Sydenham

Sydenham started to become fashionable after the 1851 Great Exhibition took place in Crystal Palace, a futuristic glass and iron building situated in Sydenham Park, now renamed as Crystal Palace Park. The leafy district has a distinctly villagey feel, partly thanks to the numerous shops and eateries that make Sydenham a self-contained neighbourhood - just as well seeing as there is no tube, as with most of South London. There is however a railway service that links to Victoria, London Bridge and Highbury Islington. Unbeknownst to many Londoners, Sydenham has numerous buildings of architectural interest including a Le Corbusier-influenced villa, and Jason Statham and Rolf Harris have lived in the area.