Forest Hill, London
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Forest Hill | |
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| Location | |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference: | TQ354736 |
| Latitude: | 51.4457° |
| Longitude: | -0.053° |
| Administration | |
| London borough: | Lewisham |
| County level: | Greater London |
| Region: | London |
| Constituent country: | England |
| Sovereign state: | United Kingdom |
| Other | |
| Ceremonial county: | Greater London |
| Historic county: | Kent and Surrey |
| Services | |
| Police force: | Metropolitan Police |
| Fire brigade: | London Fire Brigade |
| Ambulance service: | London Ambulance |
| Post office and telephone | |
| Post town: | LONDON |
| Postal district: | SE23 |
| Dialling code: | 020 |
| Politics | |
| UK Parliament: | Lewisham West |
| London Assembly: | Greenwich and Lewisham |
| European Parliament: | London |
| London | List of places in London | |
Forest Hill is a district in the London Borough of Lewisham, situated between Dulwich and Sydenham in south London. It is notable for the Horniman Museum.
Contents |
[edit] History
Like many London suburbs, Forest Hill was only sparsely populated until the mid-19th century, and was - as its name suggests - a wooded area situated on some small hills.
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.
[edit] Amenities
Forest Hill contains Forest Hill School, a comprehensive boys school located on Dacres Road and The Hobgoblin a live music and comedy venue.
[edit] Transport
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 to West Croydon by 2012.
[edit] Famous residents
- Home decor personality Linda Barker
- Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945) the German protestant theologian and christian martyr killed by the Nazis, briefly lived and preached in Forest Hill.
- 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
- Hollywood actor Boris Karloff was a resident of Forest Hill.
- Musician Francis Rossi, lead singer and guitarist of Status Quo, was born in Forest Hill on 29 May 1949
- 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
- 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
