Piano recital at St Faith's church, Red Post Hill, on Sunday 21 April 2024, 5pm
The Ukrainian Cultural Association in the UK presents a piano recital given by Violina Petrychenko in aid of the orphaned children of Ukraine. Works by Grieg, Schumann, Chopin, Barvinksy, Silvestrov and Sirenko. Free admission with retiring collection. Post-concert refreshments and charitable sale of Ukrainian souvenirs, books and CDs. Donations welcome for Ukrainian humanitarian relief via www.ucauk.com
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Online talk: Tuesday 2 April, 8pm
Just over 100 years ago, the last of the huge old mansions on the northern side of Dulwich Village were demolished. This online illustrated talk by Ian McInnes will cover all five: The Hall, Menival/Fairfield, Lake House/Chinese Cottage, the White House/St Austins and Beech House/Warrigul along with their wealthy occupants, many of them influential Victorian entrepreneurs.
Ian McInnes is a retired architect and is currently chair of the Dulwich Society Local History Group and Chair of the Twentieth Century Society. As well as giving talks and leading walks in the area, he researches and writes articles on a wide range of local history subjects. Tickets are £5, available via Bell House. If you need a free ticket please email
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Online talk: Tuesday 5 March 2024, 8pm
Jennifer Scott, Director of Dulwich Picture Gallery will present a history of taste through masterpieces from the Gallery's Collection. From its outset, the Gallery has been at the forefront of innovation and creativity. With reference to Sir John Soane's architectural vision, Jennifer will outline the defining features of works from Raphael to Rembrandt, questioning: What about these paintings is innovative? What made them appealing to collectors in the long eighteenth century? What is their enduring appeal?
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Read more: A History of Taste through the Dulwich Picture Gallery collection
Dulwich residents are invited to participate in a photography project to destigmatize loneliness
Local portrait photographer Julia Hawkins is working on a long-term project about loneliness. She wants to help take the stigma out of talking about something most of us have felt at some point in our lives, but often find it hard to open up about. Julia is looking for people of all ages and backgrounds who might be willing to have their photo taken and share their experiences. Some of the photos and stories will be published in a book by the School of Life later this year. If you ae interested in taking part, please email Julia at
Find out more: juliahawkins.com/on-loneliness
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Wednesday 13 March, 6.30pm for 7.00pm
Join the Mark Evison Foundation on Wednesday 13 March for a seated wine and champagne tasting at the Cavalry and Guards Club, 127 Piccadilly. Champagnes and wines supplied by Pol Roger, hosted by James Simpson, Master of Wine and Managing Director of Pol Roger. Tickets £55 each, tables up to 12, phone 07789 765 867 or email
The Mark Evison Foundation’s mission is to promote the personal development of young people through the undertaking of challenges. They invite young people to create and plan projects which are personally challenging. Such projects develop confidence, strength, resilience and breadth, as applicants take independent ownership. Find out more at www.markevisonfoundation.org
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Sunday 18 February, 11.00am-12.30pm
Lichens are not single organisms, but actually the partnership between a fungus and an algae or cyanobacteria. Join London Wildlife Trust's Engagement Officer Rianna Badesha on this gentle walk around Dulwich Woods to learn more about lichen ecology and how to identify common species. Meet at Sydenham Hill train station car park. Please dress appropriately for the weather and note the wood has uneven surfaces so stout footwear is recommended. This walk is for adults and children aged 11+ accompanied by an adult.
This is a free event but donations to LWT are welcome. For more details see this Eventbrite page. Photo credit LWT.
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Ever wondered why ducks and other wildfowl hardly move during cold weather? It`s because they are trying to conserve energy to control their core temperature. Flying takes up valuable energy reserves which is better used foraging for food and resting, so being chased by a dog can be exhausting for them. Even in more clement weather, allowing your dog to charge through a group of birds on our green spaces may be fun for the dog, and to some extent satisfy its predatory instincts, but it is not fun for the birds and in these colder periods is potentially the difference between life or death.
As much as possible please keep your dogs on leads to keep them away from wildfowl and other birds.
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The Local History group made a visit to the Bell House letterpress studio and book bindery this morning. Volunteers Simon Trewin and Tania Hurt-Newton introduced us to the intricacies of setting type, inking and different types of paper before we were let loose on the Victorian Albion press - a huge piece of equipment - and the smaller, but no less fun, Adana presses. On the Albion press we made posters celebrating our visit and on the Adana machines we made postcards using the beautiful 'Festival Titling' typeface, created for the 1951 Festival of Britain. It gave us new insight into the time and expertise needed to print the kinds of documents that we, as local history researchers, use all the time. Simon then showed us the collection of Illustrated London News volumes recently donated by Catherine and Alice, daughters of the Soho printer and bookbinding enthusiast Lionel Selwyn. We enjoyed delving into the beautiful engravings and fascinating news reports of the 1840s and 1850s, including many illustrations of the Crystal Palace.
Our thanks to Bell House for the hospitality and to Simon and Tania for sharing their time, expertise and enthusiasm.
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Online talk: Tuesday 6 February 2024, 8pm
Join Brian Green to spot the difference and see how much (or how little) has changed in Dulwich then and now. Tickets £5, proceeds to Bell House educational activities.
Brian Green has a lifetime’s collection of images of past Dulwich together with first-hand memories, interviews with past residents and hours spent in the archives. The talk will be online, on booking you will be sent a link by email that you use to listen to the talk on your own device at home. Tickets are £5 with all proceeds going to Bell House educational activities and are available on the Bell House website. If you need a free ticket please email
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Southwark Council has opened Phase Three of their Streets for People: Dulwich Village consultation. It focuses on the design of the public realm around the junction of Dulwich Village, Calton Avenue and Court Lane. This is an important site in Dulwich, near the commercial heart of the Village and close to the important Dulwich Burial Ground and heritage buildings. Phase Three also covers traffic changes at the Dulwich Village, Red Post Hill, Half Moon Lane and East Dulwich Grove junction.
You can complete the consultation here: Southwark Council Dulwich Village Design Consultation and give your views on features such as materials, street furniture and trees.
The deadline for the consultation is 17 January 2024.
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Online talk: Tuesday 2 January 2024, 8pm
Before 1860 East Dulwich had two pubs. By the end of the East Dulwich housing boom in the 1880s, there were nearly 20 together with two beer houses and a similar number of beer shops and off-licenses. Pubs were not only for drinking and socialising they were also entertainment, community and sporting centres. Many licensees were interesting characters. as were some of their customers. And, unlike many other parts of London, almost all the buildings are still standing, most still used as pubs - though now run by boutique pub companies rather than large breweries or pub proprietors. Join Ian McInnes to find out more about our local history.
Tickets are £5 per person with proceeds to St Christopher’s Hospice and are available on the Bell House website. If you need a free ticket please email
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