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Dulwich
Village
General
Highly regarded for its excellent schools, 72 acre park and
superb picture gallery, A leafy enclave just four miles from
Whitehall with a selection of fine properties, Dulwich Village
still manages to preserve the charm of an old English village
whilst providing a home to many City executives who value
the greenery and white picket fences. Schools and children
are an important part of Dulwich life which is not surprising
as the village grew up alongside Dulwich College (established
by Edward Alleyn, Jacobean actor and entrepreneur in 1619).
The school re-sited to West Dulwich in the 19th century but
much of the land is still owned by The Dulwich Estate which
ensures that the area still retains its village charm. Home
to the Dulwich Picture Gallery, the oldest art gallery in
Britain (designed by Sir John Soane in 1811). The Gallery
was refurbished in 2000 and now offers a great restaurant,
regular exhibitions, lectures and courses for all ages.
Property
Dulwich Village is one of the most sought-after addresses
in this part of south London. In Dulwich Village itself, which
stretches from Red Post Hill on the north side to College
Road on the south, are a mixture of magnificent detached and
terraced Georgian villas with huge gardens and impressive
frontages, large semis, detached and terraced mid-war houses,
a smattering of individual 19th century properties, some more
modern houses built in Georgian style, a group of tiny terraced
cottages and flats over the tops of the Victorian shops. Boxall
and Aysgarth are very pretty roads leading off the Village
and are made up of attractive two and three bedroom terraced
cottages, and Pickwick Road, which runs adjacent, offers larger
three and four bedroom 1920s’ family houses. Turney
Road runs from the centre of the Village down to Croxted Road,
and comprises three to five bedroom semi-detached period houses
with excellent reception space and generous gardens the majority
of which back onto playing fields. At the Village end of Turney
Road is Roseway, an attractive pre-war development of semi-detached
houses which provide good living space whilst looking like
traditional English country cottages.
Burbage Road, stretching from Dulwich
Village to Half Moon Lane, is very popular with families due
to its close proximity to the centre of the Village, the fact
that it is within easy reach of all the local schools and
the excellent transport links at Herne Hill. The houses here
vary in size from solid three-four bedroom 1920s’ semis
to imposing six and seven bedroom late Victorian villas. Other
roads with large family houses include Gilkes Crescent, Calton
Avenue, Court Lane and Court Lane Gardens. All these roads
are close to the centre of the Village and many are within
the catchment areas of Dulwich Infants and Dulwich Hamlet.
To the eastern side of Dulwich Village, popular roads made
up of (largely) Victorian family houses are Woodwarde, Dovercourt,
Druce, Dekker, Eynella and Eastlands Crescent.
More modern houses in and around the
village include developments such as College Gardens, a Wates-built
development of five bedroom houses over four floors set around
attractive communal gardens with access to a large playing
field. Across from here is Woodyard Lane which is small development
of Huf houses imported from Germany and constructed on a small
secluded site tucked away off the Village overlooking the
park. Other developments worth checking out include Hambledon
Place (Mrs Thatcher’s home for a brief period when she
ceased to be prime minister) and Mitchells Place in the centre
of the Village.
Schools
As with all parts of London, catchment areas cross boundaries
and, included in this list, therefore, are schools where the
catchments include Dulwich Village.
State Primaries: Dulwich Hamlet Junior
School, Dulwich Infants, Bessemer Grange School, Rosendale
Primary School. State secondaries: Kingsdale Secondary School
(now with 6th form), The Charter School (New Labour flagship
school).
Fee paying schools in the proximity
include: Virgo Fidelis Prep. School (nursery to 11 years),
Herne Hill School ages 3 - 7, Dulwich College (separate but
affiliated kindergarden - DUCKS - and junior schools) (nursery
to 18 years), Dulwich College Prep School (nursery to 13 years),
Alleyns (4 to 18 years), James Allen Prep School (mixed nursery
to 7 years, girls only 8 to 11 years), James Allen Girls School
(11 to 18 years) and Sydenham High School (4 to 18 years).
For details of school results (SATS,
GCSE & A level) together with addresses and map visit
schools
in Southwark and for schools
in Lambeth. A list of all schools in Dulwich can be found
on www.dulwich.co.uk/schools.html
Shops
The area’s shops are in keeping with its village ambiance.
There is no supermarket in the Village itself (nearby East
Dulwich has a Sainsbury’s superstore and there is a
Sainsbury’s Local in Herne Hill and a Tesco Express
in West Dulwich) but there is a great Italian deli Panino
d’oro and Shepherd’s
greengrocers which specializes in organic food, both sell
the basics like milk, bread and some fruit and veg. For clothes,
there is Biff (children and babies),
Aqua (stylish ladies clothing with fabulous accessories),
Gina Holland (designer clothes),
Tomlinsons (a branch of the Dulwich Trader (see West
Dulwich) and absolutely filled with gorgeous items, also perfect
for buying a lovely gift for that someone special) and Questionnaire
(assorted selection of designer clothes). Aqua 2,
a stylish fashion shop next to Le Piaf in the heart of the
Village. There is also The Dulwich Bookshop,
Scobies dry cleaners, Bartleys
(flower shop), the Post office, Au
Ciel, chocolatier (a varied range of tempting treats
and indulgent cakes along with gift boxes which are ideal
for a special present), Jags (unique designer
handbags), Pope’s Opticians, The
Art Stationers (informally known as Mr Green’s
(who has written books on the Village and is recognized as
an authority on the area – the shop sells good selections
of stationery, art supplies and toys), Harold George
(hair and beauty), Studio 45, Rumsey
Chemist, Forbuoys (newsagent), Lesley Leale Green (Award-winning
health and beauty clinic) and now with a new shop in West Dulwich too, There is a new deli where Francis Jevons used to be called Romeo Jones. It sells delicious breads and fresh soup amongst other fresh produce and deli fair and you can have a cup of coffee there too.
Restaurants & Bars
Au Ciel, chocolatier is perfect for a leisurely
sit down with a delicious selection of French chocolates and
patisseries, whilst their milkshakes and coffee are thoroughly
enjoyed and devoured by many, Panino d’oro
has tables outside for capaccino, croissants, lunches and
teas and, during weekdays is a favourite meeting place for
parents after the morning school run. Cafe Rouge has
now opened. Pizza Express has a courtyard
for tables outside, Le Piaf has tables outside
in the summer, is open for lunch and dinner (breakfast at
weekends) and serves great, French food and, central to village
life, is the Crown and Greyhound public house
which also serves food and has a garden (so families are welcome).
Finally, the Dulwich Picture Gallery now
has its own restaurant which is worth a visit.
Other
Village life is very full with active amateur dramatics (Dulwich
Players), running (Dulwich Runners), Dulwich College
and JAGS sports clubs (current membership
fees: Dulwich £336 for one adult and £474 for
a family/JAGS £360 for one adult and £660 for
a family, a wine society (Dulwich Wine Society) and a choral
group (Dulwich Choral Society). Dulwich is home to an enormous
number of clubs and societies ranging from The Dulwich Society
which aims to increase awareness of local history and character
to Powerpramming which meets each week to
power walk with prams in Dulwich Park! All these groups have
web sites. A list of some of them can be found on www.dulwich.co.uk/links.php
and typing “clubs in Dulwich” in the Google search
engine will provide still more! Dulwich Park in the heart
of the village was presented to the people of London by the
Dulwich Estate. It is a typical London park with a life of
its own but worth mentioning are the boating lake, the bike
hire, tennis courts (lessons available), riding (Dulwich
Riding School is situated just outside the park on
Dulwich Common) and café – a great place to meet
friends in the summer whilst the children run about nearby.
There is a great (quite recently refurbished) children’s
play area and lots of activities centred on the park. The
area around The Dulwich Picture Gallery is
home to the Old Grammar School and The Old College from which
The Dulwich Estate currently administers large parts of land
in the area. The Estate is a charity which contributes to
the running and upkeep of the Foundation Schools (in Dulwich,
Dulwich College, Alleyns and James Allen’s). The Dulwich
Picture is famous all over the world for its collection of
Old Masters. It has regular innovative exhibitions and a large
local membership.
Transport
North Dulwich Station, situated in what is technically Herne
Hill, provides a quarter-hourly service to London Bridge (approx
15 mins) and Croydon and links with East Dulwich and Wimbledon.
Trains from West Dulwich Station (about ¾ mile from
the centre of the village) go to Victoria (12 minutes) and
Orpington with a rush-hour service to Blackfriars. In addition,
Herne Hill Station is within easy walking distance of the
north side of the Village. This is one stop nearer to Victoria
on the West Dulwich line and Thameslink services to City Thameslink,
Kings Cross and Luton also stop here. The 137 bus travels
between Brixton and Putney (via Clapham) and the P4 travels
from Brixton and Lewisham (via Honor Oak). The P13 travels
along Dulwich Common (at the north end) from New Cross to
Streatham (via East & West Dulwich). Go to Journey
Checker for details of trains serving these stations.
Detailed information on buses (with map) can be found at www.tfl.gov.uk/buses/spiders.
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