The Dulwich Society Journal for Winter 2024.
Firstly, a big thank you to everyone who completed the membership survey, which has now closed. We’ve had over 100 members complete it, giving us a rich source of information and data to help us plan for the future. We particularly thank those respondents who made helpful suggestions as to how we can improve our current activities and events, as well as what more we could do in the future. We are currently analysing the responses but already we can see that many themes emerged from the results, including a clear keenness for the Society to broaden its activities across the full Dulwich area, to increase the number of social events, and to ensure that our activities are accessible to members of all ages, young and old. The Society will be reviewing the full results of the survey over the next month or so, to help inform our strategic development, and we will continue to provide updates on this work as it progresses.
As part of our strategy of membership engagement we held two informal Meet-the-Trustees evenings in the last quarter. One was in the elegant reception rooms at Bell House (many thanks to the Bell House trustees for hosting us) and the other at The Lordship Pub in East Dulwich. These two evenings allowed members to socialise but, importantly, gave the members the opportunity to raise issues with the trustees and for the trustees to quiz members on their priorities for the Society. Both events were well attended and they formed a useful adjunct to the survey.
In line with one of the themes from the membership survey, we have been working hard to organise a flagship event to coincide with International Women’s Day 2025. It seems a long way off, but the next edition of the Journal after this one will come out only days before the event so I wanted to mention it here. We are planning an evening of discussion and debate and have secured a panel of accomplished local female politicians from across the political spectrum, all of whom have worked for equality and opportunity for women in government. Newly ennobled Baroness Harriet Harman and four other local politicians will be quizzed by Aruna Iyengar, one of the BBC’s political correspondents. It will take place on 4 March, so save the date in your diary now. We expect it to be a sell-out event, so be sure to book early. Members of the Society will get reduced-price tickets and advance opportunity to book. Proceeds will go to charity. Details of how to book and a promo-code for your membership discount on tickets will be sent soon to your registered email address. If you have not registered your email address with the Society (do you not receive our monthly eNews?) please email
As I am writing this, the evenings are quickly getting darker and the clocks went back recently. It’s getting cold outside and I hope that you enjoy this winter edition of the Journal in comfort. As well as an article about our forthcoming Women and Politics event, which you can find on page 18, you may find interesting the article about electric vehicles on page 10 or the one on policing issues on page 8.
As well as the Journal, perhaps we can interest you in one of our online Local History talks, which you can also enjoy from the comfort of your armchair. Up next, on 3 December, is a talk by Brian Green entitled: Through the Valley: East Dulwich to West Dulwich, Changes Over Time (booking details in your monthly eNews). Then in January the online talk will be about the West Norwood cemetery and their lottery grant to include a new West Dulwich entrance, again details to follow in your monthly eNews.
Please can I encourage those of you who pay your Society subs by cash or cheque to go to our website (membership section) and renew with a direct debit. Those of you who pay by standing order can also swap to direct debit. Paying by direct debit dramatically reduces the administrative burden on our volunteers.
Thank you to all our volunteers for your hard work over the year. I wish you and all our members a very happy Christmas and New Year.
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Membership subscriptions
Subscriptions are due on 1 January 2025. Members are encouraged to pay by direct debit to simplify admin for the Society. The fee remains at £10 - great value for our monthly eNews, quarterly Journal and access to outings and activities. To change from standing order to direct debit, go to dulwichsociety.com/membership-renewal or scan the QR code below. Once you receive confirmation, cancel your standing order with your bank.
If your Journal comes in the post, we would really appreciate a voluntary contribution of £5 on top of the £10 fee if you are able. If you already pay by direct debit (and thank you if you do), contact us so that we can set up the additional contribution.
RHS Chelsea Flower Show Garden arrives in Dulwich
Those walking along Alleyn Park recently may have noticed the surprising appearance of The Spirit of Partnership Garden in the grounds of Dulwich College. Designed by Helen Olney, the astonishing garden contains many plants which grow in Myanmar but are equally suited to the UK. Hidden behind the trees are a traditional Burmese stilt-house and a partially ruined stupa. The garden was donated to the school by alumnus Professor Chris Griffiths OBE, Emeritus Professor of Dermatology at the University of Manchester and Dr Su Lwin, dermatologist at Guy’s and St Thomas’s Hospital. Professor Griffiths and Dr Lwin are co-founders of the Burma Skincare Initiative, the main sponsor of the garden.
Cox’s Walk Footbridge
Having closed for safety reasons in January 2020, the work on the historic footbridge is finally complete after almost 5 years and the bridge has reopened. In the last couple of months, the refurbishment of the abutments and parapets has been completed, the deck has been refurbished and waterproofed and the lighting leading to the footbridge has been replaced.
St Barnabas
The Revd. Liz Barnett has been appointed by the Bishop of Southwark and was licensed in September by the Bishop of Woolwich, the Right Revd. Alistair Cutting, as Vicar of St Barnabas with Christ’s Chapel and Foundation Schools’ Chaplain. Having come to the parish as curate in 2019, she is delighted to take up her new role and is looking forward to continuing and nurturing the relationship with the Society and local community.
Community Patrol Scheme
The Dulwich Community Patrol scheme was launched in November 2023 with the support of the Metropolitan police, in response to increasing robberies affecting school children in the area. Following a successful pilot in North Dulwich, a patrol was also established in West Dulwich and an East Dulwich patrol is coming soon. More volunteers are desperately needed, to support children with a friendly adult presence after school. No one is expected to intervene in a dangerous situation - the presence of patrollers often provides a sufficient deterrent.
The North Dulwich patrol meets at Megan’s (Dulwich Village) and runs from 3:30pm to 5pm, Monday to Friday. The patrol covers Dulwich Village and Herne Hill including pedestrian routes around Alleyn’s, with patrols lasting around 60-90 mins depending on patroller availability. They need a minimum of 4 patrollers per day, so your support (even if just for one patrol a month) is invaluable.
Please email
Dulwich Park Playground
Dulwich Park Friends are planning a major fundraising effort to refurbish the children’s playground in Dulwich Park. This is a much-loved facility for children and grandchildren from all over the Borough.
It’s more than 25 years since the playground received a major overhaul and, although smaller work has been undertaken in the meantime (such as the replacement of some swings as pictured), it’s badly in need of a refresh. The Friends are hopeful of a measure of matched support from Southwark Council. More details will be announced early next year but, in the meantime, if you’d like to donate to or get involved in this project in any way, please do let the Friends know by emailing
Sculpture Garden
The new sculpture garden at Dulwich Picture Gallery is progressing apace. In the meantime, we congratulate the Gallery on their fantastic hoarding, which screens the unsightliness of the building work while simultaneously allowing for visitors to peep through the empty picture frames and spy on developments. The hoarding alone is well worth a visit!
The Gallery is currently fundraising to plant new trees in the Lovington Sculpture Meadow to create an art forest. Support a tree from £650 and you will receive a personalised certificate and dedication engraved on a bespoke tag on a tree in the Art Forest.
To find out more or secure a tree, go to dpg.art/support-a-tree or email the gallery on
Police ‘Walk and Talk’
On 14 September 2024, the police undertook a “walk and talk” in local residential roads. There was a good turnout on a sunny Saturday lunchtime with nearly thirty residents and six local police constables, ward councillor Margy Newens and representatives from the Dulwich Society and Safer Neighbourhood Panel. Residents had reported concerns about theft from motor vehicles, and the local RA asked the police to visit.
Key messages on the day were:
- Always lock your car and leave it visibly empty (no plastic bags, no wires, no parcels, nothing).
- Parcels delivered to your doorstep - if you are not going to be in, click and collect at one of the many local drop points.
- Report every crime to the police so they can identify hotspots and thus allocate resources.
- Turn out at the local Safer Neighbourhood Panel meetings to contribute your views on police priorities.
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A ‘public space’ evokes an inclusive neighbourhood centre to meet, and a social space to sit in the shade of a tree. Although Dulwich benefits from extensive open green spaces, and an active streetscape, it has been lacking this type of meeting place. This was particularly evident during Covid-19 when the junction of Court Lane, Carlton Avenue and Dulwich Village was closed to traffic and the result was a safe social space for local people to meet outdoors, creating an instant draw.
It marked the beginning of a design and consultation process that would transform the asphalt roads and narrow pavements into a new public realm that prioritises the movement of pedestrians and cyclists, creating a place for locals to meet and linger. After a period of public consultation, the project was brought forward to construction in 2024 as a key ‘Streets for People’ project by Southwark Council. Coordinating the works with Dulwich Estate’s own street improvements benefits both projects further.
The public realm project was followed closely by the Dulwich Society to ensure the new designs respected the historic and sensitive context of Dulwich Village. The views to and through the public space are maintained with a new vista from Carlton Avenue to Dulwich Hamlet Junior School, framed by trees. The temporary informal arrangement of benches and spill-out tables and chairs from shops are now organised as pocket spaces to allow individuals and groups to enjoy in good weather through the year.
Underpinning the design, though, is a clear message that sustainable strategies are important for the long-term success of our public spaces. These are often in competition for space with the abundance of services found below our streets, but were fortunately prioritised in this project. The movement of water through Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) will be successfully managed through planted areas, reducing the potential for flooding while also enhancing the biodiversity and enjoyment of the space.
Much more planting has been introduced, particularly large trees that will assist in mitigating the effects of climate change. The selection and placement of trees is directly informed by their ability to survive and thrive in different environments. Even in a small urban space, the change in microclimate means that the best placement of a water-tolerent Ulmus (Elm) is in the partial shade of the mature graveyard trees, while the Pinus sylvestris (Scots Pine) and Pinus nigra (Black Pine) are located in the hot and dry central space.
The SuDs-appropriate tree planting also includes scented flowering varieties such as Sorbus intermedia Brouwers (Swedish Whitebeam), and Phellodendron amurense (Cork Tree) that support pollinators in spring, with berries for birds later in the season. The inclusion of a Carpinus betulus (Common Hornbeam) and Gleditsia (Honey Locust) at the corner of Court Lane will add an abundance of colour through the seasons. In particular, the group of Liquidambar styraciflua Worplesdon (Sweet Gum) along the cycleway will create a memorable arrival experience, with intense autumn colours.
Wider pavements and an open public area are paved with sandstone that was reviewed in situ by stakeholders to agree the final colour tones. The natural stone, in smaller sized setts, is used in the integrated cycle route to create continuity across this civic space. Where possible, existing materials and street furniture were re-used, either in the project or in the wider community, promoting the principles of a circular economy.
The use of high-quality materials, semi-mature trees and biodiverse planting support a long-term sustainable vision and, at this early stage, the new public realm appears to balance the needs of people, nature and the historic built environment. It will be some time before the construction is complete and the planting can be fully appreciated, but its success will be measured in the future by the community’s use and enjoyment of this new addition to Dulwich Village.
By Donncha O Shea, Environment Group member and landscape architect
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We sat down with local Dulwich police to find out more about their work in the area. The neighbourhood police are assigned to teams in the constituency wards in the area - Dulwich Village, Dulwich Wood, Dulwich Hill (all based at Gipsy Hill Station) and Goose Green. We talked to Sergeant Mark Zissler, who oversees the Dulwich Village and Dulwich Wood teams.
What is the role of a Safer Neighbourhood Team in the Met?
Safer Neighbourhood Teams (SNT) offer a local team of Dedicated Ward Officers who focus on individual wards within the Metropolitan Police (the Met). This allows them to build up knowledge of their local area to offer the best policing response to the communities they serve. This includes where problems usually occur and previous incidents, allowing for a focussed approach to low level crime such as anti-social behaviour (ASB), aiming to prevent ASB from developing into more serious crime in the area. Officers in SNT have quarterly meetings with locally appointed representatives from the Safer Neighbourhood Ward Panel, made up of volunteers from the local area and open to members of the community to raise any concerns about crime in their local area. These meetings set local crime-related ward priorities for the SNT teams to focus on over the next 3 months. [Ed: Find out about your local ward panel meeting and upcoming dates via “Your Area” on the Met Police website https://www.met.police.uk/]
Tell me the best thing about being an SNT officer in Dulwich?
Dulwich is a unique area to work in. We have a high number of secondary schools within Dulwich Village and Dulwich Wood, along with lovely green areas such as Dulwich Park and Belair Park. This brings with it some challenges to policing, which we have seen with youth robberies in the area. Thankfully, we have an engaged community in Dulwich, who want the area to be as safe as possible for themselves, their families and those visiting Dulwich. I see great partnership work between the Police, local charities and engagement teams.
If we had a magic wand, what one thing would you want to change?
All the officers in my wards have joined the Police because they want to make a change for the better, in the role they are undertaking. This may be through engaging with a victim of crime and offering support and advice, or enforcing laws to bring offenders to justice. As has been highlighted by the Met Commissioner, at present policing across the UK has fewer officers dealing with an increased population.
The one thing I would change would be to increase officer numbers, allowing us to give a better service to the community of London. The Commissioner, Sir Mark Rowley, highlighted in February 2024 to the London Assembly that there were concerns about the shortfall of Police Officers. In March 2024 we were about 1400 short and there are approximately 5000 fewer officers than a decade ago. I believe the cost of living in London compared to County Forces will inevitably have an effect. Any support is appreciated; however, this is not just a local issue, with policing nationwide being affected.
[Ed: If you want to contact your MP to encourage the allocation of more resources to policing, email
Crime prevention advice - what are the key messages for residents?
I would advise people to take crime preventative measures to reduce the risk of being a victim of crime. This includes the ‘Look Up, Look Out’ campaign, highlighting how people should be aware of their surroundings and not on their phone in public places. I’d also like to suggest Faraday pouches for owners of keyless vehicles to avoid the frequency of their car key being scanned. Always lock your car doors and make your car visibly empty.
We have seen an increase in parcel thefts from doorsteps. I would advise people if they are unlikely to be in when a delivery occurs to make use of a drop box or delivery centre to avoid this happening.
Much more crime prevention advice can be found on the Metropolitan Police website or by contacting your local SNT to raise any concerns you have. Prevention advice is also discussed at the regular “Cuppa with a Copper” events.
How can we encourage residents to report incidents and crimes? Is there still a reluctance to report crime or a feeling that there is no point?
There are various ways to contact police to report a crime. Call 999 in emergency situations such as: there is an immediate danger to life, a crime is happening right now, someone is using violence or is threatening to be violent or if the suspect is still on scene. If it’s not an emergency, people can report crime to police via 101 or via the Met Police website www.met.police.uk/. Some people will report crimes directly to the Safer Neighbourhood Ward email addresses. Due to officers working shifts, these reports should be made instead via 101 or the website. If residents have information about crime, in particular people responsible for violent crime, they can provide this information anonymously to police via Crimestoppers either by calling 0800 555 111 or online.
As a local SNT Sergeant, I would encourage everyone to report incidents of crime to police. If they are not reported, we don’t know what has happened and can’t plan to address the issue. I appreciate some young people may be threatened not to contact police; however, I would ask that they do get in touch. We can contact them over the phone or visit without wearing uniform to discuss all the options in terms of progressing a case to court if the victim wishes this to happen.
One issue raised frequently by residents is that evidence is not accepted - can you explain what is good evidence that can lead to an arrest and charge?
That is a great question; however, the answer isn’t simple. The Police capture all available evidence for an offence and an independent review officer will look at this prior to a charge being authorised, or the case being sent to the Crown Prosecution Service for their independent review. During this process, we must determine what reasonable lines of enquiry there are to prove the offence. I mention reasonable lines of enquiry as police officer time is a finite resource, and we must determine what the general public would think is reasonable for the level of offence committed. There are other barriers in our way though, such as CCTV being provided but suspects wearing face coverings or image quality hindering the identification of a suspect. When crimes are reported to the police, sergeants will review each one and set investigation plans for the Officer in Charge to follow.
There was a Walk and Talk event recently which was well attended by residents. How can we expand these events?
The local team will look to arrange more walk and talk events throughout the ward, and these will be advertised on our newsletter and via social media. If people have specific concerns that they want to discuss via a Walk and Talk, they can reach out to the local team via the ‘Your Area’ section on the Metropolitan Police website.
Cuppa with a Copper events - the Society finds these useful but would like to see more residents attending. How can we publicise them better?
All upcoming events which are planned by the Safer Neighbourhood Teams (SNT) across the Metropolitan Police are advertised in the ‘Your Area’ section of the Metropolitan Police website. Most SNT teams have X (formerly Twitter) accounts where activities are shared, and they are also highlighted in our monthly newsletters to the community. If people would like to receive the monthly newsletters, they can contact their local SNT via the ‘Your Area’ section as well.
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Petrol and diesel-powered vehicles are the largest contributor to the UK’s CO2 emissions. To meet the UK’s net zero commitments, emissions need to fall quickly. We are not currently on track because improvements in vehicle efficiency have been more than offset by the growth in the size of cars, obvious if you walk around Dulwich. We need (a) to reduce how much we drive and (b) swap to electric vehicles (EV), smaller if possible. Currently 4% of existing cars and 23% of new car sales are EVs; by comparison, in Norway the equivalent figures are 26% and 90%. So, we have some way to go.
First, let’s look at some basics.
- EVs are not a panacea. Like fossil fuel cars they create congestion and road danger and they emit some pollutants, though they are far less polluting than a fossil fuel car.
- Running an EV car is cheaper than a fossil fuel car, because you pay no vehicle excise duty (until 2025) and servicing costs are very low. Parking permits are cheaper. In Lambeth, the annual cost to park an EV in a CPZ is £128; an equivalently-sized fossil fuel car is up to £500.
- You may have read that CO2 emissions of EV cars are high when you take into account the manufacturing process. It’s right that the manufacturing process is more carbon intensive, but, given the extent to which UK electricity has already decarbonised, the EV very quickly (probably within the first 18 months) becomes more carbon efficient, and over a lifetime will be responsible for a small fraction of the CO2 of a fossil fuel car. Of course, walking, cycling or public transport are better, and in urban areas a cargo bike can be a great alternative.
- There are ethical and environmental concerns about metal mining associated with batteries, but the same is the case for the extraction of oil and gas; more positively, nearly all the battery, including the metals, will end up being recycled.
- You may have heard that charging is difficult because of the number of different cables or complicated payment requirements. Most cars (apart from Teslas) now use the EU wide “CCS” type, so that problem has gone. My experience is that most chargers are now pretty easy: most just require the tap of a debit or credit card or, at worst, that you download an app.
Anecdotally, a key reason people are reluctant to go electric is “range anxiety”. EV charging facilities are being rolled out quickly - the situation is already much better than it was 2-3 years ago. In September 2024 Southwark Council published its “Electric Vehicle Plan”, which explains how it intends to facilitate the required growth in charging infrastructure within Southwark, including Dulwich.
Before we get into the Plan itself, let me try to demystify EV charging.
My standard EV family car, a Skoda (oh, the glamour), has an 80kWh battery. Skoda claims a range of 270 miles. I can vouch it can get to Yorkshire without a charge. In practical terms, on a long drive it needs charging less often than the driver needs a break. It’s best not to charge above 80% or go below 20-30%, so a standard large charge is about 50kWh. If you’re charging on or near a motorway or A road, you will use a rapid charger, capable of 75-150kW or even more, which means it’ll take 20-40 minutes to charge the car - about the time it takes to grab a coffee or bite to eat. But you only need to charge en route on a long journey. I have not had any difficulties finding chargers; I use the “Zapmap” app to find them. All of this makes driving an EV pretty easy, and you’ll be surprised how much easier, quieter and smoother they are than a petrol or diesel car. I would not go back.
So, unless you’re on a long journey, your charging will probably be done overnight at or near to home. The chargers you see in lampposts or on driveways are about 4-5kW, so a 50kWh charge is 10-12 hours. If you’re trailing a lead across the pavement (more on that later) you’ll be lucky to get 2-3kW so the charge will take a lot longer.
Southwark aims to introduce more slow EV chargers (primarily lamppost types) so that all residents are within a 5-minute walking distance of a public charge point by 2026. Dulwich has been identified as a “pocket of inaccessibility”, in that there are not enough at the moment. They plan for 40 rapid chargepoints (of which there are currently none) by 2026. All of this seems sensible and necessary. What it doesn’t address, though, is the cost of electricity from public chargers. Southwark is not alone in this: the problem is London-wide.
Let’s put the cost in some perspective. The kWh/mile of an EV varies by the nature of the journey (higher for urban, lower for motorway) and temperature (the range is reduced in cold weather), but a reasonable estimate is 50kWh will get you about 165 miles. Fossil fuel efficiency also varies a lot. Let’s say 16.5 litres of petrol gets you 165 miles. At current rates, that’s about £22 at the petrol pump.
What about the cost of electricity? Domestic electricity charges are about 25p/kWh, and they can be lower on overnight rates. As for public chargers, the National Chargepoint Registry lists 107 chargers in Dulwich Village. They are all operated by Char.gy, which charges 59p/kWh or 39p/kWh between 12am and 7am. Rapid chargers can be 75p/kWh or even more. The difference is striking.
One of the consequences of the very high rates charged by the on-street chargers in Dulwich is that, if they can, many people charge their cars kerbside from a cable running from their house, which can cause obstructions. Southwark Council is looking into conduits which would permit this, but, as things stand, the Southwark EV Plan is (understandably) firmly against running cables over pavements. Also, regular charging from a normal domestic plug is not recommended from a fire safety perspective.
However, given the significant price differential between domestic and public charging electricity costs, there is a risk that residents will seek to use their front gardens for car parking. This is bad for aesthetics, ecology and wildlife, flooding and safety.
Dulwich Society has challenged Southwark Council about the cost of EV charging. In response they said the cost includes infrastructure, operation and maintenance of the charging network, and VAT at 20% compared against 5% VAT for domestic electricity. They have said that they are currently looking at possible improvements to EV charging and they will focus on reducing tariffs. They are also looking into the Council becoming an operator.
I would suggest a greater variety of providers is the obvious answer. Have different companies compete with each other on the same street. In any event, it seems unlikely that the Southwark EV Plan is the last word on this important subject. We shall see.
By James Leabeater, DS Environment Group member
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Following up on our report in the Summer Journal, we are pleased to say that London City Airport has not been permitted to extend its operating hours to include Saturday afternoons and evenings. There followed an anxious six week wait for campaigners while the airport decided whether it would challenge this further in the courts, but they did not and for now operating hours will remain as they are. This felt like a big win for those wanting to defend quiet skies over Dulwich and across East London. Airport Planning Inquiries almost always go in favour of the development.
The Inquiry had three parties involved: Newham Council as the host planning authority, City Airport and HACAN East, the main campaigning organisation concerned with that airport. The Forest Hill Society shared expertise and resources with HACAN East with the main objective of halting the proposed extension to Saturday flying. We secured significant donations from across East London, including from the Forest Hill Society, that enabled us to commission expert legal backing. Our team was led by a leading environmental barrister, Estelle Dehon KC, while our expert witnesses presented evidence on aircraft noise disturbance, health impacts, economics and planning.
The airport has secured expansion of sorts - they have been permitted to increase the annual limit on the number of passengers, but there will be no increase in the number of annual flights permitted, which remains at 111,000 aircraft movements per year.
The next big issue for overflown Londoners is to be the complete redesign of flight paths. Most people in our area will know that we are affected by Heathrow flights, whose early morning arrivals over Dulwich create sleep disturbance for many. We are also affected by the narrow, concentrated arrivals flightpath to London City, which is kept very low due to the Heathrow traffic immediately above it.
The Civil Aviation Authority and Department for Transport have proposed the creation of a new body, a UK Airspace Design Service, to oversee the complex interactions between airports as they negotiate use of airspace. The first phase of UKADS work will cover all of the London area.
Individuals, community groups and Borough Councils will have an opportunity to have their say. The first consultation is on the powers, structures and governance to shape UKADS itself. Just launched at the time of writing, this consultation will close on 17 December. Consultations.caa.co.uk/policy-development/ukads-consultation.
Next year we can expect to see public consultations on plans for new flight paths. These paths will be narrow and concentrated - community groups and our Borough Councils may need to get involved to try and mitigate the impacts for our neighbourhoods.
Effective mitigations would include Continuous Ascent and Continuous Descent routes - this would mean that City flights could fly higher for longer and no longer be held down low over Dulwich by higher Heathrow ones. We could also seek respite routes for all airports, that is to say that routes will alternate in a planned way so that the same residents do not see low traffic over them all the time. And routes from different airports need to be untangled in such a way that residents do not experience low flying from more than one source.
So, while we can celebrate a Planning Inquiry win, some of the decisions that will impact SE London for many years to come are coming our way. There will be opportunities for the Forest Hill and Dulwich Societies to try to influence this and to support our respective Borough Councils in making their own contributions.
Given the complexities of all this, ideas, support and guidance should become available as these consultations are launched from organisations like HACAN East (London City), HACAN (Heathrow) and nationally from the Aviation Environment Federation. For more information visit hacaneast.org.uk
Tim Walker writes as a member of the Forest Hill Society. He also contributes to the work of HACAN East and sits on the Executive Council of the Aviation Environment Federation.
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Following its fascinating exhibition of work by the Japanese Yoshida family, Dulwich Picture Gallery has now set the stage for a retrospective of British artist Tirzah Garwood (1908-1951). The choice of artist underscores the originality of the Gallery’s approach to exhibitions. Almost ten years have passed since her husband, Eric Ravilious, was featured in an exhibition there, and the story now feels complete.
This is the first time the full range of Garwood’s work has been shown. There are more than eighty of her works to be viewed, including pen and ink drawings, wood engravings and the majority of her existing oil paintings. The latter are particularly thought-provoking; Garwood began painting in oil after a series of tragic events in her life. In 1942 she had an emergency mastectomy for breast cancer and wrote her autobiography while recovering from surgery. A few months later she learned that her husband had died in a plane crash, while travelling on a commission from the War Artists’ Advisory Committee. With three children under the age of seven and the government reluctant to pay her widow’s pension, she would have faced a mountain of grief. However, in 1944, with courage and determination, she moved to a new house in the country and resumed life as an artist. The style she adopted was deliberately naïve and direct. Incorporating children’s toys and well-known flowers and insects, the paintings appear familiar, yet simultaneously disquieting.
James Russell, Curator of the exhibition and a leading specialist on Ravilious, said, “Tirzah Garwood found her subjects in the everyday world around her, from members of her family to pets, insects, toys and buildings. Whatever her clear gaze rested on, her playful imagination and skill in technique and composition transformed into something strange, magical and utterly captivating. Curating this exhibition has been like opening a box of treasures.”
Audio guides packed with information about the exhibition can be found on the Bloomberg Connects App (Your Guide to Arts & Culture). This is well worth downloading before you go.
The exhibition runs until May 2025.
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Fabulous, fabulous, fabulous! Congratulations to the Dulwich Players on a highly spirited (sorry…) production of Noël Coward’s comic masterpiece in early November.
It is no small matter to remember your lines in a play lasting almost 2 ½ hours, particularly when there are only seven characters and so many dry martinis. Whilst all the actors are worthy of the highest praise, I particularly enjoyed watching Charlotte Holmes as the maid, who demonstrated her mastery of comic timing and hilarious range of facial expressions. Alex Curran thoroughly inhabited her role as the eccentric medium, Madame Arcati, a role previously performed in the West End by luminaries such as Penelope Keith, Alison Steadman, Angela Lansbury and Jennifer Saunders.
Meanwhile Chloe Penfold made a highly accomplished debut performance as the flirtatious and irresponsible ghost, Elvira, pouting and shimmering her way through each Act. Ed Beesley and Phoebe Morgan filled the roles of Mr and Mrs Condomine with aplomb, portraying a (relatively) normal married couple plunged into the most unlikely of circumstances.
Book your tickets now for the Dulwich Players’ next production, an original pantomime, Toad of Toad Hall, at St Barnabas Parish Hall from 19 -22 December. Sure to be a sell-out!
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It will come as no surprise to regular readers of the Wildlife column to discover that 2024 has been a difficult year for our wildlife. In a wet year the most damaging rains came in April, May and June, coinciding with the breeding season for many, if not most, of our key species and just at the moment our natural world is to burst into life. The first sentence of one of Sam Taylor’s reports to me from Dulwich and Sydenham Woods was “It has been a terrible year for butterflies.” These are the visible bellwethers of much of our insect life and the observation was backed up at our Autumn meeting by Harry Rutherford, our moth expert, and Jeff Doodson, who specialises in beetles and bugs. Additionally, the rain washed off the May blossom from our Hawthorn trees and those of us with these trees in our gardens may notice the lack of berries - usually so much the autumn harvest for our wintering birds. However, they will hopefully be able to fall back on the Cotoneaster and Pyracantha berries that have survived due to later blossoming.
Before coming to better news, David Clark’s regular autumn count of the Dulwich Park birds indicated that our Blackbirds and Thrushes are still in trouble, with only two Blackbirds recorded. The populations of Song and Mistle Thrushes crashed twenty years ago, possibly due to farming practices, but Blackbirds have succumbed to the Usutu virus. This epidemic started in Greater London but is now reported to be spreading through the south east. A virus is also an organism and needs hosts to survive, so our Blackbird population should not be wiped out. It is therefore incumbent upon us to make our gardens into the best possible habitats, with shrubs for cover, well-composted ground and absolutely no artificial lawns.
Most of the challenge that our wildlife is facing is of course due to our changing climate, about which we have so little control, but there are survivors. Most of the butterfly species with which we are familiar, such as Peacocks, Red Admirals and Commas, were seen albeit in very small numbers and perhaps only the Small Tortoiseshell was absent. Matthew Frith was lucky enough to encounter and photograph this fine White Letter Hairstreak butterfly in Burbage Road. The purchase by the Dulwich Estate of disease-resistant elms via the Elms for London scheme will be of huge benefit to our maintenance of this magnificent little butterfly. Once again, we saw Stag beetles and of course Dragon and Damsel flies. These insects will have started their surprisingly long lives up to five years ago and indeed spend most of their lives in larval form either in water or, in the case of Stag Beetles, in rotting wood, escaping the vagaries of the climate until they emerge for their glorious, if brief, breeding adulthood.
The main event in the Woods was the discovery that the Hobbies that had been regularly observed did in fact nest. Two chicks were produced but unfortunately did not survive and were probably predated by crows. Hobbies are summer migrants and will hopefully return next year for another try. Amanda Tuke, who volunteers with the London Wildlife Trust and writes a monthly column for Bird Watching Magazine, has taken this superb photo of a Hobby, which obligingly posed for her in an ideal setting. In the garden of Bell House another raptor feeding young was regularly observed by the volunteer gardeners. I thought this might have been one of the Hobbies but it was almost certainly a Sparrowhawk that had either nested there or nearby.
The other piece of good news is that we have now had three sightings of Hedgehogs, the first in the Cox’s Walk allotments, the second in Court Lane and the third in Dome Hill Park. After three years of no hedgehog reports at all, I had thought that we had lost them but with three reports quite far apart in spots where they can avoid traffic deaths - and hopefully now slug pellets - we can be cautiously optimistic.
Belair Park has an active Friends Group and is much assisted by volunteers from Dulwich College in the maintenance and development of its ecology. Additionally, Dave Clark, together with his friend Frank Connor, have undertaken a month-by-month survey of the park’s wild flowers, taking into account those that have grown naturally and those thriving after wildflower planting. They divided the park into seven transepts that reflected the management processes of each terrain noting some eighty wildflower species, concluding that the most fertile areas of growth were in the most managed areas. They recommended that the least managed areas should be improved and that where possible grass should be left long. As the project develops, we will look forward to more detailed reports.
In conclusion, this year has given us mixed messages and can perhaps be remembered as the year of the gastropod, when the snails and slugs have taken over our gardens free of predators. There is a huge number of species of slugs and snails which we may encounter, not all of which are unfriendly. If somebody loves them enough, they may in the future be a subject for study if wet summers are here to stay.
New Volunteers Sought
The Wildlife Group and Tree Group have now amalgamated and anyone with an interest in joining is invited to get in touch by emailing
In particular, members with an interest in the care and conservation of Dulwich trees and who might wish to make an active contribution are invited to apply.
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Autumn Fungus Walk
Some 20 Society members enjoyed a fungus walk in Dulwich Park in mid-October. The park is home to an astonishing number of mushrooms, brackets, jellies and slime moulds, reflecting its origin as former countryside and home to many ancient as well as more recently planted trees. Our excellent guide was Fabrice Boltho, who leads fungus identification for the South London Botanical Institute (SLBI), and who linked many of the fungi we found to their nearby tree hosts for which they play an important, symbiotic role in feeding and protection. In a very enjoyable two-hour walk, we found over 30 types of fungus and learned a huge amount. Proceeds from the walk were donated to the SLBI.
Honey Fungus - A Silent Killer in Dulwich
The fungus from which Dulwich gardeners have most to fear is honey fungus - Armillaria mellea - that often explains the unexpected death of healthy bushes and trees. It has topped the list of disease enquiries to the Royal Horticultural Society since it started recording these in 1995; the most common recent hosts were privet, rose and viburnum.
The most obvious symptoms are death of the tree or shrub, with early signs being poor growth, cracking and bleeding bark, failure to flower and foliage discolouration. It can be diagnosed by peeling back the bark on the stem base or on roots, which will reveal a thin white layer of fungal tissue (mycelium) and/or black “bootlaces” (rhizomorphs) between the dead bark and the wood. Honey-coloured fruiting bodies - “mushrooms” - sometimes appear on the surface in the autumn. The fungus spreads by air-borne spores from the fruiting bodies, by root-to-root contact between plants and by underground rhizomorphs, those bootlaces, which can grow a metre a year.
Left untreated, plants will continue to be affected. The best treatment is to dig up and remove the diseased plant and as much of its root as possible, as well as those of any adjacent dead or dying plants; in hedges, the RHS recommends taking out plants a metre either side of the dead plant. Then leave the area fallow for 6 to 12 months, digging over regularly to break up and starve any fungal fragments and remove the rotting material that they feed on. Creating an impermeable plastic barrier around the affected area and replacing soil is an alternative, but harder work.
The RHS publishes lists of trees and shrubs that are susceptible and those that show resistance (www.rhs.org.uk/honeyfungushosts), as well as detailed advice on dealing with the problem.
Reuniting Sydenham Hill Wood & Dulwich Wood
The National Lottery Heritage Fund has awarded a £1.02m grant towards the £1.5m project to reunite the two woods under the management of the London Wildlife Trust, aimed at revitalising the 27 hectares of woodland, enhancing biodiversity and conservation, and improving the experience for visitors, volunteers and the local community. Work on the three-year project starts shortly.
The Society has been asked to raise £10,000 towards the balance of the required funding for the project and has agreed to provide £5,000 of match-funding towards this. Members of the Society will be able to contribute financially towards this important, transformational project - full details to come in the Spring 2025 Journal.
More elms for Dulwich
The Dulwich Estate has been awarded a further ten disease-resistant elm trees by Elms4London, an initiative of the Metropolitan Public Gardens Association, which will be planted in the new year. A number of these trees have been given to the Estate and the Dulwich Society in recent years, including one that the Society planted in Dulwich Picture Gallery last year to commemorate Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
Elm trees were an important feature of the Dulwich landscape before the introduction of Dutch Elm Disease, a trio of fungi species spread by elm bark beetles (young and slightly older, dying elms can be seen in Gallery Road and Grange Lane). Elms provide forage for some 40 species of moth and for the White-letter Hairstreak butterfly (see Wildlife article). This spends the winter months in the egg stage in the end branches of elms, with the first instar larvae emerging in March to feed on elm flowers. There is a colony in Gallery Road.
2025 Garden Coach Visit - Save the Date
Our coach trip next year will be on Wednesday 11th June to Sissinghurst, the flagship National Trust Garden, and Pashley Manor, one of the finest gardens in England. Details of the visit and how to book will be in the 2025 Spring Journal and the Open Gardens brochure, both out in early March.
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