The Dulwich Estate resisted pressure from the railway companies to build across their land, and when they did give permission the lines only intruded on the edges of the estate.

Sydenham Hill station opened in 1863 on the SE Chatham and Dover Railway line to Dover.

The estate also made a hefty charge to the railway companies and used the income to finance new buildings for Dulwich College. The estate insisted that they approve and in some cases design the station.

The church on the left is St Stephen, College Road, built in 1869.