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Honor Oak Rise, LONDON, SE23 3RA

Terrace at the end of Honor Oak Rise.

The London, Chatham & Dover Railway opened the line from Nunhead to Crystal Palace High Level in 1865 to serve the Crystal Palace, which had been rebuilt on Sydenham Hill some ten years previously. Unfortunately the Crystal Palace was in decline as a visitor attraction by the end of the 19th century and this, coupled with the fact that the line passed through an area which was largely undeveloped well into the 20th century, meant that the line had very low passenger usage. It finally closed in 1954. Once dismantling of the track had been completed, the entire railway land between Nunhead and Crystal Palace was bought by the London County Council who passed it on to local councils for housing and open space development. This was the origin of the attractive open space known as Brenchley Gardens. This view looks northwards along the line of the old track towards Nunhead. Honor Oak station was back on the other side of Forest Hill Road - see http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/h/honor_oak/index.shtml. The Green Chain Walk now passes through Brenchley Gardens on its way to Nunhead Cemetery - see http://content.tfl.gov.uk/green-chain-walk-section-11.pdf

A path leads from Forest Hill Road, through the open-space woodland towards Brenchley Gardens (Road).

A local nature reserve.

In the foreground are trees on the north slope of this south London Hill; in the distance are the towers of the City of London.

View from corner of Canonbie and Ntherby Roads, looking towards One Tree Hill.

The London, Chatham & Dover Railway opened the line from Nunhead to Crystal Palace High Level in 1865 to serve the Crystal Palace, which had been rebuilt on Sydenham Hill some ten years previously. Unfortunately the Crystal Palace was in decline as a visitor attraction by the end of the 19th century and this, coupled with the fact that the line passed through an area which was largely undeveloped well into the 20th century, meant that the line had very low passenger usage. It finally closed in 1954. Once dismantling of the track had been completed, the entire railway land between Nunhead and Crystal Palace was bought by the London County Council who passed it on to local councils for housing and open space development. This was the origin of the attractive open space known as Brenchley Gardens. This view looks along the line of the old track towards Nunhead. Honor Oak station was back on the other side of Forest Hill Road - see http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/h/honor_oak/index.shtml. The Green Chain Walk now passes through Brenchley Gardens on its way to Nunhead Cemetery - see http://content.tfl.gov.uk/green-chain-walk-section-11.pdf

The London, Chatham & Dover Railway opened the line from Nunhead to Crystal Palace High Level in 1865 to serve the Crystal Palace, which had been rebuilt on Sydenham Hill some ten years previously. Unfortunately the Crystal Palace was in decline as a visitor attraction by the end of the 19th century and this, coupled with the fact that the line passed through an area which was largely undeveloped well into the 20th century, meant that the line had very low passenger usage. It finally closed in 1954. Once dismantling of the track had been completed, the entire railway land between Nunhead and Crystal Palace was bought by the London County Council who passed it on to local councils for housing and open space development. This was the origin of the attractive open space known as Brenchley Gardens. The Green Chain Walk now passes through Brenchley Gardens on its way to Nunhead Cemetery - see http://content.tfl.gov.uk/green-chain-walk-section-11.pdf

One Tree Hill is also known as Honor Oak Hill and it rises to 300 feet, offering extensive views across the city. The panel shows Hampstead Heath and Alexandra Palace on the horizon, and St Paul's Cathedral and the towers of the City of London nearer. When John Betjeman visited One Tree Hill in 1957 he described it as "the nearest and strangest piece of country surviving near London". Both names refer to an oak which has long gone which once served as a boundary marker between the parishes of Camberwell (then in Surrey) and Lewisham (then in Kent). Queen Elizabeth I is said to have rested beneath it on May Day 1602. At the beginning of the 19th century the summit was the site of a semaphore station used by the East India Company to signal the appearance of their ships in the Channel. In 1896 the hill was enclosed by a six feet high fence by the local golf club which led to considerable protests. On 10th October the following year a crowd of 15,000 protesters gathered on the hill to assert their rights and broke down the new fence. The following week a crowd of between 50,000 and 100,000 returned to the hill and this time were confronted by 500 police. Finally in 1904 the Borough Council bought the wooded hill and on 7th August 1905 declared it freely open to the public 'for ever'. By the late 19th century, the land had been cleared for the golf course and the Oak of Honor was the last tree remaining on the hill - hence the name of One Tree Hill. The Oak of Honor was struck by lightning in 1888 and the present tree (which is now surrounded by railings) was planted on the day when the park was formally opened to the public. When first opened it was laid out as a formal park with London Plane trees but from the 1960s management ceased and woodland took over.

The London, Chatham & Dover Railway opened the line from Nunhead to Crystal Palace High Level in 1865 to serve the Crystal Palace, which had been rebuilt on Sydenham Hill some ten years previously. Unfortunately the Crystal Palace was in decline as a visitor attraction by the end of the 19th century and this, coupled with the fact that the line passed through an area which was largely undeveloped well into the 20th century, meant that the line had very low passenger usage. It finally closed in 1954. Once dismantling of the track had been completed, the entire railway land between Nunhead and Crystal Palace was bought by the London County Council who passed it on to local councils for housing and open space development. This was the origin of the attractive open space known as Brenchley Gardens. This view looks towards the line of the old track towards Nunhead which was parallel to the tree line on the left. Honor Oak station was back on the other side of Forest Hill Road - see http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/h/honor_oak/index.shtml. The Green Chain Walk now passes through Brenchley Gardens on its way to Nunhead Cemetery - see http://content.tfl.gov.uk/green-chain-walk-section-11.pdf