Dulwich Upper Wood

Dulwich Upper Wood is a 2.4-hectare local nature reserve in Crystal Palace, within the London Borough of Southwark. It stands on land once part of the Great North Wood in the Manor of Dulwich. In the 19th century the area became known as Crystal Palace after the Great Exhibition building was moved there. The wood formed the gardens of large houses until the Crystal Palace burnt down in 1936. After decades of neglect the gardens grew over and the houses were demolished. In 1981 the site was handed to the Trust for Urban Ecology to become a nature reserve. The wood is mainly oak woodland, with some oaks more than 300 years old. Sycamores and other native trees grow alongside trees planted in the Victorian gardens. Over 200 species of fungus grow here, and spring brings wood anemones, bluebells, ramsons and yellow pimpernels. A wide variety of breeding birds nests in the reserve each year. The site is recognised as Grade 1 for nature conservation in the borough. Visitors enter from two points on Farquhar Road, one opposite Dulwich Wood Avenue. Inside, paths wind through the oak and sycamore canopy, past ancient trunks and patches of spring flowers. The air carries the scent of damp earth and green leaves. Birdsong fills the gaps between the trees, while fungi appear on the woodland floor in autumn. The reserve offers a quiet corner of London where the Great North Wood’s past can still be felt.