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Forest Hill takes its name after the Great North Wood that covered this side of South East London. The area was not very populated until the 19th century. The Croydon Canal opened in 1809 and ran through here. The canal was bought by the London & Croydon Railway Company who transformed it into the London Bridge to Croydon line. The ponds in the Dacres Wood Nature Reserve and a part of the footpath are what remains of the canal. Some of the houses on the western side of Forest Hill were built when the Crystal Palace building was moved in 1854.
The oldest swimming pool in London was in this SE23 area on Dartmouth Road. The main shopping district in Forest Hill is Austin Street. The police station and numerous movie theatres can also be found on this street. Louise House and Forest Hill library are Grade II listed buildings. The library is a 1901 Arts and Crafts construction. Dacres Wood, Devonshire Road, and Garthorne Road are local nature reserves. Forest Croft and Taymount Grange mansion blocks are 1930 buildings designed in the Art Deco style. Actor Michael Gambon lived here. Other notable Forest Hill residents include painter David Jones, actor Timothy Spall, and cricketer James Todd.
There are quite a lot of hills in Forest Hill. Climb up one of the hills to pay a visit to the Horniman Museum and Gardens. It offers splendid views and an opportunity to hang out with London’s largest walrus. Horniman Museum and Gardens building was designed by architect Charles Harrison Townsend. It opened in 1901. The Forest Hills museum features natural history, anthropology, musical instruments, an aquarium, and a collection of stuffed animals. It bears the name of founder Frederick John Horniman who was a tea trader and an avid collector. The 1894 conservatory is a Grade II listed structure.