please empty your brain below
A perfectly pleasant start to the day, thank you.

Waterhouse | 29.07.19 - 7:33 a.m. | #

To spend an hour in the park you must have spent at least an hour each way on the journeys. That would be of interest too.

Did you go Bow Road/Whitechapel/Sydenham/then walk? Or decide on something more exotic - Bow Church/Lewisham/Lower Sydenham/bus from Bell Green? Do you plan your journeys with the same randomness as your destinations?

RayL | 29.07.19 - 8:18 a.m. | #

Thank you,DG, for a very entertaining post today.

Jo W | 29.07.19 - 8:26 a.m. | #

Great article!

I have a personal interest here as l lived in the now demolished 26 Longton Avenue - now part of a nature reserve. Along with no. 24, it was knocked down in 1994. Our garden had a well in it and apparently there were 7 wells in total in the park.

The seven wells formed a little stream -the big dip in Jews Walk is caused by it - which joins the River Pool in Lower Sydenham where the old gas works used to be. Eleanor Marx, sister of Karl Marx used to live in Jews Walk (earlier as did we),and would have known Wells Park. Perhaps she walked around it with her famous philosopher brother.

One famous resident of Longton Avenue who surely would have played in Wells Park was Susan Balion, known to me-and-you as Siouxie of the Banshees. Her family were resident at 13 Longton Avenue when she was born on 27th May 1957. Later of course, she moved to Chislehurst.

A truly magical place - thanks for posting!

Le Ver | 29.07.19 - 8:34 a.m. | #

A pleasant hour in the park for us to vicariously enjoy. In an interesting neighbourhood too.

Malcolm | 29.07.19 - 9:12 a.m. | #

Sydenham Wells Park is my daughter and son in law’s local park. She runs there early mornings and sees such delights as green woodpeckers, buzzards and others. It’s a lovely tranquil space in a busy area. Glad you visited and enjoyed it.

Christine | 29.07.19 - 9:35 a.m. | #

"Please listen for the audible sound."
Brilliant message.
Perhaps they could add "Please ignore the inaudable sounds.", "Please stop listening while there are no audible sounds." For the hard of hearing there could be a sign saying "Please read the visible sign."

kev | 29.07.19 - 10:18 a.m. | #

You neglected to mention that Sydenham Wells Park is on one of the branches of the Green Chain walk. Since you have walked the part of this which is on the Capital Ring, perhaps this is another project for exploring south east London?

dg writes: Walked it. Blogged it.

Ian Paton | 29.07.19 - 11:11 a.m. | #

Loved the Orwellian bit; "The camera on the top of the CCTV pole swivels so that Lewisham council can check nobody's been enjoying themselves too much."

Tim | 29.07.19 - 11:36 a.m. | #

Eleanor was Karl's daughter and moved to Jews Walk some time after his death. She took her own life at the house in Jews walk in 1898 when she found out her partner Edward Aveling had secretly married someone else.

Has DG previously posted anything regarding this remarkable lady?

MO

MO | 29.07.19 - 12:36 p.m. | #

My introduction to this park occurred thanks to the London Bubble Theatre having it as one of the places they were putting on of their promenade performances (I'm pretty sure it was The Sirens of Titan). It was light when it began but as the sun faded we were led from one lit vignette to the next by torchlight, which added a touch of mystery.
I'd certainly never realised, before that, quite how large and how well laid out it was.

RogerW | 29.07.19 - 2:08 p.m. | #

Seen from the others pint of view:

Odd looking(?),single male, late 40s - early 50s, taking notes (?), looking around. Looks slightly shifty/sus.

What he doing in the park? Not walking a dog. Is alone. Doesn't work here and not seen him before.

mmmm

E | 29.07.19 - 2:16 p.m. | #

Ideally, as DG implies, the notice should indicate what sort of sound you should listen out for. But the notice drafter probably had no idea.

Malcolm | 29.07.19 - 4:05 p.m. | #

What a pleasant bit of people-watching.

Cornish Cockney | 29.07.19 - 9:18 p.m. | #

Lovely snapshot - It looks to me that DG's very bench was here (visible in aerial view)

I happened to do a similar thing not so far away, here - not on a bench, and not blogged, but in a grassy field listening to the utterly relaxing summertime sound of chirping crickets in surround-sound and surveying those coming and going. There is much to be said for just stopping and taking in the scene.

NicW | 29.07.19 - 9:20 p.m. | #

It’s interesting looking at old late Victorian/early 20th century maps that there used to be a road running straight through the middle of the park. There’s no sign of it now.
[old map]

Ed | 29.07.19 - 11:23 p.m. | #

I like it. I’m going to try it. Melbourne, Australia version though.

Sally Hirst | 31.07.19 - 12:06 a.m. | #











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