Denmark Hill is an area and road in

Camberwell Camberwell () is a district of South London, England, in the London Borough of Southwark, southeast of Charing Cross. Camberwell was first a village associated with the church of St Giles and a common of which Goose Green is a remnant. This e ...

, in the London Borough of Southwark. It is a sub-section of the western flank of the

Norwood Ridge The Norwood Ridge is a rectangular upland which occupies the geographical centre of south London, centred south of London Bridge. Beneath its topsoil it is a ridge of London Clay that is capped on all sides (including as isolated knolls in t ...

, centred on the long, curved

Ruskin Park Ruskin Park is a park in the London Borough of Lambeth, London, England, close to Camberwell, Loughborough Junction and Herne Hill. History At the start of the 20th century local residents successfully campaigned for a new public park on 24 acr ...

slope of the ridge. The road is part of the

A215 The A215 is an A road in south London, starting at Elephant and Castle and finishing around Shirley. It runs through the London Boroughs of Lambeth, Southwark and Croydon. Beginning as Walworth Road, the A215 becomes Camberwell Road—much o ...

which north of its main foot,

Camberwell Green Camberwell Green is of common land in Camberwell, south London laid out as a formal park. Its south-west corner is the junction of Camberwell Road/Denmark Hill and Camberwell New Road/Camberwell Church Street. Its other edges share one point ...

, becomes

Camberwell Road The A215 is an A road in south London, starting at Elephant and Castle and finishing around Shirley. It runs through the London Boroughs of Lambeth, Southwark and Croydon. Beginning as Walworth Road, the A215 becomes Camberwell Road—mu ...

and south of Red Post Hill becomes named Herne Hill, another district.

Toponymy

The area and road is said to have acquired its name from Queen Anne's husband,

Prince George of Denmark Prince George of Denmark ( da, Jørgen; 2 April 165328 October 1708) was the husband of Anne, Queen of Great Britain. He was the consort of the British monarch from Anne's accession on 8 March 1702 until his death in 1708. The marriage of Georg ...

, who hunted there. High Street, Camberwell was renamed Denmark Hill as part of metropolitan street renaming.

History

In John Cary's map of 1786 the area is shown as ''Dulwich Hill''. The only building apparent is the "Fox under the Hill". The present "Fox on the Hill" pub is a hundred yards or so further up (south), on the site of former St Matthew's

Vicarage A clergy house is the residence, or former residence, of one or more priests or ministers of religion. Residences of this type can have a variety of names, such as manse, parsonage, rectory or vicarage. Function A clergy house is typically own ...

adjacent to a triangle of land rumoured to be a " plague pit" or burial ground. The name of the area was changed in honour of the husband of Queen Anne,

The area is home of the Maudsley Hospital and King's College Hospital, and also of

, named after John Ruskin, who once lived nearby. The preface to his work '' Unto This Last'' is dated "Denmark Hill, 10th May, 1862". The Institute of Psychiatry is based behind the Maudsley Hospital, a school of King's College London (University of London). The college also has a hall of residence immediately east at Champion Hill. The Salvation Army's

William Booth Memorial Training College William Booth College on Champion Park, Denmark Hill in the London Borough of Southwark, is the headquarters of The Salvation Army leadership and officer training which delivers education and training programmes for the United Kingdom. Designed b ...

on Champion Park which was designed by Giles Gilbert Scott was completed in 1932; it towers over south London. It has a similar monumental impressiveness to Gilbert Scott's other south London buildings, Battersea Power Station and

Bankside Power Station Bankside Power Station is a decommissioned electricity generating station located on the south bank of the River Thames, in the Bankside area of the Borough of Southwark, London. It generated electricity from 1891 to 1981. It was also used as ...

(now housing Tate Modern), although its simplicity is partly the result of repeated budget cuts during its construction: much more detail, including carved

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

stonework surrounding the windows, was originally planned.

Shepherd's Bush F.C. Shepherd's Bush Football Club were an English football club based in Shepherd's Bush, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, although they originally played in central and south London. History The club were founded as Old St Stephen ...

played in the area as Old St Stephen's F.C.

Geography

Its postcode is SE5. North-east and south-easterly slopes of the same eminence are named Grove Hill and Dog Kennel Hill, on top of which the summit is shared with Champion Hill, the only divide being proximity to the respective two affluent streets which intersection on Camberwell descent. From

northwards the land is much lower and very gently sloped as in northern

Brixton Brixton is a district in south London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. Brixton experienced a rapid rise in population during the 19th ce ...

at its other foot, in the west. There are good views across central London from vantage points (e.g. top-storey windows). On a clear day some viewers can read the time on the

Big Ben Big Ben is the nickname for the Great Bell of the Great Clock of Westminster, at the north end of the Palace of Westminster in London, England, and the name is frequently extended to refer also to the clock and the clock tower. The officia ...

clockface.

Transport

Recent Picture of Denmark Hill station building 2016

Denmark Hill has a major transport interchange served by London Overground,

Southeastern The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each se ...

and Thameslink rail services and

London Buses London Buses is the subsidiary of Transport for London (TfL) that manages most bus services in London, England. It was formed following the Greater London Authority Act 1999 that transferred control of London Regional Transport (LRT) bus se ...

Rail

Denmark Hill railway station is served by Southeastern services to London Victoria via

Bexleyheath Bexleyheath is a town in south-east London, England. It had a population of 31,929 as at 2011. Bexleyheath is located south-east of Charing Cross, and forms part of the London Borough of Bexley. It is identified in the London Plan as one of ...

and

Dartford Dartford is the principal town in the Borough of Dartford, Kent, England. It is located south-east of Central London and is situated adjacent to the London Borough of Bexley to its west. To its north, across the Thames estuary, is Thurrock in ...

via Bexleyheath. London Overground also provides services to and . Thameslink operate services to

London Blackfriars Blackfriars, also known as London Blackfriars, is a central London railway station and connected London Underground station in the City of London. It provides Thameslink services: local (from North to South London), and regional (Bedford and ...

and Sevenoaks and Orpington.

Buses

Denmark Hill is served by many Transport for London bus services connecting it with areas including

Central London Central London is the innermost part of London, in England, spanning several boroughs. Over time, a number of definitions have been used to define the scope of Central London for statistics, urban planning and local government. Its characteris ...

, Croydon, Norwood, Dulwich,

Peckham Peckham () is a district in southeast London, within the London Borough of Southwark. It is south-east of Charing Cross. At the United Kingdom Census 2001, 2001 Census the Peckham ward had a population of 14,720. History "Peckham" is a Saxon p ...

and Penge.

Sites of interest

Ruskin Park

Ruskin Park is a public park at the centre of the long curved slope and half of crest summit area which is Denmark Hill. It was opened on 2 February 1907 with and in 1910 a further were added on the south side of the park. It is named after John Ruskin (1819–1900), who lived near the park.

Weston Education Centre

The Weston Education Centre, with its medical library, is in Denmark Hill.

Notable people

Among those who were born or lived in Denmark Hill are: *

Samuel Prout Samuel Prout painted by John Jackson in 1831 Market Day by Samuel Prout A View in Nuremberg by Samuel Prout Utrecht Town Hall by Samuel Prout in 1841 Samuel Prout (; 17 September 1783 – 10 February 1852) was a British watercolourist, and ...

(1783-1852), artist * Sir Henry Bessemer (1813-1898), inventor * John Belcher (1841-1913), architect * Philip Mainwaring Johnston (1865-1936), architect * John Cyril Porte (1884-1919), aviator *

Arthur Vigers Captain Arthur Whitehair Vigers (20 January 1890 – September 1968) was a British World War I flying ace credited with 14 aerial victories. He was the third ranking of the 27 aces who flew the Sopwith Dolphin, and the highest scoring ace in his ...

(1890-1968), flying ace *

Albert Houthuesen __NOTOC__ Albertus Antonius Johannes Houthuesen (; 3 October 1903 – 20 October 1979), known as Albert Houthuesen ( ), was a Dutch-born British artist. Life Early life and training Albert Houthuesen was born in the Oude Pijp neighbourhood ...

(1903-1979) artist * Catherine Dean (1905-1983), artist * Stan Tracey (1926-2013), jazz pianist and composer * Danny Kirwan (1950-2018), guitarist of Fleetwood Mac from 1968 to 1972 * Lorraine Chase (b. 1951), actress * Jenny Agutter (b. 1952), actress *

Jeremy Bowen Jeremy Francis John Bowen (born 6 February 1960) is a Welsh journalist and television presenter. He was the BBC's Middle East correspondent based in Jerusalem between 1995 and 2000 and the BBC Middle East editor from 2005 to 2022, before being ...

, BBC News reporter *

Jenny Eclair Jenny Eclair (born Jenny Clare Hargreaves; 16 March 1960) is an English comedian, novelist, and actress, best known for her roles in ''Grumpy Old Women'' between 2004 and 2007 and in '' Loose Women'' in 2011 and 2012. Early life Eclair was born ...

(b. 1960), comedian/writer * Lord Nicholas Windsor (b. 1970), member of the Royal Family * Rio Ferdinand (b. 1978), footballer *

Cush Jumbo Cush Jumbo (born 23 September 1985) is a British actress and writer. She is best known for her leading role as attorney Lucca Quinn in the CBS drama series ''The Good Wife'' (2015–16) and the CBS All Access spin-off series ''The Good Fight'' ...

(b. 1985), actress

References

External links

Camberwell Society

SE5 Forum, a community group
{{Authority control Areas of London King's College London Streets in the London Borough of Southwark Camberwell Prince George of Denmark