Gipsy Hill

Gipsy Hill is an area in south London within the London Borough of Lambeth and the historic county of Surrey. It borders the London Boroughs of Southwark and Croydon.

"Central Hill" redirects here. For the place in America, see Somerville, Massachusetts § Hills.

Gipsy Hill

View of Gipsy Hill, looking north towards the City of London
Gipsy Hill
Location within Greater London
Population13,712 (2011 Census. Ward)[1]
OS grid referenceTQ332710
London borough
Ceremonial countyGreater London
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townLONDON
Postcode districtSE19, SE27
Dialling code020
PoliceMetropolitan
FireLondon
AmbulanceLondon
UK Parliament
London Assembly

History

Gipsy Hill is the name of the main road that runs in a southerly direction from Gipsy Road, near its junction with South Croxted Road, down to Westow Hill in Upper Norwood (Crystal Palace). The name has been extended to encompass the hilly area in the south-eastern corner of Lambeth borough that is situated south of Gipsy Road and east of Salters Hill. It takes its name from the presence of Gypsies in what was historically a relatively remote, rural area.[2][3] On 11 August 1668, Samuel Pepys recorded in his diary that his wife had visited "the gypsies at Lambeth"; they may well have been located in this area.[4]

The area rapidly developed after Gipsy Hill railway station was opened in 1856, with large houses being constructed (most now subdivided) and blocks of council properties being built in the mid-20th century.[2] An 18-room nuclear bunker was constructed between 1963 and 1966 as part of a block of flats on the Central Hill Estate called Pear Tree House on Lunham Road.[5]

Politics

Gipsy Hill ward is represented by three elected members of Lambeth Borough Council and also includes some areas that are often identified as parts of West Norwood and West Dulwich.

Buildings and facilities

Police

Gipsy Hill Police Station is on Central Hill, a road about 50 m from the top of the one named Gipsy Hill. It is London's highest Police station.

Pubs

There are two pubs on Gipsy Hill road itself - The Colby Arms and The Great Southern, with a third (The Railway Bell) hidden away somewhat on Cawnpore Street.[6] Two others - the Two Towers and The Paxton - lie on Gipsy Road.

The area also hosts two independent brewing companies – the Gipsy Hill Brewing Co and the London Beer Factory.[7]

Schools
  • Elm Wood Primary School, Carnac Street.
  • Kingswood Primary School, Gipsy Road (on two sites). Details of a series of reports on the school can be found in the relevant section of the Ofsted website.[8]
  • Park Campus Academy, Gipsy Road.
  • Paxton Primary School, Woodland Road. Details of a series of reports on the school can be found in the relevant section of the Ofsted website.[9]

Elm Wood, Kingswood and Paxton schools are all members of The Gipsy Hill Federation.[10]

There are no private schools in Gipsy Hill itself, but a number operate nearby in areas such as West Dulwich.

Churches

The following congregations meet in buildings that are readily identified as places of worship:

  • Berridge Road Community Church (Anglican), Berridge Road, SE19 1EF[11]
  • Christ Church, Gipsy Hill (Anglican), 1 Highland Road SE19 1DP[12]
  • Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses, Whiteley Road, SE19 1JT
  • Upper Norwood Methodist Church, Westow Hill, SE19 1TQ[13]

These buildings were constructed as places of worship but are now used for other purposes:

  • Former Gipsy Hill Wesleyan Chapel, 16 Gipsy Hill, SE19 1NL - converted into flats.
  • Former Gipsy Road Baptist Church, 226 Gipsy Road, SE27 9RB - upper part converted into flats, ground floor used by a nursery.

Nearest places
a boundary marker for Camberwell Parish on the route of the Effra at Gipsy Hill is now partially buried by later layers of pavement.

Nearest stations

Notable residents

References
  1. "Lambeth Ward population 2011". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 12 October 2016.
  2. Willey, Russ. Chambers London Gazetteer, p 192
  3. http://romanygenes.com/#/the-norwood-gypsies/4574799978
  4. "Tuesday 11 August 1668 (Pepys' Diary)". Pepysdiary.com. Retrieved 18 August 2013.
  5. "The secret plan in place for if a nuclear bomb had been dropped on Croydon". Croydon Advertiser. 15 December 2017. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  6. https://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/areas/gipsy-hill/greater-london/
  7. "5 Places to Live in South London". UK Investor. Retrieved 29 August 2016.
  8. "Kingswood Primary School". Ofsted. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
  9. "Paxton Primary School". Ofsted. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
  10. "The Gipsy Hill Federation". Retrieved 14 September 2015.
  11. "Christ Church Gipsy Hill". Gipsyhill.org.uk. Retrieved 18 August 2013.
  12. "Christ Church Gipsy Hill". Gipsyhill.org.uk. Retrieved 18 August 2013.
  13. Balston, James (7 December 2012). "The Triangle SE19: Upper Norwood Methodist Church". Thetrianglese19.blogspot.co.uk. Retrieved 18 August 2013.
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