In the second half of the nineteenth century, after the removal of the Crystal Palace to the hill above, Sydenham and Forest Hill were among the most delightful of London's suburbs. By the first two decades of the twentieth century they were beginning to decline a little bit from their peak of fashionable favour but, nevertheless, most of these scenes from the classic age of the postcard still recall the life of the wealthy residents of the area - their fine houses, their elegant carriages (including some early examples of the horseless kind), and the luxurious shops they patronised. There are also a good many photographs of the private schools to which they sent their children.
This fascinating selection of 200 photographs of Sydenham and Forest Hill, hardly any of which have been published in book form, does not forget the poor, however, and the book includes a number of scenes of working class streets, including a particularly fine collection of views of the Wells Park Road area, an historic and picturesque district of which almost nothing now survives.
These photographs may be thoroughly enjoyed from the comfort of an armchair or can be used more actively. Each section covers a comparatively small area, and is arranged in a roughly geographical order, and so can easily be made the basis for a most enjoyable walk.
To examine on the spot the changes made by our century certainly enhances the interest of photographs of this kind.