The park known as Hilly Fields - roughly between Lewisham and Brockley in South East London - was once surrounded by green pastures until, in the 19th century, the land was sold off as building plots and houses began to spring up. We are told that the fields on the hill were saved due to protests from local people, and today they remain a fine community resource and a testament to the foresight of those people.
One of those who helped with the fight was Octavia Hill, the driving force behind the National Trust, who helped to raise subscriptions from the likes of William Morris, the Duke of Westminster and some City Livery Companies to save the fields of Bridge House Farm and green a site which had once been a brick works to become the park that South East Londoners know and love today.
For more, see
http://www.hilly.org.uk/history/
^Picture © Blowing Puffer Fish used under a Creative Commons license^
Very nice photo!
ReplyDelete