Friends of One Tree Hill

‘The History of One Tree Hill, told through its trees’. Part of Urban Tree Fest 2026. Saturday 16 May, 10:30-12.

A guided walk through One Tree Hill, SE22, exploring its rich history, diverse trees and panoramic views across London.

Led by John Gray, chair of the Friends of One Tree Hill, this walk will focus on a handful of trees, from ancient boundary oaks, to fruit trees and plane trees, using them to illustrate the broader history of the hill and its surrounding area.

From its origins as Anglo-Saxon common land, its role as part of the Great North Wood, through the Victorian riots which saved it from enclosure, to its mid-century rewilding and present-day status as a nature reserve, One Tree Hill is a unique and storied place, a wild forest hidden in the heart of suburban South London.

John is the author of ‘One Tree Hill to Peckham Rye Common: a South London Landscape History’.

Meet at the top of Honor Oak Rise. ///total.pinch.marble. No tickets: just turn up. Please note the walk will cover occasionally difficult terrain, as well as steep steps.

#urbantree#forest#londonwalk#londonnature#ecology

Poster based on a Riso print of a photo by @samwalton.photography

This event has been cleverly timed so that you can also go to the following @past_tense_histories talk: ‘May Day and the Rights of Common’, Sat 16 May, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM. Sydenham Library, 210 Sydenham Rd, London SE26 5SE. Alex Hodson from Past Tense will discuss the fight to save two green spaces: Sydenham Common and One Tree Hill.