The Folklore of The Grove Hermit

• A large ancient woodland stretched unbroken from Croydon to Deptford called The Great North Wood. Later broken up, into smaller woods and common land, including Norwood (North wood), Gipsy Wood (Gypsy Hill), Dulwich Wood (Dulwich Estate), Forest Wood (Forest Hill), Peckham Common (Peckham Rye) and Westwood (Sydenham Common).

• The tavern stood on the site of a sacred ancient well, many health benefits were attributed to the water there. It is likely a tavern was built on the property to house visitors who came to use the well. Rumours it was named after a strange lone man who roamed the woods terrifying locals after numerous unusual sightings. Some people have attributed these sightings to Samuel Matthew's, a local hermit who lived in the woods, but this phenomena pre-dates the arrival of him by 100 years.

• Samuel Matthew’s, a Welsh gardener moved into a small dug out cave covered by branches on Sydenham Hill, one of the last remaining parts of the Great North Wood. He came to Dulwich in 1772, being employed as a gardener. He obtained permission from the master of Dulwich College to dig a cave in Dulwich Wood and erect a hut over it. He lived twenty-three years in this dwelling. He was visited regularly by locals, who dubbed him as the Wild Man of the Wood and described him as quiet, friendly and learned man - quite apart from his savage and dirty surroundings.

• Common land was split between locals, who had ‘Common Rights’ to grow food, graze cattle & gather fuel. Inhabited by local people, often the poor with nowhere else to go, the closure of Sydenham common was fought against fiercely, as they losing their traditional access and rights to the land. Despite resistance, the Lewisham Enclosure Act was passed in 1810, allowing for the division and fencing off of Sydenham Common between existing landowners. Local people would often play pranks such as dressing up as the Green Man and hanging Harvest dolls in the trees to ward off landowners who were closing off the commons.

• Francis Bew, became the tenant then converted the land into a place of entertainment for tourists, that eventually became what is now known as The Grove Tavern. The pub became known for its lavish restaurant and typically only frequented by wealthy customers. It was taken over as a Harvester Inn in the 1980s and was regularly packed with patrons tucking into their mixed grills & salad bars.

• The fire broke out in the pub kitchen, causing significant damage to the structure. The pub building has remained closed and derelict ever since.

• During the first Covid 19 Lockdown, businesses across the country closed down and social distancing was implemented. Skateparks were fenced off and using public transport was discouraged. A group of local skaters began building in the long abandoned car park at The Grove. Originally seen as a nuisance there was resistance to the building and use of the land by the skaters, but gradually local opinions changed as the project developed and people started seeing the valuable community asset the space had become. The skatepark and garden has carried on gaining momentum and continues to grow to this day.

• Since building the ramps and working the in garden, eye witness accounts of strange phenomena have been recorded. Local skateboarders have spoken about a hermit-like figure lurking, eyes watching in the garden and strange symbols appearing hung from trees. Is the folklore of the Green Man true? Some people believe it’s a hoax but others are more than convinced the folklore is real.