Did you know that...
Sydenham was called Shippenham. The small settlement developed in the 17th century when the medicinal waters of Wells Park attracted lots of people. The opening of the Croydon Canal in 1809 trigger rapid growth. Twenty-five years later, the canal was closed and converted into a railway.
The original 1851 Crystal Palace building that housed the Great Exhibition in Hyde Park was dismantled and re-built in Sydenham Park which took the name of the building. In 1936 the building burned down. The Walter Cobb department store opened in 1860.
Before the County of London was created in 1889, the area was situated in Kent and borders Surrey. Sydenham is historically a very wealthy town due to the relocation of the Crystal Palace in 1854 to Sydenham Hill. At present, the area is diverse, with 28,378 residents as of the 2011 census, and bordered by Bellingham, Catford, Penge, Crystal Palace, Dulwich, Beckenham and Forest Hill.
Footballer John Arnott, actor Jason Statham, musician Bill Wyman of the Rolling Stones, singer and songwriter David Bowie, actor Billy Zane, actress Margaret Lockwood, Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton, singer Connie Fisher, poet Thomas Campbell, UK’s greatest cricketer W. G. Grace, painter Wilfrid de Glehn, and costume designer Sandy Powell are the most famous people associated with Sydenham.
Sydenham railway station, Sydenham Hill railway station, Penge East railway station and Lower Sydenham railway station all serve the area. In addition, there are many bus routes such as 75, 181, 227, 352 and N63 that passes through Sydenham. Notable structures and buildings include St, Bartholomew’s church, Six Pillar, Park Court Sydenham and Cobbs Corner.