One Tree Hill is the central feature of Honor Oak's landscape. It is at the northern end of a string of hills stretching from Croydon, previously part of the Great North Wood. A legend tells that on 1 May 1602, Elizabeth I picnicked with Sir Richard Bulkeley of Beaumaris in the Lewisham area by an oak tree at the summit of a hill.[1][2] The tree came to be known as the Oak of Honor. The tree surrounded by railings is an oak, and was planted in 1905 as a successor to the historic one.[3] In addition to its connection with Queen Elizabeth I, the hill is reputedly the site of the final defeat of Queen Boudica by the Romans in 61AD, while Dick Turpin allegedly used it as a lookout post.[4]
A new development of exclusive houses was started in the 1780s on what is now Honor Oak Road. This gave rise to both Honor Oak and Forest Hill, London communities.[5] These localities have drifted about a mile apart North and South respectively since, aided by the arrival of a canal and then railways.
The beacon at the summit of One Tree Hill was erected to commemorate the Silver Jubilee of King George V in 1935. It was subsequently used for the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, her silver and golden jubilees and also at the Millennium. Beacons on the same site were used to give warning of invasion by the Spanish and later the French. The Hill was also the site of Watson's General Telegraph, a relay system established in 1841 linking London with shipping in the English Channel[citation needed]
Honor Oak & Forest Hill Golf Club (now defunct) was founded in 1893. The club disappeared at the time of WW2.[7] This area is now Camberwell New Cemetery.
In 1896, One Tree Hill was due to become part of a golf club, but there were riots and demonstrations by local people. This fell through, and later it was bought by Metropolitan Borough of Camberwell and made into a public open space by 1905.
During World War I a gun emplacement was erected on the hill to counter the threat of raids by Zeppelinairships.
One part of the open space eventually became a nine-hole golf course called the Aquarius Golf Club.[8] It lies on top of the cavernous Honor Oak Reservoir, constructed between 1901 and 1909. When it was completed the reservoir was the largest brick built underground reservoir in the world[9] and even today remains one of the largest in Europe.[10] The reservoir now forms part of the Southern extension of the Thames Water Ring Main.
In 2010 Honor Oak Park railway station became part of the London Overground extension, providing residents with direct links into Shoreditch and Highbury and Islington. As with neighbouring Forest Hill, Honor Oak is becoming increasingly desirable as a peaceful, leafy suburb with good transport links into the centre of town, and slightly lower-than-average property prices.
Amenities and entertainment
Honor Oak enjoys a number of well regarded restaurants, cafes, and pubs.
These include the Babur Gourmet Indian Restaurant, described as "one of the best Indian restaurants in London" by The Independent newspaper,[12] the Sardinian restaurant, Le Querce,[13] Amrutha, a vegan restaurant,[14] and a sourdough pizza restaurant, Miss Margherita.
The high street has two cafes, The Oak Cafe and Two Spoons,[15] which also opens as a cocktail bar in the evening. Grounds and Grapes is an all day bar and restaurant.
On the eastern side of One Tree Hill is a large allotment site called "One Tree Hill Allotment Society", with views over towards Lewisham and Bromley. The site having over 100 plots and fairly long waiting list. Popular Open Day in September and occasional other public events.
Irish-born political activist Jim Connell (1852–1929), author of The Red Flag, lived at 22a Stondon Park (which is on the border of Crofton Park and Honor Oak) from 1915–1929.[17] He wrote the anthem while on a train journey to his home in New Cross in December 1889.[18]
Engineer and astronomer Edwin Clark (1814-1894) lived at Observatory House on the corner of Honor Oak Park and Honor Oak Road from 1857–1879. He is principally known for his hydraulic boat lifts. Robert Stephenson left him money in his will which he used to build a telescope on his house. Only the gates survive now.[19]
Bellingham is an area of south-east London, England, within the London Borough of Lewisham. It lies south of Catford, east of Sydenham and north of Beckenham, and is part of the Catford postal district (SE6).
Crofton Park is a mainly residential suburb and electoral ward in the London Borough of Lewisham.
Crystal Palace is an area in South London, named after the Crystal Palace Exhibition building which stood in the area from 1854, until it was destroyed by a fire in 1936. About 7 miles (11 km) southeast of Charing Cross, it includes one of the highest points in London, at 367 feet (112 m), offering views over the capital.
Peckham is a district in south-east London, within the London Borough of Southwark. It is 3.5 miles (5.6 km) south-east of Charing Cross. At the 2001 Census the Peckham ward had a population of 14,720.
Sydenham is a district of south-east London, England, which is shared between the London boroughs of Lewisham, Bromley and Southwark. Prior to the creation of the County of London in 1889, Sydenham was located in Kent, bordering Surrey. Historically, the area was very affluent, with the Crystal Palace being relocated to Sydenham Hill in 1854. Today, Sydenham is a diverse area, with a population of 28,378 and borders Forest Hill, Dulwich, Crystal Palace, Penge, Beckenham, Catford and Bellingham.
Lewisham is a London borough in south-east London, England. It forms part of Inner London. The principal settlement of the borough is Lewisham. The local authority is Lewisham London Borough Council, based in Catford. The Prime Meridian passes through Lewisham. Blackheath, Goldsmiths, University of London and Millwall F.C. are located within the borough.
East Dulwich is an area of South East London, England in the London Borough of Southwark. It forms the eastern part of Dulwich, with Peckham to the east and Camberwell to the north. East Dulwich is home to the Dog Kennel Hill statue. This South London suburb was first developed in the nineteenth century on land owned by the College of God's Gift.
The Croydon Canal ran 9+1⁄4 miles (15 km) from Croydon, via Forest Hill, to the Grand Surrey Canal at New Cross in south London, England. It opened in 1809 and closed in 1836, the first canal to be abandoned by an act of Parliament.
Forest Hill is a district of the London Borough of Lewisham in south east London, England, on the South Circular Road, which is home to the Horniman Museum.
Forest Hill is an interchange station between the Windrush line of the London Overground and National Rail services operated by Southern, located in Forest Hill in the London Borough of Lewisham. It is 5 miles 50 chains down the line from ‹See TfM›London Bridge, between Honor Oak Park and Sydenham, in Travelcard Zone 3. There are four tracks through the station, although only the slow lines have platforms.
Sydenham is an interchange station between the Windrush line of the London Overground and National Rail services operated by Southern, located in Sydenham in the London Borough of Lewisham. Originally opened in 1839, the station is located on the former Croydon Canal, which is now a branch of the Brighton Main Line, often known as the Sydenham Corridor. The station is 6 miles 32 chains down the line from ‹See TfM›London Bridge. Sydenham falls within Travelcard Zone 3.
Lewisham West was a borough constituency in south-east London represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election from 1918, until it was abolished for the 2010 general election.
Anerley is suburb of south east London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. It is located 7 miles (11 km) south south-east of Charing Cross, to the south of Upper Norwood, west of Penge, north of Elmers End and east of South Norwood. The northern edge of Anerley contains part of the area commonly known as Crystal Palace, and the site of the ancient Vicar's Oak where the London boroughs of Bromley, Croydon, Lambeth and Southwark meet, with Lewisham 800 yards (740m) away.
Sydenham Hill forms part of a longer ridge and is an affluent locality in southeast London. It is also the name of a road which runs along the northeastern part of the ridge, demarcating the London Boroughs of Southwark, Bromley, and Lewisham. Its highest part is the apex of the Boroughs of Southwark and Lewisham and the 15th-highest peak in London, at 367 feet (112 m).
The A2216 is an A road in south London, England suburbia. It runs from the A215 in Denmark Hill to the A212 in Sydenham. Part of the road is an ancient thoroughfare, Lordship Lane. In Dulwich, the road runs via the A205 South Circular Road.
Perry Vale is a neighbourhood and electoral ward in the London Borough of Lewisham. It is 10.5 km (6.5 mi) southeast of Charing Cross and located near Forest Hill to the east of Forest Hill railway station, where the railway line forms the western boundary. The ward is named after the main road Perry Vale which passes through, this road is part of the B227 road which is called Perry Rise further to the south. The electoral ward has existed since the London Borough of Lewisham revised its wards and ward boundaries in 2002.
Mayow Park, formerly known as Sydenham Recreation Ground, is a municipal park in London Borough of Lewisham. Located on Mayow Road in Sydenham, south east London, it is the borough's oldest park and its second oldest public open space after Blackheath. The park has a Green Flag Award.
One Tree Hill is a defining feature of Honor Oak, mostly in London Borough of Southwark but with parts also in the London Borough of Lewisham. It includes a 7 hectare public park, local nature reserve and Site of Borough Importance for Nature Conservation, Grade 1, which is owned and managed by Southwark Council. Its name, and that of the Honor Oak area, derive from the Oak of Honor, a tree on the hill which marked the southern boundary of the Norman Honour of Gloucester.
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