Forest Hill SE23
A leafy retreat with a lively arts and café scene.
Forest Hill takes its name from the swathes of woodland that once covered the area, which did not have a large population until the middle of the 19th Century. Today, people buying a home in Forest Hill can enjoy a vibrant town with plenty to see and do. The Horniman Museum, built by tea merchant Frederick Horniman, who donated it to the two in 1901, is a well-known, if eclectic local attraction. It contains, among many other things, an aquarium, several fine musical instruments, flower gardens and one of the world’s most comprehensive collections of taxidermy.
Equally varied is the list of famous former residents. These range from German theologian and Christian martyr killed by the Nazis, Dietrich Bonhoffer, Irish stage and screen actor, Michael Gambon, author of thriller novels Raymond Chandler, singer/songwriter, Mica Paris and renowned spiritual medium, Doris Stokes.
