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44-460: The Norwood Ridge is a 10-square-mile (26 km) rectangular upland which occupies the geographical centre of south London , centred 5 miles (8 km) south of London Bridge . Beneath its topsoil it is a ridge of London Clay that is capped on all sides (including as isolated knolls in the north) with remaining natural gravel deposits mixed with some sandy soil, which in the South Thames basin

88-490: A "black man," whom some call the Devil , who will bestow upon one the desired skills. This practice is believed to have originated from an African American Blues musician by the name of Robert Johnson . In the oral history of hoodoo it is said that Robert Johnson became a skilled Blues musician after he sold his soul to the devil at the crossroads, and because of this, people began going to a crossroads at midnight to sell their soul to

132-561: A change in directions physically and spiritually; therefore rituals of protection and rituals regarding change (transition) were done at crossroads. An 11th-century homily called De Falsis Deis tells us that Mercury or Odin were honored on crossroads. The modern English text gives: "There once lived a man named Mercury, who was very deceitful, and, though quite wise in speech, was treacherous in actions and lies. The pagans, in their account, also made him their great god and often and frequently offered him sacrifices at crossroads, through

176-485: A devil to acquire a skill or to become better at a skill. The family of Robert Johnson have come forward and said this is not true. How Johnson became a skilled Blues musician was through training under Ike Zimmerman who was a blues guitarist. In an article from the National Blues Museum it reads... "In the case of Robert Johnson, many family members have come forward to dispel these rumors and have advocated that

220-669: A form of African magical spirituality practiced by African Americans in the United States, the crossroads in Hoodoo originates from the Kongo cosmogram in Central Africa . It represents the rising and setting of the sun, and the human life cycle of death and rebirth. The center of the crossroads is where the communication with spirits take place. During the transatlantic slave trade, the Kongo cosmogram

264-470: A place of criminal punishment and execution (e.g. by gibbet or dule tree ), which may have also been a reason for it being a site of suicidal burial as suicide was considered a crime. This ritual of crossroads burial dates back to Anglo-Saxon times and continued until being abolished in 1823. While they became a place of burial for suicides and others unable to be given proper burial in the Middle Ages ,

308-421: A population of 1,329,000. This definition is used by organisations such as Connexions . Between 2008 and 2011 it was replaced with a South East sub-region consisting of Southwark, Lewisham, Greenwich, Bexley and Bromley and a South West sub-region consisting of Croydon, Kingston, Lambeth, Merton, Sutton, Richmond and Wandsworth. In 2011 a new south London region was created consisting of Bromley, Croydon,

352-585: Is a material known as the Claygate Beds . The area is rectangular, measuring 2 miles (3.2 km) broad. Its longest side is 5 miles (8.0 km) if measured from central Brockley around which are three related knolls including Rye Hill, Nunhead or 0.7 miles (1.1 km) less if the start-point of the ridge is taken as One Tree Hill, Honor Oak . The upland is visible on terrain maps as three main parts of different elevation. The high, eastern ridge (Sydenham Hill Ridge) runs from One Tree Hill SSE forming:

396-484: Is not uncommon to see Exu closely associated with demonic entities such as Lucifer , clad in Mephistophelean attire and bearing a trident. Some 20th-century blues songs may be about making a deal with the devil at the crossroads. Many modern listeners believe that the premier song about soul-selling at a crossroads is " Cross Road Blues " by Robert Johnson . According to a legend , Johnson himself sold his soul at

440-449: The boroughs , in whole or in part, of Bexley , Bromley , Croydon , Greenwich , Kingston , Lambeth , Lewisham , Merton , Richmond , Southwark , Sutton and Wandsworth . South London originally emerged from Southwark , first recorded as Suthriganaweorc , meaning 'fort of the men of Surrey '. From Southwark , London then extended further down into northern Surrey and western Kent . South London began at Southwark at

484-721: The headless mule , the devil , the Besta Fera and the Brazilian version of the werewolf ) and religions (as the favourite place for the manifestation of "left-hand" entities such as Exus and where to place offerings to the Orishas ). Eshu and Legba derive from the same African deity, although they are viewed in markedly different manners among traditions. For example, Papa Legba is considered by Haitian Vodou practitioners to be closest to Saint Peter , although in Brazilian Quimbanda it

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528-476: The lwa of crossroads and a messenger to the spirit world. In Hoodoo, there has been a practice that is believed to be hoodoo in origin such as selling your soul to the devil at the crossroads in order to acquire facility at various manual and body skills, such as playing a musical instrument , throwing dice , or dancing . It is believed that one may attend upon a crossroads a certain number of times, either at midnight or just before dawn , and one will meet

572-746: The tidal Thames respectively. In the east the south slopes feed the Pool . To the south underlying layers of London Clay and Palaeocene between the ridge and the dip slope of the North Downs , where on the near side is the Graveney which feeds into the River Wandle . The ridge and the historic oak tree known as The Vicars Oak (at the crossroads of the A212 Church Road and A214 Westow Hill) were used to mark parish boundaries. This has led to in particular

616-614: The Crystal Palace area straddling the boundaries of five London Boroughs; Bromley , Croydon , Lambeth , Southwark and Lewisham . The area also straddles three postcode districts : SE19 , SE20 , and SE26 . The ancient boundary between Surrey and Kent passes through the area and from 1889 to 1965 the area lay on the south eastern boundary of the County of London . It included parts of Kent and Surrey until 1889 and then parts of Kent, London and Surrey between 1889 and 1965. For centuries

660-554: The Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, Richmond upon Thames, Merton, Sutton, Wandsworth, Bexley, Greenwich and Lewisham. South London is, like other parts of London and the UK in general, a temperate maritime climate according to the Köppen climate classification system . Three Met Office weather stations currently collect climate data south of the river; Kew, Hampton and Kenley Airfield, on

704-494: The South and explained its meaning. Puckett wrote..."Possibly this custom of sacrificing at the crossroads is due to the idea that spirits, like men, travel the highways and would be more likely to hit upon the offering at the crossroads than elsewhere." African crossroads spirits were brought to the United States during the transatlantic slave trade . In the Vodou tradition, Papa Legba is

748-609: The Thames. Often snow can be seen to lie on the North Downs near Croydon when central London is snow free. The record high temperature at Greenwich is 37.5 °C (99.5 °F) recorded during August 2003. Sunshine is notably lower than other London area weather stations (by about 50–100 hours a year), suggesting Greenwich may be a fog trap in winter, and that the hillier land to the south may obscure early morning and late evening sunshine. The highest temperature recorded across south London

792-521: The Tower' (East London) . The area now usually referred to as North London developed later. As late as the mid 18th century, however, there were no other bridges crossing the river and as a result urban growth was considerably slower in the south than in areas north of the Thames . The opening of Westminster Bridge and other subsequent bridges to the west encouraged growth in the south-west, but only Tower Bridge

836-637: The Vikings. Southwark was also known as the Borough due to be it being an incorporated (nationally represented) Borough from 1295. From 1550 to 1899 it was administered as part of the City of London and referred to as the ward of Bridge Without . In 1720, John Strype's 'Survey of London' described Southwark as one of the then four distinct areas of London; in it he describes the City of London , Westminster (West London) , Southwark (South London) , and 'That Part Beyond

880-518: The Yoruba trickster deity called Eshu-Elegba resides at the crossroads, and the Yoruba people leave offerings for Eshu-Elegba at the crossroads. In Hoodoo, there is a spirit that resides at the crossroads to give offering for; however, the word Eshu-Elegba does not exist in Hoodoo because the names of African deities were lost during slavery. Folklorist Newbell Niles Puckett, recorded a number of crossroads rituals in Hoodoo practiced among African-Americans in

924-486: The area was occupied by the Great North Wood , an extensive area of natural oak forest that formed a wilderness close to the southern edge of the then expanding city of London. The forest was a popular area for Londoners' recreation right up to the 19th century, when it began to be built over. Some of the area was a home of Gypsies , with some street names and pubs recording the link. Beds of clay and brickearth around

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968-429: The area. The 12 boroughs included, in whole or part are: (Outer London for statistics) A small area of land, on which the southern end of Blackfriars Bridge stands, is not part of Southwark. It forms part of the City of London , a sui generis local authority which is mainly located north of the Thames. The term 'south London' has been used for a variety of formal purposes with the boundaries defined according to

1012-514: The crossroads of Dog Kennel Hill/Grove Hill/Champion Hill. Fourteen of its access points can be said to give areas of this rise their own 'Hill' or 'Mount' names:- Some of the above slopes are in the catchment of the Effra , which had widespread Victorian housing and commercial use so has been converted into parallel combined and surface water sewers which feed into the Crossness works and tributaries of

1056-468: The crossroads were once a burial place second only to the consecrated church for Christians. In Western folk mythology, a crossroads can be used to summon a demon or devil in order to make a deal. This legend can be seen in many stories. For example, the 1587 Historia von D. Johann Fausten , describes the character Faust inscribing magic circles at a crossroads in order to summon the devil. The Freischütz folktales often similarly involve summoning

1100-410: The devil at a crossroads in order to cast magic bullets. In the 1885 historical essay Transylvanian Superstitions , Emily Gerard describes how crossroads were often avoided as a matter of course, and describes a Romanian belief that a demon could be summoned at a crossroad by drawing a magic circle, offering copper coin as payment, and reciting an incantation . In conjure, rootwork, and hoodoo ,

1144-537: The first half of the 20th century, towns in the Home Counties such as Kingston, Croydon and Bromley gradually coalesced with South London, until Greater London was formed in 1965. A significant feature of south London's economic geography is that while there are more than thirty bridges linking the area with West London and the City , there is only one, Tower Bridge , linking the area with East London . Very little of London's underground rail network lies south of

1188-517: The fourth-century historian Philochorus ,... at Athens , offerings also were sent to the crossroads on the sixteenth of the month - i.e., half a month after the new-moon offering, at the time of the full moon." In Graeco-Roman society, rituals of protection were done at crossroads and purification ritual remains were left at the crossroads. The Greeks and Romans believed doors, gates, rivers, frontiers and crossroads held spiritual meanings regarding transitioning, leaving one area and going somewhere else,

1232-450: The god's association with travelers and role as a guide. Though less central to Greek mythology than Hermes, Hecate's connection to crossroads was more cemented in ritual. 'Suppers of Hecate' were left for her at crossroads at each new moon, and one of her most common titles was 'goddess of the crossroads.' In her later three-fold depictions, each of the three heads or bodies is often associated with one of three crossing roads. "According to

1276-531: The high western halves of Honor Oak and Forest Hill , then Upper Sydenham , the east of Gipsy Hill and Crystal Palace (which has, since the station of that name was built, among many residents replaced the Sydenham Hill and Anerley Hill names, except chiefly for the road Sydenham Hill which sits on the ridge), then Upper Norwood, then South Norwood Hill then the north-east of Thornton Heath and far north of Selhurst , in particular Grangewood Park . Upon

1320-430: The north: East Dulwich ; Dulwich ; Kingswood Estate with West Dulwich and West Norwood with Gipsy Hill . Two rises within this zone are Dawson's Rise and Knight's Hill . The second or western ridge is narrower and fractionally lower. It begins very broad and gradually in the south around Furzedown , Streatham then runs through central Streatham, Tulse Hill , Herne Hill , Denmark Hill/Champion Hill culminating at

1364-575: The path,' i.e., the crossroads, remains an indelible concept in the Kongo-Atlantic world, as the point of intersection between the ancestors and the living." "It is at the crossroads where many Africans believe one will witness the powers of God and emerge from the waters spiritually renewed." Other African origins of the crossroads in Hoodoo are found in West Africa among the Yoruba people. For example,

Norwood Ridge - Misplaced Pages Continue

1408-463: The purposes of the designation. In 2017 the government asked the Boundary Commission for England to reconsider the boundaries of parliamentary constituencies. The commission's study, was to start with existing regions of England and then group the local authorities within that area into sub-regions for further sub-division. The south London sub-region included the 11 boroughs which lay south of

1452-468: The ridge hosted until the 20th century some of London's brickfields. Many railway tunnels cut through the ridge. The ridge still retains many vestiges of woodland. 51°25′16″N 0°04′34″W  /  51.421°N 0.0761°W  / 51.421; -0.0761 South London South London is the southern part of Greater London , England , south of the River Thames . The region consists of

1496-593: The ridge is the Crystal Palace transmitting station , founded in 1933, the main television transmitter for the London area, and also the Croydon transmitting station . The ridge is above 110 metres (360 ft) and from a few raised west-facing places the western ridge can be seen, beyond which is Wimbledon Common , of similar height. The north has very narrow peaks which allow views of the tall buildings of Central London, but

1540-404: The ridge's eastern slope widely commands unobstructed views over Bromley and Addiscombe to the rises of Chislehurst as well as higher Kent parts of the North Downs . Nineteen of its access or approaching roads could be mistaken as forming separate structures, the greatest of which is the broad south slope leading west, Beulah Hill :- The slightly lower central near-plateau is listed from

1584-525: The river, largely due to the challenging geology; however, 21st-century technology makes tunnelling much cheaper (though stations are still expensive) and this may lead to an improved underground provision in south London with the Crossrail 2 line proposed alongside extensions to the Northern and Bakerloo Lines . South London contains an extensive overground rail network and all of London's trams operate within

1628-507: The river, plus the parts of cross-river Richmond upon Thames that did so. An earlier 2013 study, whose recommendations were not adopted, took a different approach by including all of Richmond in its south London sub-region. For the purposes of progress reporting on the London Plan , there was a south London sub-region in operation from 2004 to 2008 consisting of Bromley, Croydon, Kingston, Merton, Richmond and Sutton. In 2001 this area had

1672-444: The southern edge of the urban area. Long term climate observations dating back to 1763 are available for Greenwich, although observations ceased here in 2003. Temperatures increase towards the Thames, firstly because of the urban warming effect of the surrounding area, but secondly due to altitude decreasing towards the river, meaning the southern margins of south London are often a couple of degrees cooler than those areas adjacent to

1716-566: The southern end of London Bridge , the first permanent crossing over the river, with early development of the area being a direct result of the existence and location of the bridge . Southwark was first known as Suthriganaweorc , the fortress of the men of Surrey , mentioned in the Burghal Hidage as part of military system created by Alfred the Great to defeat the Great Heathen Army of

1760-444: The teachings of the devil, and to high hills they often brought various offerings of praise." In Great Britain, there existed a tradition of burying criminals and suicides at the crossroads. This may have been due to the crossroads marking the boundaries of the settlement coupled with a desire to bury those outside of the law outside the settlement, or that the many roads would confuse the dead. Crossroads were also commonly used as

1804-521: The truth be told about Robert Johnson. During the time that he was missing, Johnson returned home, where he ran into Ike Zimmerman. Zimmerman took Johnson under his wing, and from years of practicing, Johnson became the legendary Blues musician that we know today." Therefore, the idea one can sell their soul to the devil at the crossroads and acquire a skill may not be traditional in Hoodoo. Crossroads are very important both in Brazilian mythology (related to

Norwood Ridge - Misplaced Pages Continue

1848-661: Was 38.1 °C (100.6 °F) on the same occasion at Kew Gardens. Although the Met Office accepts a higher reading from Brogdale in Kent, many have questioned the accuracy of this and regard the Kew reading as the most reliable highest UK temperature reading. Crossroads (culture) In Greek mythology , crossroads were associated with both Hecate and Hermes , with shrines and ceremonies for both taking place there. The herm pillar associated with Hermes frequently marked these places due to

1892-568: Was brought to the United States by African slaves. Archeologists unearthed representations of the Kongo cosmogram on slave plantations in South Carolina on clay pots made by enslaved Africans. The Kongo cosmogram is also called the Bakongo cosmogram and the "Yowa" cross. The Yowa cross (Kongo cosmogram) "Is a fork in the road (or even a forked branch) can allude to this crucially important symbol of passage and communication between worlds. The 'turn' in

1936-535: Was built to the east of London Bridge , so south-east London grew more slowly, at least until the Surrey Commercial Docks were built. The development of a dense network of railway lines in the mid nineteenth century significantly accelerated growth. The County of London was formed in 1899, which incorporated these boroughs south of the river: Wandsworth, Lambeth, Battersea, Camberwell, Southwark, Bermondsey, Deptford, Lewisham, Greenwich and Woolwich. During

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