The Dulwich Society’s aims and objectives are to foster and safeguard the amenities of Dulwich, both in the interests of its residents and the wider local community of which it is a part, and to increase awareness of the varied character that makes the area so special.
Registered Charity Number 234192
Our membership secretary has made an analysis of Dulwich Society membership by postcode as at July 2022 (PDF). Membership is just £10 pa. With over 1,000 household members, the Society has a powerful voice in Dulwich. To keep you informed of what is going on we publish a quarterly printed Journal and a monthly eNewsletter. We maintain this website, three Twitter accounts and an Instagram account. Talks and expertly-led walks and tours are arranged during the year. Join here.
The Society’s Structure: The Society represents all parts of Dulwich: North, South, East and West. It has a number of volunteer groups which actively seek improvements in public transport infrastructure and traffic (for car drivers, cyclists and pedestrians), architecture and design, trees, gardens, wildlife habitats and nature/species conservation. We comment regularly on Council planning applications and are also a consultee for the Dulwich Estate on all changes to properties within the Estate’s Scheme of Management. We encourage change, and welcome good design appropriate to its setting, but actively defend Dulwich against the pressures of inappropriate development.
The Society’s Work: The Society publishes a widely read quarterly printed Journal and a monthly digital eNewsletter as well as books on local themes such as local pubs. Increasingly the Society undertakes its own projects, the most recent was an area-wide series of plaques to commemorate those killed by bombing in WW2 - we are also produce local history information boards, and we are funding part of the ongoing maintenance in the Sydenham Hill Wood. The Society initiated the public meeting that led to the successful re-opening of the Herne Hill Velodrome and worked closely with the Heritage of London Trust (HOLT) on the reconstruction of the iconic Concrete House in Lordship Lane. In addition, it enabled the refurbishment of Rosebery Lodge in Dulwich Park as a community facility and contributed towards the reconstruction of the children’s playground there. It re-erected the historic red post at the top of Red Post Hill, Lodge and, in 2016 it organised public access to the historic Dulwich Village Burial Ground as part of London Open House (and did it again in 2017 as part of the Dulwich Festival). Last but not least it has a policy of supporting additional tree planting on streets and in public open spaces, organises regular local history talks and walks, and undertakes many projects in partnership with Southwark Council in their annual Cleaner Greener Safer scheme.
Grants for local projects: the Society has funds available for small grants which meet our charitable objectives, see here for more details.
The Society welcomes participation by members in running its activities, either as members of its sub-committees or as members of the Executive Committee. The Society’s sub-committees deal with specific activities and interests, such as Planning and Architecture, Local History and Trees. Details of their activities and contact email addresses for their Chairs are set out in this website. If you are interested in joining a sub-committee, please contact the relevant Chair (or the Executive Chairman or Secretary). You would typically then be invited to meet the Chair and to attend the next sub-committee meeting as a guest. A decision would then be made whether to invite you to join the sub-committee at that point, based on an assessment of your potential contribution and on the need for a balance of views and skills within the sub-committee.
The Executive Committee manages the Society’s overall activities, with its members being Trustees of The Dulwich Society, a registered charity. Membership of the Executive Committee comprises the officers of the Society (currently the Chairman, Vice Chairman, Honorary Secretary and Honorary Treasurer) and ten other members, all of whom are elected at the Annual General Meeting until the next Annual General Meeting, when they are available for re-election. The other members include the Chairs of the sub-committees. The nomination process for election to the Executive Committee is set out in the constitution - please contact the Executive Chairman or the Secretary in the first instance.
Annual Membership (1 Jan - 31 Dec): £10.00 per household
New members that join after October 1st are covered for the following year
★ The Dulwich Society now accepts payment by Direct Debit ★
Please choose from one of the following two options:
Dulwich Society membership with Gift Aid (recommended for UK tax payers)
Dulwich Society membership without Gift Aid
Your Gift Aid Declaration
When you choose the option to pay by Direct Debit with Gift Aid you confirm the following declaration: I wish The Dulwich Society to treat all subscriptions I make to the society from the date of this declaration until I notify you otherwise as Gift Aid donations, enabling it to reclaim tax paid on these payments. I will advise the society if at any time I cease to meet the conditions set out in the note below.
Without Gift Aid
Choose this option if you do not pay UK tax or if you are donating on behalf of someone else or jointly. If you do not wish to make a Gift Aid declaration at the present time you can make one at a later date if you choose to do so.
About Gift Aid
Donating through Gift Aid means charities and community amateur sports clubs (CASCs) can claim an extra 25p for every £1 you give. It will not cost you any extra. You can include all donations from the last 4 years. Tell the charity about any tax years where you did not pay enough tax. Your donations will qualify as long as they’re not more than 4 times what you have paid in tax in that tax year (6 April to 5 April). You must tell the charities you support if you stop paying enough tax. Additional information is available from https://www.gov.uk/donating-to-charity/gift-aid
Paying by Standing Order
You can also pay for Membership by standing order. Please Download our Application Form (PDF) and post it to the address shown below.
How you benefit from Membership
With over a thousand household members, the Society has a powerful voice with local councillors, councils, and the Dulwich Estate. It believes that the Estate should apply the Scheme of Management positively - in line with its declared purpose of "enabling them to preserve the amenities of the Estate for the common benefit." The Society meets the Estate Trustees and Managers three times a year but is in frequent contact with their staff.
To keep you informed of what is going on in Dulwich we publish a quarterly printed Journal and a monthly eNewsletter free to our members. We maintain this website, three Twitter accounts and an Instagram account. We also publish an annual ‘Dulwich Gardens open for Charity’ booklet. Talks and expertly-led walks and tours are arranged during the year.
Most of our activities are organised through sub-committees: Gardens; Local History; Planning and Architecture; Travel and Environment; Trees, and Wildlife. More details on their activities are contained elsewhere on this website.
Membership Applications: Dr Diana McInnes, Dulwich Society, 11 Ferrings, London SE21 7LU
The Dulwich Society - Charity Number 234192
The Executive Committee…
President: Dr Kenneth Wolfe
Chairman: James Thompson,
Vice Chair: Susan Badman,
Secretary: Heather Stubbs,
Treasurer: Russell Lloyd ACA,
Membership: Dr Diana McInnes, 11 Ferrings SE21 7LU,
Groups…
Local History: Ian McInnes,
Gardens: Jeremy Prescott,
Trees: David Beamish,
Wildlife: Peter Roseveare,
Wildlife Recorder: Peter Roseveare,
Travel & Environment: Harry Winter,
Planning & Architecture: Penny Stern,
Additional Contacts…
The Journal: Brian Green, 020 7274 1996,
Licensing: Patsy Bramble,
Communications and Social Media: Sharon O’Connor,
Webmaster: James Slattery-Kavanagh, Quotes, 3 Cricketfield, Newick, East Sussex BN8 4LL, 01825 723943,
The Dulwich Society monthly eNewsletter is free of charge for members
Members can keep up to date with our latest news and local events by signing up for our monthly eNewsletter.
To subscribe: If you are a member of the Dulwich Society and would like to subscribe please send:
- your name
- your address
- your email address
to the Membership Secretary at
To unsubscribe: Just follow the instructions at the bottom of any eNewsletter
The Dulwich Society Constitution (The Rules of the Dulwich Society) was adopted 12th March 1964. The most recent version of the constitution was last amended on 7 May 2019 (PDF).
The Society Annual Report and Accounts can be found on these Charity Commission pages:
apps.charitycommission.gov.uk/.. and beta.charitycommission.gov.uk/..
- Annual Report and Accounts 2021 (PDF)
- Annual Report and Accounts 2020 (PDF)
- Annual Report and Accounts 2019 (PDF)
- Annual Report and Accounts 2018 (PDF)
- Annual Report and Accounts 2017 (PDF)
- Annual Report 2016 (PDF)
- Annual Accounts 2016 (PDF)
- Annual Accounts 2015 (PDF)
Dulwich possesses an important art collection at the world-renowned Dulwich Picture Gallery, London’s last remaining tollgate, a successful local football team, Dulwich Hamlet, several good historic pubs and a cinema (many of the early British silent movies were filmed in the area). There are a huge number of excellent schools, several busy shopping areas, and a wide range of housing - from the denser developments in East and West Dulwich, to the mid-century modern estates in South Dulwich, and the larger properties in North Dulwich and the Village. It also has a number of attractive parks, sports grounds, and a golf course - not forgetting one of the last remaining parts of the Great North Wood - visitors who look at the sweep of these woods along the top of Sydenham Hill find it hard to believe they are within five miles of Charing Cross.
The Executive Committee's proposals for a new set of Rules
There was a disappointingly low turnout at the SGM called to update Society’s Rules. A majority voted in favour of the changes proposed but not sufficient to achieve the two thirds required.
The 59th Annual General Meeting of the Dulwich Society will be held at 8pm on Monday 9 May 2022 in the Function Room at The Crown and Greyhound, 73 Dulwich Village, London, SE21 7BJ