Down My Way
Mention my neighbourhood, Tulse Hill, to anyone, and they will probably think of it as some unlovely excrescence on the South Circular, to be swept past on the way to Dover. If they’re over sixty, they may well start humming Gene Pitney’s 1963 hit, ’24 Hours from Tulsa’. Streetwear label Hometown Glory even produces a postcard showing some of the dreariest corners of my manor.
But I am now leaping to its defence, with a whistlestop tour of its attractions, all of which lie no more than half a mile from my front door.
1. South London Botanical Institute
This lovely building is one of the best-kept secrets in the area. An elegant Victorian residence, its discreet signboard is easy to overlook and often shrouded in foliage. But at the back is a garden that is a sort of nano-Kew, with plants from different zones. Inside the house you will find an extensive botanical library; a herbarium with thousands of species; gracious reception rooms hosting folk nights, private parties, and all manner of creative workshops; and dozens of hard-working and knowledgeable volunteers. There is no more magical place than a summer open evening at SLBI, when the gardens are illuminated. slbi.org.uk
2. The willow
A bit further along the road, alongside the railway bridge leading into Tulse Hill Station, is a massive weeping willow. It stands higher than the three-storey block of flats it is planted in front of and, ringed with rose-bushes, it is an inspiring sight when in full leaf, its branches rippling gently as the world roars by.
3. The Electric Café
Anyone for bubble-and-squeak? Get down to the Electric Café and order a full English (described by Time Out as ‘delicious and bargainous’) with a gigamug of tea. The décor here has remained unchanged for nigh on 70 years, which means that it is a much sought-after location for filming, and regular punters may arrive to find their favourite table occupied by a thesp bathed in tungsten lighting.
4. Palace Road Nature Garden
If all the media excitement is too much for you, you can always retreat to the Palace Road Nature Garden: a tiny enclave of woodland (about 1.6 acres) amid the council blocks and semis. Never crowded, it is the perfect place for a nature trail walk with infants, or just sitting on a bench watching clouds as the dragonflies skim over the pond.
5. Tulse Hill Hotel
Ever since Tulse Hill opened up as a suburb, the Tulse Hill Tavern has been purveying refreshment to locals and travellers. In recent decades it was a mildly grotty pub with a thriving music scene. Imagine our surprise, then, when it was reincarnated as a gastropub and boutique hotel in 2015. Who would want to stay in a room overlooking Fades’n’Blades barbers shop and a busy junction on the South Circular? But it won plaudits and was featured in the Guardian’s British Boltholes column. Surely Chaucer’s pilgrims would have liked nothing better than to stop there for a spot of sea-bass dahl on their way to Canterbury, had it been on offer?
So there you have it: Tulse Hill. Come for the South London grot, and stay for the trees and the local delicacies.
Some of us who live in the sticks find London fascinating in all of its guises!
A blue print for other places perhaps Verity?
A challenge to other dames to promote their neighbourhood? Other parts of London hitherto unvisited? Plenty of scope there!
I think most areas have some intriguing places if you look hard enough!