The tram line was built in 1908, and whereas trams usually had a dramatic role in stimulating development, in this instance much of nearby East Dulwich to the north had already been built and the Dulwich Estate to the south was not disposed to allow any further development.

This view shows the two great transport stimuli of the Victorian suburb, the railway and the tram. In this instance, however, neither played the role that might have been expected of them.

The railway was built, not to provide transport for new residents, but to bring people to the Great Exhibition at the Crystal Palace.

It was the London Chatham and Dover Railway's Crystal Palace (High Level) Railway which opened in 1865 and closed in 1954. This view shows Lordship Lane Station.