Solar Audio Post – Dulwich Manor

Five miles south from the city of London, Dulwich Village is home to a range of attractions including the world-renowned Dulwich Picture Gallery, Dulwich Hamlet FC and even the site of one of the UK’s oldest film studios, from way back when Dulwich was a popular location for silent film shoots. Knowing this it may be unsurprising that Dulwich Manor was once owned by a 17th century actor, who went on to do much for the local community.

Edward Alleyn bought the manor in 1605 before establishing ‘The Dulwich Estate’ a charitable foundation with the aims of educating the young and accommodating the elderly. This would lead to the construction of the nearby Chapel and Dulwich College, followed by over 400 years of similar charitable works.

The Dulwich Society is a local volunteer-led amenity society, with groups of volunteers carrying out various projects. The latest of which involved one of our Solar Audio Posts archiving and sharing stories of Dulwich’s history near a statue of Edward Alleyn. Visitors need only press one of the two buttons to listen to the audio whilst resting on the commemorative bench nearby. The Solar Audio Post allows the sharing of audio clips without the need for mains power, making it perfect for use in this outdoor space.

The unveiling of the Solar Audio Post was quite the event, as Dulwich Society member and Communications Volunteer Sharon O’Connor explains;

“The Dulwich Society today unveiled their new solar powered audio post  which has been installed near Edward Alleyn’s statue in Dulwich Village. An actor playing Edward Alleyn explains how he came to buy the manor of Dulwich and set up his charity and talks about the buildings you can see from the post. The unveiling was followed by a talk on the Chapel and an organ recital before drinks in the Cloisters to celebrate.”