What is the history to the name Jews walk?

[Ruby]

I have always been curious as to why Jews Walk is given that name.

I would assume that there was a significant Jewish person or community there at one time?

Also does anybody know what was situated on Beaulieu Avenue before the houses were built in the 1960s?

I have been informed by a couple of people that it used to be a graveyard or a plague pit, however I am not that convinced.

[Falkor]

I have always been curious as to why Jews Walk is given that name.

I would assume that there was a significant Jewish person or community there at one time?

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.

Also does anybody know what was situated on Beaulieu Avenue before the houses were built in the 1960s?

I have been informed by a couple of people that it used to be a graveyard or a plague pit, however I am not that convinced.

Westwood Hill is mainly a one-sided street today, but it used to be lined with a dozen grand houses or villas; their site now landcaped over with the back gardens of Beaulieu Avenue, whose modern houses are built on the gardens of the former. These changes occured in the late 60s/early 70s. Most of the large houses in Longton Grove--a few still survive--were bombed during the war, so the Beaulieu Avenue side of the road was condensed down to include smaller houses that could fit in both Longton Grove and Beaulieu Avenue come the 1970s; if that at all makes sense then I've explained how both sides of Beaulieu Avenue were formed from land in Westwood Hill and Longton Grove. At what is now each entrance to Beaulieu Avenue were single villas in Longton Grove and Jews Walk (also demolished). The Longton Grove house I've only been able to find in 2 aerial photos, but the rest of the street and most other buildings referred to above were photographed before demolition and can be seen in some old postcards.

Thanks to Steve Grindlay for the above picture!
Some upper Longton Grove photos in this topic...

1968


1976

[Ruby]

Thankyou. That is very informative and interesting.

[dickp]

what's the tunnel under charsville circus?

[Steve Grindlay]

That's the railway tunnel between Penge East and Sydenham Hill stations.