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A profile of towns and villages across News Shopper's region covering south east London and north Kent.

Sydenham has changed from a sleepy hamlet 200 years ago to a busy urban community, mostly in the London borough of Lewisham but spilling over into Bromley and Southwark.

The coming of the railway in the 1830s followed by the arrival of Crystal Palace in the 1850s were the turning points in Sydenham's history.

Previously, Sydenham or Sepham, Cypenham or Sippenham as it has also been known was just a small wooded settlement with not much more than a few cottages.

The Deptford to Croydon canal was built in the early 19th century, but was replaced by the railway in the 1830s. Sydenham station was opened in 1839.

This made Sydenham an attractive place for wealthy London commuters, and the village's profile was enhanced further when the Crystal Palace, which had housed the Great Exhibition in 1851, was relocated on the hill above Sydenham from its former base in Hyde Park.

Sydenham became a fashionable area and many new houses were built.

Exhibitions, conferences, concerts and sporting events (including 20 FA Cup finals) were held at Crystal Palace until it burned down in 1936.

Modern Sydenham is a bustling suburb with a high street offering a range of shops from individual outlets to bigger national retailers.

Still popular with commuters, Sydenham is just seven miles from central London and has excellent public transport links.

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