With the Boroughs of Croydon, Bromley, Southwark and Lambeth all 3 miles from this neighbourhood area, it is clear Sydenham is uniquely placed around some of South London’s most notable Boroughs. Sydenham’s centrality makes it benefit from great transport links including three train stations and a host of bus routes, however neighbouring Beckenham is not as accessible. Once a part of Kent, Sydenham has grown to become one of Lewisham’s most trendy areas. It’s closest high street boasts an array of independent shops, restaurants, a bakery and cafes which have a reputation for fun and creativity. This neighbourhood area is also blessed to have Lewisham’s oldest public park within walking distance equipped with its own tennis courts, public gym and children’s playpark.

Once known as Shippenham, Sydenham was originally a small settlement made up of a small number of cottages in the woods, whose inhabitants made their livelihood through collecting wood and farming animals. In the 1640s, new crowds were attracted to Sydenham because springs of water containing medicinal properties were found in what is now Wells Park. Sydenham rapidly grew in the 19th century due to the formation of the Croydon Canal in 1809, which saw Croydon being linked to the Grand Surrey Canal with a reservoir being constructed in Sydenham, today Sydenham’s population sits at around 15,000. The neighbourhood area sits within the Lewisham West and Penge Parliamentary Constituency, which was created in 2010 during the Fifth Periodic Review of Westminster Constituencies, since then the Constituency has been led by a Labour Member of Parliament.

This area is home to an abandoned railway from the Crystal Palace and South London Junction Railway located within the Sydenham Woods. The socialist campaigner Eleanor Marx, daughter of Karl Marx, once lived in Sydenham in the 19th century.

From August 2017 to June 2018, almost a quarter of Sydenham’s crimes were attributed to violent and sexual offenses. Residents have been protesting local developments that will cut down local woods.

There are a number of large scale residential developments underway in Sydenham at the moment. Maybrey Works and Dylon Factory Works are the foremost of these schemes, hosting over 400 new homes between them, with the former offering a gym and Landscaped communal gardens. There are also a number of lower density developments currently underway offering more traditional housing to potential buyers rather than the flats on offer in the previously mentioned schemes.