One Tree Hill, Honor Oak facts for kids
One Tree Hill is a special place in Honor Oak, a part of London. It's mostly in the London Borough of Southwark, but some parts are in the London Borough of Lewisham. This area includes a 7-hectare (about 17-acre) public park. It's also a local nature reserve, which means it's protected for its wildlife. The park is owned and looked after by Southwark Council.
The name "One Tree Hill" and the area "Honor Oak" come from a very old tree called the Oak of Honor. This tree was important because it marked the southern edge of a Norman area called the Honour of Gloucester long ago. One Tree Hill was once part of a much bigger forest known as the Great North Wood. Today, the London Wildlife Trust is working with the council and local friends to make the site even better for animals and plants. This is part of their bigger project to restore parts of the Great North Wood.
Contents
History of One Tree Hill
One Tree Hill has a long and interesting past.
The Famous Oak of Honor
The original Oak of Honor tree on the hill was a very important landmark. It showed the southern boundary of the Honour of Gloucester, which was a large area owned by a powerful Norman family. Later, the land was owned by the Abbots of Bermondsey, who were religious leaders. However, during the Dissolution of the Monasteries, the King took control of their lands.
There's a cool legend about Queen Elizabeth I. People say she rested under an oak tree at the top of the hill in 1602 while on her way to visit Lewisham. The oak tree you see there today was planted in 1905. It's actually the third famous oak on that spot!
Signals and Protests
Before the late 1700s, the East India Company built a special signal station on top of the hill. This station used flags or lights to send messages. It would signal when ships were seen in the English Channel. The British Navy also used it as a beacon during the Napoleonic Wars to guide ships or warn of danger.
In 1896, a local golf club tried to fence off the hill. This made many people angry! There were big protests, and local groups like the Selborne Society and the Society for the Protection of Birds (now the RSPB) helped remove the fences. They wanted the hill to remain open for everyone.
Becoming a Public Park
Because of these protests, the new Camberwell Borough Council bought the site in 1905. This made sure it would stay a public park for everyone to enjoy. The church of St Augustine was built nearby between 1872 and 1900. It's separate from the public park.
In 1957, a famous writer named John Betjeman said that the view from One Tree Hill was "better than that from Parliament Hill" in north London. Next to the hill is the Honor Oak Reservoir. When it was finished in 1909, it was the largest underground brick reservoir in the world! It's still the largest in Europe today.
Nature and Wildlife
One Tree Hill is a great place to explore nature. The hill is quite steep and has many trees, but there are also open grassy areas at the top.
Trees and Plants
The site has many very old trees. The most common ones are a type of poplar tree and the London plane tree. These were planted a long time ago to make the park look nice. You can also find wild service trees and midland hawthorns. On the ground, you might spot beautiful bluebells, heath grass, and compact rush plants.
Getting There
You can get to One Tree Hill from Honor Oak Park and Brenchley Gardens.
Images for kids
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The Oak of Honor
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