Dulwich Park was opened in 1890. It was formerly farmland, part of the Court Farm, and now offers duck and rowing ponds, children's play area, bowling green, tennis court, bridle path for horse-riding, and a café. Dulwich Hospital in
East Dulwich Grove was designed by Henry Jarvis and built on of land purchased in
East Dulwich by the Guardians of the Poor of the Parish of St Saviour, Southwark, for the price of £50,000 in 1885. At the time of opening in 1887, it offered a 723-bed capacity. It was transformed from an infirmary into the Southwark Military Hospital during World War I, when it is estimated 14,000–15,000 wounded soldiers were treated at the hospital. After the Poor Law was abolished in 1930, the Southwark Union Infirmary was renamed Dulwich Hospital and the following year an operating theatre was built. In 1964, the hospital was aligned with King's College Hospital on Denmark Hill. There is no casualty department at Dulwich at present. However, in 2015 it was announced that Dulwich Hospital was to be closed and replaced by a school. There is a memorial fountain in Dulwich Village which is in remembrance to Dr George Webster, founder of the first
British Medical Association (BMA), who worked in Dulwich from 1815 until his death in 1875. Old Burial Ground, Dulwich Village, was created by
Edward Alleyn as part of the foundation of his College of God's Gift. The Archbishop of Canterbury,
George Abbot, conducted the consecration on Sunday 1 September 1616. Guests included
Edmund Bowyer,
Thomas Grimes and
William Gresham. Thirty five Dulwich victims of the plague were buried in unmarked graves in the ground. Old Bridget, queen of the Norwood Gypsies (who appeared in the writings of
Samuel Pepys) was also buried here in 1768. The ground was declared "full" in 1858, however the family of Louisa Shroeder obtained special permission for her remains to be interred in 1868. The ground's wrought iron gates and twelve tombs are Grade II listed. The old Grammar School adjacent to the Old College and Almshouses at the junction of Burbage Road and Gallery Road was designed by
Charles Barry (senior).
Houses Belair House on the boundary between
West Dulwich and Dulwich itself, is opposite
West Dulwich railway station and was designed in 1785 for
John Files. It remained a private house until 1938 when it came into the hands of Southwark Council. It fell into disrepair in the 1990s but was bought in 1998 and refurbished and turned into an upmarket restaurant. The house has a large park ground attached which is now public, including tennis courts and a children's play area. This area used to be the fields for its farm. The lake is the only substantial stretch of the ancient
River Effra remaining above ground.
Bell House (Dulwich) in College Road was designed in 1767 for
Thomas Wright, a stationer and later
Lord Mayor of the City of London. A large extension was added in the mid-19th century and it is accompanied by a lodge house. The house is Grade II listed. Its name comes from its Bell Tower situated on top of the original house and the bell was restored in the late 1990s. It became a
Dulwich College boarding house in 1926 and only returned to private ownership in 1993. The house was bought in the summer of 2016 by an educational charity.
The Crown and Greyhound public house is in Dulwich Village. In the 19th century, two separate pubs stood in this area – the centre of Dulwich Village. The Crown was for the labourers of the area, while the Greyhound across the road, was for local gentry. The Greyhound was a coach stop on the London Piccadilly-Sittingbourne route.
Charles Dickens was a frequent visitor to the village and used to drink at The Greyhound pub. The current pub known as "The Dog", is a Grade II listed building. In the 1960s, it used to be known as the venue of the "Dulwich Poets". One of the area's most famous residents and architects was Sir George Frederick Ellyatt (founder of the architecture practice, Ellyatt & Porter). He was responsible for the design or influence of in excess of 25 homes in the area, each built in its own individual style. One of the most notable homes was Crossways, 1 Dulwich Village, which he built as his own home following being granted permission to do so in January 1927 at a cost of just over £2000 and with a ground rent of £22 10s per annum. Uniquely, Ellyatt sought and was granted permission to build in 9" solid brick walls rather than 11" cavity walls (as was usual convention) as long as he used cement mortar. The site was originally occupied by a Georgian built home, known locally as "the Hall" which had become partially derelict during World War I and was demolished in 1925. Crossways still exists in substantially the same manner and form as when it was originally built. The Dulwich Wood and Sydenham Hill area contains mid-century housing estates designed by Austin Vernon and Partners for the
Dulwich Estate. Examples include Peckarmans Wood and Great Brownings.
Churches , 1870
All Saints Church, West Dulwich (Church of England) alongside Rosendale Road is a Victorian
Gothic building, originally intended to be the cathedral for
south London. The church was built between 1888 and 1897 and designed by
George Fellowes Prynne, a pupil of
George Edmund Street. Although plans were scaled down it was still a huge building and is a Grade I listed building. Unfortunately it was gutted by a huge fire on 9 June 2000, the cause remains unknown. The building reopened in April 2006 after a three-year restoration project.
St Barnabas' Church (Church of England) lies on Calton Avenue at the edge of
Dulwich Village. The old church was designed by W H Wood of Newcastle upon Tyne and consecrated in 1894. However the original church burnt down in an arson attack by 'unknown persons' on Monday 7 December 1992. The "Phoenix appeal" raised money to build a new church and the replacement structure, designed by
Larry Malcic with an all-glass spire, was opened in 1996. Grace Church Dulwich is situated on Turney Road and was built in 1900. The church is currently a conservative evangelical Church of England church and meets on Sunday mornings at 10:30. The building is otherwise home to Rosendale School. In the south, the spire of St. Stephen's Church can be seen above the trees of
Dulwich Wood, adjacent to
Sydenham Hill railway station. ==Transport==