From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Forest Hill
OS grid reference	TQ354736
London borough	Lewisham
Ceremonial county	Greater London
Region	London
Constituent country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	LONDON
Postcode district	SE23
Dialling code	020
Police	Metropolitan
Fire	London
Ambulance	London
UK Parliament	Lewisham West
London Assembly	Greenwich and Lewisham
European Parliament	London
List of places: UK • England • London

Coordinates: 51°26′45″N 0°03′11″W / 51.4457, -0.053

Forest Hill is a district in the London Borough of Lewisham, situated between Dulwich and Sydenham in south London. Increasingly popular amongst house-buyers and investors, the area has enjoyed extensive investment since plans to extend the East London Line to Forest Hill were unveiled in 2004.

Like many London suburbs, Forest Hill was only sparsely populated until the mid-19th century. The name 'Forest Hill', was coined by a developer in the 1790s, and referred to the remaining area of Forest on Sydenham Hill which was originally part of the Great North Wood.

A canal, the Croydon Canal, was constructed through the area in 1809 but the large number of locks (28) meant it was not a commercial success, and it was bought by the London & Croydon Railway Company who constructed their railway along the same route, opening it in 1839. The retaining wall of the footpath opposite the station outside the pub is about the only physical evidence of the canal which still exists.

When the Crystal Palace was moved from Hyde Park to Sydenham, large homes were built on the western end of Forest Hill.

The tea merchant Frederick Horniman built a museum to house his impressive collection of natural history artifacts. He donated the museum and its gardens to the public in 1901.

Forest Hill is home to the celebrated Horniman Museum. Despite a leaning toward anthropological and cultural collections, the museum is also home to a newly opened (July 2006) aquarium and one of the most varied collections of taxidermy in the northern hemisphere. Contained within its accompanying gardens is an animal enclosure, flower gardens, and a Grade II listed early 20th century greenhouse. Views from the gardens stretch out over central and north London.

The Hob Public House, opposite Forest Hill station, is a live music and comedy venue. Home to the E.D. Comedy Club, it has attracted acts such as Bill Bailey, Phil Jupitus and Mark Lamarr. Recently renovated, The Dartmouth Arms has been named by The Times newspaper as "one of London's very finest gastropubs".^{[citation needed]}

View from the top of Forest Hill. The skyscrapers of the City of London can be seen in the distance.

Looking south.

Forest Hill Swimming Baths were closed in 2005 due to health and safety concerns surrounding its roof and plumbing. An intrusive survey in October 2006 suggested that a full refurbishment would cost £5.5 million.^{[citation needed]} Lewisham Council recently green-lit the renovation, pledging to fully renovate whilst retaining the building's early 20th century character and original features.

Forest Hill Library is located next to the swimming baths, and in February 2001 hosted 'an evening with J. K. Rowling', attended by children from the local Fairlawn Primary School.

With a range of architectural styles spanning the late 19th and 20th centuries, Forest Hill was described by Sir Norman Foster as "a delightful pocket of South London". Of particular note are The Capitol Cinema, the Horniman Museum, and classic art deco mansion blocks Forest Croft and Taymount Grange.

Forest Hill railway station is located on the South Circular Road (A205), and is served by frequent trains to London Bridge. It will also be linked to the East London Line which is to be extended south to West Croydon by 2010.

(in alphabetical order)

• Home decor personality Linda Barker
• Dame Doris Beale, Matron-in-Chief of Queen Alexandra's Royal Naval Nursing Service (QARNNS) for three years during the Second World War was born in Forest Hill on 9 August 1889.
• Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945) the German Protestant theologian and Christian martyr killed by the Nazis, briefly lived and preached in Forest Hill.
• Choong Ting Max Clarke still lives on Marler Road
• Irish-born television, film and stage actor Michael Gambon, currently famous for portrayal of Albus Dumbledore in the Harry Potter movie franchise lived at Forest Croft in Forest Hill in the early to mid 1960s.
• Vince Hilaire, one of the first black players to establish himself in English football was born in Forest Hill on 10 October 1959.
• Tea merchant Frederick John Horniman (1835-1906) lived in Forest Hill. A keen traveller, he accumulated a large collection of items relating to local cultures and natural history. This became so large that he built a special museum for it, donated to the public in 1901.
• British film actor Leslie Howard (1893-1943) was born in Forest Hill on 3 April 1893
• Infamous fraudster Andre Thierry Michauld operated in Forest Hill, although it is not known whether this was his primary residence or one of many probable London-residences used throughout the 1990s.
• Richard Jefferies, the naturalist and author, lived at 20 Sydenham Park (a Blue Plaque indicates the house)
• Hollywood actor Boris Karloff was a resident of Forest Hill.
• Tom Keating the famous forger lived in Forest Hill.
• John Parris world renowned cue maker.
• Don Letts, Desmond Dekker and Peter Perrett (of The Only Ones, in its 1970s musical heyday).
• Henry Price CBE was a Conservative politician who represented Lewisham West between 1950 - 1964. He founded the "Middle Class Alliance" and in 1954, London County Council sought a compulsory purchase order for his home in Forest Hill to build council housing.
• Musician Francis Rossi, lead singer and guitarist of Status Quo, was born in Forest Hill on 29 May 1949
• Singer Millie lived in Forest Hill at the time of her major hit My Boy Lollipop
• Actor Timothy Spall is a current resident of the Forest Hill area.
• British broadcaster, journalist and cricketer E.W.Swanton was born in Forest Hill on 11 February 1907
• Jackie Trent the singer/songwriter lived in Forest Hill when she first had success in the 1960s
• There is no evidence to support the claim of a private plaque that Dorothy Jordan, mistress of the Duke of Clarence, later William IV, lived in Forest Hill

• Brockley
• Catford
• Crofton Park
• Crystal Palace, London
• Dulwich
• Honor Oak
• Peckham
• Sydenham

• Forest Hill Society: Civic group for SE23 and surrounding area
• Forest Hill.Org: Community website
• SE23.com: Community website
• The German Church, Forest Hill
• Dietrich Bonhoeffer Remembered

v • d • e London Borough of Lewisham
Districts	Blackheath · Brockley · Catford · Deptford · Forest Hill · Grove Park · Hither Green · Honor Oak · Lee · Lewisham · New Cross · Sydenham
Attractions	Horniman Museum
Constituencies	Lewisham West · Lewisham East · Lewisham Deptford
Parks and open spaces in Lewisham