The desirable area of Dulwich in south London comprises East Dulwich, West Dulwich and Dulwich Village and lies in a valley between the neighbouring districts including Camberwell, Crystal Palace, Denmark Hill, Forest Hill, Gipsy Hill, Peckham, Penge and West Norwood. It is thought the name may come from two old English words: Dill – meaning a white flower; and wihs – meaning a damp meadow, thus giving a meaning of “the meadow where dill grows”.
Local landmarks include the beautiful Dulwich Park, which includes a children’s playground, rowing and duck ponds, a bowling green, tennis court and café, and the Crown and Greyhound, a Grade II listed public house in Dulwich Village. The pub, which built in around 1900, was a merger of two former pubs located across the street from one another. The Crown was for labourers, while The Greyhound was for the gentry, was a coach stop on the London Piccadilly to Sittingbourne route, and was frequented by Charles Dickens.
Dulwich has a plethora of restaurants and pubs, while the nearby Crystal Palace Food Market takes place every Saturday at Haynes Lane and includes stalls offering fish, meat, veg, fruit, flowers, wine, beer, eggs, charcuterie, pasta and cakes. The community not-for-profit market supports small sustainable farmers and local producers. Also local is the Herne Hill Market organised by City & Country Farmers’ Markets, which takes place every Sunday with around 50 traders.
