Saturday 26th September at 10.30am
A Lambeth Heritage event. Discounted tickets for Streatham Society members.
Join Lambeth Tour Guide Gail Golding on this new walking tour of Furzedown. This is a part of south London that has lots to offer but is often over-looked.
During the two hour tour we learn about several industrialists and inspirational people that put Furzedown and Streatham on the map. The walk begins at the Furzedown pub where we'll discover an actress who turned tragedy into triumph.
Much of Furzedown is within the Streatham Park estate. We hear about the local brewer who owned majestic Streatham Park in the eighteenth century and entertained many Georgian celebrities in his home. Artist Sir Joshua Reynolds, actor and playwright David Garrick and that famous man of letters Samuel Johnson were frequent visitors.
We'll meet a wealthy nineteenth century industrialist who made a fortune, and a local girl who championed women by succeeding as a prominent electrical engineer when women were almost unknown in this profession.
The walk features several Furzedown intrigues. We will hear stories of the men who are remembered on the WWI memorial at nearby St James’s church. One was the father of a highly decorated deep sea diver and mine remover who disappeared on a secret mission. This fascinating mystery has never been solved and has sparked several dark and unsettling theories. And there's the role of the south London house builders whose aid in a covert government operation helped secure the WWII D-Day landings.
Streatham Society members can buy discounted tickets with a code - please see society email.
