Property for sale in Crystal Palace Park Road, Sydenham, London, SE26

Our area guide for Sydenham offers a brief overview of the town and its attractions, properties, schools, history, council tax and public transport links.

Overview

Sydenham is an up and coming, vibrant town in South East London (SE26) with a fantastic community spirit and an interesting history. Situated between Dulwich to the north and Penge to the south, Sydenham has a diverse range of local residents with artists, musicians and city professionals living side by side. The town has an annual arts festival that brings all of the creative people together to form a fantastic community event. Sydenham is a very family orientated area. There is a major regeneration project taking place in Sydenham and the recent new over-ground train line (formerly the East London Line), which is now found on the London tube map, has made commuting even easier.

Shopping

Sydenham has a mix of high street names and independent shops/boutiques. It is the one-off family businesses that really give Sydenham its buzz, and these retailers are enthusiastically supported by local residents. Try ‘Billings’ - an independent fishmongers with an in-house butcher. Also find delicatessens and cafés like Blue Mountain and Sugarhill (the later also houses a gallery exhibiting local artists’ work), ladies fashion store Candessa, Slatters bakery and interior shops like Bishops and 140 Interiors. There’s also a book shop, beauty salons, hairdressers, banks, a Post Office and supermarkets, including a large Sainsbury’s.

Attractions

There are a vast number of attractions in Sydenham and the local surrounding areas. Children can play in a variety of open spaces and the award-winning Crystal Palace Park, with its famous dinosaur sculpture is very close by. Crystal Palace Park, Park and Mayow Park have a variety of facilities including an athletics centre, a farm zoo, lakes, football pitches, basketball and tennis courts, childrens’ playgrounds, a putting green, a bowls club, a maze, a mini railway, a motor racing track, a boating lake and duck ponds. The parks often host circuses, fairgrounds, markets and fireworks displays. The town also has a leisure centre and library. Sydenham tennis club offers squash and croquet, and Sydenham Hill is home to Dulwich & Sydenham Hill golf course. On the borders of Sydenham are Dulwich Art Gallery and the Horniman Museum, with its beautiful landscaped gardens.

Food and Drink

There are many local eateries for all tastes, ranging from local cafés to the renowned fine dining of Joannas. Locally there are many gastro pubs including The Dolphin, The Dulwich Woodhouse on Sydenham Hill and a soon-to-be-opened gastro pub from the much respected Westow Hill group. Locally you can find quality Italian, Spanish, Nepalese, Indian, Chinese, Thai, Turkish and even Brazilian restaurants and take-aways.

History

Sydenham started out as a small settlement, known as Sippenham until the 18th Century. The scene was almost rural, with a handful of cottages in the woods and animals grazing on the land. The town’s first taste of fame came in 1640 when water springs were found. Crowds flocked to the town believing the natural waters had medicinal properties. Growth accelerated in the 19th century after the introduction of the canal in 1801, although the only surviving stretch can be seen in Dacres Wood Nature Reserve. The railway opening in 1840 sealed Sydenham’s place on the map and many gas companies came to base themselves in the town. However, Sydenham’s zenith came in 1854 when the ‘Crystal Palace’ was built in what was known as Sydenham Park (now called Crystal Palace Park). Exhibitions, concerts, conferences and sporting events were held at the Crystal Palace until it burned down in 1936. Sydenham was a very affluent area in Victorian times and the Robinson Jackson office is actually located on the site of the former Cobbs department store, which people travelled miles to shop in.

Property Market

Sydenham has a very diverse housing market from one-bedroom ex-local authority flats to five-bedroom or more detached residences that can change hands for more than £1 million. Some of the most sought after properties are the attractive Victorian houses and converted flats that form part of the huge Victorian mansion buildings. Due to its diverse housing market, the town attracts a varied range of people, mostly families and young professionals, who chose Sydenham for its strong commuter links.

Council Tax

Sydenham falls under both Bromley and Lewisham councils, so it is best to check which local authority sets the council tax rates for a particular address. Current council tax rates are as follows:

Council tax rates for each Local Authority

Education

The following schools serve the Sydenham area:

• Adamsrill Primary School
• Eliot Bank Primary School
• Haseltine Primary School
• Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School
• Kelvin Grove Primary School
• Our Lady and St Philip Neri RC Primary School
• St Bartholomews's CofE Primary School
• Sydenham High School for Girls
• St Michael's CofE Primary School
• Alexandra Junior School
• Forest Hill Secondary School
• Sydenham Secondary School
• Sydenham High School for Girls

Transport links

There are three rail stations in Sydenham – Sydenham Station, Sydenham Hill Station and Lower Sydenham Station. These give access to London Bridge, Victoria, Waterloo, Charing Cross and Cannon Street, with journey times into London as quick as 17 minutes. The upgrade of Sydenham station to include the former East London line means that Canada Water, Shadwell, Whitechapel, Shoreditch and Islington can now all be accessed directly. Sydenham has numerous bus routes running through the town, giving access to central London, Crystal Palace, Forest Hill, Penge, Blackheath, Croydon, Lewisham and Clapham Common.