DulwichSociety

The Dulwich Society’s Spring Gardens talk will be given by Geoff Hodge, a freelance garden writer and broadcaster, formerly Gardening Editor of Garden Answers and Garden News magazines and the author of nine gardening books. His illustrated talk will introduce a palette of shrubs, perennials, bulbs and annuals from which to select, with tips on how to get the best from them to provide a colourful garden throughout the year. After the talk, there will be an opportunity to meet Geoff over a glass of wine. The talk is being given in association with Bell House Dulwich, with any surplus going towards its garden activities. Tickets, including a glass of wine, are £10 each. Book via the Bell House website: https://www.bellhouse.co.uk/events/2024/4/26/spring-gardens-talk-geoff-hodge-on-the-12-month-garden-colour-all-year-round Please note that spaces are limited.

Dulwich local history walk by Duncan Bowie of the Dulwich Society's Local History Group. Join Duncan Bowie of the Dulwich Society to learn about the lives and politics of some of the radicals and socialists who have lived and been politically active in East Dulwich: some known, some unknown, some just eccentric. The walk starts from Grove Vale Library and ends at Dulwich Library. Tickets £4/£7 here: https://dulwichfestival.co.uk/event/social-radicals-walk-east-dulwich/ Proceeds to the Dulwich Festival and St Christopher's Hospice. Part of the Dulwich Festival.

Dulwich local history walk by Ian McInnes of the Dulwich Society for the Dulwich Festival 15 pubs were built in East Dulwich from 1860 to c. 1885. Ian McInnes will look at the buildings, personalities, both landlords and customers, and the events that happened in them. We will follow the route of the horse-drawn tramway down Crystal Palace Road, looking at the Castle, Crystal Palace Tavern (now the Great Exhibition) and the Upland Tavern (now the Actress) before passing the Lord Palmerston, Foresters' Arms (now the Bishop) and ending at the East Dulwich Tavern. Proceeds to the Dulwich Festival and St Christopher's Hospice. Tickets £4/£7 here: https://dulwichfestival.co.uk/event/east-dulwich-pub-history-walk-5pm/ Part of the Dulwich Festival.

Dulwich local history walk by Ian McInnes of the Dulwich Society for the Dulwich Festival 15 pubs were built in East Dulwich from 1860 to c. 1885. Ian McInnes will look at the buildings, personalities, both landlords and customers, and the events that happened in them. We will follow the route of the horse-drawn tramway down Crystal Palace Road, looking at the Castle, Crystal Palace Tavern (now the Great Exhibition) and the Upland Tavern (now the Actress) before passing the Lord Palmerston, Foresters' Arms (now the Bishop) and ending at the East Dulwich Tavern. Proceeds to the Dulwich Festival and St Christopher's Hospice. Tickets £4/£7 here: https://dulwichfestival.co.uk/event/east-dulwich-pub-history-walk-3pm/ Part of the Dulwich Festival.

Dulwich local history walk by Duncan Bowie of the Dulwich Society's Local History Group. Join Duncan Bowie of the Dulwich Society to learn about the lives and politics of some of the radicals and socialists who have lived and been politically active in West Dulwich: some known, some unknown, some just eccentric. The walk starts from West Dulwich station and ends outside Dulwich Book. Tickets £4/£7 here: https://dulwichfestival.co.uk/event/social-radicals-walk-west-dulwich/ Proceeds to the Dulwich Festival and St Christopher's Hospice. Part of the Dulwich Festival.

Dulwich's Lost River Effra: local history walk by Eric Large of the Dulwich Society's Local History Group Join Eric Large on a walk to follow the historic River Effra through our neighbourhood, tracing the lost River Effra from its entrance to Dulwich Village to its exit at Herne Hill. Along the way we will discover some of the historical and architectural delights of Dulwich. Meet at West Dulwich station, end at Herne Hill station. Tickets £4/£7 here: https://dulwichfestival.co.uk/event/the-river-effra-walk-3pm/ Proceeds to the Dulwich Festival and St Christopher's Hospice. Part of the Dulwich Festival.

Dulwich's Lost River Effra: local history walk by Eric Large of the Dulwich Society for the Dulwich Festival. Join Eric Large on a walk to follow the historic River Effra through our neighbourhood, tracing the lost River Effra from its entrance to Dulwich Village to its exit at Herne Hill. Along the way we will discover some of the historical and architectural delights of Dulwich. Meet at West Dulwich station, end at Herne Hill station. Tickets £4/£7 here: https://dulwichfestival.co.uk/event/the-river-effra-walk-11am/ Proceeds to the Dulwich Festival and St Christopher's Hospice. Part of the Dulwich Festival.

Dulwich local history walk by Duncan Bowie of the Dulwich Society for the Dulwich Festival. Join Duncan Bowie to learn about the lives and politics of some of the radicals and socialists who have lived and been politically active in Dulwich Village: some known, some unknown, some just eccentric. The walk starts from Village Books in Calton Avenue and ends at West Dulwich Station. Proceeds to the Dulwich Festival and St Christopher's Hospice. Tickets £4/£7 here: https://dulwichfestival.co.uk/event/social-radicals-walk-dulwich-village/ Part of the Dulwich Festival.

Concrete & Clay: Belvoir Rd and Dawson's Heights: Dulwich local history walk by Ian McInnes of the Dulwich Society's Local History Group Many people know the recently restored 'concrete house' on Lordship Lane but few know the back story, or the other concrete houses in Belvoir & Overhill Roads and local resident, concrete pioneer Joseph Tall. This walk will also cover the story of Dawson's brickworks, the gipsies who camped there, and the iconic Dawson's Heights, recently added to the local list of important buildings by Southwark Council - plus Adon Mount, the home of South London Press founder James Henderson. Meet at the junction of Underhill Rd and Lordship Lane, SE22. Ends at The Plough pub, Lordship Lane. Proceeds to the Dulwich Festival and St Christopher's Hospice. Tickets £4/£7 here:https://dulwichfestival.co.uk/event/concrete-and-clay-belvoir-road-dawsons-heights-4pm/ Part of the Dulwich Festival

Concrete & Clay: Belvoir Rd and Dawson's Heights: Dulwich local history walk by Ian McInnes of the Dulwich Society's Local History Group Many people know the recently restored 'concrete house' on Lordship Lane but few know the back story, or the other concrete houses in Belvoir & Overhill Roads and local resident, concrete pioneer Joseph Tall. This walk will also cover the story of Dawson's brickworks, the gipsies who camped there, and the iconic Dawson's Heights, recently added to the local list of important buildings by Southwark Council - plus Adon Mount, the home of South London Press founder James Henderson. Meet at the junction of Underhill Rd and Lordship Lane, SE22. Ends at The Plough pub, Lordship Lane. Proceeds to the Dulwich Festival and St Christopher's Hospice. Tickets £4/£7 here: https://dulwichfestival.co.uk/event/concrete-and-clay/ Part of the Dulwich Festival

Just over 100 years ago, the last of the huge old mansions on the northern side of Dulwich Village were demolished. This online illustrated talk by Ian McInnes will cover all five: The Hall, Menival/Fairfield, Lake House/Chinese Cottage, the White House/St Austins and Beech House/Warigul along with their wealthy occupants, many of them influential Victorian entrepreneurs. Ian McInnes is a retired architect and is currently chair of the Dulwich Society Local History Group and Chair of the Twentieth Century Society. As well as giving talks and leading walks in the area, he researches and writes articles on a wide range of local history subjects. Tickets are £5, available here: https://www.bellhouse.co.uk/events/2024/4/2/online-talk-the-lost-mansions-of-dulwich-village. If you need a free ticket please email [email protected]. All proceeds to St Christopher's Hospice.

Jennifer Scott, Director of Dulwich Picture Gallery will present a history of taste through masterpieces from the Gallery's Collection in this online illustrated talk, part of the Dulwich Society's series. From its outset, the Gallery has been at the forefront of innovation and creativity. With reference to Sir John Soane's architectural vision, Jennifer will outline the defining features of works from Raphael to Rembrandt, questioning: What about these paintings is innovative? What made them appealing to collectors in the long eighteenth century? What is their enduring appeal? Jenny Scott is the Director of Dulwich Picture Gallery. She is a specialist in royal portraiture and in British, Flemish, Spanish and Dutch painting 1450-1750. Tickets are £5 available here: https://www.bellhouse.co.uk/events/2024/1/30/online-talk-a-history-of-taste-through-the-dulwich-picture-gallery-collection. If you need a free ticket please email [email protected]

This online illustrated local history talk will make fascinating comparisons of Dulwich then with Dulwich now. Spot the difference and see how much (or how little) has changed in Dulwich. Brian Green has a lifetime’s collection of images of past Dulwich together with first-hand memories, interviews with past residents and hours spent in the archives. The talk will be online. Tickets are £5. If you need a free ticket please email [email protected]. All proceeds to Bell House educational activities.

Dulwich Pubs 1860-1960. An online local history talk from the Dulwich Society, Tuesday 2 January, 8pm Before 1860 East Dulwich had two pubs. By the end of the East Dulwich housing boom in the 1880s, there were nearly 20 together with two beer houses and a similar number of beer shops and off-licenses. Pubs were not only for drinking and socialising they were also entertainment, community and sporting centres. Many licensees were interesting characters. as were some of their customers. And, unlike many other parts of London, almost all the buildings are still standing, most still used as pubs - though now run by boutique pub companies rather than large breweries or pub proprietors. This is an online talk, tickets are £5 each and all proceeds go to St Christopher's Hospice. If you need a free ticket please use the promo code FreeTicket at the check-out: https://www.bellhouse.co.uk/

Labour Politicians in Dulwich since WW1: online local history talk from the Dulwich Society, Tuesday 5 December, 8pm Join Duncan Bowie for this talk which will cover Labour politicians with connections to Dulwich including socialist propagandist Russell Smart, the founder of the Camberwell Labour Party (and cabinet minister), Arthur Creech Jones, Dulwich Labour MPs Wilfred Vernon, Sam Silkin and Tessa Jowell and interwar Labour parliamentary candidates, CA Smith, Fred Hughes, Helen Bentwich and Jim Delahaye, together with other Labour politicians who lived in the area. This is an online talk, tickets are £5 each and all proceeds go to charity. If you need a free ticket please use the promo code FreeTicket at the check-out: https://www.bellhouse.co.uk/

The River Effra: a South London Vanishing Act: online local history talk from the Dulwich Society, Tuesday 7 November, 8pm The River Effra imbues South London. Descending from high points along the ridge of hills at Crystal Palace, Norwood and Sydenham, it comes together as a single stream at Thurlow Park, idles eastward through Dulwich and Herne Hill, heads north through Brixton, circumnavigates Kennington Oval and drops into the Thames at Vauxhall, covering a huge amount of territory in what is little more than an eight-mile course. This illustrated talk will map its course, consider its earlier history above ground, look in particular at some of the local Dulwich connections, explain its disappearance within the context of Bazalgette's main drainage works of the 1860s and, despite all that has been done to it, try and account for its curious and enduring presence today. Jon Newman is a writer and archivist who works in and writes about South London. As well as uncovering the histories of the area's watercourses, his most recent book, 'Sunset Over Herne Hill, John Ruskin and South London', was published by the Herne Hill Society in 2021. Effra/playing fields photo by David Western. This is an online talk, tickets are £5 each and all proceeds go to Bell House educational projects. If you need a free ticket please use the promo code FreeTicket at the check-out: https://www.bellhouse.co.uk/

Joan Woodward: the good sweetheart and loving mouse: online local history talk from the Dulwich Society, Tuesday 3 October, 8pm The Dulwich Society and Bell House invite you to Join Calista Lucy, Keeper of the Archives of Dulwich College, to find out why Joan Woodward (1573-1623) was more than the stepdaughter of theatrical manager Philip Henslowe and a trophy wife for actor Edward Alleyn. Although illiterate, she stood in for Alleyn, managing his various business ventures, when he was out of London; took an interest in current affairs and an active role in the College of God’s Gift, Dulwich. Using documents in the Archive at Dulwich College, Calista will piece together Joan’s day-to-day life and let us see beyond the image we have from her portrait in the Dulwich Picture Gallery. This is an online talk, tickets are £5 each and all proceeds go to charity If you need a free ticket please use the promo code FreeTicket at the check-out: https://www.bellhouse.co.uk/

Duncan Bowie, of the Dulwich Society, will cover the lives and politics of some of the radicals and socialists who have either been politically active in Dulwich or have lived in the area over the last 200 years - some known, some lesser known - some just eccentric. At Dulwich Library, 2pm-3pm. Free, no need to book, just turn up. Duncan Bowie is an academic at the University of Westminster. His most recent book, ‘The Radical and Socialist Tradition in British Planning: From Puritan Colonies to Garden Cities’, was published in 2016.

Why were MI5, MI6, Special Branch, the CIA and the FBI so interested in a resident of a hotel which once stood on Dulwich Common in the aftermath of WW2? Along Dulwich Common and within a distance of no more than 100 metres, three different nests of spies existed in World War Two. Follow the incredible story of MI5’s tracking of spies, traitors, Nazis and secret agents in Dulwich during WW2 with local historian Brian Green in this illustrated online talk. About the Speaker Brian Green has written eight books about Dulwich’s local history and has contributed numerous articles for the Dulwich Society Journal which he edited for twenty years. He has a MA in London Studies and an MPhil for his thesis “Social change and social reform in Southwark & Bermondsey 1880 -1930”. This is an online talk, tickets are £5 each and all proceeds go to Bell House educational projects. If you need a free ticket please use the promo code FreeTicket at the check-out: https://www.bellhouse.co.uk/events/2023/5/2/the-hotel-at-spy-corner-with-brian-green