Dulwich

Dulwich (/ˈdʌlɪtʃ/; DUL-itch) is an area based in south east London, England. The settlement is mostly in the London Borough of Southwark, with parts in the London Borough of Lambeth, and consists of Dulwich Village, East Dulwich, West Dulwich, and the Southwark half of Herne Hill (which is often referred to as the North Dulwich triangle). Dulwich lies in a valley between the neighbouring districts of Camberwell (to the north), Crystal Palace, Denmark Hill, Forest Hill, Peckham, Sydenham Hill, and Tulse Hill.

For the last four centuries Dulwich has been centred on the College of God's Gift, also known as the "Old College", which owned most of the land in the area today known as the Dulwich Estate. The College, founded with educational and charitable aims, established three large private schools in the 19th century (Dulwich College, Alleyn's School and James Allen's Girls' School). In recent decades four large state secondary schools have opened in the area (The Charter School East Dulwich, The Charter School North Dulwich, Kingsdale Foundation School and Harris Boys' Academy East Dulwich).

Dulwich formed part of the ancient parish of Camberwell in Surrey, which became the Metropolitan Borough of Camberwell within the County of London in 1889; in 1965, the borough was abolished and the area became part of the newly created London Borough of Southwark.

The first documented evidence of Dulwich is as a hamlet outside London in 967 AD, granted by King Edgar to one of his thanes. The name of Dulwich has been spelt in various ways since the Medieval period: Dylways, Dullag and most commonly Dilwysshe (from dile-wisc 'meadow where the dill grew'). The land was granted in 1127 by King Henry I to Bermondsey Abbey who then owned the surrounding land. In 1333, the population of Dulwich was recorded as 100.

In 1538, Henry VIII sold the area to goldsmith Thomas Calton for £609. Calton's grandson Sir Francis Calton, due to financial reasons, sold the Manor of Dulwich for £5,000 in 1605 to Elizabethan actor and entrepreneur Edward Alleyn. He vested his wealth in a charitable foundation, the College of God's Gift, established in 1619. The charity's modern successor, The Dulwich Estate, still owns 1,500 acres (6.1 km²) in the area, including a number of private roads and a tollgate. As part of the foundation, Alleyn also constructed a school, the Christ's Chapel (where Alleyn is buried) and alms houses in Dulwich (today the Dulwich Almshouse Charity). Alleyn's original school building is no longer used for that purpose, instead now housing the Estate's Governors.

In the 17th century, King Charles I of England visited Dulwich Woods on a regular basis to hunt. In 1738, a man named Samuel Bentyman was murdered in Dulwich Woods. On 5 August 1677 John Evelyn writes that he took the waters at Dulwich. The Dulwich waters were cried about in the streets of London as far back as 1678. In 1739, Mr. Cox, master of the Green Man, a tavern situated about a mile south of the village of Dulwich, sunk a well for his family. The water was found to be possessed of purgative qualities, and was for some time used medicinally. While the water was popular much custom was drawn to the adjoining tavern, and its proprietor flourished. The oak-lined formal avenue, known as Cox's Walk, leading from the junction of Dulwich Common and Lordship Lane was cut soon after 1732 by Francis Cox to connect his establishment of the Green Man Tavern and Dulwich Wells with the more popular Sydenham Wells.

By 1815 the Green Man had become a school known as Dr. Glennie's academy in Dulwich Grove, although it was demolished about ten years later. Among the pupils here there were a few who became well known, Lord Byron, General Le Marchant and Captain Barclay. Dr Glennie held Saturday evening concerts which attracted visitors from outside the family circle, such as the poet Thomas Campbell, then living in nearby Sydenham, and Robert Barker, inventor of the panorama. Following the closure of the school, the building reverted to its original use and was known as the Grove Tavern. The building has now been boarded up and neglected for many years by owners the Dulwich Estate. In 1803, Samuel Matthews – known as the "Dulwich Hermit" – was also murdered in Dulwich Woods; he was buried in Dulwich Old Cemetery. 1811–1814 saw the building of the Dulwich Picture Gallery.

The school founded by Alleyn expanded in 1842 into a small new building, designed by Sir Charles Barry who designed Westminster Palace, known as the Old Grammar School next to the Old College. In 1857, the foundation was restructured as part of a nationwide review of educational foundations; this resulted in a significant expansion of the school, which was split into an Upper School (later Dulwich College) which moved into new buildings designed by Charles Barry (junior) in 1870, and a Lower School (later Alleyn's School) which moved to its present day site in Townley Road in 1887.