Join London Wildlife Trust for a guided autumnal walk along the old Crystal Palace (High Level) railway line led by Mathew Frith to continue our celebrations of 30 years of nature conservation at Sydenham Hill Wood.
The walk will begin at Nunhead Station, Gibbon Road, SE15 3XE, at 10:45. We will break at Horniman Gardens at 12:30 and finish up at Crystal Palace Parade at about 15:00. Please bring a packed lunch, footwear suitable for the nature of the walk and clothing suitable for the conditions.
Please see the attached poster or contact Daniel Greenwood, the Sydenham Hill Wood Project Officer for more information: dgreenwood@wildlondon.org.uk / 07734 599 728
The walk in context:
In 1865 a railway line was opened between Nunhead and the Crystal Palace with the aim of transporting punters directly to the Crystal Palace at Penge Place which had opened in 1854. During the First World War visitor numbers to the Palace declined and in 1936 the grand building burnt down in a mysterious fire. The Crystal Palace High Level railway was left to atrophy and closed for good in 1954.
The footprint of the railway is still traceable between Nunhead and Crystal Palace, most intriguingly in Sydenham Hill Wood, which became a nature reserve 30 years ago after local people saved the Wood from development and the old trackbed was allowed to return to nature. Sydenham Hill Wood is still a haven for wildlife, giving a home to tawny owls, ancient woodland insects, flowers and fungi and other important plants and animals.
Where to meet:
Nunhead Station, Gibbon Road, SE15 3XE