Facts about Herne Hill
Herne Hill History
By the mid-19th century, the road from the modern Herne Hill Junction to Denmark Hill was lined with large residential estates and the area had become a prosperous suburb for the merchant class. Herne Hill was transformed by the arrival of the London, Chatham & Dover Railway in 1862. Cheap and convenient access to London Victoria, the City of London, Kent and south-west London created a demand for middle-class housing.
A letter reporting a Herne Hill sighting of Victorian folklore demon Spring-heeled Jack, “that malapropre fellow of the ghost”, was published in the Camberwell and Peckham Times on 9 November 1872. The incident was recorded as taking place where the footpath on Herne Hill ran past St.Paul’s Church into Half Moon Lane. Herne Hill escaped lightly from V-weapons attacks during World War II, with five V-1 flying bombs and six deaths recorded.
General Info
Herne Hill is a district in South London, England, approximately four miles from Charing Cross and bordered by Brixton, Denmark Hill, Dulwich Village, Loughborough Junction and Tulse Hill. It overlaps the boundary between the boroughs of Lambeth and Southwark. There is a road of the same name in the area, as well as a railway station.
In Rocque’s 1746 map, the area is shown as “Island Green”, probably reflecting the presence of the River Effra and smaller tributaries. Early references to the area also use the form “Ireland Green”. The earliest documented reference to “Herne Hill” is in two fire insurance policies issued by the Sun Insurance Company in 1792.
