Places to Visit in South London - Dulwich

After a train journey which unexpectedly involved a ticket inspection - I've never encountered one on a train before - I found myself at West Dulwich station, which is one of three stations called Dulwich. I've already blogged about North Dulwich, which wasn't particularly all too different from the nearby suburb of Herne Hill, but West Dulwich is more closely linked to the old Dulwich Village. Alight here for the Picture Gallery and the College, which I blogged about recently.

Dulwich started out as a hamlet, with it first being recorded in 967 AD. It was later gifted to Bermondsey Abbey in 1127, though later ended up in the hands of playwright Edward Alleyn in 1605. Alleyn is arguably central to the growth of Dulwich - he established a chapel, and the College of God's Gift, a foundation which ran a school for twelve poor boys, and an almshouse for twelve poor men and women. This is when Dulwich College was founded, and was the beginning of Dulwich being a hotspot for the elite. By 1626, Alleyn was dead, but his legacy lives on through various schools, some of which are named for him. The photo below is the Edward Alleyn House, which houses the Dulwich Almshouse Charity's almhouses:

The railways came later. In 1863, Dulwich station opened, later renamed West Dulwich, and in 1868, North and East Dulwich both arrived (albeit under different names). There's nothing else to discuss here, however, so let's move on to the South Circular, which threads through the area, however this too isn't so exciting. Now that I have pleased my inner transport spirit, I'll focus on the places to see here.

Belair Park

Here's a rather pleasant park which measures out at 10 hectares large, and has existed since 1785. That year, Belair House was constructed, though initially it was called College House. It's a rather splendid house in what is now an unusual location, this being the middle of a public park - however, the park's only been freely accessible since 1947. As with most fancy houses, it's available for weddings and other private events, but seemingly not for anyone keen enough to enter and explore.

 

Otherwise, Belair Park is a rather ordinary area full of families and dogwalkers walking around on a half-term break. Somewhat notably, there is a large lake which is seemingly the last remnant of the River Effra above ground (otherwise it's hidden within sewers) but I didn't notice this before I visited so I don't have any photos of the lake. (I have since returned and taken photos!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To the north of Belair Park lies Dulwich Sports Ground, which is where I once had a school sports day. I am now thus delighted to announce that I have visited all the places where I once took part in sports day, and am also now thus willing to reveal that I only took part in one event across five years, although I would have done another if not for someone deciding to steal my spotlight.

Dulwich Picture Gallery

I'm not entirely sure how entry works for the Dulwich Picture Gallery - the website said that under-18s can come in free, and I did exactly that, making sure I'd get a ticket as both a memento and a guarantee that I could enter. But looking at the ticket, it reads as if I got free entry to their Tirzah Garwood exhibition alone, so that somewhat confused me.

The gallery itself is quite charming (although currently under renovation and its side is covered in scaffolding), and considering how removed Dulwich is from Central London, it's worth visiting if you're in South London and are nearby. Various stunning portraits line walls of blue and crimson, including those of Richard Burbage, an Elizabethan actor local to the area, and sure the gallery isn't particularly large - I got around in about half an hour - yet walking around and taking in the art makes for a good morning regardless.

The gallery's origins date back to 1790, when court painter Sir Francis Bourgeois, along with Noel Desenfans, were commissioned by the king of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth to create an art collection for him. The only issue was that five years later, the Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth no longer existed, so after attempting to sell the collection, Bourgeois decided to gift the collection to Dulwich College, so long as it was put up for public access. In 1817, Dulwich Picture Gallery was born. 

There's all sorts of paintings here, with various focusing on religion and Christianity in particular, whilst others are of nobility and Roman deities, like this one of Venus and Mars. Artists like Rubens and Rembrandt are celebrated in a separate Flemish section, whilst the works of various Italian and Spanish painters can be found at the other end of the gallery. The oldest painting in the gallery, A Young Man, was initially thought to be by Da Vinci, so says the caption, but it's now attributed to Piero di Cosimo.

The Garwood exhibition was quite interesting too, going through her life and art, along with some of her husband, Eric Ravillious, which ranged from idyllic snowmen and fields, to her marbled papers - entrancing patterns of nature which remind me of shop cushions. It's worth the visit, and along the way you can listen to an audio recording discussing Garwood, whilst standing in the magnificent mausoleum that holds the tombs of Bourgeois and Desenfans, what with its yellow lighting and roofed window. However, the exhibition only lasts until the 26th May, though there are various ones coming up as well.

Outside, there is a series of sculptures dotted around a rather lovely garden, and there's also a cafe which, like most cafes in museums, is rather expensive. Dulwich Picture Gallery certainly makes for a great day out, though ticket prices may vary. I am very glad I got to visit before I turned 18 for this reason alone.

    

From here I walked down College Road, as per a blogpost I wrote last month. Here thus concludes my trip to Dulwich, and I can gladly say that it's a somewhat charming part of south London, if not possibly out of place with its gallery and large ornate housing, however that doesn't make it not worth visiting. If only Alleyn was alive to see what his hamlet ended up becoming, with its railways, P4 route, and cultural hub.

Statue of Edward Alleyn