The opening of the Forest Hill Station (originally under the name of Dartmouth Arms) on the London & Croydon Railway in 1839 gave the first great boost to the development of the suburb.

Until then the Forest Hill name had been applied exclusively to fifteen or twenty houses in Honor Oak Road. The address of the few others in the area was Sydenham Common.

Railways continued to be a major influence on the building history of Sydenham and Forest Hill. Eleven stations were opened between 1839 and 1886, and seven of these survive.