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Southwark 2030: Southwark Council would like your views on how to make where we live, work and study a better place by 2030. There are several ways to participate including a survey, council-run sessions including one at Dulwich Library on 25 February, 10am-1pm, or via local schools.
This is our chance to shape the future of our borough, to help decide the kind of Southwark we want by 2030. There are lots of ways to get involved between now and mid-March when the consultation ends, and more detail can be found here.
The London Wildlife Trust (LWT) would like to hear about your experience in the Great North Wood so that they can continue to improve your experience when visiting the woods. Here in Dulwich, the Great North Wood includes Dulwich Wood, Hitherwood, Sydenham Hill Wood & Cox's Walk and further afield includes One Tree Hill and Crystal Palace Park. Complete LWT's Great North Wood visitor survey here, it should take no more than ten minutes.
Our Wildlife Group would like you to take part in the RSPB's Big Garden Bird Watch, the world's largest garden wildlife survey. In 2022, just under 700,000 people took part. Over the weekend of 27-29 January 2023, taking part in the Big Garden Birdwatch couldn't be easier. You just spend an hour watching the birds in your garden or local park and tell the RSPB what you've seen. If you see very few birds or none at all, that's still useful information, so please let them know. You can register and find out more here. Please also send your sightings to our Wildlife Group at
The Society has contributed to the repair of an 1870 Camberwell parish boundary marker that was recently discovered almost submerged in Sunray Gardens.
Some volunteers came across the top of the boundary marker after clearing some weeds in the park and Paul Millington took on the restoration project. Most of the boundary marker was deeply buried, and its base was surrounded by concrete and tree roots. Dulwich Village councillors Margy Newens and Richard Leeming allocated Cleaner Greener Safer (CGS) funds to have it excavated, cleaned, and reinstalled. When it emerged from the ground damaged and broken, the Dulwich Society paid for the welding repairs undertaken by Priest Restorations.
This year's Dulwich Festival promises to be one of the best yet as they celebrate 30 years. Registration is now open for the Festival's wonderful Artists Open House. Apply here.
2023 promises to be a great year for Dulwich Park Runners. With nearly 200 members the club provides plenty of opportunities for local people to get fit, stay fit, and work on their pace and endurance.
Their calendar features weekly social runs, cross country races, marathon training and lots of social events. It’s a great way to maintain a healthy lifestyle and make new friends.
The club is famous for its beginners course which has been running for over 20 years and has helped hundreds of people transform their relationship with running. The next course starts on 4 March 2023 and is for people who have never run before or not for a long time. For more information see their website or
The club is based at the Trevor Bailey Sports Ground on Dulwich Common and the regular club night is Tuesday with social runs at different paces starting at 6.30pm and 7.30pm. Why not go along and try them out?
See their website for more information.
Contact: David Mullany, Chair, chair@dulwichparkrunners.co.uk
A personal review of four short plays devised by Brian Green, Gill Daly and Jill Alexander
Performed by The Dulwich Players. Reviewed by Alison Venn
It was dark, damp and my mood was unpromisingly wintry on the cold night we had tickets. It had been a long time since I’d squeezed into high heels and a black-tie outfit, hoping to meet the Dress to Impress code for Gala Night. When the front door opened wide into Bell House, however, I stepped into a different world: elegant guests in black and sparkling technicolour, spiced mulled wine, mince pies and enviable Christmas décor in the stunning entrance hall.
We’d been offered four plays and an immersive experience, but how was it going to work exactly?
Read more: Picture Perfect Christmas at Bell House, December 2022
The new defibrillator, funded by the Society, is now set up in the old telephone kiosk outside the shops in Dulwich Village. Also known as a defib or an AED (Automated External Defibrillator), it needs no training to use as the machine guides you with simple instructions and tells you out loud what to do. You can’t deliver a shock accidentally, the defibrillator will not shock the patient unless it is needed so it is not possible to hurt someone - they can only be used to save someone’s life. This short film by the London Ambulance Service shows you how to use it. Society volunteers check regularly to ensure it is charged and ready for action but we hope it will never be used.
The skaters at the derelict Grove Tavern car park held a thought-provoking event on 17 November 2022 to show their parents and local residents what they do at the site. After a display of skateboarding skills there was this documentary by Nick Vieweg including interviews with the skaters and with Tilly, the site ‘caretaker’, who also provides emotional support to the younger skaters. This was followed by a talk on the Grove allotment from Becky, one of the gardeners who grow fruit and veg in the old pub garden; a musical interlude by the skaters; a presentation about their summer Shakespeare adaptation ‘A Midsummer Skate Dream’ and finally a panel discussion.
Read more: What's happening at the Grove Tavern DIY Skate Park?
The Dulwich Village Streets for People report on the permanent layout at Dulwich Village/Calton Avenue/Court Lane is now available here. The deadline for the online survey for phase 2 is 20 November, you can complete it here. You can comment on the recycled street furniture, recently installed by Southwark Council, which came as a surprise to both the Society and the Estate.
Our next Dulwich local history talk is online at 8pm on Tuesday 1 November 2022 with Brian Green.
Farming in Dulwich, which had provided income for the Priory of Bermondsey for 400 years and for almost as long for Alleyn’s College of God’s Gift, was virtually over by the outbreak of WW1. Its decline was slow and its demise was finally brought about by the new giant dairy companies which sprang up with the introduction of bottling plants, homogenised milk and the use of milk trains for nationwide distribution. Local historian Brian Green shows us how Dulwich farms became the sports fields of today. Brian has lived in Dulwich since he was four years old and runs the family business, the Art Stationers and toy shop in Dulwich Village. He has been researching Dulwich’s history and leading walks, talks and classes for many years and is the author of a number of books on Dulwich. He also edits the Dulwich Society Journal.
Join us for this online talk - tickets are £5 here. All proceeds go to London Wildlife Trust Sydenham Hill Wood path project. Please email info@bellhouse.co.uk for bursary places.
This year the Charter School North Dulwich's Christmas Fair, kindly sponsored by Hamptons, is on Thursday 1 December, 5.30pm-8.30pm. Entry is £1 for adults and children go free. There will be craft stalls and tombolas with prizes generously donated by local businesses including Canopy, Cherry Tree, Cook!, Crown & Greyhound, Dr Boo, Duo Dance, ED Flowers, ED Picturehouse, Elsewhere, Fison Fitness, Flo’s, Half Moon pub, Herne Hill Books, Glistering Nails, Gusto Italiano, Hot Pod Yoga, I love Lowie, JAGS, Jarr Market, Jo’s House, Ken’s Fish & Chips, Mac & Miller, Moxon's, Myla & Davis, Oddono's, Oliver Bonas, PoachED, Pizza Express, Real Greek, Saray, Tomlinson, Umana Yana, Village Tandoori, Whitehall Clothiers, Wild & Lees, William Rose and Willow. There will be festive food and drink (BBQ, pancakes, popcorn, bar, mulled wine and mince pies, cake stall) and musical entertainment will be provided by the school students.