Forest Hill, London

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Location
Forest Hill


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

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

Looking south.

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.

1 History
2 Amenities
3 Transport
4 Famous residents
5 Nearest places
6 External links

[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
Millionaire Gareth Ellinson
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