Sydenham:
A tranquil backwater!
Sydenham has changed drastically over the last two hundred years, from a rustic, tranquil backwater, to a spa resort and ultimately what we see today. The landscape once provided residents with a vista of undulating hills and valleys, grassland and streams, a far cry from the present day with row upon row of homes built to house the population boom that has seen little sign of abatement since King George III decided to try the local waters.
Spas were not only important places for the treatment of the sick they also provided a place of entertainment for world weary souls that were constantly looking for new diversions. The individuals that discovered them could be compared to gold prospectors in America during the eighteen hundreds. The wealth that was created by their discovery tended to change the area out of all recognition. Some would say that Sydenham was fortunate that building on a grand scale didn’t happen as a result of the discovery of mineral water, as it did in Tunbridge Wells but some of the larger properties were built because of its rise in popularity.
Even though the Chalybeate Spring in Tunbridge Wells was discovered by Dudley, Lord North in 1606, a few decades before the discovery of mineral water with alleged healing qualities on Sydenham Common. The spring on Sydenham Common was by far the most popular, so much so that extra wells were purposely dug to try and keep up with the demand for the health giving waters. This rapid rise in popularity was probably due in part to its close proximity to London; Sydenham at that time was a small rural village.
It did not take long for enterprising locals to open an Inn to offer accommodation and hospitality, and other services to the influx of visitors who were in search of a cure for a vast array of inflictions! Unfortunately many of them left the health giving spa with hangovers and injuries as a result of imbibing too much water! The mineral water I hasten to add was liberally mixed with brandy to make the foul tasting water palatable!
The locals and some of the more genteel visitors complained of the riotous behaviour of the Londoners who had come to take the waters. It was very likely that it was those of “good breeding” who were responsible for the dissolute behaviour as it was a social norm for the time! Their daily lives were devoted to pleasure seeking and excess unlike the working classes who were only able to indulge themselves on public holidays!
The popularity of “Sydenham Wells” peaked after George III made a brief visit but unfortunately started to decline afterwards, possibly because the health tourists thought that King George’s mad behaviour was a result of the water when in fact it was porphyria! The demise of Sydenham Wells was very likely hastened by the meteoric rise of Tunbridge Wells on the social scene; a town, which became the protégé of Beau Nash; the legendary gambler, socialite and dandy.
It was the end of the wells and the enclosure act of 1810 which helped create what Sydenham has become today. The local residents were probably quite thankful to see the end of the wells and were looking forward to the return of the common for grazing their animals, yearly fairs and the local hunt that kept in check the fox population. It was a way of life that stretched back to Anglo Saxon times when the hamlet first came into existence and gained its name from the people who looked after the sheep that were grazed upon the lush pasture; it was known as “Syp en ham”.
Unfortunately the enclosure act was a death knell for common land and its unrestricted use. The removal of the freedom to use common land was extremely unpopular; it led to riots and civil disobedience. The reasoning behind the act was to stop subsistence farming; the reality was that it enabled wealthy farmers and landowners to increase their wealth to the detriment of others. Enclosed commons meant profitable pasture or building land, which was definitely not what the act was intended for. Enclosure ended the ancient rights enjoyed by serfs and peasants for over a thousand years, the ability to gather firewood and graze geese and other animals.
It did not take too long for Sydenham to become a suburb, just fifty years and Sydenham had become unrecognisable. It was a place of social division; the affluent lived in Upper Sydenham and the labourers in Lower Sydenham. This was in main due to the Victorian belief that bracing fresh air was healthy, so those who could afford to live at the top of the hill did so and those that couldn’t, made do with the lower ground of Lower Sydenham.
Enclosure of common land finally came to an end in the 1870s, as a direct result of a rapid rise of an articulate middle-class; these were the very people who were driving the property boom. The middle classes that now populated the areas that were once home to small agricultural communities now demanded a return to the unfenced pristine countryside that they had moved to in search of a healthier lifestyle for themselves and their families. Being slightly naive they probably thought that the initial development in which they lived would be the end of any further development but they hadn’t allowed for the greed of the landowners and property developers. The new residents wanted to walk through green fields and shady woods at weekends and public holidays. These people, the beneficiaries of capitalism and the free champions of private property now wanted a return of common land and it is they whom we must thank today for the parks and green space that is all that remains of a once rural past!
copyright© Wendy Stevenson 2011
An Uncommon Place
For those amongst us with deep pockets the area immediately to the South East of London hold all of the trump cards; easy access to the city, exclusive schools and probably some of the best housing stock within the confines of Greater London. However the “ace “ of this particular pack is the vast amount of open space in the form of parks and protected woodland. Unfortunately the Joker in the pack is the fact that the commons as they once appeared is long since gone. Despite this trees and vegetation are still very much in evidence within the locality and represent more than mere window dressing.
Trees are recognised for their ability to improve the quality of the air that we breathe; this little fact has been appreciated by Londoners for many years, even before scientific research provided the evidence that our ancestors knew instinctively. There was a time when the industrial areas of East London and the manufacturers along the banks of the Thames would spew their noxious fumes far and wide with the exception of Dulwich and Sydenham because they lay upwind and were surrounded by trees. Dulwich has long been recognised as the “green lung” of London and the trees and parkland are now protected by stringent planning laws.
Open spaces are important in many other ways, they remind us of the social history and the culture of people who once lived and worked within its confines. It is not often that we can escape the stresses of modern day life and enjoy the nostalgic, simple pleasure of a glimpse of the past through rose tinted spectacles, to a time when life was slower, expectations were small and unsophisticated and quite different to the electronic gadgetry that has become a necessity for our daily life.
The rudimentary lives of the people who lived here a century or so ago were no less full and enriching, in fact I would say that they were better! The area that is now covered in buildings and tarmac two hundred years ago would have been a pastoral idyll of undulating hills, streams, green pasture and valleys. The common which no longer exists is now covered by Upper Sydenham and Forest Hill and was used by the residents of the time for grazing animals, gathering wood for fuel, hunting and fairs. The land also provided another diversion; a ready supply of alcohol; cider was made locally from an abundant supply of apples and pears growing in the surrounding orchards.
It is believed that Sydenham’s name comes from the Anglo Saxon word “Cippas” and “ham” which literally means drunkards settlement. As much as it is entertaining to believe that the Anglo Saxons who once lived here spent their entire time inebriated it isn’t realistic; times were hard and long days were spent in the production of food to sustain through the hard winters. I believe that the name is more likely derived from “Syp en ham” which is Anglo Saxon for village or settlement of the sheep farmers. At the time this was an area although cultivated to some extent was accessed by just a couple of tracks that crossed the common, possibly originating from Roman times.
With its ancient trees, grassland and water this area has always attracted visitors because of the promise of a chance to relax and unwind and escape the confines of the city. During the Middle Ages the commons gave access to fresh air for the city’s wealthier inhabitants ( the city aromas of sewage and wood smoke would have been quite pervasive at the time), wood for fuel which alongside food was a vital resource as everyone cooked on wood fires! Food for the tables of the peasants and the English Court was also grown locally.
The commons was regarded as a Bank Holiday treat for many people living in London’s East End during the 19th century. It was a chance for them to breathe clean air and not the dirty smog created by coal that regularly covered the city like a thick blanket. They could enjoy the vast open spaces and the wildlife that would have seemed so alien to them but unlike other countrified areas surrounding the city both Dulwich and Sydenham had much more to offer these day trippers.
By the 18th and 19th centuries the area had became an important dormitory for London, it is nowadays known and appreciated for the distinctive quality of its social, cultural and residential environment but it was the visit of George III that the popularity of the place exploded. Wealthy people started to leave the city to set up home in this rural bliss building large homes and creating employment for the locals. It was only with the advent of the railway that the area became permanently inhabited; up until then it was basically a retreat not a permanent residence from the hustle and bustle of the city as travelling even short distances was difficult and tiresome!
This story is that of a place that has kept pace with time and the needs of its residents and grown accordingly. In the 21st century just as it was during the previous millennium what was once a vast open space that could provide for mans every need is still seen as a desirable place to live but today it’s a peaceful, leafy suburb with shops and good transport links into the city.
copyright© Wendy Stevenson 2011
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