early photos of Sydenham Road appear to be lacking; there is a number of buildings that survived into the late 19th century without being photographed (it might be worth listing them in a seperate topic). In place of the 7-11 shop (dunno what it's called now) used to stand a building called The Priory. It was demolished quite late on, but sadly no decent photos exist. There was one photo published in the book, Sydenham and Forest Hill Past by John Coulter, but by then half the building--probably in the form of the wings--had been demolished, leaving just the converted central part as some sort of garage premises. Apart from this, no other views are known to exist. I asked Steve about this claim and he agreed, but was still able to produce this slide of the building in question, albeit only available in poor quality (you can just about make out the shape). It just shows how Steve is able to go that little bit further than anyone else in striving for the rarest images and information relating to anything and everything about Sydenham. The Elms, next door to The Priory, was demolished a lot earlier; however, for publication in his book, John Coulter managed to find 2 illustrations of that!
I remember how shocked I was when Steve first posted this photo! It shows the furniture place that was around before Costcutter and any former buildings, like the Laundrette (refer to older topic for more info), standing in this central part of Kirkdale. On the left can be seen the Woodman (older part of the building at the back).
Rare photo of the Crystal Palace site, taken from the top of the North Tower. The workmen are posing especially for the camera! Ken Kiss had never seen this particular photo before, so you can bet it's rare, but he did own others from the same series with the same workmen doing their poses; for example, another shows them around the balcony of the tower and maybe inside it.
Possible remains of the Croydon Canal. Does archaeology ever take place in Sydenham?? Steve might as well be our archaeologist as well as Historian; I think we should all raise some funds to buy him a metal detector for Christmas!
A rare view of the old Bricklayers Arms before rebuilding--not published in any books I know.
Rare view of Sydenham Road, showing the cottages to the left. You can just make out the church in the distance--yes, there was once a church or chapel in this part of the high street! A full on view is shown in one of "the books" (you know the ones!), but it's better to see it in perspective with the rest of the buildings IMO.
A rare photo showing the stable block to one of the Sydenham Hill villas on the corner with Wells Park Road.
Everyone, please post your favourites and tell us what you like about the pictures...
I've almost given up hope... I can't find any articles on the subject. From what I gather it goes something like this... Current boundaries could be defined by a postcode map. SE26 includes Crystal Palace Park Road and part of the park. Dartmouth Road is split between SE26 and SE23 (Forest Hill). However, some towns seem to share postcodes, like where I'm living now the boundaries problem seems unsolvable. First question that comes to mind: when did post codes first form, and were they established same time as the various boroughs, hence a connection between the two? Next in history comes Parish boundaries. According to one source mapping the 1910 boundaries, Crystal Palace Park Road and Sydenham Avenue was once part of Beckenham!? I think the boundaries on this map are for districts (same as boroughs?), as the boundary of Sydenham and Beckenham was also the boundary of Lewisham and Bromley, as well as London and Kent, but then Lewisham was also once in Kent according to historical censuses. Of course, now, Bromley is part of Greater London, which is eating up all the other surrounding counties. Next question: how many type of boundaries are there?
1745 Rocques survey? 
Is Sydenham at the center of the Universe?