All short films
On the Street Where You Live: Alleyn Road
Alleyn Road has a pleasant wide aspect with large houses on both sides, it was not like that originally. Although building started in the 1860s, the final houses on the west side were not completed until the early 1890s. Prior to 1900, the east side consisted of the fences of the back gardens of the larger houses in Alleyn Park and it took almost a further 100 years for this side of the road to be fully developed, the last houses being completed in the 1990s. Ian McInnes' talk will cover not only the houses and their builders, but also a range of their occupiers, many of them notable, and interesting, characters.
Bovril Castle: The Story of Kingswood House with Ian McInnes
Historic Kingswood House in South Dulwich, is now under the management of Kingswood Arts, and has become a not-for-profit cultural and community centre. The building we see today dates from the 1890s but there has been a house there since 1814. Ian McInnes will take the story up to WW2 covering the more notable and influential owners and its years as a Canadian Army hospital in WW1.
The Lost Mansions of Dulwich Village
Just over 100 years ago, the last of the huge old mansions on the northern side of Dulwich Village were demolished. This illustrated talk by Ian McInnes will cover all five, The Hall, Menival/Fairfield, Lake House/Chinese Cottage, the White House/St Austins and Beech House/Warigul along with their wealthy occupants, many of them influential Victorian entrepreneurs.
A History of Taste Through the Dulwich Picture Gallery Collection
Jennifer Scott, Director of Dulwich Picture Gallery will present a history of taste through masterpieces from the Gallery's Collection. From its outset, the Gallery has been at the forefront of innovation and creativity.
Changing Face of Dulwich Over Time with Brian Green
Spot the difference and see how much (or how little) has changed in Dulwich then and now. Brian Green has a lifetime’s collection of images of past Dulwich together with first-hand memories, interviews with past residents and hours spent in the archives.
East Dulwich Pubs 1860 to 1960 with Ian McInnes
Before 1860 East Dulwich had two pubs. By the end of the East Dulwich housing boom in the 1880s, there were nearly 20 together with two beer houses and a similar number of beer shops and off-licenses. Pubs were not only for drinking and socialising they were also entertainment, community and sporting centres. Many licensees were interesting characters as were some of their customers. And, unlike many other parts of London, almost all the buildings are still standing, most still used as pubs - though now run by boutique pub companies rather than large breweries or pub proprietors.
Labour Politicians in Dulwich since WW1
This talk covers Labour politicians with connections to Dulwich including socialist propagandist Russell Smart, the founder of the Camberwell Labour Party (and cabinet minister), Arthur Creech Jones, Dulwich Labour MPs Wilfred Vernon, Sam Silkin and Tessa Jowell and interwar Labour parliamentary candidates, CA Smith, Fred Hughes, Helen Bentwich and Jim Delahaye, together with a few other Labour politicians who lived in the area.
Joan Woodward: The Good Sweetheart and Loving Mouse
Join Calista Lucy, Keeper of the Archives of Dulwich College, to find out why Joan Woodward (1573-1623) was more than the stepdaughter of theatrical manager Philip Henslowe and a trophy wife for actor Edward Alleyn.
Why were MI5, MI6, Special Branch, the CIA and the FBI so interested in a resident of a hotel which once stood on Dulwich Common in the aftermath of WW2?
Along Dulwich Common and within a distance of no more than 100 metres, three different nests of spies existed in World War Two. Follow the incredible story of MI5’s tracking of spies, traitors, Nazis and secret agents in Dulwich during WW2 with local historian Brian Green in this illustrated online talk.
Gentle 'Gentrification' in an Area of East Dulwich with Julia Atkins
In 1898 Charles Booth surveyed the area of East Dulwich as part of his studies of poverty in London, and defined many streets in East Dulwich as a mix of poverty and comfort.
Into the 1970s housing in East Dulwich, east of Lordship Lane, was approaching 100 years old. One small part of the area was declared a statutory housing action area (HAA) to concentrate resources on improving properties and helping households.
Social Reformers in Dulwich in the late 19th and early 20th Century with Duncan Bowie
A talk by Duncan Bowie covering birth control and moral hygiene and sex reformers, housing and planning reformers and anti-slavery campaigners, all of whom at one time lived in Dulwich. Includes Annie Besant, Alice Vickery, Havelock Ellis, Ebenezer Howard, Rev John Harris and Alice Harris and more.
The Grove Tavern in Dulwich with Ian McInnes
There has been a pub on the corner of Dulwich Common and Lordship Lane since the early 18th century and possibly earlier. Originally called the Green Man, it was known as Bew's Corner in the early 19th century and, from the 1860s, the Grove Tavern.
The existing building dates from the 1920s and this illustrated online talk covers not only the buildings themselves but also the men who ran the pubs as well as some of the characters who used them.
Dulwich in World War One: Saving Private Russell
Just like the Hollywood movie starring Tom Hanks, Dulwich also had its tragedies. Mr Russell who lived at Pond Cottages had five sons and the youngest was about to be called up for service. The vicar of St Barnabas wrote that he thought his four brothers had already been killed.
This talk by Brian Green recalls the enlistment of local men in August 1914 at the rate of 250 per day, the care of wounded at Southwark Military Hospital (Dulwich Hospital), the story of Dulwich’s volunteer battalion and everyday life for civilians.
Georgian Dulwich with Ian McInnes
Local historian and architect Ian McInnes takes us on a tour of Dulwich’s magnificent Georgian heritage: the buildings and the families who lived in them from the time they were built.
The Decline of Farming and the Rise of the Sports Clubs in Dulwich
Farming in Dulwich, which had provided income for the Priory of Bermondsey for 400 years and for almost as long for Alleyn’s College of God’s Gift, was virtually over by the outbreak of the First World War. Its decline was slow and its demise was finally brought about by the efficiency of home milk deliveries by the new giant dairy companies which sprang up with the introduction of bottling plants, homogenised milk and the use of milk trains for nation-wide distribution. Local historian Brian Green shows us how Dulwich farms became the sports fields of today.
Dulwich's Musical Past with Patrick Humphries
Music writer Patrick Humphries takes us on a musical tour of Dulwich.
Royal Dulwich with Ian McInnes
Celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and discover more about Dulwich’s many and varied royal connections through this Dulwich Society online illustrated talk, from Elizabeth I through to our current queen.
Republicans, Suffragettes and Pacifists in Dulwich
Join Duncan Bowie to learn about some of the many political activists and social reformers connected to Dulwich who were active at a national and international level.
On the Street Where You Live: Dulwich Then and Now
An online illustrated local history talk of fascinating comparisons of Dulwich then with Dulwich now. Spot the difference and see how much (or how little) has changed. Brian Green has a lifetime’s collection of images of past Dulwich together with first-hand memories, interviews with past residents and hours spent in the archives.
On the Street Where You Live: Turney Road
An online illustrated local history talk covering the development of Turney Road from fields to the housing we see today with Ian McInnes.
On the Street Where You Live: Park Hall Road between the Rosendale and the Alleyn's Head
The first Dulwich Society online talk for 2022 is a detailed history of the development of Park Hall Road in West Dulwich with Ian McInnes. It features the long-lost Rosendale Hall, the Manor House and the Croxted Rd shops and will complement the “On the Street Where You Live”; series previously published in the Dulwich Society Journal.
On the Street Where You Live: Dulwich Homes - A Mid Century Oasis with Ian McInnes
To mark the publication of his new book, Ian McInnes, Chair of the Twentieth Century Society, gives us an illustrated talk on the collaboration between the Dulwich Estate, house builder Wates and the Estate's architects, Austin Vernon & Partners, which saw over 2,000 new houses built in the area from the late 1950s through to the early 1970s.
On the street where you live: Dulwich Communists
Duncan Bowie, of the Dulwich Society, talks about a group of Dulwich based communists in the post war period, including George Thomson, Jonathan and Frida Knight, Alan Upward, Monty and Jean Shapiro.