On the slopes of Denmark Hill station — overlooking the trains ferrying in and out of central London — a mini Provence is emerging.
As well as 56 lavender plants and a pétanque court, the station now has 22 flourishing Bacchus grapevines. The unlikely viticulture project is the work of Nick Mair and Tony Coleman from the Camberwell Society, who have permission from landowners Network Rail to bring a touch of southern France to south London.
"Denmark Hill Station was strewn with litter and we wanted to make it somewhere special," says Nick, who has a French mother, and was a keen winemaker in his teenage years, dabbling ever since. "I was fascinated by the process rather than consumption… My grandfather made my father's single bed into a wine press when he got married. I still use it today."
Having successfully tested the Denmark Hill soil in 2022 with a crop of sunflowers, the two budding vintners then planted it up with vines. Pairing perfectly with Nick's wine making nous is Tony's construction background, coming into play with the layout and construction of the vineyard, using vertical posts. Bacchus grapes were chosen, as they tend to fair well in southern England and are, as Tony humbly puts it, "forgiving for beginners."
Although the Camberwell Society duo are under no illusion that their wine will be scooping gold medals anytime soon, Nick's previous homemade wine attempts have proved "very drinkable".
Just two bottles of Denmark Hill were produced last year, each bottle still individually numbered, i.e. 'one' and 'two'. "This year will be our first proper harvest," says Nick. "We pruned using the double Guyot method — Tony went on a vine tending course at Mount Vineyard in Shoreham.
"The grapes are looking good, though a little rain at some stage would be helpful…"
As for the wine to come from 2026's harvest; Nick says they hope to yield at least one bottle per vine. Which will still make it one of the rarest wines in the world. Sadly for passengers and locals, it won't be for sale anytime soon. In fact, none of the Denmark Hill wine has been tasted at all yet. Nick says that the Camberwell Society may host a mini wine tasting at its Christmas party, or perhaps their next open gardens event. "Sip it and see will be our approach…"
We look forward to the day there's enough of it to sell in the Phoenix pub, suspended above the Denmark Hill platforms.
As well as looking out for the grapevines at the station, be sure to enjoy the art trail — another Camberwell Society initiative.
