Herne Hill (/hɜːrn/) is a district inSouth London, approximately four miles fromCharing Cross and bordered byBrixton,Camberwell,Dulwich, andTulse Hill. It sits to the north and east ofBrockwell Park and straddles the boundary between theboroughs ofLambeth andSouthwark. There is a road of the same name in the area (which is part of theA215), as well as arailway station.
InRocque's 1746 map, the area is shown as "Island Green", probably reflecting the presence of theRiver Effra and smaller tributaries.[1] Early references to the area also use the form "Ireland Green".
The earliest documented reference to "Herne Hill" is in two fire insurance policies issued by theSun Insurance Company in 1792 (where the spelling is "Hearns" and "Herns" Hill).[2][3]
The area now known as Herne Hill was part of the Manor of Milkwell, which existed from at least 1291, and was a mixture of farms and woodland until the late 18th century.[4] It was divided between theancient parishes ofCamberwell andLambeth.[5]
In 1783, Samuel Sanders (a timber merchant) bought the land now occupied by Denmark Hill and Herne Hill from the Manor; he then began granting leases for large plots of land to wealthy families.[6]
By the mid-19th century, the road from the modern Herne Hill Junction to Denmark Hill was lined with substantial villas set in spacious grounds and the area had become a prosperous suburb for the merchant class. (John Ruskin grew up, from the age of 4, in a house on Herne Hill, until moving in 1842 to a large villa on Denmark Hill).[7]
Herne Hill was transformed by the arrival of theLondon, Chatham & Dover Railway in 1862. Cheap and convenient access toLondon Victoria, theCity of London,Kent and south-west London created demand for middle-class housing; the terraced streets that now characterise the area were constructed in the decades after the opening ofHerne Hill station and the old estates were entirely built over.[7]
DuringWorld War II fiveV-1 flying bombs fell at various sites in the Herne Hill area, causing six deaths.[8]
During the early morning of 7 August 2013, an 88‑year‑old 0.9 m diameter water main on Half Moon Lane burst, flooding Herne Hill, Dulwich Road and Norwood Road along with 36 properties (including the Half Moon public house) to create a scene described as "biblical" by local residents.[9]Thames Water admitted liability and estimated the total cost of the damage to be around £4 million.[10] The Half Moon reopened in March 2017, following a vigorous local campaign to save it as a pub; Southwark Council has designated it anasset of community value.[11][12]
The area is home to the 50.8 ha (125.5 acres)Brockwell Park. Near a hilltop in Brockwell Park stands theGrade II* listed Brockwell Hall,[13] which was built in 1811–13 to the design of the architect David Riddall Roper. The hall and the land surrounding it were opened to the public in 1891 after being purchased byLondon County Council. Brockwell Park hosts the annualLambeth Country Show and was the site of London'sGay Pride festival for several years in the 1990s. The park also housesBrockwell Lido, a 1937 open-airswimming-pool that faces on to Dulwich Road, Grade II listed in 2003.
Herne Hill railway station onRailton Road was opened by theLondon, Chatham and Dover Railway in 1862; theGothic,polychrome brick[14] station building was Grade II listed in 1998.[15] The associated railway viaduct and bridges are also noteworthy;The Building News stated in 1863 that the viaduct was "one of the most ornamental pieces of work we have ever seen attempted on a railway" for its fine brickwork.[16]
TheHerne Hill Velodrome, situated in a park off Burbage Road, was built in 1891 and hosted thetrack cycling events in the1948 Summer Olympics. Unlike most modern, steeply-banked velodromes, it is a shallow concrete bowl; as of 2010 the 'Save the Herne Hill Velodrome' campaign was seeking a way to secure the future of the site.[17][needs update] The same park also has afootball pitch and was the home ofCrystal Palace F.C. from 1915 until 1918.
ABlue plaque at 84 Burbage Road marks the former home of the athletics coachSam Mussabini. In 1894, Mussabini was appointed coach to the Dunlop cycling team which trained at the Herne Hill Velodrome. In 1913, Mussabini was appointed coach to the Polytechnic Harriers at the Herne Hill athletics track, which ran round the inside of the Velodrome cycle track. Here he trained athletes, including the fourteen-year-oldHarold Abrahams. Mussabini was later immortalised in the filmChariots of Fire, in which he was played by actorIan Holm.[citation needed]
In recognition of the historical importance and specialist character of the area within its urban context, Stradella Road was designated as a conservation area, bySouthwark Council in 2000, under the Civic Amenities Act of 1967. The conservation area consists principally of properties in Stradella and Winterbrook Roads and also includes bordering properties in Burbage Road and Half Moon Lane.[18]
TheHalf Moonpublic house in Half Moon Lane was built in 1896 (although a tavern has existed on the site since the 17th century) and wasGrade II* listed in 1998.[19] The pub was formerly a popular live music venue and hosted aboxing gym for more than 50 years.[20] The freehold of the pub belongs to theDulwich Estate.The Commercial in Railton Road was rebuilt in 1938, and is locally listed byLambeth Council as an inter-war pub of architectural and historic interest.[21]
The Church of St Paul on Herne Hill was originally built by G. Alexander in 1843 at a cost of £6,707,[22] but dramatically rebuilt by Gothic architectG.E. Street in 1858 after a destructive fire, although the tower and spire were saved. It is now Grade II* listed.[23]
The lake in Sunray Gardens (at the junction of Elmwood Road and Red Post Hill) was originally the fish pond in the grounds of Casino House (a large estate established in 1796/97, demolished 1906); the adjoining Casino Estate still bears the house's name. The estate, now a conservation area, was built by Camberwell Borough Council after World War I, modelled on the garden suburb ideal and part of the drive to provide Homes Fit for Heroes.
Delawyk Crescent is a housing estate with an unusualRadburn layout, separating vehicle and pedestrian movements. It was built in the 1960s and 1970s on land from theDulwich Estate.[24]
Hurst Street Estate comprises two pentagon plan[25] tower blocks, Park View House and Herne Hill House, both 19 storeys (52 meters) high which dominate the skyline of the area. Completed in 1968 by Lambeth Borough Council, they each contain 72 dwellings.[26]
The Carnegie Public Library on Herne Hill Road (not to be confused with the much older road known as Herne Hill) opened in 1906 after a Lambeth librarian was awarded a grant fromAndrew Carnegie for building alibrary within the Herne Hill area. It is also alisted Grade II building.[27]
A Blue plaque at 51Herne Hill (by the junction with Danecroft Road) marks the former home ofSax Rohmer (a.k.a. Arthur Henry Ward), author of a series of novels featuring the fictional master criminalDr. Fu Manchu.[citation needed]
Herne Hill is represented onSouthwark Council by councillors forDulwich Village ward (two councillors) and onLambeth Council by councillors forHerne Hill and Loughborough Junction ward (three councillors) andWest Dulwich ward (two councillors).[28] All three wards are currently represented by councillors from theLabour Party. Herne Hill is represented in the London Assembly byMarina Ahmad and in Westminster byHelen Hayes.
The London bus routes are3,37,42,68,196,201,322,468,P4 school route 690 and night busesN3 andN68.[29]
Direct rail services are available fromHerne Hill railway station toBlackfriars,City Thameslink,Farringdon,St Pancras International, andSt Albans (all via theThameslinkWimbledon loop) and toOrpington, andVictoria (via theSoutheastern MetroBromley South line).
Nearby railway stations offer services to other destinations:London Bridge can be reached fromNorth Dulwich andTulse Hill;Denmark Hill has trains toClapham Junction andHighbury and Islington via theLondon Overground'sWindrush line. The nearestLondon Underground station isBrixton on theVictoria line. There have been past proposals to extend the Victoria line to Herne Hill station on a large reversing loop.[30]
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Places adjacent to Herne Hill | |
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