London History

A wander away from our usual beaten track of the East End to leafy Dulwich. Why? Because I live here - East Dulwich to be exact. This is a part of London that’s changed enormously in the last few years, from a rather shabby suburb in the early nineties (traditionally an Irish area, a presence that has visibly diminished in the meanwhile), very popular with teachers, who could afford the distressed Victorian dwellings in this ‘perfect example of the Victorian suburb’ as it has been described. They certainly couldn’t afford it anymore, and would probably be relegated to ‘key worker’ dwellings somewhere on the outskirts of Croydon. The Claphamisation of the area - with Range Rover buggies, organic sweet shops for the pre-schooler, and revamps of pub into gastropub - is almost complete. A useful starting guide to the area comes via the Dulwich Society, which explains the unusual geography of the area - Dulwich proper is now known as Dulwich Village, with East, West and North Dulwich much later additions. As ever, more to follow when I have time.