Walking the Streets of Forest Hill, SE23

Forest Hill & Sydenham up in flames

2008-06-09T15:05:00.003Z

Well, maybe not that dramatic, but it was quite a scene.

I woke up to a normal day, but apparently the fire had already started (just before 8 I believe) and the smoke was already rising.

Then, just before 9 the electricity went off. I spotted the black cloud and thought maybe some evangelical swimmers may have been looking to bring forward the demolition of the Forest Hill Pools.

I set off with my camera to investigate and found that the local electricity sub-station was in flames (or at least some oil fired generators next door) [story on the BBC]. Here they are on Google Maps:

View Larger Map

So, I took a few photos for the record.

[Click here for the full set of photos on Flickr]

Now, it seems that the record will be more complete thanks to these photos as they will probably be used in the South London Press and Mercury Newspapers. In fact, one is already on their website.

Quite a day, and that was BEFORE I went off to visit the Devonshire Road Nature Reserve and Forest Hill Day at the Horniman Museum gardens!

Forest Hill Events

2008-06-06T16:31:00.003Z

In case you have not read about it on other sites or blogs, this is a quick reminder (for those who have yet to get around to removing this site from their feed readers) that this weekend June 8th, 2008 is Forest Hill Day.

There is no site to point you to (disappointingly), but it is to be held from 12:00 to 17:00 at the Horniman Gardens this Sunday.

At the same time, the Devonshire Road Nature Reserve is also holding an Open Day from 12:00 to 18:00 (they have a great new blog at least, well done!)

I'll do my best to be there, I hope you will too.

Lots of fun for the whole family I'm sure.

"... a failure to communicate"

2008-05-15T22:45:00.002Z

Oops!

I was responding to a comment elsewhere on this blog about reservoirs and I tried to find a post I had written on the subject on this site. It related to the Beechcroft Reservoir just across from the SE23 border that happens to include a 9 hole golf course on top of it (!) for the Aquarius Golf Club, but I couldn't locate it.

I was sure I had written it as it was a feature of my very last walk and I even had a photo to go with it.

Having searched the site for a few minutes I found the post, half-written in this site's draft folder (from January).

I apologise unreservedly and will make sure I get that post finished and online as soon as possible, if only for posterity, and to resolve the issue of differentiating between the Beechcroft reservoir and the abandoned (?) Honor Oak Reservoir.

Seven Songs

2008-05-08T22:04:00.005Z

So what do I do? I normally bin ANY chain mail letter or email within seconds, no matter who it comes from. I really do not care if by doing so I am incurring the wrath of alien beings that will eat my liver (it is nicely marinated) or seven plagues will be visited upon my life (Ha! I have Boris Johnson as Mayor, I only have 6 left to try and deal with!)

However, I was 'tagged' by Max for Seven Songs and I had already been interested by Andrew's original reply, so what the hell!

This is nothing more than a list of 7 songs I like at the moment, some of which have only been played once on Last.fm (great idea and way to find new artists). Take it, or leave it, I don't mind, but it is an excuse to show I am still around and checking out this blog. In fact I have some other posts that should go up, so will probably try and get them up soon too.

So, the rules:

List seven songs you are into right now. No matter what the genre, whether they have words, or even if they’re not any good, but they must be songs you’re really enjoying now, shaping your spring. Post these instructions in your blog along with your 7 songs. Then tag 7 other people to see what they’re listening to.

Imogen Heap - Headlock
I first discovered Imogen's music through last.fm and getting to know her style has opened up lots of new avenues for me. I personally find her style totally involving and I am in awe of her skills (she does a lot more than just sing, check out the performances on video). Imogen, I'd love to meet you one day!

Jem - Come on Closer
I believe I must have hear Jem's voice before, but it has re-appeared on my radar only fairly recently. This particular song gets me going and I feel happy every time it happens to play. I actually now start my radio with "Artists like Jem"

Dr. Hook - Everyone's making it big but me
I grew up with these guys. This video is from the Old Grey Whistle Test, but please bear with the intro and listen to the words. 70's country/hippy/rock was great! What happened to them? I can probably guess.

eberg - Love your bum
Inventive, creative, funny and poignant. An entire song written from lyrics taken from the packets of toilet paper. Genius! (you'll need to select the song from his MySpace page as I can't seem to link directly to it)

The Muppetts - Mahna Mahna
I happened to look up a particular Kermit song I wanted to quote the other day, and it led me on a path of discovery, including this song (and my daughter's favourite, the later version with Sandra Bullock). Oh, the things that shaped our childhood!

Camille Saint-Saens - Aquarium
I love this piece. I could have included lots more Classical music, but there is something magical as well as romantic about this. Can I admit, I used to have it as my ringtone, and would still if I could sort it out?

Kate Havnevik - New Day
A very recent last.fm discovery and one I will most certainly look out for more in future.

Now, as for tagging, I am at a little bit of a loss as I actually hope/expect anyone I tag (because I like to see a job through) to bin this request, or not be able to do anything about it, but what the hell! So, over to you, your consciences and your to-do list:

Gabriella, Adrian, Alisa, Gareth, Alastair, Sue, and Ploop

Snow

2008-04-06T23:27:00.003Z

Everyone else is posting about it, so I thought I'd add a few links too:

Done Walking

2008-03-22T21:27:00.004Z

The target was met, the map was folded and filed and the photos are all online. What is left to do?

I had thought I might start another related blog looking at Forest Hill past & present, but to be honest, I do not have the time. With an expanding family, the business and a growing focus on my wine blog, I don't think I could do justice to another Forest Hill blog.

So, I admit it, I am bowing out. Of course, the content needs to stay up, that is one of the great things about blogs - loads of seemingly unrelated content on every topic imaginable, that one day will be a researcher's greatest find.

I will therefore be keeping this site live, and possibly even posting Forest Hill related photos and thoughts from time to time, but I will admit to you openly now that these will be few and far between.

If you are interested in Forest Hill, there are two things you should do straight away:

1. Join the Forest Hill Society

2. Sign up on SE23.com (and say Hi! to me there: my alias is RobWinton)

and in the best Monty Python-esqe Spanish Inquisition manner

3. Shop Local - and support local businesses.

Thanks for following my treks and hopefully we can stay in touch via this site or either of the sites above.

Early Spring

2008-02-08T14:54:00.000Z

Something to make you smile

Forest Hill History Information Resource

2008-02-06T09:31:00.000Z

Steve Grindlay's excellent presentation is now available to all.

You can find it here (http://fhhistory.blogspot.com/) - a rather complicated way to show it, but it allows you to see each slide and zoom in to see the details of the photos.

I thoroughly recommend a quick browse through the topics and you can then take more of a look at the ones of interest. I know, for example, that many will be interested in the list of current and past public houses, or the surviving evidence of the local breweries.

I don't think Steve has a site of his own for your questions, but you can always log in to either the Forest Hill forum at www.se23.com or the Sydenham Forum at forum.sydenham.org.uk/ as I know he uses these regularly.

What a great turnout

2008-01-31T16:21:00.000Z

Over 120 people came to the event last night, wow!

You can read a little more about it on the Forest Hill Society website, and I will link to the online presentation when it is available too.

thanks Steve!

Last chance reminder for tonight

2008-01-30T12:33:00.000Z

Just in case you have missed all the other reminders, this is one more quick post to remind those who are interested in Forest Hill that there will be a presentation tonight at The Hob (from 7pm) by Steve Grindlay on the history of Forest Hill and Honor Oak Park.

More details here.

See you there! And if you are a reader of this blog, do come over and let me know. I realise it has been very quiet around here lately, but I hope to take up the new challenge soon.

Condemned no more

2008-01-14T15:44:00.000Z

A brief update on my post entitled, Condemned (20th of August 2007), about the property on Church Rise whose foundations were undermined by builders.

The good news is that the scaffolding is coming down at this property.

The bad news is that so is the building.

The demolition work has begun in earnest, and in what I guess is a desperate attempt to salvage some investment from the ruins, the bricks are coming down one by one for re-use.

Sad to see it go. I wonder what might be built in its place?

Here are some quick photos I took today:

The history of Forest Hill

2008-01-08T09:44:00.000Z

It would be far from an exaggeration for me to say, "I learned everything I know about Forest Hill from this man" when talking about Steve Grindlay.

I first met Steve on the history tour he led around Forest Hill last year, when we expected a dozen or so people on the first Forest Hill Society social event. In the end over 70 people turned up and we had a great time walking all over the area and we learned a lot.

However, if you were there, you'll remember the hard time we all had getting a chance to look at the old photos, documents and other materials Steve had prepared.

Steve has kindly agreed to dedicate another evening of his own time to present more information about how Forest Hill came about, who built it and why, and some of the key features of the area. This time he will hold the meeting upstairs at The Hob, by Forest Hill Station, on Wednesday, January 30th 2008 so we can see the photos better and ask more questions. I know I will be there, and judging by the level of interest in the last event, I hope you will too.

Please do come along, and bring your friends. The event is free and starts at 19:00.

... oh, and if there is enough interest on the night, I volunteer to then lead a walk around Forest Hill in the near future to look at the areas that were of most interest on the night.

See you there!

A History of Forest Hill
19:00 Wednesday, January 30th, 2008
The Hob, 7 Devonshire Rd
Forest Hill, SE23
(brought to you by the lovely people at the Forest Hill Society)

Blogging in Lewisham - 2008 motivator

2008-01-08T09:32:00.000Z

Anyone out there fancy starting to plan another get-together for early 2008? I feel the need for a chat to get the energy flowing again to start anew in 2008.

We've already been here to Forest Hill, and although the Jolly Farmers seems popular, I wonder whether there might be somewhere else we might try that would accommodate us in such a way that more of us could interact? Last time we ended up rather fixed and unable to move to meet new people.

Any suggestions from other parts of the borough?

It would probably have to be mid to late Feb at this point to give us time to plan, so it is worth starting to ask the question.

What think you Andrew, Kate, Richard, Wulf, Max, and everyone else (too many to mention everyone these days)?

Still alive and kicking, but not walking

2008-01-02T23:37:00.000Z

I really do owe you a wrap up of all the walks and some thoughts on the experience, but somehow I have not found the energy to do this. It seems a large, and somewhat traumatic, task.

On December 15th I did complete the last walk, and finished it off with a talk, organised by the Forest Hill Society, to a (small but attentive) assembled audience at the Rockbourne Youth Club.

If I had written up the presentation properly it would be easier to add here, but as I prefer to keep things informal and to make it relevant to the audience (otherwise known as "off the cuff") I only jotted down ideas, so I still need to pull it together properly.

Anyway, as a placeholder for the moment, here is a photo of me (I realise I have not been able to take a photo of myself on the walks, so I have yet to really appear on this site) during the presentation.

I have some thoughts on the experience, and also about what to do next, which I will post soon, I promise!

Happy 2008! Make it a healthy one and get out walking too.

Walking Hither Green

2007-12-30T06:38:00.000Z

Congratulations to Wulf for his new plan to walk every street in Hither Green in 2008.

His new blog, Walking Hither Green, has just been set up and considering his photographic skills are vastly greater than mine I am sure it will be worth following.

Good luck Wulf!

Today's (third last) walk

2007-12-13T22:11:00.000Z

I've scoured the map for those streets I have missed on my other trips as I desperately try to ensure that Saturday will truly be the "last" walk of the challenge.

Today's walk was quite short (under 2 miles in theory) but there were a few hills involved and lots of staring at the sky (I love these clear days and low angled sun).

View Larger Map

Architecturally there is not much to report. I found what I think is the last remaining original frontage on Cranston Road, with not only the original windows and stained glass intact, but also the swirling wood & iron bar by the door. It is a shame more of these could not be preserved, but I understand that they were probably not made to last forever (I saw lots of rotten wood around) and that modern security and energy efficiency demand they be replaced. Shame a better compromise could not be found for more houses though. The rest of the street is generally rather dull.

I walked back along Woolstone Road and down Hurstbourne (retreading these streets) to reach one I had missed: Fermor Road. Again, a nice, quiet and relatively unremarkable residential street with views of the back of Stansted Lodge (that I would like to visit at some stage).

Then it was up Montem Road. I've been up here a few times, but either in the car or only sections of it, so I thought I would do the whole thing. Plus, there were some intriguing side roads at the top, namely Owen's Way & Austin Close, that I had missed previously.

The main interest were the views, as usual, towards the South and to the West & the Horniman (here on the left - click on the image to see more details), but there are also some interesting houses. There is the house I spotted last time on the corner of Lowther Hill (one half of which is for sale which allowed me to find out that they were built in 1820 but not much else), and opposite that there is a beautiful Art Nouveau (or Deco? I'm still confused) house. Check out those windows!

As everywhere, there was a lot of construction and refurbishment going on everywhere. I doubt there are many streets in SE23 that do not have at least one project going on at the moment.

Then back down the hill and home. It almost seems a shame to be finishing up.

"Be Nice to the Mayor" Campaign

2007-12-13T21:51:00.000Z

Somewhat against the grain in political terms, but in the spirit of the season, I started a small campaign today that I encourage you all to join.

Forest Hill, SE23 recently topped a poll to find the place residents were most proud of in their area. Called 'Pride of Place', Forest Hill and the Horniman Museum won comfortably despite being in competition with Blackheath, the Catford Cat, the Laban centre and others. And quite rightly too.

The trouble is that we are a quite small and, relatively speaking, affluent part of Lewisham. I totally understand that there are big problems to address in other parts of the Borough that take up a lot of the Mayor's (Sir Steve Bullock) time and that of those involved with Lewisham Council. However, we too have our issues such as the ongoing closure of the pools, the terrible state and services of our station (as well as the shops that are part of that area, including the new Post Office within the WH Smiths) and the total lack of any visible effort to generate new businesses to fill the empty retail properties.

I decided, therefore, that rather than complain (again) I would turn it around and be nice; after all, it works in most other aspects of my life.

I have written a Christmas Card to "Sir Steve" to wish him well, and with a simple request to make Forest Hill a greater priority for 2008.

If you are a member of SE23.com you may already have read the discussion and text here, if not (and you should be), here is the text of the card. If you are a Forest Hill resident and wish to join in, please do. It only takes a few seconds and the cost of a second class stamp. After all, this will only work if we get a reasonable number of people doing the same thing.

===========
Sir Steve

My family and I wish you, your family and everyone at Lewisham Council all the best for Christmas and the New Year.

We are proud residents of Forest Hill and we were not surprised that Forest Hill and the Horniman Museum were recently voted Lewisham's top 'Pride of Place'. However, there are still too many empty shops, we desperately need our pool back and we would appreciate your active support in helping to regenerate our sadly neglected station area.

The best gift we could hope for would be for you and Lewisham Council to make Forest Hill a much greater priority in the coming year.

Wishing you a happy 2008
==========

I'm sure others will word their notes better, but a few cards like this might just make the difference, you never know.

Please send your cards or emails to:

Sir Steve Bullock
Mayor of Lewisham and Forest Hill
Mayor's office
Civic Suite,
Town Hall, Catford
SE6 4RU
Tel: 020 8314 6193
E-mail: steve.bullock@lewisham.gov.uk

Thanks! (oh, and drop me a note if you do decide to join in)

A graded pink reminder

2007-12-13T16:50:00.000Z

Only two days to go to the final walk. I have frantically been finishing off the last few streets, with only one little loop left.

If you would like to join me and at least 6 or so others on our walk to Rockbourne Road, please do come along. It would be good but not essential, to get get the right number of mince pies if nothing else, if you could let me know you are coming.

Oh, and tonight, the sky will only be mainly blue (but also orange and pink)

"Now, take a deep breath, and ..."

2007-12-12T16:02:00.000Z

... cough, cough, cough!

Same day as the blue post earlier, but looking 'through' the layers of air above London

More photos here:

Breaking News: The sky today will be ... blue

2007-12-12T14:11:00.000Z

Today's sky will be totally blue

More later

Any idea how big SE23 is?

2007-12-11T23:26:00.000Z

I have linked to my map of the outline of the SE23 postcode area already, but would anyone care to hazard a guess as to the actual area this covers?

Answers in square miles or square kilometers, or even acres if you must, in the comments below.

I was surprised when I calculated it.

Extra mince pie on Saturday for the nearest guess

Preparing for Christmas

2007-12-11T22:55:00.000Z

Some things in life really speed up at Christmas, others dramatically slow.

Whilst the frenzied activities of shopping, meal planning and social events takes over, the more considered jobs, such as blogging, seem to become rarer and rarer (apologies in advance).

The most difficult to manage is the social calendar. Even those people who you rarely see all the rest of the year need to be called, visited, written to and bought presents. Then there are all the christmas fairs, office drinks, catch-ups, farewells and family gatherings to fit in. Unfortunately it means that some events get double booked and therefore you end up missing something or someone.

One of the first to suffer this season was my semi-annual pilgrimage to Havelock Walk's Open Studios. I think I have been to them all, every six months, for the last couple of years, so it was a shame to learn about this one too late to avoid the clash with a well planned family trip to Edinburgh. I would also have missed the Christmas Fair at the station, but I gather that did not happen anyway (due to adverse weather conditions).

As it happens we still suffered the adverse weather conditions in Edinburgh (getting soaking wet and cold, but rediscovering a great tapas bar in the process).

I hope to report back soon with the outline of my talk on Saturday (summing up a year of blogging about Forest Hill) ... unfortunately it is another SLOW job that just, somehow, is not getting done.

Must dash! Christmas cards to write.

Getting a bit late now

2007-12-03T23:34:00.000Z

There are a couple of pockets of streets I have been meaning to walk for a while and never got around to, so with THE FINAL WALK looming, I thought lunch was a good time to do it.

I had a few roads around the South East of SE23 to cover, ones that again are not on my way to a specific place so have been missed out to date. The route was as follows:

View Larger Map

This was around 3 miles and I covered it pretty fast as, for a change, there weren't too many hills.

There were not too many events to report. As expected, the houses on Priestfield Road, Hawksfield Road and Ticehurst Road are all very attractive. This area is relatively quiet, well preserved and reasonable sized houses. I think I have mentioned already that Garlies Road has some very nice houses so I was not surprised.

I was somewhat surprised to find some original-looking Art Nouveau (or is it Deco?) stained glass in a building on Como Road. I didn't take a photo unfortunately, but if you are walking along there, look out for the windows above ground level. Very interesting!

Walking down Perry Hill I was struck by the decorative plasterwork above a series of doors on the houses just over the hill. It is common to about 4 houses in a row, so there must be more to this story than a simple design feature. Does anyone know?

On Priestfield Road I also came across an unusual sight that I have always associated with gas lighting, but to be honest have no idea what it is or how it works. Can anyone help me? You can see them occasionally around London and although I have lived here for a while, I can't say I have ever stopped long enough to consider them - ah the benefits of being a blogger!

What are/were these?

In future I will post some other 'posts' (excuse the pun) that I need to identity.

There are even some nice views of Forest Hill towards the North from here, and, once again, a view of Christ Church (you can see the church on the bottom left of the image, between the tall tree and the palm).

The other common sight, once again, was all the development happening - from large blocks (such as the ongoing development on Stanstead Road/Hurstbourne Road), to houses being re-roofed, re-painted, extended or even gutted and modernised. It is EVERYWHERE!

Nice roads to look at if you are in the market though.

... and ...

finally, back home (after a spot of lunch at The Honor Oak, with a great Club Sandwich and pint of Broadside)

Jolly Bloggers

2007-12-02T22:46:00.000Z

Thanks to all the Lewisham Bloggers for another great get-together.

I did enjoy the beers, even if I have had far more beer in the last week than the rest of the year put together. I'm hoping for a more wine-friendly place next time. Having said that, those pints in the Jolly Farmers were pretty good.

As usual I enjoyed the chats with those I have met before, but also meeting some new faces too. Others have already added some lists of those present, so I shall leave it to them and to my newly updated blogroll (if I have missed anyone, let me know).

On a side-note, I think that maybe we ought to look for a place where the growing group can mingle a little.

Thanks again, and I look forward to the next one.

Quick! Last chance!

2007-11-30T10:18:00.001Z

Just in case you missed it, it is only fair to remind readers of this blog (I won't embarrass you or me by revealing quite how many that is, but let's just say that we'd all fit comfortably in the pub) that there is a small gathering of bloggers, all based in and around Lewisham, tonight.

Being St. Andrews night I shall be celebrating it in the company of some very hospitable and interesting people with an incredibly varied list of interests, at the Jolly Farmers, 54, Lewisham High St, London, SE13 6LE

If you fancy popping by to say hello, or to join us, please do (I'll be the one with the beard, the drunken smile, and the camera!!)

Daft

2007-11-26T16:25:00.000Z

Sometimes you see something that makes you laugh then you think "I must show this to others"

VIRAL MARKETING!!!

Maybe old, maybe done before, maybe a rip-off, maybe ... but who cares. I've only just seen it and I'd like to share this with you.

Probably something up Adrian's (@ fork handles) street!

And, No! It has absolutely NOTHING to do with Forest Hill (unless there are some daft punks around here somewhere).

Thanks to www.sizemore.co.uk/ for the link

Autumn Sun in Forest Hill

2007-11-21T14:36:00.001Z

Despite predictions to the contrary, this morning was glorious!

Having offered to take some photos of the area as a possible new welcome photo for SE23.com, and as I was walking up to the dentist anyway, I thought I'd bring my camera.

Just a few snaps that you might enjoy.

Click here for the full set, or here for lots more photos of Forest Hill and the SE23 surrounds.

[UPDATE: Check out stevegrindlay's old postcards in particular - they are currently on page 3 of the pool]

A gentle plug, and a reminder

2007-11-21T14:10:00.000Z

Still catching up on the last few walks, and still WAY late on writing them up, however, I thought I'd at least use a moment to plug the latest addition to Forest Hill.

The Lemon Grove (no website that I know of) has now opened opposite Sainsbury's on London Road. We had been screaming out for a good, central cafe for a long time, and the new owners have not only provided a great looking place that actually serves good coffee (and excellent food), but they are nice people too. What more can you ask for? (Maybe free WiFi??)

If you are in Forest Hill shopping, on your way to the Horniman Museum and Gardens, or maybe browsing the Estate Agents' windows (we are an up and coming area don't you know!) you should definitely pop in.

As for the reminder, there is only just over a week to go until the next Lewisham Bloggers' drinks. Click here for more information on dates and times. If you are a local blogger and have not been to one before, or even if you just want to meet some of the people behind the blogs, do come along and join the party. Se you there!

The final walk

2007-11-11T22:11:00.000Z

OK, so the time is approaching, and the plans are not yet fully made, but some details are emerging.

As I still plan on making the December 15th the FINAL walk of the year, I have decided to make it a good one. The plan is to walk from the most Northerly point, at the end of Brenchley Gardens, and then make our way to Rockbourne Road.

The (currently) planned route is here.

UPDATE: I plan to leave from the top of Brenchley Gardens around 11:00 or so.

There have been a few people that have mentioned that they might like to walk with me (I feel honoured), including my not-quite-3-year-old daughter, so don't expect this to be a hike! I plan on keeping it relatively level, as far as Forest Hill permits anyway, and take in a few sites on the way.

If you are interested, keep an eye on this blog and I will publish the latest details as they emerge. I will give you a sneak preview of the plan for the Forest Hill Society to provide an energy-boosting mince pie along the way!

If you do plan on coming along, please do let me know so I have SOME idea of how many might be there on the day.

In residence in Honor Oak

2007-11-11T20:00:00.000Z

Having realised that time is short, particularly with the planning of "THE FINAL WALK", I decided to set out to visit some of the side streets that I have missed for one reason or another.

I walked 4.5 miles (according to google maps) this afternoon, visiting the residential streets around Honor Oak mainly. I had walked this way before but had not been up and down all the parallel residential roads. However, the goal was to walk all streets, and all streets it shall be.

Most of the walk was relaxing and attractive, but relatively unremarkable. The most remarkable things were:

1. The "Survey House" building on Brockley Rise

2. The views from Blythe Hill Fields

Unfortunately for me, although Blythe Hill is bordered on many sides by the SE23 postcode, the park itself does not count, but it was worth the extra few steps.

The day itself was pretty nice (it had been brighter earlier, but not bad for November). Seeing kites flying on Blythe Hill was heartwarming as there was a family there all together getting the solitary kite aloft.

Survey House is (quite but not very) interesting and regularly catches my eye as I drive past. It seems to be some faux-Tudor sort of architecture, but the wood beams on the front seem real enough and I cannot believe it was custom built to be an estate agent. I wonder what its history actually is?! Anyone out there know?

I certainly hope they do more business as Surveyors than Estate Agents as I cannot believe they get much passing (foot) trade.

The only other remark I ought to make is, once again, to wonder at how many properties I walk past are being developed. It might be by current or new owners rather than for re-sale, but there are LOTS of empty properties being modernised around these streets and I am not sure what this means for the area except to hope that it is more exciting for new buyers.

The end is nigh!

2007-10-25T21:45:00.000Z

OK, too dramatic, but it is late and time is short.

If there is anyone out there that, possibly out of the kindness of their heart, or possibly the complications of removing an RSS feed, is still reading this blog, then I am sorry.

October has been absolutely non-stop for reasons I will not bore you with, but blogging has taken a seriously back seat recently. Unfortunately, the end is literally nigh (archaic: near), as it is already the 25th of October and there are many streets of Forest Hill left to walk (and write about).

I still hope to complete my task on time, although it will probably take me well into 2008 to actually write them all up. What brought the deadline home to me recently was a combination of being unable to find a free weekend to plan a meeting with a friend before the end of the year, and a suggestion that I could 'celebrate' completing the task.

Argh! Too many roads and too few days. However, the plan is to have finished most of the walks by mid December, and to celebrate the finish by inviting any of you out there to walk the last few steps of Forest Hill and SE23 with me (for a little company).

More details in the near future, but keep an hour or two of the morning of December 15th (Saturday) free, just in case!

Walking again, at last

2007-09-24T16:38:00.000Z

I don't really want to think about how long it has been since I last posted on this blog about the topic it is supposed to be about - namely walking around this lovely area of Forest Hill. If I do, I get that stomach churning, chest pain inducing, guilty blogger feeling.

Guilt is an underestimated motivator. Money and praise only go so far (not that I get very much of either) but they do not get you through the 'dark days' when there are just too many calls on your attention. Guilt, on the other hand, accumulates of its own accord, slowly building day by day until you can bear it no longer, and you either shut down the blog or get posting again with renewed vigour.

So here I am. Mea culpa! Forgive me, reader, for I have sinned. Hopefully after this I will feel better and normal service, of sorts can be resumed.

So, what really got me posting? Two things that happened yesterday. The first was the final leg of my deliveries of newsletters for the Forest Hill Society. No route around Forest Hill would be particularly easy and/or flat, but I did get a more than fair share of hills I think. One of which was Thorpewood Avenue.

View Larger Map

There are some lovely looking houses on this road, and if you are reading this, looking to move in to the area, I highly recommend you take a look around here. I have not been inside any of them, but there were some very interesting and unusual houses pretty much the length of this street. Of course, the combination of the main hill, the steps to EVERY door and the lack of interconnecting paths means I got rather tired. In full expectation of this I therefore chose not to bring a camera with me as well, so I have no photos to share this time.

This road rekindled my interest in discovering the history of the different developments and reminded me to post (at last) about the area.

The second factor I shall write about separately, but I was able to tour the upstairs area of The Capitol pub (once grand cinema, then bingo hall, now oversize Wetherspoon pub) and get a glimpse into its history as well. I plan on returning to get more details and some photos, so look out for more on this.

Hopefully you have not all abandoned hope that I would write about Forest Hill again rather than occasionally post random thoughts on recycling bins, trains, internet quizzes and dying buildings.

Blogging confusion

2007-09-07T08:31:00.000Z

It is neater and clearer to keep separate blogs for seriously different topics, so I keep my interest in wine culture separate from my views on Forest Hill on this site.

Unfortunately this can cause confusion when I link people back to my sites (especially if you have "auto complete" turned on and it includes the wrong one).

So if you were expecting to see something about wine, please click here.

Oh hell, why not?!

2007-09-06T15:57:00.000Z

The Dante's Inferno Test has banished you to the Sixth Level of Hell - The City of Dis!
Here is how you matched up against all the levels:

Level	Score
Purgatory (Repenting Believers)	Very Low
Level 1 - Limbo (Virtuous Non-Believers)	Very High
Level 2 (Lustful)	Moderate
Level 3 (Gluttonous)	High
Level 4 (Prodigal and Avaricious)	Very Low
Level 5 (Wrathful and Gloomy)	Moderate
Level 6 - The City of Dis (Heretics)	Very High
Level 7 (Violent)	Moderate
Level 8- the Malebolge (Fraudulent, Malicious, Panderers)	Moderate
Level 9 - Cocytus (Treacherous)	Low

Take the Dante's Inferno Hell Test

Hat tip to Kate and Andrew

all things can be explained

2007-08-30T12:07:00.000Z

The fun part about having a blog is the connections you can make with other bloggers and other people interested in what you do.

I get a reasonable number of visitors to this blog, most of whom do not leave messages so I have no idea what they came here for or whether they found it, but I hope it was a worthwhile diversion.

The only way to get ANY idea of whether people are interested is to look at the statistics of where people came from and, if it was a search engine, what search terms they were using.

From what I see, most of you are wanting to know more about different streets in SE23 and therefore either live there or are thinking of moving there. The other main theme are restaurants, so I'm happy to oblige by offering links to their own sites.

However, an unusual link appeared yesterday from things magazine (see it on the Wednesday, August 29, 2007 post). I have no idea why, or how, I deserved the honour of a link, but quite a few are following it to this site. If that is you, maybe you could tell me more about that site?

In any case, welcome! ... and if you could spare a few seconds to leave me a comment on the blog, I'd love to hear from you.

Finally, I PROMISE to start catching up on my walks. Not too long left before the end of the year and quite a few streets still to visit.

Train Rumours

2007-08-29T13:41:00.000Z

I have heard this a few times now (including from someone I met at lunch today), so I thought it might be worth clearing up a rumour circulating around parts of Forest Hill.

Forest Hill Station is NOT about to close for 2 years.

There was a poster at the station for a while (it is gone now I think) that seemed to imply that this might be the case, but it refers to the East London Line (ELL). The ELL will close from New Cross Gate to allow for the upgrade and building on that line, but the train services to London Bridge will not be affected.

"The line will continue to operate between Whitechapel and New Cross/ New Cross Gate until 22 December 2007. The line will then be closed to allow it to be converted in preparation for the new train service." [from the TfL website]

No need to panic!

If you want more clarification, check out the discussion thread on SE23.com.

The other face of Forest Hill

2007-08-25T05:32:00.000Z

No, not a post about dodgy going-ons behind lace curtains, nor an expose on 'alternative' activities, sorry.

It's all about facebook! What's facebook I hear you ask? Well, if you haven't heard about it, I'm sure you will soon. Click here for just one of the stories already covering it on the BBC.

Facebook was originally for university students in North America, but it has spread like wildfire recently and as more and more people join, it is becoming a very exciting place to meet existing friends, people who share the same interests, and, for a change, your neighbours.

Few web sites actually allow you to interact with people locally. We are extremely lucky in Forest Hill to have www.SE23.com, but it is a rare thing.

With facebook you can get in touch with others (assuming you want to) and learn about their interests and actually have a chance to meet up with them in the Dartmouth Arms or Honor Oak. Pretty nifty.

In fact, The Honor Oak actually has its own group of fans on facebook already where you can chat, read about the events, get to know about that person you've seen in there a few times, ...

If you decide to check it out you will need to register (I know, that's a pain, but to give you an idea you can click here to see my public profile). If you do, there are loads of forums for Forest Hill already, including:

Forest Hill and Proud (179 members)
Forest Hill peeps (10 members)
The Forest Hill, SE23 Appriciation society (509 members) [I wish they could spell]
194 Crew Appreciation Society (18 members) [see, they can spell it]
The HOP (7 members) [that's friends of Honor Oak Park]
Singers in New Cross / Brockley / Forest Hil (22 members) [yes, they missed an 'l']
The Honor Oak's Virtual Pub (28 members)

and there are tons more for Lewisham and surrounds.

If you are interested in meeting up, check out facebook and get in touch with me there

Condemned

2007-08-20T13:12:00.000Z

Forest Hill has many lovely buildings, and a great mix of architecture.

One of the things I have noticed, walking around the streets of the area, is the extent of development of old houses to modern living standards, which is great. It is a shame to see some beautiful houses being converted to flats, with some roads of Victorian and Edwardian town houses totally turned over to flats, but that is the price we pay for urban housing density targets.

Not all developments, however, are created equally. I have been keeping an eye on one particularly lovely building (Montrose Villa) on Church Rise that seemed to be suffering the most horrific abuse.

First of all we witnessed plumes of black smoke day after day from fires in the back garden. I have no idea what they were burning, but I admit at first I thought the entire house was alight it was so large. And it went on and on (they even seemed to be shipping in more stuff to burn at one stage).

Then mysterious piles of earth kept appearing and disappearing, and I saw what must have been a pile of earth over 10 feet high in the back (clay soil - i.e. from rather deep).

Well, yesterday afternoon the road was cordoned off by police. Crowds, including me, gathered to see that the incompetent (or possibly unlucky - but I doubt it) builders had managed to erode the building's foundations. The police were evacuating the surrounding buildings and stopping all traffic.

Check out the crack on this building, and the angles where it has collapsed in the middle.(Click on the image for a larger version)

Today the Council is overseeing the pumping of several truck-loads of cement into the basement. I can't believe the building is salvageable, but good luck to them.

I can't believe there are people out there that stupid or brazen to excavate a basement without supporting the building, especially after reputedly spending £850,000 to buy the building in the first place.

[Update: according to my searches it was actually £585,000 - not that the extra £250k make much difference to the point]

(Click here for a few more photos - sorry the Police moved me on the first day before I got the camera out)

Missing

2007-08-10T18:26:00.000Z

So, when you are away from home, what do you miss the most about your area (not counting your own home)?

I'm not sure I can think of very much. As much as I like Forest Hill, I can't think of anything I would sit and pine for. In fact, having been away for a bit, there are things I can't understand why we DON'T have here - but I guess that is because there are so many other places we can go to buy things other than on our own doorstep, unlike the smaller towns and villages we visit when on holiday.

I think that is the main argument against thinking of Forest Hill as a "Village" as has been raised elsewhere (on SE23.com some months ago). We don't really live locally as it is too easy to go to East Dulwich, Lewisham, London Bridge, etc. by car or public transport when we need something. There is little incentive for a new business to set up here, such as a bakery, coffee shop or book shop. There is very little passing trade.

Perversely, maybe one of the best ways to generate business in Forest Hill is to reduce parking and the focus on cars, and encourage more of us to walk around the centre and therefore past more shop windows. With the increase in passing trade, more impulse shopping outlets might survive and we could generate more money for local businesses.

See! Forest Hill. Walking. Streets. Keeping up my little theme after all!

Openings and Closures

2007-07-29T12:42:00.001Z

Normally, if I write about closures it would be in relation to what stopper you'll find on a bottle of wine (check out my wine blog here if that kind of thing interests you) but in relation to Forest Hill it mainly concerns shops.

Forest Hill has yet to become a destination for trendy shoppers although we do already have several very cool places to shop for clothes in particular - check our Bunka, Mayo Maker and Oliver London). However, these are the few gems in a pretty rough shopping desert.

The most regular occurence is that a shop closes - such as our (in)famous condom and tattoo shop (no demand) or, most recently, Mercury Electrical (old fashioned).

I was quite excited, therefore, when I noticed two shops being refitted as I walked around different parts of Forest Hill recently. Both are quite small and in very different shopping areas of town, but I had high hopes for them.

The first to open was a Polish Delicatessen. Excellent! I do not profess to be knowledgeable about Polish delicacies, but that is the point - here is something new and exciting to try. The couple who have opened Jagiello's have big plans for offering coffee and meats (Polish sausages coming soon) as well as the packaged foods they already have from a distant corner of our expanded European Union. I don't think they have a website yet, but you can find them on the short stretch of the South Circular labelled Sunderland Road. More on Polish influences in Forest Hill soon.

The second, yet to open but with a sign up already, was a whole lot less exciting. Peering through the window I saw chiller cabinets and shelves and I had a silent prayer (to a non-existent deity) it might turn out to be a butcher. It is on Perry Vale just before the back entrance to the station. All hopes were dashed though when the sign went up announcing "Indian Take Away" (no name). How could we possibly need another take away in Forest Hill? I'd love to know how many of these businesses actually survive longer than a year, and quite how much money is wasted setting them up. Surely someone must consider the existing market and demand before setting up a business? We are regularly inundated with menus through the letter box and they all go in the bin (we already have our favourites, thanks).

There are plenty more shop premises in Forest Hill, and a quite affluent, and motivated potential customer base. If you are looking for a place to establish a new business, check us out, but if you are planning an Indian take-away or Fried Chicken joint PLEASE try somewhere else.

Summer distractions & floods

2007-07-28T14:04:00.000Z

"Apologies for the lack of posts!"

I have read this around the place at the moment and it definitely applies here too. I guess the combination of summer holiday plans and the extra work you do to prepare for the break means that blogging time is more limited.

So, back to the streets of Forest Hill.

Well, they've been rather wet of late; wet rather than submerged which I guess we should be thankful for. I need to check out the flood risk maps again (I did this before we moved in and I believe we are fine) but I think we should be OK over here. On the other hand, despite Forest Hill being one of the highest points around London, we live at the bottom of that hill - and boy can you tell when it pours. The main road runs like a river looking for white-water rafters to dare to navigate it, but at least it has stuck to the road so far.

I trust all you have been OK so far. I believe there are small pockets of Forest Hill that have underground water courses (hidden rivers, such as one behind Sunderland Road I believe) so I hope you weren't badly affected.

[On the topic of floods, check out Flood London which seems to be about to come out based on a book by Richard Doyle. I am sure it is over-dramatising the risk, but at least it could help prepare us. Nice to see Forest Hill at least seems to get spared in his predictions. Nice photo on the BBC site today as well]

Here's hoping for a few weeks of sun to dry out the smell of damp that seems to be coming from everywhere.

What an Honor

2007-07-14T14:20:00.000Z

Thanks for a great night!

The 3rd Lewisham Bloggers Meet-Up last night (Friday the 13th) was a great evening out.

Lots of wine and beer (and a burger or two) were consumed and the more I drank the more (blurry) pictures I took. I apologise for getting carried away, however of the 270 (!) photos I took there were one or two good portraits. I hope you like them.

Before I publish them in all their glory for everyone those who came along have a chance to review them. Nothing untoward to report, but I realise one or two would like to keep a low profile. Check out the facebook event Wall for the link, or email me at: robertATthirstforwine.co.uk (replacing the relevant characters!) and I'll send you the guest pass.

[UPDATE: Check out some of the photos here]

Thanks a lot to those who came along, even if it was for a short time. It is great to see how committed this group is, walking several miles (Wulf) or popping in before dinner duty (Max) just to say hello. I really appreciate the support and I think it says a lot about our community spirit.

Great to see all those who turned up, including:
Max
Andrew
Henry
Michael
Adrian
Wulf
Bob
Sue
Neil
Mr "Last Bus Home"
(have I missed someone?)

It was great to see a some new faces as well as those I met last time, and I am sorry that a few couldn't make it in the end - maybe next time! Kate, I still owe you a drink.

Thanks to everyone for helping to put this together and thanks to The Honor Oak as a great venue (even with the rowdy teachers!). Don't forget we must put together a definitive Lewisham Bloggers list that we all include on our sites to raise the profile of these great areas.

See you all again soon I hope

Brown bins

2007-07-11T10:41:00.000Z

Posted on SE23.com with no response so far:

"A whole street in neighbouring Brockley, where my friends live, sprouted Brown Bins (to go next to the Black and Green ones) yesterday. No announcement. No letter. No details on the bin as to why.

Has anyone else seen these and know what they are for? Is Lewisham starting a composting collection service? There is nothing on their website that I can find."

Surely something Andrew or Sue can answer

'coz every little bit helps

2007-07-10T16:16:00.000Z

Something I came across today that is relevant to Forest Hill, and other local areas too

Kudos to Friends of the Earth

Lewisham Bloggers Gathering Now on Friday 13th

2007-07-06T18:09:00.000Z

The auspicious date should have been the key all along.

After checking with as many as I could, and after discovering that the Thursday did not suit so many of you, I have unilaterally and FINALLY decided that we will do this on Friday the 13th come what may.

So, be at the Honor Oak (see www.thehonoroak.com) a week today, Friday 13th, from 18:00

First round on me.

All Lewisham (and surrounds) Bloggers welcome

for more information click here

Lewisham Blogger Influence

2007-07-05T09:10:00.000Z

This will be interesting!

Hazel Blears is to announce the right of residents in 10 key areas of the country to directly influence council spending through ballots according to the Guardian

"Voters will be given powers to decide how ten of millions of pounds should be spent in their neighbourhood under radical plans being unveiled today."

... and guess what. In at number 3 on the list is our very own Lewisham.

It also says:

"She said she may introduce new powers that will give people the right to petition councils. They would then be under an obligation to consider it. She hinted strongly that even these measures were not radical enough."

Now who on Earth (or at least Lewisham) might be at all interested in helping to tell the council where to spend more money? I believe I can easily think of a few.

Time for Lewisham bloggers to "unite" for influence?!

(interesting that as I write this my radio is playing "Anarchy in the UK"!!)

UPDATE: Andrew has already posted more detail on the same subject in a much more eloquent fashion!

Is 75% good or bad?

2007-07-02T13:44:00.000Z

75%

Mingle² - Online Dating

This is Kate's fault - no I don't hang out on dating sites!

Havelock Walk Open Studios

2007-06-26T11:55:00.000Z

One of my personal favourite events in Forest Hill is about to happen.

Behind the main road (London Road) is Havelock Walk. This cobbled street houses an eclectic mix of artists in Live/Work studios, and twice a year they coordinate an "Open Studios" so that we can take a look at their recent work and maybe buy a thing or two.

The live/work concept is an interesting one and Jeff Lowe, one of the artists but also the guy who helped to create this little artistic haven in the first place, has been praised for the vision he had for this community.

Click here to visit the Havelock Walk site.

The next event is this weekend (not a lot of notice but I only just got the flier to confirm it was happening) Saturday 30th June and Sunday 1st July 2007.

There are 19 different artists showing paintings, sculptures, ceramics, photography and more. If you are around Forest Hill pop by and take a look.

Blogger Meet Up - Hot Summer 2007 Re-Mix

2007-06-22T13:08:00.001Z

OK, there seems to be quite a bit of interest in scheduling the next Lewisham Bloggers Meet Up for July.

NOW BEING HELD ON FRIDAY 13TH - SEE BELOW

There has been a suggestion that we make it a BBQ, which would imply a weekend (maybe) and possibly even partners and families. I am relaxed about that, I am sure I can sort out the space if this is what we want - and if the weather cooperates.

On the other hand, as Michael pointed out, this might be a bit much of a commitment for potential first-time attendees - they have no idea quite how nice we really are, yet.

So, I'd like your votes/comments on the following options, please, and I trust these will not conflict with the BrockleyCentral gathering.

Option 1
13 July :: Friday (the 13th!) drinks at The Honor Oak, Brockley Rise, from 18:00

Option 2
14 July :: Saturday BBQ (late lunch/early dinner) at my place in central Forest Hill, for bloggers and whatever significant other / child / friend / mate / acquaintance / attractive stranger / ... they wish to bring along (within reason)

Any blogger from Lewisham or surrounds is more than welcome to join us. Spread the word.

[IMPORTANT UPDATE]

After lots of chasing and checking, it seems that the 13th is the best after all. THAT IS IT. NO MORE CHANGES. Be there on Friday the 13th!!

Door to door in SE23

2007-06-19T09:45:00.000Z

Unbelievably (at least for me), the last time I posted about an actual walk, the supposed theme of this blog, was April 2nd. How embarrassing!

Interestingly, and spookily appropriate, the next walk I went on (WAY back on the 18th of March) was to distribute newsletters for the Forest Hill Society (hence the door-to-door bit). I have recently been asked, and readily agreed, to help out with some Forest Hill Society stuff so you will see my name pop up there from time to time too. This has included doing the layout of the next newsletter which I will be distributing in the next few days. If you want a copy, let me know.

So, March 18th. It was bright day. I remember because I was still suffering from a chest infection but it looked so nice I thought I wouldn't need extra insulation and only took a light jumper. That was a mistake!

My route took me from the top of Dacres Road, across Inglemere to Mayow Road then down to the very end of Perry Rise then across to Houston, Garlies and Allenby Roads. I thought I'd be an hour. It took me three. Thanks to the marvels of Google Maps, you can now take a look at the route here.

Several things stood out on the way. At the top of Dacres Road, at numbers 101 and 103 Perry Vale, is a mystery house. It has a plaque that indicates a date of 1797. The house cannot be that old (see discussion here) so it is a bit of a mystery why. The house is in need of some TLC and I see it is currently up for auction so you never know (as long as it isn't "redeveloped" by being knocked down).

The route took me past several new developments for schools in the area which is a very positive sign. The Forest Hill School Sports Centre looks quite grand and well provisioned. They are also redeveloping the main building and it certainly looks an impressive size.

After getting a little lost trying to find all the addresses for the members of the FHS (I think I got most of you) I emerged by the Prince of Wales pub - somewhere I probably need to try at some stage. The standout building in this area has to be the old Fire Station and the afternoon sun made it even more impressive with its shadows. It is a shame it isn't used for more than some basic Council offices (I believe the majority of the building is empty). Does anyone know why more isn't made of this landmark?

From here I walked a loop along Allenby Road (impressive frontages), down Houston (all the way to the very end!) and back along Garlies Road. There are some lovely houses along here. Certainly some of the biggest detached houses I have come across in the area. Unfortunately the light was not cooperating and I didn't get photos to do the road justice.

The newsletters were delivered by this point, but I took one little detour before returning home. I have walked many of the roads around here now and wanted to "fill-in" those I have missed so I headed up Pearfield Road. This is another quiet and attractive tree lined street which is a dead-end for cars and therefore quiet (bliss!). However, at the end I noticed a footpath which I followed to find the Forest Hill Bowls Club. Unlike some of the others in the area this looks still in use but is hidden away back here.

At this point I was rather tired and cold and the sun was about as low in the sky as it can be (as measured by the length of my shadow).

My next round of deliveries is already due (which means, as a quarterly newsletter, it has taken me a shameful 3 months to write this walk up) and I hear there are some great houses on this one too. Maybe one of yours?

Bl*gger!

2007-06-13T22:38:00.000Z

Just so I am the first to suggest it, I think the time has come for a further reunion for the Lewisham Bloggers and even possibly even spread our physical/virtual wings a little further into neighbouring boroughs?

Who is up for a get-together in July? I think I already know one or two who would definitely be up for it.

Destination: Forest Hill, I think.

If you are interested, let me know. Everything is up in the air, but leave me a comment and we can start to organise dates, invitations, getting your name on the bouncer's guest list, etc.

Events this weekend

2007-06-08T19:36:00.000Z

What is it about this weekend that SO many things are happening at the same time?

I had several events I could/should have gone to including a wedding in Spain (where I am currently) and a family wedding celebration in Edinburgh (sorry!).

In addition, there are events in Brockley (Brockley Max), Horniman Gardens (Forest Hill Day), Devonshire Road Nature Reserve (wine tasting on Saturday, don´t forget!), and open gardens all over the place.

If anyone does go along to one or more of the local events (not the weddings), please do let me know what you thought of them.

Sociable or Community Minded?

2007-05-31T16:05:00.000Z

Another non-walk themed post. I do have plenty to write up but they require more research and these "off the top of my head" ones are easier to get on with.

I recently met up with a colleague who is British but has lived in Spain for many years. I briefly outlined to him some of the things I am involved in locally, from this blog, to SE23.com, the Forest Hill Society, SE23Living Magazine, Friends of the Horniman, etc.

Now, I admit that this is a little over the top and not exactly common here either, but the fact is that all these organisations exist for local enthusiasts and volunteers to get involved in. In general, the British are "community minded", supporting all sorts of societies, clubs, charities, institutions, .. that are for the benefit of the community, whether specific or general.

In Spain, and to a large extent in many other southern European countries, people are much more sociable than we are here. They are familiar with many more "neighbours" than we are and several generations of families hang out in cafes and bars till all hours chatting generally about life. They are outwardly much more likely to seem friendly and open.

However, my friend pointed out that this rarely carries over to social organisations. People are not THAT interested in their neighbours, and in that sense are less 'social' rather than 'sociable', if I can draw that distinction.

I am a big fan of the outdoor, friendly lifestyle of Spain and Italy, but I think that on the whole I support the idea of being interested in others in a more general sense.

Maybe Forest Hill is unusual, having all these civic groups dedicated to the area (and there are lots more, I know), but I like to think that all sorts of my neighbours are involved behind the scenes trying to make this a better place for everyone.

Does the web have moods?

2007-05-30T21:22:00.000Z

Is it me, or has the entire WWW been in a dark mood recently?

So many of the sites, blogs and forums (or fora for the pedantic and old fashioned out there) I visit on a regular basis are suffering from some sort of collective depression that I feel it rubbing off on me.

The "vibe" is wrong. Where once it was all positive and energetic, particularly a few months ago, now it seems petty and full of squabbles.

It seemed to kick off around the time of the attacks on Kathy Sierra in April. The news started focusing on the negative stories and the admins started clamping down on users. The result is that everyone feels irritable.

We need a positive blogging and web2.0 community story to clear the air. Any suggestions?

Some random thoughts (and not really Forest Hill related)

2007-05-29T16:42:00.000Z

1. I recently discovered a great singer and performer. Check out Imogen Heap (I use Napster but you can find her all over the place including YouTube - see below). Am I the last to find out?

2. Doing anything succesfully with the garden is much more about planning than the effort involved. I seem to be going around in circles and not achieving much.

3. Chicken!

4. Love your bum! (eberg is great - check him out on YouTube too)

5. I need to get out more!

6. 2-year-olds are suprisingly good at winning arguments. They can simply ignore your entreaties and simply get on with the offending course of action. I feel rather powerless sometimes.

7. Thanks to Fork Handles - check out Pickard of the Pops - a different view on pop videos (almost makes me want to watch them).

As I said, random.

Headlock - Imogen Heap

2007-05-29T16:41:00.000Z

Don't forget to snap it too!

2007-05-16T08:04:00.000Z

Wulf makes a very valid point which I should have added to my Walk It! post.

Another great advantage of walking around London is that you get to see things that escape your attention when you are rushing past in cars and buses (rushing being a relative term in London traffic) or passing underneath them on the tube.

London has wonderful architecture and lots of hidden visual gems, but we so often miss them.

One of the things that has most made me appreciate Forest Hill, and London architecture and design in general, is a group of Londoners that challenge each other to identify photos that can be taken anywhere within London. Check out the "Guess Where London" group on Flickr.com but I warn you, it can be addictive!!

Since I joined this group I look around, and UP so much more than I used to and it is amazing what you see, particularly around areas you thought you knew.

So get walking, and get snapping too!

Walk It I say!

2007-05-15T20:39:00.000Z

I am not a Green (with a capital G) walking and alternative transport evangelist, but I do admit that I try to walk when I can.

Long before I ever started the SE23 Challenge I decided that I would never stand still on an escalator or take a lift if I could walk up stairs. If you are a commuter, the best free "extra" exercise you can get is to walk up the escalator no matter how tired you are (allowances for baggage can be made). I noticed an enormous difference in my stamina in only a few months.

Having said that, Richard over at Baggage Reclaim mentioned a site I had not heard of called WalkIt.

The idea of the site, and the group, is that you could consider walking your intended route across London, so it offers directions as well as a measure of distance, time required and calories burned! Excellent!

Of course this is not reasonable for all journeys (I work from home now but I checked my old commute and it would take me 196 minutes at a reasonable pace each way) but if you have a meeting to go to, tell the boss you are off, then walk it instead next time. It isn't a lie, and if challenged, tell them you are investing the time in strategic thinking, your health and in minimising the company carbon footprint! Dare them to challenge THAT!

I have added the widget to my site although I think it will need a little more work on their side (it will show you the route from your postcode to Forest Hill station), but if it inspires you to walk a little more, let me know.

Walk It!

Postcode Pilot

2007-05-14T16:18:00.000Z

Apologies for the extended absence caused by what turned out to be a rather damp visit to Cornwall last week.

I have just read the following on www.se23.com offering more details regarding the "Postcode" show at the Brockley Jack that I mentioned in my last post. If you are interested, or know someone who should be encouraged to take part, please let them know.

I'm putting on a theatrical show/tv pilot at the Brockley Jack Theatre on June 5th and 7th as part of the Brockley Max Festival. The concept of the pilot looks at different postcodes around the country and the show will use SE23 as the guinea pig. The theatre will be a tv studio for the night as this is all in a talk show format. So... I'm looking for residents of SE23 to be guests on the show. Interested? Then please go to this link http://www.gigafiles.co.uk/files/1429/CastingQuestionnaire.doc

.. fill in the questionnaire and return it to mikesengelow@hotmail.com. Need this by Friday 18th May, this Friday!

Successful candidates will be included in both shows in a 5 minute interview on stage (recorded) where they shall get to wax lyrical about there neighbourhood in a light hearted Norton/Ross/Paxman/Parkinson style interview. Easy-peasy and lots of fun.

If its not you but you know a great local character who'd be up for this then either send the link to them or conatact me via the same email address.

Any queries, I'm happy to respond!

cheers
Mike

I might even have volunteered myself, but unfortunately I am very busy during that week and cannot guarantee to be there both days on time. However, I hope to catch one or other night (from the audience).

Spread the word!

Upcoming Forest Hill Events

2007-05-04T13:04:00.000Z

I am likely to be unable to post for a few days, but I thought I would quickly bring to everyone's attention a few events that will be happening in Forest Hill in the next month or so and so that you can put them in your diary:

10 May - Forest Hill Society General Meeting
Venue: Christian Fellowship Centre
Time: from 19:00
Mayor Steve Bullock will be there, as will someone to talk about the plans for Horniman Gardens. Last time there were over 150 people, so get there early and see what is going on.

5 June - 'Postcode'
I know very little about this except what was sent to me, but it sounds interesting and I am planning to go.

"Brockley Jack Theatre is turned into a TV studio for this talk show which focuses on the SE23 area on Tues 5th and Thurs 7th June 2007, 7pm .
A panel of local residents take the place usually reserved for celebrities guests as your host Mike Sengelow, his reporter and this uniquely styled show delve deep to find out what is at the heart of the SE23 postcode area. Free."

10 June - Forest Hill Day
Venue: Horniman Museum Gardens
Time: all day?
Lots of activities, music, and food. Hope the weather cooperates.

10 June - Devonshire Road Nature Reserve Open Day
Venue: pretty obvious really
Time: not sure yet
Chance to get into the Reserve, speak to those involved, and I believe there is even a wine tasting (nothing to do with me though)

Glorious!

2007-05-01T15:32:00.000Z

I'd just like to say it is absolutely glorious in Forest Hill today.

I trust you are having as fine a day.

Map of Forest Hill, London, SE23

2007-04-26T11:25:00.000Z

More maps!

I've been updating some of my walks on the new My Maps feature (more of these soon), and I thought I would start with this one:

What, and Where is SE23?

Well, this is it, as far as I can determine. I think I may need to double check the Mayow Park bit as I thought at least part was SE23, but maybe not.

Devonshire Road Nature Reserve - update

2007-04-24T12:29:00.000Z

Just posted a review of the Forest Hill Society walk around the Nature Reserve.

You can read the full details here.

You can see the photos here.

Technically these paths don't qualify as part of my quest, but the point of the walking is to explore the area and find interesting spots I might otherwise miss. This definitely qualifies.

I have joined as a Friend of the Devonshire Road Nature Reserve (FOTDRNS!) and volunteered to help, so I hope to go back soon. It might even give me a chance to access the equivalent reserve on the other side of the tracks (Gartmore Road Nature Reserve) that is otherwise locked for safety.

See you there?

Eliot Bank in Glorious Technicolor

2007-04-24T00:25:00.000Z

Michael of the Forest Hill Society alerted me to the very welcome arrival of Google Maps new tool.

MyMaps rocks!

I have been eyeing this for some time, thinking it would be perfect for me, but it was technically too complex (KML anyone!?!?). Thankfully the techies at Google have done the hard work for me and created a very easy interface for creating the maps.

Take a look at the route map of the walk "Up Eliot Bank".

I will try to find the time to go back and map the others, but will certainly be using this from now on.

Thank you Google!

Let's all Zimbio

2007-04-23T23:12:00.000Z

Well, the name isn't very catchy (Zimbio?), but the tool might be useful.

Lewisham_Kate has used this tool to create a local "wikizine" bringing together articles and content from local bloggers in Lewisham.

Check it out at: http://www.zimbio.com/life+in+lewisham

If a few of us get actively involved (yes, another update each time you post!) it could be quite useful.

Who's round is it anyway? (updated)

2007-04-21T22:17:00.000Z

OK! I know. I owe Max and Andrew a drink. With all of us there I never got round to my round. Next event I promise to make it up to you - so maybe we can plan the next Lewisham Bloggers' gathering in Forest Hill?

Thanks to Andrew for pulling it all together and getting such an interesting crowd of people together. There are loads of things going on everywhere, and Lewisham is no exception. So why not expect a motley crew of bloggers covering a range of topics? The strange thing is how much we do have in common despite all the different lenses we use to review our lives through blogging.

So, you wanted some photos, and here they are. You can see the few I have salvaged. On the night I thought I might be putting various papparazi and even some fashion photographers out of a job with my skills as a photographer. Fortunately I have a day job to go back to, and they can continue to sleep well at night. Having said that, a few photos did come out (after much computer enhancement).

Thanks to all those I met for a wonderful evening. Just so I don't forget, I thought I would list the blogs of those who came to the event to remind me to add more links to them.

Andrew Brown ::photo::
[Someday I will treat you good]

Basswulf ::photo::
[Down in the Den]

Lewisham Girl ::photo::
[Lewisham Sucks & maybe Isn't Great for Everyone]

BONUS LINK: Kate - here is that site I mentioned with the kitten animations and the music: Rather Good, and an example of what I mentioned here: I want to take you to a ..., Independent Woman, (you have to watch both of these, but they loop, so feel free to click BACK!) Ninja Cats and check out the Morris Dancers link below.

Michael Abrahams ::photo::
[Forest Hill Society]

Bob ::photo::
[Bob from Brockley]

UPDATE: photo has been updated to protect the anonymous!! anyone interested in "disappearing" and entering the blogging witness protection scheme?

Andrew ::photo::
[The Ragged School Blog]

Max ::photo::
[Max's Stuff & Max's Ink]

Richard Sanderson ::photo:: - sorry none came out as they were too dark!!
[Baggage Reclaim]
BONUS LINK: Morris Dancing - just for you :)

Adam Tinworth ::photo::
[One man and his blog]

James Cleverly ::photo::
[James Cleverly]

Did I get everyone??

UPDATE: Sorry, forgot Tom Hamilton of Let's Be Sensible and I saw that two others who arrived but I didn't get a chance to meet you, Katy and publicansdecoy. Next time.

Walking Lewisham in Company

2007-04-17T21:58:00.000Z

Although my own goal is to get to know Forest Hill better, and I have not yet completed that task, Andrew (K) Brown over at "some day I will treat you good" alerted me to the Lewisham Walking Festival

On the programme there are a few walks around Forest Hill, mainly involving the Horniman Museum and my new favourite the Devonshire Road Nature Reserve, but you may want to look at others (like the pub walk?).

Worth supporting if you want to get out and start walking too.

Back to Nature in London

2007-04-15T20:54:00.000Z

I will be rather busy next week with a course, so no time to write up my visit to the Devonshire Road Nature Reserve in detail for a while. However, I just wanted to say thanks to the Forest Hill Society for organising a wonderful visit, and to everyone who gave up their time there to host us so magnificently.

The volunteers who run this nature reserve in conjunction with Lewisham Council are doing a great job and it is a place everyone in Forest Hill should take pride in, if not actively support. Little plots of "real" nature (as opposed to the manicured gardens and busy parks, that have their place, but are more about entertainment than nature) are an oasis from our every day stresses. We need to fight to keep the ones that still exist (I sound like a convert, don't I?)

More on this in future, of this I am sure. However, a quick note for those interested:

The reserve is open to the public on the last Sunday afternoon of every month and there is a children’s club on the first Sunday morning of each month. The wildlife garden and visitor’s centre is open on Wednesdays and Thursdays (term time only). We also run a number of events during the year, including an annual Open Day.

Devonshire Road Nature Reserve

2007-04-14T15:33:00.000Z

One of my "must visit" places will be ticked off the list tomorrow (Sunday 15th April) when I plan to go along to the Forest Hill Society's guided walk of this nature reserve (walk starts at 14:00).

I don't know much about the place yet, but I'm sure I shall be posting more about it very soon.

Click here for the map.

More information on the visit from the FHS here.

If you want to come along it is free and sounds like it will be the perfect weather for it (25°C).

Update: Up Eliot Bank

2007-04-12T11:50:00.000Z

Just updated my previous post on my walk Up Eliot Bank with a comment by Mayor Steve [about half way through]

Should we start a campaign to help other orphan roads out there?

What is this building? updated

2007-04-10T10:41:00.000Z

Can anyone tell me what this building is or does?

I was walking to Mayow Park this weekend (lovely place that is in the sun) and I finally had a few extra moments to check out the building.

It is on Mayow Road, just between the school and the park and just in front of the tower blocks.

It has large bay doors that seem to be able to accommodate large trucks, but no other real windows or other features. I thought it was a hall, but considering the lack of access, I now doubt it.

Anyone out there know?

Here is a link to the satellite image

Update: thanks to Courtney Hamilton for this information in the comments (and for correcting my spelling of Mayow):

"The building is used by the council to store machinery for Mayow Park next door.

They have a couple of those motorised lawnmowers, cages for cut grass, and lots of other machines you need to keep a park like Mayow in tip-top order."

Up Eliot Bank

2007-04-02T20:55:00.000Z

The longer I leave it between posts, the further behind I fall with posting about these walks. I currently have 5 to write up and now that the weather is improving I imagine I will be getting out even more.

On the 12th of March I organised a work meeting at the Horniman Cafe. It seemed like it was to be a good day, so when my colleague asked me where we should meet, I instantly thought about getting away from the house and into some green space.

I left the house a little early (on purpose) and decided to walk to the Horniman, but take a sudden and last minute diversion up Eliot Bank. This hill has been intriguing me for some time. There is something about these residential streets that makes you feel like you are trespassing without an invitation, when in fact they are still public highways.

I headed up the steep hill opposite Honor Oak Road and the museum to find out what lay at the top. The area is called "Forest Estate" and the buildings at this level are all 60's/70's apartment blocks. They must have a pretty good view although I am not sure of the longevity of anything built at that time.

Once you reach the top there is a central green with tall buildings facing North, and smaller family terraced housing around the other sides. This is a nicely secluded spot, and certainly was quiet compared to the traffic on the road below.

Just off this green is a side road called Knapdale Close that skirts behind the impressive Forest Grove building (accesible from Taymount Rise - see my separate walk) and down to the back of the Shackleton Close Estate (whose buildings, see here on the left, I now learn, are designed in a 'Streamline Moderne' Art Deco style).

Following the main road from the green you pass an attractive building called Phoenix House which I believe is a health clinic of some sort (nice building to house it in) to one of the worst maintained roads I have seen in London. I guess this is one way to ensure that this does not become a 'rat-run' to Crystal Palace for daily commuters.

[Edit 12/04/2007: A Flickr.com member called Mayor Steve left me this message concerning this road:

"Sorry to be pedantic but as I understand it this is not on Lewisham's priority list because it isn't a Lewisham road! Its an unadopted road which is the responsibility of the residents living there.

Mayor Steve"

I have no idea or evidence that this was THE Mayor Steve we all know, but sure sounds like I annoyed someone at the Council]

The road emerges on the roundabout at the top of Sydenham Hill, so I am skirting with the borders of SE23 here, and as my colleague will eventually wonder where I am, I decide to head back down the hill - all 12% (+ tilt) of it.

The route down is down Sydenham Hill, then down Sydenham Rise. The triangle that this creates, with London Road, currently has a lovely little playground much loved by my daughter. However, it has a reputation as an old 'plague' burial ground. I believe that this is without substance, but this is a question I need to get "my mate Steve" to confirm for me.

After my meeting at the museum, I used the opportunity to sneak up the roads around Surrey Mount. There are some houses here, between the museum and the Tesco garage on the corner of Honor Oak Road, that back onto the museum. Nothing much to report (I had hoped to find Frederick Horniman's House, but I gather that was demolished) but my quest is to walk ALL SE23 streets in 2007, so must do my best.

I did not have the time to climb up inside the buildings on Eliot Bank as I would have liked, but I have been told the view is great. This was another walk that opened my eyes to parts of Forest Hill that were totally new to me and connected the dots with other walks on other routes. All in all, a short walk, but a good one.

[Edit 8 April: If all works as planned, this link should take you to a map of the route courtesy of Google Maps]

The greatest wasted (retail) opportunity in Forest Hill?

2007-03-26T22:21:00.000Z

This place ought to be a coffee shop, or gallery, or restaurant, or ... something. But it isn't.

To the best of my knowledge it has been empty for years, and just sits there, unused.

According to "BrianK" on SE23.com;

"The space opposite Tilt used to be a Midland Bank and was reputed to have been bought by a local as an art gallery for his wife. I watched through open doors as a stunning transformation was made on the interior and then...nothing happened. "

I have seen numerous posts on that site about how much a certain local entrepreneur would like to take over that site, but always to no avail. It has been mooted as any of the above, but I think that a decent coffee shop, possibly including the art gallery element, would be a great idea. It has some outdoor space as well as frontage on Dartmouth Road, and it has "presence" - not another anonymous converted shopfront.

I have only been here two years, but I cannot believe that if someone owned it they would not prefer to lease it out to ANY business rather than see it lie empty, even if they planned on selling it on with the East London Line premium in the near future.

This is truly a wasted opportunity to provide a useful, central business for Forest Hill residents, and to improve the profile of the road. The only businesses I can recall opening on that road in the last few years are more friend chicken shops, a tattoo parlour (formerly a condom shop) and (the only useful one) a party shop.

Surely we can do better?

And now, what about the lots that Aceri, formerly Latitude, and McDonalds used to occupy?

some top recommendations for Forest Hill, SE23

2007-03-23T18:49:00.000Z

Having already spent about one third of the year doing nothing but giving lists of routes, the time has come to take a little stock and maybe focus on a different kind of list.

Here are a few "top" recommendations for the area that come immediately to mind, lists that will definitely change and evolve as I continue my walks.

Top 5+ places to eat and drink:
1. The Dartmouth Arms (most consistently good)
2. Barcelona Tapas (just over the border, but honorary SE23 establishment)
3. The Honor Oak (new entry)
4. Babur Brasserie (only been once so must reserve praise)
5. Yune
6=. Kafe La / Tapastry (need to try both of them again)
[edit 26/03/2007 :: forgot to include Yune that offers great value, so added them]

Top 5 views:
1. View from the top of Canonbie Road
2. View from Brockley View & Blythe Hill Fields
3. Views (in all directions) from Horniman Gardens (top level)
4. View from the stairwell of building on Derby Hill Crescent (I imagine - it was misty the day I was there so I need to go back)
5. View from buildings on Eliot Bank (allegedly - not got in there yet myself)

Top 5 things I must get access to:
1. The Folly at the top of Horniman Drive
2. The Reservoir on Honor Oak Road
3. The Devonshire Road Nature Reserve
4. Brockley Hill Park (secret garden)
5. Christ Church (flats)

I will think of a few more. Any suggestions for entries or categories?

Feed the Reader

2007-03-21T22:57:00.000Z

In case you happen to know about these things (I didn't until recently), I have added an RSS feed link to this blog should you wish to subscribe to this blog in your reader.

For all those for whom that meant absolutely nothing, please read on.

If you regularly read blogs, there are tools to help keep you up to date with which ones have new content. My own suggestion is Google's Reader. Simple and effective.

Once you have set yourself up on this, you can "subscribe" to blogs and when they are updated, receive a preview of that content so you can decide to read more or not. There are several ways to achieve this, but one of the most popular is RSS (Really Simple Syndication).

I have used a site called feedburner that delivers my content subscribers - all you need to do is click on the orange ("Subscribe to my feed") link on the right.

Any questions, let me know, but their sites are pretty helpful too.

Stanstead Road Walk

2007-03-20T23:21:00.000Z

It is taking me too much time to write these walks up, so even if I'm only going on short walks (which I am not) they are accumulating faster than they are getting published. Thankfully I am taking pictures as my memory would have failed me ages ago.

On March 7th I had another doctor's appointment, so it was off down to Woolstone Road again with me. This time I thought I would get some more fresh air - it is what my lungs lack after all.

So, I decided to follow Stanstead Road to the border with Catford, then cut back to Woolstone Road. Most major roads in London are main thoroughfares not through design but accident, which means that they have probably been routes for centuries. Stanstead Road and the South Circular are no exception as I believe they follow the path of whatever routes existed through Forest Hill several hundred years ago.

The first part is well documented, although I did get an interesting photo of the Balm of Gilead Church (which I think was a Baptist Church in a former life). There are also some interesting little backstreet workshops and stores opposite the Fire Station. The builders next door have been here since my house was built, so the company must have done OK. The Fire Station itself is a paragon of modern minimalism, stripping itself of any architectural merit for the sake of practicality. It is a shame when you compare it to the old fire station on Perry Vale that something more interesting could not have been done with this.

Even before we pass Brockley Rise there are several interesting features. Victorian front porches, unusual characters above doorways on otherwise unremarkable houses, and, to top it all, London's second highest grossing traffic camera. This little 8%$£&^% has cost me money in the past, but it carefully monitors traffic on the bus lane here, so watch out!

When you finally make it across the junction, there are still some interesting private buildings, including the "Center for Photographic Conservation". Most of the road is as expected, but as you get near the final border of SE23 I noticed that some old style advertising had survived, right under the modern billboard. I wonder which was more effective? Shame more details have not survived.

The side road to the surgery (Carholme Road) is attractive, but unremarkable, as are most of the side roads around this part of Forest Hill. These are nice, but high density, terraced and semi-detached houses built by the developers in the late Victorian period. Not much to take a picture of.

On my return I thought I would take a little detour across Stanstead Road, checking out the construction on Hurstbourne Road on the way, to the middle of St. German's Road. If you come up Park Rise Rd you find a building called Embassy Court. I had noticed this before but have wondered for some time why "Embassy"? Any thoughts?

I headed back down the road, then across Stanstead again, up Colfe Road and Vestris Road to the new developments on Normanton St. I had mainly wanted to see what this part of the world was like (nice, well built houses as far as I can see), but the photogenic part was the new Methodist Church building. It has only recently been completed (3 or so years behind schedule I believe), but it is open now. It is a modern building, but it seems reasonably in keeping with the area as it has nice clean lines, and some weathered materials like rusted steel and wood. I am not a church-goer, but it would be interesting to see inside here at some stage.

The final leg was past Christ Church (watching men hang off the roof installing some roof windows), past Tudor Hall, down to Westbourne Drive and along to the shops. This takes you past the stunningly hideous BT Exchange Building on Waldram Park Road, and to the parade of shops on Perry Vale. These include a "gentlemen's hairdresser" that has been going continuously for almost 100 years. Not bad, and they're pretty good at cutting your hair too.

Enough for one more walk. Time to get shorn of the golden locks ("number 3 all over, please") and consider a nice lunch next door in the Westbourne Cafe (highly recommended).

A chilling newsletter

2007-03-18T22:00:00.000Z

Well, I suppose I should have known better, but the sun was shining through the window and it looked so nice.

I volunteered to help with the delivery of the latest Forest Hill Society Newsletter (well, they did publish an article about this blog, so it was the least I could do). I got my pack the other day and although the addresses weren't all that near me, they seemed close to each other.

Not!

I went out to deliver the miserly 22 newsletters on my round. Almost 2 hours later I arrived home tired, frozen and in desperate need of a convenience break!

<< How's that for a shadow? I reckon its about 7 metres tall - almost life size! >>

Having said that, I used this as an opportunity to explore some more streets I had not been on and to take some photos, so it was time reasonably well spent. However, seeing as I am still recovering from this chest infection I think I ought to have dressed a little warmer.

I'll talk about the walk itself in due course (I am still playing catch up), but it was a good afternoon out and some good exercise all told.

Fame at last!?

2007-03-17T23:53:00.000Z

I managed to get a short article published in the Forest Hill Society quarterly newsletter recently. I have just seen that it has also been uploaded to their blog.

You can read it here:

http://foresthillsociety.blogspot.com/2007/03/walking-streets.html

Any takers for a shared walk in the near future? I'm looking to investigate the area between Perry Rise and Perry Hill.

Some Forest Hill back streets

2007-03-09T18:14:00.000Z

Having already walked quite a few of the main roads around here on big circular routes, the job from here onwards becomes a little more tricky.

To walk every road in Forest Hill will mean going over several of the main roads a few times to go up and down the smaller offshoots, often parallel roads, but even on these you sometimes come across unusual sights.

This walk, on the evening of February 26th was just gorgeous. It was dusk as I set off so the light was possibly a little too dark already for some of these shots, but hopefully you'll get some of the effect.

The first new road I hit was Ewart Road coming off Beadnell Road, then right onto Bovill Road. Many of these are quiet side roads and nice residential streets. There is a certain "rat run" through here (if you know the route) that avoids the corner of the South Circular and Brockley Rise, but most of the day this is not a problem.

As you get to the bottom of this road and follow it around, you discover one of those "hidden sites/sights". In this case, the General Napier pub. I have only been in there once, but it is a genuine, local, neighbourhood pub (nothing gastro about it). Pint and a packet of peanuts sort of thing. It is nice to see it has survived, though who the General was I don't know.

From here I turned down Herschell Road. There are some slightly different terraced houses along here, all well maintained. At the end of the road, back at the junction of Brockley Rise, is another of Forest Hill's many churches. St. Saviour's. Not been in, but it looks pretty substantial. Funny to think that in 1850 or so, there were basically no churches here at all, and now there seems to be one every few steps - and that's after many have been taken down. I should count them one day.

So, to the main target of the walk, Lowther Hill. This road, and Duncombe Hill running parallel, are either side of a "private park" that has recently been generating some interest.

Lowther Hill is nice in itself, rising up to Brockley View, with nice houses on either side. However, it is what you cannot see behind them that is most attractive to me. The enclosed space is shared amongst all the bordering properties and is called Brockley Hill Park.

Being a large green space, it is probably already under scrutiny by a developer. I am all for developing sites with affordable housing, but that sort of in-fill development would not be right. In addition, it seems that Forest Hill is one of the few remaining habitats for certain Stag Beetles and they happen to like this park.

The sting in the tail is that all of this "green space" is not actually there for all to share, only residents, and that this "environment" is actually an accident of a most selfish development in the first place.

The whole land was apparently bought by a local Conservative Land Association for the simple reason that it could then sell the freehold plots to those who voted with them. Only freehold property owners had the vote, of course. A clear case of gerrymandering (Dame Shirley Porter would be proud - allegedly!). They had intended to build a church in the middle (what else?) but didn't get round to it I guess (why spend the extra money?).

However, that enclosure has resulted in something that today helps to make urban life just that little bit more bearable, so I guess that we can forgive them.

By the way, this information is courtesy of ... Steve Grindlay of course (original thread here on se23.com).

No chance of getting in there for me, although I hold out hope that there is some tour at some point, so I was off to the top of the road - Brockley View! Here I got a few more lovely shots of the setting sun, and headed down the hill and out of se23 (with one final shot of Canary WHarf from Brockley).

Here is a selection of the photos (links below):

1. Canary Wharf from Brockley, 2. Canary Wharf from Brockley View, 3. Sunset over One Tree Hill, 4. Lowther Hill, 5. Lowther Hill, 6. London Skies, 7. St Saviour's, Herschell Road, 8. Lowther Hill and Brockley Rise, 9. Lowther Hill rising, 10. Electrifying Skies, 11. The General Napier, 12. Bovill Street

This was a one way walk (picking the car up the other end) so that's all folks!

The Riviera Updated - Taymount Grange

2007-03-07T18:50:00.000Z

In the spirit of trying to answer more of the questions raised about some local landmarks, I would like to re-post a very interesting bit of history of Taymount Grange. This is courtesy of Steve Grindlay (who else?) and was written on the excellent www.se23.com discussion forum. If you live in the area, or want to know about it, I highly recommend reading this site.

"Taymount Rise was called Queens Road until the late 1930s when the name was changed to avoid confusion with the many other Queens Roads in London. Taymount, after which the road was named, was a large Victorian house on the site of Taymount Grange. It was demolished in the early 1930s.

Taymount Grange was built in 1935 to the designs of George Bertram Carter. Many of the flats had two apartments, a large one one for the occupants, a smaller one for the servant. In fact, the flats were advertised with the tag "The servant problem solved". When built, apart from the flats, there was also a restaurant, lounge and "guest rooms". Outside there were seven tennis courts, a swimming pool and a putting green. This link shows a fascinating photograph of the flats during building

Forest Croft was built in 1936 to designs of Arnold Andre Higuer, on a site previously occupied by The Mount. You can see The Mount in the photograph."

Full discussion thread here

The back bit of "To Brockley View and Back"

2007-03-07T18:25:00.000Z

At this point, my own walk took me out of SE23, but I shall mention one or two things I saw "across the border".

Just at the junction of Brockley Rise and Stondon Park Road is a church I now call "God's bunker". It has always struck me as a rather sombre, solid and defensive kind of building, nothing like the elegant spires of Christ Church or others. I wonder what inspired the builders?

Passing "The Brockley Jack" pub (another one for a future visit, although the wine list looks dire), I must admit I paused for a little lunch. This was a lunch hour walk after all. I will make a little gentle plug for a great wine bar and wine shop called Mr Lawrence in Crofton Park. I stopped in for a soup and a glass of wine from their selection of dozens available by the glass. The look is a little old-fashioned, but the owners are extremely friendly and the food and wine they offer are very good. Check them out!

To head back, I crossed the railway at the footbridge at Eddystone Road as I have often wondered where this led. You come out just at the far corner of the Honor Oak Sports Ground and New Camberwell Cemetery. The Crematorium and its peaceful garden are in this corner.

There is a fenced path that leads you between the garden and the cemetery to the central chapel (this path, by the way, is back into SE23 territory). It is an interesting walk, particularly if, like me, you are not used to visiting graveyards. We have several very large graveyards in the vicinity and they do offer a glimpse of our history, and seeing so many of them is quite ... humbling.

Following the path around the sports ground brings you to the play park for kids and then past the allotments on One Tree Hill, finally back to Honor Oak Park road. I found an amusing sign at this point, but maybe it is also a message?

From here, a quick walk directly back towards home across the railway, back along Grierson and Garthorne Road, then Beadnell Road. These are now pretty suburban streets with one or two oddities (like the palm trees outside this house), saved from the traffic elsewhere by having been mainly closed off as a through route. Lucky them!

Another strange site along Stanstead Road (the quiet bit) is this garage obviously built for either horses or even carriages. There are one or two surviving doors like this around here.

Lastly, past the Forest Hill Hotel. Apparently this might have been a brewery too at some point, but now is a nice quiet pub, one of the unreconstructed type, run by two musicians and therefore a good place for gigs. Might be worth checking out at some stage. I know my brother-in-law from Canada sought this place out when he visited looking for the "authentic" English pub experience.

This was a long walk, but worth it. And in case you are wondering about the lack of "step counts", that'll be my bad memory. I keep forgetting my little step gizmo at home. Doh!

To Brockley View (& Back?)

2007-03-05T22:00:00.000Z

February 2nd 2002

This one was one of the most interesting walks yet - partly because the views were great, but more importantly it brought me to an area I had never been before. That was the whole point of the challenge.

It all started as usual, this time walking past the excellent The Honor Oak to Brockley Park Road. Another hill, but what do you expect around Forest Hill? Half way up the hill I am greeted by a strange pre-fab construction.

It turns out that there are quite a few pre-fab buildings in this general area and I must find out why and how. I suspect it is a tie-up between Lewisham council and some sustainable building charity (too "way out" for the council alone, and on too small a scale for a commercial development). It is fun to see, although particularly incongruous with the Victorian villas, Edwardian terraces and 90's commercial developments around us.

Beyond the crest of the hill, with great views back towards Sydenham and Crystal Palace, there are more substantial "eco-friendly" looking developments. I only say that because of the wood cladding and small, well glazed windows, but these seem like another interesting experiment rather than a major development. More to research.

At this point I was in new territory as I had not ventured here before. As you head down the hill and around the corner, you are faced with another steep climb up Brockley View. They did not include "View" in the name for nothing.

Once again there are lots of impressive houses, many built in the late Victorian period. One particular one stands separate from the others, in a different style and quite impressive, although not necessarily with the best views. I suspect this belonged to someone involved with selling the land or organising the construction (picking the best for themselves), however, I cannot prove that. In fact, on closer inspection it appears to always have been built as a semi-detached so this may be totally wrong.

As you follow Brockley View you come to the edge of Blythe Hill fields. I must admit I have not yet set foot in them, but I have it on good authority that the view gets even better from there. Unfortunately my path leads me onwards, so I can only admire the view of One Tree Hill, Canary Wharf, and quite a lot of London spread before me.

At the bottom of the road I turned left on to Codrington Hill heading back towards Brockley Rise. At this stage the main road changes name to "Stondon Park Road" (as a driver I hadn't realised this) just where the Babur Brasserie, Chandos pub and odd roundabout system are. I quickly turned left again onto the continuation of Brockley Rise itself which leads to a more residential street.

Here I found the highly rated Stillness Infant School (one I need to look at more closely) and further along the road another surprise - Guys Hospital Athletic Ground.

Never having been an "athlete" myself, these places always seem strange, but I then discovered it already showed up on my map of the area from the 1890's, so it has been in use for over 100 years. Apparently there is a useful connection as their rugby teams have been known to encourage others to use the services of the main employer!

The way back was another journey in itself, so I will write that up separately anon, but this route certainly made me think differently about Forest Hill.

Yune Chinese restaurant in Forest Hill

2007-02-28T21:37:00.000Z

As part of my goal of walking around Forest Hill, I also come across all the restaurants and bars in the area. Unfortunately I cannot try them all as I wander but I have tried one or two.

One which does not seem to have its own site to sell itself, is Yune [since I wrote this they launched one at www.yune.co.uk]. This Chinese or 'oriental' restaurant opened fairly recently and they did a nice job of modernising the interior. As far as I am concerned it is one of the best value places to eat anywhere, particularly for lunch.

If you are walking around Forest Hill, pop in for lunch and you will find most of their one-dish meals for £3.95, or a two-course plus side dishes in a Bento box (lacquered box with segements for each dish) for only £5.96. Bargain! And the food is great.

The house wine is fairly decent, which is just as well as it is the only one sold by the glass, but the wine list by the bottle is pretty comprehensive too.

So, just a little recommendation if you happen to be in the area looking for something different and good value.

As far as I know they have no website, so maybe this can be helpful:
Yune Oriental Cuisine,
25 Dartmouth Road,
Forest Hill,
SE23 3HN,
tel: 020 8699 0887

[UPDATED 01/06/2007 - thanks to Anonymous comments below.] New site at www.yune.co.uk

Sydenham and Forest Hill History

2007-02-27T21:02:00.000Z

... and one more thing.

If you are interested in discussing the history of the area you are more than welcome to contact me through this site (leave me a comment), but the REAL experts hang out in the Sydenham Society's Town Forum on the "Town Museum & Gallery" page.

Join in the discussion there. I have already registered.

First, an update on points of interest in the area

2007-02-27T20:24:00.000Z

I would like to get on and post about my walk on Feb 2nd (another lovely, clear, fresh sunny winter's day) but maybe I should take a moment to answer some of thew questions I have raised in the past, and Steve Grindlay answered so eloquently.

1. The house I spotted opposite the junction of Honor Oak Road and London Road (across from the Horniman Museum) was the property of "A & G Taylor" and I believe was called Forest Lodge. "A&G" (to their mates) were probably the leading Victorian photographers of "Cartes de Visite", a sort of postcard plus means of correspondence of the age. A little like today's MMS text messages, just for quick notes. More on them in future I hope.

2. The avenue of trees I found leading off Honor Oak Road after Hamilton Hall do not lead to a disused railway, but a reservoir. I suspect it is derelict now, but as it is totally enclosed, and residents have succesfully fought off the developers, it is another "secret garden". I MUST get in here for a look. Can anyone help?

Steve also told an interesting story of how this reservoir (built at the end of the 19th century) influenced a then young boy who became a great poet. Unfortunately my knowledge of this art form, beyond the Owl and the Pussycat, is extremely limited so I didn't catch the name. Another one for the future.

3. The bottom of Manor Mount, where the ambulance station is, has a strange building backing on to it. I always thought it looked vaguely nautical (round windows, made of wood, with a big balcony, etc.). It turns out that the whole area was the basin for the canal that ran through here, so I need to find out whether that building is contemporaneous. (Nice word, hard to spell.)

4. Much of the area behind the Horniman Museum was owned by a single family (I promise to find out the name I have already forgotten) who might even have considered offering it as another extension to the Horniman Gardens (now THAT would have been impressive). This area is known as Tewkesbury Lodge. However, they didn't and it has since been developed. The only remnant of their massive Lodge is the folly that had been built in the garden to take advantage of the beautiful views. This still remains, and it remains a place I need to try and get to visit. Unfortunately it is in someone's private garden now.

5. And finally, although Christ Church on South Road is being redeveloped (slowly) as flats, a few of the remaining monuments from the graveyard remain. These are important historical references to the Tetley (tea) family, the (Lea &) Perrins family, a wealthy merchant called Chaplin (no relation to ol' Charlie) and one or two more. All these people lived, died and came to rest in Forest Hill. If you happen to buy one of those flats, think about that when you next boil the kettle!

More updates and clarifications soon.

Walking around Forest Hill in company

2007-02-26T08:55:00.000Z

70 people! Wow! Steve Grindlay rules! Thank you Forest Hill Society.

I knew that this walk was going to be popular when I first heard about it, but with rain and cold weather predicted for a two hour walk around Forest Hill on a Sunday, then one could be forgiven for thinking only die-hards would turn up.

But not the residents of Forest Hill, SE23.

I counted around 70 people at one stage and that did not include the kids in the strollers. What fun!

Interestingly enough, Steve took us on a tour of some of the key features of Forest Hill and his path almost exactly mirrored the last walk I described on January 15th. Of course, I have a lot more detail now so I will fill in many of the gaps at some stage.

Is there something unique to Forest Hill to make it interesting? I doubt it. I am sure that if you were to dig deep into any borough or area of London you will uncover a rich history. It just so happens that we have great views as well, and that we were graced by some rich and influential residents in the past.

Thank you to everyone who made the afternoon so enjoyable, particularly Steve and the Forest Hill Society. Maybe I'll be seeing a lot more of you out there with cameras, pedometers and notebooks on my next walk?

See you out there.

Historic Tours

2007-02-23T16:54:00.000Z

I've been incredibly unwell recently with no incentive to get out, or even think about having been out, so no further catch up posts recently. I still have a walk or two to post about which will come soon.

However, my next walk is on Sunday. Local historian and all round expert, Steve Grindlay, will be gallantly leading the troops on a tour of some of the local landmarks on Sunday 25/02/2007 from 14:00 on behalf of the Forest Hill Society. All are welcome, so come on down! We are meeting at Christ Church, South Road, SE23.

Once I have done this many of my questions will be answered and I will try to posts some of the most interesting stuff (with due thanks to Steve) here.

See you then

January Sunshine

2007-02-06T21:29:00.000Z

January 15th

The sun was shining on a beautiful day, so it was a day to head UP! Up the hill with the camera in the hope that the view would be good. The great thing about winter sun is that we get less of the humid haze of the warm days, so you can see better and further.

This walk started along Devonshire Road, parallel to the railway. The first thing that strikes me on this road is always the appearance, in the middle of otherwise unremarkable Victorian terraced houses, an old post office - red brick, large windows, fancy scrolls and set back from the road. Of course, it is closed now (when did this happen?) and it is now the offices of a local building firm who must be doing quite good business. At least we have preserved some of the heritage of the area.

Walking along Devonshire Road you come across a whole mixture of styles and sizes of houses, from 4 story terraced to 50's semis, older semi detached houses with elegant small gardens and trees growing up the front, then a series of council flat buildings. That's Forest Hill! That's London!

Left at Ewelme Road, up the steep hill, meeting Honor Oak Road (again, so I need a new route today) and along here. The views are already spectacular. London and Kent spread out on a vast plain to the East and South East from here. We seem to be the last vantage point.

Walking along this road I come across Hamilton House, another lovely Victorian (or is this one Edwardian?) construction that must, at one time, have been a great house. Like so many others, this has been converted to a rest home. It is good that they are kept intact rather than partitioned for flats, but I am never sure that the interior arrangements of such buildings are suitable for 21st century London living. I wonder what that is like?

I head on and come across a gate between houses with what appears to be an avenue of trees either side of a path. It is obviously not used any more, so it intrigues me, but there is no access, so I bide my time till I can check it out on Google Maps (these are GREAT!).

I take a left up Canonbie Road, and am rewarded with a great view North to the City. Unfortunately I need more of a zoom lense, but the photos are OK. There has been a lot of climbing to this point, and the plan was to cross along the top of the hill to the Horniman, but I need to go down first. On the way down I find a link to Wood Vale from Westwood Park I wasn't aware of. I take a quick detour down there to see the shops I have heard about but not visited. Outside of the butchers (apparently very good by the way) is a strange site of an old fashioned New York cab. Weird! Fascinating!

Now back along Westwood park to the side/back entrance to Horniman Gardens. This actually then links to a path that runs outside the gardens and is a beautiful secluded walk on a sunny day, but again not to be recommended on an evening.

At the end of this, almost on the South Circular, is access to the Horniman Railway Nature Trail ( a topic for a future walk) where I get a nice shot of the sky over Sydenham Hill. Back along the South Circular, and home.

It was a longer walk than planned, but I made a few discoveries on the way and it was good for the heart.

This is one worth doing again!

Catch up post 2 - The Riviera

2007-01-27T16:35:00.000Z

03 January 2007!!!!

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Read an update to this post here
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A shorter walk just to stretch my legs. It all seemed to quiet in the house after the holidays.

This time I wanted to see the view from the other side of the hill I walked up last time. So I headed for Taymount Rise. It was also suggested to me by Michael from the Forest Hill Society as a good place to see interesting buildings.

I walked past The Capitol again. I can't quite seem to do this justice. It is a great building with lots of history .. cinema, bingo hall, derelict, pub, etc. but the light has never been right to capture the essence yet.

From here up the road to Taymount Rise. The first thing that strikes you is the beautifully refurbished church. Of course it turns out it has been turned into apartments, so no wonder. Of course, it is being done elsewhere as well, but it seemed odd here. Slightly spooky. But then again Christ Church is even keeping the graveyard ... !!

At the top of the road was something out of a Poirot film. Taymount Grange is one of several buildings that seem Art Deco (1920's ?) and certainly don't seem to have late 20th century luxuries like double glazing. With the view, art deco architecture and palm trees you could be forgiven for feeling like you should be on the sea in the mediterranean instead.

This was quite enough of a shock for one day. The wintry haze did not help with the light for photos, so I returned home. This is an estate worth revisiting. I wonder what it is like actually living in these places? They look great and preserve lots of features from past decades, but how comfortable are they?

It would be interesting to catch up on a little more modern history of Forest Hill and meet a current resident to see if they romanticise these buildings as much as I do.

Catch up post 1 - blast off

2007-01-27T16:03:00.000Z

Too little time over Christmas and in January to post, but here are a few recent walks to report on.

20 December
Went for a walk with the new camera to get to know it a little better and to get out the house whilke the weather was still good (anticipating a change).

This time I followed a path I had never noticed before running parallel to the railway on the northern side. It is not all that attractive (or safe at night) but it means you can walk a little faster without dealing with the busy pavements of Dartmouth Road. It also gives a nice insight into the original buildings of Forest Hill and all the new construction that is going on.

Following this along I came to the Foresters Hall. This was built about the same time as my house and it seems like it should have an interesting story to tell. Another one to ask Steve Grindlay about.

This led back up to Dartmouth Road more or less in line with the Forest Hill Baths (now sadly closed until further notice). The day was already getting dark and the fog on the horizon was clearing just enough for me to take an interesting shot of Crystal Palace. It took me about 30 photos to get it right. IT was taken from just outside Provender, a pretty good Health Food and Organic Cafe opposite the pools. Worth a visit.

From here I crossed the road to the Forest Hill Library, and up Thorpewood Avenue, then Derby Hill Crescent past the 1950's looking houses on the hill. At the top is an interesting sight of a nicely designed Art Deco-ish housing development (see one of my later posts for a different view from Taymout Rise). You can walk to the top of the building as the steps are not enclosed, but it was too dark for a decent panoramic shot, so I must return some time.

From here there is a rather hidden footpath that brings you back down to London Road. Again, nice in the day time, but rather long and badly lit for the night. However, it affords a nice view of the different houses and gardens in this area.

The path emerged immediately opposite Sainsbury's, so it was a quick right turn, and a dash to the Dartmouth Arms for a coffee (they also do good coffee here by the way) and then home, past the Christmas decorations trying to get us all in the mood for the impending day.

Recent offline

2007-01-05T17:41:00.000Z

Thanks to Christmas, New Year, a dead XDA phone and a "series of unfortunate circumstances" I have been offline for a while. C'est la vie!

My thanks to Steve Shaw (might as well plug him as he got me back up and running after all) I am back for more rambling thoughts.

Only managed two walks recently, and should get round to posting these very soon.

Happy New Year!

(and a free tip; always remember to back up your PC!)

Dash up the road :: 3800 steps

2006-12-20T13:40:00.000Z

A quick walk with the family to the Horniman was another opportunity to take a different route and a few photos.

The day was lovely, but as I was rushed there are few really good photos of the walk itself.

The route took us up Davids Road, then up (and I mean UP!) Manor Mount, across Honor Oak Road, and UP! Westwood Park to Horniman Drive. I wonder how many walkers bother coming in the back gate of the Park. It is a steep walk, but there are some great views.

Manor Mount itself is a curious collection of architecture, a representative capsule of Forest Hill as a whole [I need to take better pictures here]. About half way up is a rather 70's looking attempt at a "Glass House". The design is odd, and somewhat captivating, but I am certain it is totally impractical. Right next door is an old fashioned cottage, painted a delicate blue. Each of these is surrounded by imposing Victorian houses on 3 or 4 floors, and all on a very steep road. Quite odd.

Just up this road are several interesting examples of nicely decorated Victorian villas and semi-detached properties. It strikes me each time I see buildings like these how modern designs look cheap because they don't bother with details. But details are what make private dwellings desirable.

When we made it to the top, the bright blue of the sky only accentuated the fug of brown that blanketed the City. It is a pretty view from here, including the new Wembley Arch, the London Eye and Telecom Tower (other landmarks are also visible, but you have to move further around the buildings to see them).

Finally, we went into the Horniman Gardens for a walk around them, the museum, aquarium and for lunch (always good value here).

The little one was tired after this, so it was a direct route home via London Road, past a building I need to learn more about at the junction with Honor Oak Road, and the Capitol (now a Wetherspoons pub, but also a beautiful 1920's cinema).

At some point I must collect a list of places to research first as each time I go out I find new things to ponder. Somehow I never get round to it.

Under sea adventure

2006-12-18T21:40:00.000Z

Another walk, the culmination of which was another visit to the Horniman Museum's new aquarium.

My daughter loves it and I have been half a dozen times already and I must admit I am not bored of it yet either. It may be relatively small, but they have packed a lot of interesting stuff, and presented it very well, in that small space.

I will mention the walk there and back in a separate post, but I thought I would share a few of the photos from the visit to entice you to visit too.

1. Poisonous Beauty, 2. It tickles!, 3. Aquarium, 4. Peekaboo

AMAZING! Photos of the Area

2006-12-15T15:48:00.001Z

I work with the Web every day, and it still never ceases to amaze me.

The latest wonderful discovery is a combination of Yahoo owned Flickr (a great photography based community site), Google Maps (another clever tool from them) and the eternally brilliant bunch of users that come up with bright ideas. In this case, Sumaato Labs.

Now I can take my photos as I walk, upload them to Flickr, tag them with coordinates and place them on a map. Not only can you see where the individual photo was taken, but you can then map them to show all of them in the area.

See here on my Link to Flickr

(note, there seems to be an error at the moment. If you get an error message when you first visit the link, just reload the page and it works fine)

I am placing this link at the top of the Forest Hill Links Section on the left for future reference. This way there is a geographical and photographic record of Forest Hill for you to enjoy.

Now I just need to improve my photography skills, but this is already planned for 2007!

Enjoy!

Second walk :: 5,000 steps

2006-12-14T14:52:00.000Z

Scarred

This is almost building into a habit.

There are certain streets I have been down several times just because I live here so I am quite familiar with them, so I thought I would start taking some new detours.

Today's started by taking me past Rockbourne Road and down Dalmain Road. I know the bottom end as the Dalmain Primary School there is already gaining some notoriety for its recent "excellent" OFSTED report. However, the top end is rather non-descript as it borders the industrial estate.

Just before turning down the road there is a building I would love to know more about. It is sandwiched between residential buildings, but my guess is that it has something to do with the railway or post office as it says "Forest Hill 1901" on the frontage. Probably used only for storage now, but it is too new for the canal, so what was it originally?

As you go down Dalmain, and just before passing through a modern housing estate, you come to a junction with Wastdale Road where there is a rather odd site. The (Royal) Naval (Association) Lewisham Club. Not what you would expect in the middle of Forest Hill. Looks rather depressing now, but still seems to being used, even if they seem to have dropped the Royal Association.

Once you go across Brockley Rise, and past the St. Germains pub being renovated (more at a future date) you go up St. Germans Road. There is an interesting mix of architecture here. All sorts of different eras all one after another. Probably a legacy of WWII bombs.

Down again to the South Circular and facing the site of another beautiful building which probably has lots of history to tell, but looks really run down. Stanstead Lodge. Now it is an OAP's centre, but the cracks in the walls and broken guttering don't look very inviting.

Finally, the long way back, parallel to the South Circular along Vancouver and Loxton Road (with its interesting terrace with end turrets) and cutting through the foot paths to Sunderland Road.

Another 5000 steps and a few more things to research.

It has started :: 3700 steps

2006-12-13T13:24:00.000Z

Everything is now falling into place.

... I have my pedometer

... I have my map (see a detail)

... I have my new camera (more on that another time)

And we're off!

Yesterday I went for my first walk. 3700 steps, give or take a hundred. I walked past the Church being converted on Church Rise, down Gaynesford Road, along Mayow Road to Sydenham (where I popped in to the newly opened Dolphin Pub for a chat) and back along Dacres Road. [At some point I will find a way to map the routes.]

The walk was longer than this, but I'm only counting the steps within SE23 after all.

Loads of places to report. Gaynesford Road is famous for the Christmas Houses. I must look into this a bit more as they are quite beautiful, particularly the stained glass doors and windows.

Also on Gaynesford Road is the "Red House". It looks like a rest home now, but it is an impressive building so it must have some history. It sits between much more modern blocks and some other smaller Victorian houses.

This is one of the fascinating things about living in London. These towns developed over a long period and therefore there is a great mixture of architecture to admire.

3700 steps. That's about 3km, and I have only covered 3 or four streets, but its a start.

The plan

2006-12-06T18:06:00.000Z

Today I finally put together my map of SE23 from 'borrowed' artwork (no details to avoid copyright issues) and this suddenly seems too easy.

I need to see if there are statistics on the area covered by London postcodes but SE23 seems a reasonable target for a few months effort. What this map does not show are contours of course, as we have a ******* big hill smack in the middle.

If I find a proper map that I can share with you I shall post it here, but for the moment, check out Multimap.

Count me in

2006-11-27T17:17:00.000Z

I have been away recently and therefore not had a chance to get going with the plan (procrastinating already, heh?!) but today I went out and bought my pedometer.

I bought it locally (as I encourage you all to do) at Finches Ski Emporium, who also do biking and walking stuff.

This is really basic stuff, but it seems to do a reasonable job of counting my steps, so all I have to do is measure my average step, and get an idea of how far I travel. I might just kep it around for the next few days to see how many (or how few) steps I take normally. I was surprised that even the short distance from Finches to my house is already about 500 steps.

The other thing to work on is to find a decent map of the actual postcode area. To be honest I am not sure how big a task this is going to be yet. However, long journeys always start with the first step (cliché alert) and from now on I will be able to count each and every one of them.

A challenge for 2007

2006-11-16T10:03:00.000Z

Although I have a car, I aim to walk or take public transport whenever I can. It is not just that it makes OK to have a drink out and not worry about where you are going to leave the car, it is more that when you live in the city, it is easier and more convenient.

Walking home recently I realised that there were many streets in my immediate vicinity that I had never walked along. Unless they are "on the way" to the station, shops or other locations like the beautiful Horniman Museum and Gardens, then we just ignore them.

It occurred to me that when I moved here two years ago I read that Forest Hill (SE23) had an eclectic mix of architecture, a subject which interests me and I have little or no knowledge of.

I therefore have resolved to walk EVERY street in SE23 between now and the end of next year, measuring the walks (note to self, buy a pedometer), and maybe commenting on interesting architectural features in the area.

Hopefully this will inspire other locals, or others looking for an interesting part of London to move to, to do the same.