As the boarding goes up around the old armoury http://www.sydenhamsociety.com/Armoury.html , sweet shop, car stereo shack and the finest collection of used car tyres in SE London, in preparation for demolition and subsequent building of flats on Perry Vale, East of Forest Hill Station, I found myself drawn down Hindsley's Place.
This is the dead end road next to this development, and from the main Road looks as inspiring as its unfortunate name.
But I think I've read that this road is quite old and used to have cottages for the railway workers (1830's?)
My question is about the house here next to the new development with a stone inscription with Cooks place 1811 engraved on it. With the enclosure act passed in 1810, they were quick off the mark! It looks like this house has escaped the development, despite its brickwork being very integrated with the industrial buildings that are being flattened. I guess this is some consolation, but is the date 1811 here meaningful at all? Was Cook a person or was this the site of a cafe?
Cooks place 1811
Falkor,
re Chaplin St. Very interesting that you would get a row of slums (although they look all right to me!) right behind the large houses on what is now Westbourne Drive, the divide between rich and poor being the old Sydenham Common boundary.
I need to correct this thread though, after bumping into Steve Grindlay by chance this afternoon at Cooks Place of all places. Steve pointed out that the date inscribed is not 1811 at all but 1844. Ooops. Sorry Steve. It is a pretty easy mistake to make, honest!
1844 is consistent with the potential 1847-49 date of the original site of the Forrester Arms/then Armoury, (not that they are necessarily connected, but overall this date makes far more sense than 1811.)
And Steve has no reason to think Cook refers to anything other than the name of the person who originally owned the house.
Anyway, not an entirely wasted thread as I've at least high-lighted the imminent demolition of a local historical building - the armoury.
re Chaplin St. Very interesting that you would get a row of slums (although they look all right to me!) right behind the large houses on what is now Westbourne Drive, the divide between rich and poor being the old Sydenham Common boundary.
I need to correct this thread though, after bumping into Steve Grindlay by chance this afternoon at Cooks Place of all places. Steve pointed out that the date inscribed is not 1811 at all but 1844. Ooops. Sorry Steve. It is a pretty easy mistake to make, honest!
1844 is consistent with the potential 1847-49 date of the original site of the Forrester Arms/then Armoury, (not that they are necessarily connected, but overall this date makes far more sense than 1811.)
And Steve has no reason to think Cook refers to anything other than the name of the person who originally owned the house.
Anyway, not an entirely wasted thread as I've at least high-lighted the imminent demolition of a local historical building - the armoury.
