Things you didn't know about... Dulwich

Dulwich was once sold off by the King
In 1538 Dulwich was seized by King Henry VIII and then sold on to Thomas Calton—for the sum of £609.

Dulwich has doubled for Harvard in Hollywood movies
When Legally Blonde needed some extra scenes shot, prior to completion, star Reece Witherspoon was already based in London filming The Importance of Being Earnest. So, her character's graduation scenes were shot in the Great Hall at Dulwich College, instead of Harvard Law School where the scenes were set.

Dickens used to prop up the bar in Dulwich
During the 1800s, author Charles Dickens was a regular at The Greyhound pub. That pub is now known by locals as "The Dog" and is still in operation.

Noddy and Big Ears came from Dulwich
Children's author Enid Blyton was born on Lordship Lane, Dulwich in 1897. Her father was a cutlery salesman, long before she achieved worldwide fame with the likes of The Famous Five and Mallory Towers.

Dulwich is named after a meadow of flowers
The modern-day name Dulwich is a combination of two Old English words meaning something like "the meadow where dill grows".

Tom Cruise used to live in Dulwich
During the late 1990s, Tom Cruise and his then wife Nicole Kidman spent several years living primarily in London during the shooting of Stanley Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut and Kidman's stint in the West End play, The Blue Room. They owned a house in Dulwich during this time, and were regularly seen around the area.

A cult 1960s TV show was set in Dulwich
The Gnomes of Dulwich was broadcast on the BBC and ran for only one series in 1969. Set among a gang of gnomes coming to life at night in a Dulwich family garden, it was supposed to be a comedy series for adults.

UK garage music has an unlikely association with Dulwich College
The front cover of chart-topping UK garage act So Solid Crew's second album Second Verse was shot in Dulwich. The group were photographed standing outside Dulwich College, dressed as if they had just graduated.

Dulwich used to be the King's hunting ground
During the 1600s, Dulwich Woods was a prime hunting ground, and a regular haunt of King Charles I.