United Kingdom · England · London
Forest Hill, London — Area Guide & Where to Stay
Forest Hill rises around the Horniman Museum and Gardens, a district of London known for hilltop parkland and its parish churches.
About Forest Hill
Where to stay in Forest Hill
Where you base yourself shapes the visit — here's the character of each area.
Forest Hill suits a quiet base above the city, close to the Horniman Museum and Gardens. Rooms sit among the hillside streets. Most stays cluster near the park and the shops just below it, within easy reach of Crofton Park and the rest of London that spreads out beyond the ridge.
Stay by the museum for the gardens, or lower down toward Camberwell Old Cemetery for calmer residential streets. The hill sets the tone.
About Forest Hill
What are the main landmarks in Forest Hill?
Forest Hill's landmarks gather around the Horniman Museum and Gardens. The museum defines the district. Louise House and Hill House stand among its older buildings, survivors of the streets that grew up the hill.
Parish churches mark the area: St Paul's, Christ Church, and the Church of St George. The Church of St Hilda stands nearby at Crofton Park. Camberwell Old Cemetery holds several monuments, among them the George Baxter Memorial and one to Rebekah Horniman, of the family behind the museum.
What is the history of Forest Hill?
Forest Hill takes its name from the wooded hill it grew upon. The district filled out as London spread outward, its streets climbing the slope in long terraces. Louise House and Hill House survive from that growth.
Parish churches followed the new streets, among them St Paul's and the Church of St George, and Camberwell Old Cemetery took in the graves of the expanding suburb. One landmark crowned the hill. The Horniman Museum and Gardens rose above the terraced streets.
Where is Forest Hill?
Forest Hill covers the high ground between Crofton Park and Camberwell Old Cemetery in London, rising to the Horniman Museum and Gardens.
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Updated July 2026