History of Dulwich
Dulwich was originally a small hamlet of less significance then the neighbouring development of Camberwell. Today however it is much better known, mainly due to its famous schools and Dulwich Picture Gallery.
The first mention of Dulwich is in 967 when King Edgar gave the area to Earl Aelfheah. The land was later owned by King Harold and hence, after 1066, King William I. Dulwich appears to have ceased to exist by the time of the Domesday Book bit it was soon re-established and in 1127 King Henry I gave the manor to the Priory of the Holy Saviour in Bermondsey who were the landlords until 1538.
In 1538 Henry VIII seized control of Bermondsey Abbey, and therefore Dulwich. He sold the rights to Dulwich to a London goldsmith, Thomas Carlton and in 1605 his grandson sold up to Edward Alleyn, a famous Elizabethan actor. Alleyn had a major impact on the way Dulwich was run for many years. He built a college to try and help educate poor children, which is now world famous as Dulwich College. Two other schools were also to benefit from his gift, James Allen's Girls School founded in 1741 and Alleyn's School, a boys school founded in 1842. Significantly Alleyn gave over the manorial rights and freehold of his land to the college who were then able to block the overdevelopment of Dulwich.
The village centre had two famous pubs, The Crown, used by the labourers, and the Greyhound used by the gentleman. Today they are commemorated by The Crown and Greyhound pub, which sits on the site of the Crown.
In 1739 a spa was discovered and Dulwich Spa soon became popular with visitors. In 1817 the Picture Gallery opened helping to make Dulwich better known although at the time it was still a small rural development. As with much of South London, the main cause of its sudden growth was the coming of the railways. In 1854 the Crystal Palace was moved to Sydenham and a railway built to help people get there, this meant people were able to live further away from work and the green of Dulwich started to disappear under new houses.
Although Dulwich was hit by the bombing raids in World War II with many civilians killed and properties destroyed, it remains today one of the more attractive and affluent parts of South London, and the controls on development have allowed it to survive as one of the few remaining villages in London.
