Easter Blossom

Easter Blossom

So much is in bloom right now. In the wooded areas of the Green are scatterings of Primroses and Bluebells. Look for the Bird Cherry, with its dangling plumes of tiny white flowers. Later, these will develop into bitter, black fruits which are good for wildlife but not for human consumption. Kingcups, also known as Marsh Marigold, are growing by the pond and we’ve also spotted a Wood Anemone, one of first of a batch planted by the Friends of…

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The Big Garden Birdwatch

The Big Garden Birdwatch

This year we took part in the Big Garden Birdwatch. These were the results for Albion Millennium Green, with magpies (below left) and great tits (centre) registered as our most commonly seen birds – on the day (Sunday 30th January) Magpie, Great Tit and Redwing (images courtesy of the RSPB website) Not recorded here is the fact that we also spotted a redwing (right). It landed at the edge of the pond, where it spent a short while drinking. It…

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At Year’s End

At Year’s End

The end of year on the Green is somewhat waterlogged but there is much to celebrate. Thank you to everyone who enjoys the Green, and to our Friends, Trustees and other volunteers, for collectively making the Green a safe and refreshing haven over the last year. We are also grateful for the ongoing support we receive from Lewisham Council’s Nature Conservation team and those working for Greenscene, from Nature’s Gym, and many others. This October we again received a Green…

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Late Summer on the Green

Late Summer on the Green

A close-up of a wild chicory flower (Cichorium intybus) on the left and a lovely clump of them through which we can see a wider vista of the Green. Below, from left to right Spear Thistle (Cirsium vulgare), Meadow Cranesbill (Geranium pratense) and Bittersweet Nightshade (Solanum dulcamara) which will shortly develop red berries. But do beware! This is attractive but poisonous plant. Right now, we have ripe blackberries and there are also abundant damsons and plums.

Teatro Vivo’s ‘Tales from the Common’: An Artist’s Impressions

Teatro Vivo’s ‘Tales from the Common’: An Artist’s Impressions

Walter Hayn is an artist and part-time art teacher living in Penge. He has numerous social and community ties with friends in Forest Hill and has on many an occasion spent time drawing the trees and scenery at Albion Millennium Green. On 19 June, we invited him to record his impressions of Teatro Vivo’s “Tales from the Common” performances. Here is a selection – click on the blog title in order to see them in greater detail! All images are…

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‘Voicing’ Sydenham Common with Teatro Vivo

‘Voicing’ Sydenham Common with Teatro Vivo

Sydenham Common was a 500-acre plot of common land. It was enclosed between 1810 and 1819 and most of it was then built upon. Our Green (for a while, the site of a tennis club) is a mere 2.5 acre portion of it. But today, the Lewisham-based theatre company Teatro Vivo brought forgotten histories of the old Common back to life. In a series of short, interactive performances, the Common rose up to remind us of its great past, to…

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Teatro Vivo / Tales from the Common

Teatro Vivo / Tales from the Common

Saturday 19 June 13.30-15.00. Join us for a FREE performance on the Green. What do you love enough to fight for? Discover the radical history of Sydenham, and imagine a better future, in Tales from the Common. TEATRO VIVO bring to life South London’s important radical characters and events from the 1600s to the present day. All welcome!

May Day Celebrations 2010 on Albion Millennium Green

May Day Celebrations 2010 on Albion Millennium Green

This year May Day on the Green will have to be marked informally due to C-19 restrictions. So online, at least, we thought we would go back in time to our May Day 2010 celebrations which introduced the Green to many people who had previously been unaware of its existence. At the event we had Morris dancing courtesy of the Dacres Ladies’ Group. The Green’s newly planted orchard of English Heritage apple trees was ‘launched’ by the President of the…

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On the map: new signage

On the map: new signage

You may have noticed recent additions to our local Forest Hill signage! Three ‘fingerpost’ signs have gone up directing residents and visitors to the Green. One is in front of WH Smiths near Forest Hill Station, one is at the bottom of Clyde Vale and the third is at the top of Albion Villas Road. We’re thankful to Jordan Ogbeide-Ihama at Greenscene – Parks and Open Spaces for the London Borough of Lewisham for organising this and hope that the…

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2020-21 Green Flag

2020-21 Green Flag

We’re pleased to report that despite the ‘lockdown’ challenges of the previous year, we are once again Green Flag Community Award recipients. The Green Flag Community Award recognises high quality green spaces in England and Wales managed by voluntary and community groups.