I'm just off to do a stint in the station car-park, behind the public loos, with a petition that says:

People who agree with these sentiments are welcome to come and sign and, perhaps, discuss why some of us believe that these buildings are worth saving. Alternatively, you can sign online at:
http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/save...-hill.html

For those who may be unaware, here again is a summary of the historic background of the whole site which I hope explains why I and others believe we have something unique in Forest Hill which should be cherished and preserved:

Holy Trinity Schools (1874), Forest Hill Pools (1885), Girls' Industrial Home (Louise House, 1890) and Forest Hill Library (1901) were built on a single large field, known as glebe land, that was awarded to the Vicar of Lewisham on the enclosure of Sydenham Common, in 1819. "Enclosure", incidentally, was a device by which those who already owned land in the parish were awarded plots of ancient common land which they fenced, to keep out "trespassers". The losers were those who owned no land, but had managed to scrape a living from the common.

This field, popularly known as Vicar's Field, was let by the vicar as allotments to those who had lost their right to graze animals, gather wood, catch game etc. on the common. Over time, and in response to pressure from local groups, the vicar made parts of this large field available for purposes that were considered socially valuable.

The four buildings that cover the Dartmouth Road frontage of this field offer a vivid picture of late Victorian social attitudes: the schools offered education, particularly in the principles of the Established Church; the pools offered cleanliness (people brought their washing to be cleaned in the laundry in the basement, and there were private slipper baths) and healthy exercise; the Industrial Home gave training to "the deserving poor" to keep them from a life of crime and, of course, there was the library. In both the school and the pools the sexes were kept firmly apart. Boys and girls attending the school had separate entrances, playgrounds and classrooms. The pools also had separate male and female entrances, with separate ticket offices, pools and slipper baths for first and second class swimmers. Much of the evidence for these social divisions still survives in the pools, and would be lost with total demolition.

Two of these buildings (the school and library) are listed grade two and two may soon be demolished. I believe that such a well preserved group of buildings which, until recently, were all still used for their original or similar functions, is unique in London, if not the country and they should be preserved intact.