Thames Tributaries – the River Wandle - South Croydon

Thames Tributaries – the River Wandle
Streams and ponds in this area feed down into the beginnings of the Wandle River.


Post to the north Central Croydon
Post to the south South Croydon


Aberdeen Road
United Reform Church. Built 1870 by T.Barker of Croydon in Kentish ragstone in the style of 13th Gothic.

Bartlett Street
Advertiser House, the former water company premises, altered by H Nines, Macintos & Kennedy in the 1960s for the Croydon Advertiser. curtain-walling above an older brick wall. converted to a pu
b.

Blunt Road
Lord and Lady Blunt lived locally in 1772. Blunt House was between Ledbury and Aberdeen Roads
South Croydon Station. Opened 1865 Between East Croydon and Sanderstead and also Purley Oaks on Southern Rail. At one time a terminus for local services
South Croydon Junction Signal box. Brick built in the 1930s and now demolished. This was the site of major train crash in 1947

Brighton Road
The road follows the route of the Roman Road through Croydon. At one time the stretch between here and the Red Lion at Coulsdon was known as Smitham Bottom. Turnpiked in the 18th it is now bypassed through this area but eventually rejoins and becomes the A23.
The Bourne flowed along the road between the west side footpath and the road until it reached The Anchor. It ran round the back of the pub along a passageway with cottages alongside it - going past their doors.Wandle. The river is said to have had a source near the Swan and Sugarloaf and from there to have flowed through Haling Park.Route of Croydon, Merstham and Godstone Iron Tramway comes from Southbridge Road into Brighton Road which it then followed. It ran in front of Whitgift House and Haling Park Cottage now in Haling Park.
Turnpike Gate. at the junction of Selsdon Road. This was south of the pub and did not belong to the Croydon and Reigate Trust and was abolished in 1829.
1 Swan and Sugar Loaf with pretty stucco decoration. The current building is from 1896 rebuilt by local brewers Page and Overton. On a corner site at the start of the Brighton Road. It was built on the site of a farmhouse belonging to the See of Canterbury on which were shown the Archbishop’s arms. Behind the pub were stables owned by Balls Brothers where horses working the trams lived
Embankment opposite Drovers Road could be railway branch
Fuchsia Indian Restaurant in what was the Swan Electric Theatre. The building may originally been used by the Salvation Army but it opened as the Swan in 1910 but after that had a variety of names, and reopenings. In the 1930s, following a competition, it was renamed the Classic – and was the first cinema with this name in what became a chain. It was the last cinema in Croydon to be granted a licence to use nitrate film and because of this there were all sorts of special fire regulations.
40 Queens Hall. Community Hall of the Raguvanishu Association
76 Whitgift House, 18th building belonging to church in the grounds of Whitgift School. It is now a care home under control of the Whitgift Foundation.
Haling Cottage. 17th house used by the Headmaster of Whitgift School.
Haling Park Cottage, 18th house in the grounds of Whitgift School. Used by the School.
War memorial

Coombe Road
Coombe Cliff. Built in 1860, by C Robins. On a site once called The Warren. It is sited on the crest of a small wooded hill, with a tower at the entrances. The house was built for John Horniman to whom there is as plaque, and also to John Horniman which adds 'and Frederick John Horniman (1835-1906) tea merchants, collectors and public benefactors lived here'. The conservatory, added in 1894 by F. J. Horniman, donor of the Horniman Museum was taken down in 1980 and transferred to the Museum. The house was acquired by Croydon Corporation in 1930 and initially used as a children’s home. It became an adult education centre but was sold in 2006.

Croham Road
Croham Road Baptist Chapel
Church Lads Brigade Hall
Croham Hurst School for Girls moved here in 1907.
Croham Arms Pub

Davenant Road
Slip road off the flyover, on the Croydon Ring Road. Named for John Davenant who was an owner of Blunt House.

Dering Place
Howard Primary School

Dering Road
The Croydon, Merstham and Godstone Railway crossed Southbridge Road within the loop of Dering Road. It then crossed Dering Road by the back entrance of Fords and into Southbridge Road.
Mew Engineering. They make parking automation systems etc.

Drovers Road
Cattle Market. Marks the site of a new cattle market opened in 1848 and which closed in 1935.
Old brick shed building

Haling Park
This is shown on the Ordnance Survey map of 1876 as ‘Haling Park’. The name is ‘Halling’ in 1200, and there are variations on this since. It may relate to a family ‘de Halling’ which derives from Halling in Kent.
Site of Haling House. The manor belonged in the late middle ages to the Wareham family although at one time it was a home for Lady Margaret Beaufort. Hugh Wareham gave it to Henry VIII Henry eventually passed it to members of the Gage family but it returned to the Crown following involvement in the Babbington conspiracy. Howard of Effingham 1592, Earl of Nottingham and Admiral at the Spanish Armada died there, having been given the estate by Elizabeth. Later owners included Gardiner, an amateur alchemist and then members of the Parker family. In 1812 much of the estate was sold for building.
An Embankment opposite Drovers Road is older than Croydon, Merstham and Godstone Railway. Thus was previously the drive to the house
Pond which was in front of Whitgift House, was a source of the Wandle which ran alongside the and then into the line of what is now Southbridge Road. It is thought this was water from the Bourne which had been underground from the Windsor Castle. It is said that sheep were washed here and that it was also called ‘sheepwash’.Whitgift School. The School was founded by Archbishop John Whitgift in 1596 and moved here from central Croydon in 1931. It is a Neo-Tudor building with a hall to seat 300, plus other later buildings including a Music School from 1966 and a junior school, 1979, and sports hall, 1981, both by Wilson & Womersley. . The main school is built in light red brick by George Lowe & Partners.
Grounds – include enclosures for peacocks and other exotic birds and Prevost squirrels.
Ponds - the school has specialist ponds which were opened by David Attenborough

Heathfield Road
The Blunts had a country estate at Heathfield in Sussex which this is named for

Keens Road
Route of Croydon, Merstham and Godstone Iron Railway. The line ran parallel to Southbridge Road, crossing Keens Road
The road is said to be named after Thomas Keen who lived in the area and founded Keens Mustard.
The area was called Keens Meadow in the 18th

Ledbury Road
Site of Blunt House. Built 1759 and demolished in 1889. Home of Sir George Gilbert Scott. Gerard Manley Hopkins stayed there with his married sister
St.Peter’s Church Hall

Lower Coombe Road
Route of Croydon, Merstham and Godstone Iron Tramway: From Church Road the line crossed Lower Coombe Street to parallel Southbridge Road.
Coombe Hill House. Now Ruskin House. Thus is an early 18th house in yellow and red brick. It has a good wrought-iron gate in the garden. The first records of the house indicate ownership by Quaker John Owen in the 1750s. It had a number of owners until in the early 20th it was a private school. There was considerable damage following a V1 attack in 1944. It was bought by the Labour Party in 1966. They built Cedar Hall in the garden and it was opened by Harold Wilson in 1967. The garden is thought to preserve many features of its original form, although it is somewhat smaller following some land sales.

Parker Road
Parker was Archbishop in 1559
Route of Croydon, Merstham and Godstone Iron Tramway. The line ran parallel to Southbridge Road, crossing Parker Road before running to Southbridge Road.

Railway Line
The track north of Selsdon Station remained in position for about a mile. This was used as a run-round line for locomotives bringing oil trains into the old goods yard at Selsdon. This facility closed in 1993.

Selsdon Road
Ye Market. Now a restaurant. Adjacent to the old cattle market site.
13-15 The Folly pub
26 Stag and Hounds pub

Southbridge Place
23 Cricketers Arms. Closed

Southbridge Close
Lodge to Haling Park Estate.
11-15.
19 a tower

Southbridge Road
Route of Croydon, Merstham and Godstone Iron Tramway: From Church Road the line crossed Lower Coombe Street to parallel Southbridge Road. It then tan between the two roads crossing St.Andrews Road and Keens Road and Parker Road before running into Southbridge Road and crossing it at the junction with Dering Road. It then crosses the U of Dering Road veering slightly west and regains Southbridge Road and Warham Road. It then follows Southbridge Road into Brighton Road.
The name of the road derives from its siting towards the southernmost bridge on the Wandle in this area. The stream came from Brighton Road but was culverted in 1850-51. The bridge then became redundantThe Bourne emerged from behind The Anchor pub and ran down the west side of the road. The Tramway crossed it on an arched bridge. It crossed the road and flowed into a meadow and broke into two streams - one in the meadow and one down the east side of the street. The two branches met again in front of the the site of St. Andrew's Church. There was a plank bridge at this point. Further on near where the school was later built was a six arch brick bridge across it.
101 Star .
126 Wheelwrights Arms
St.Andrew. Built in 1857 by Ferrey, on land given by the Keen’s mustard family. It is faced in flint with a bell-turret with a spire which sprouts out of a buttress. It was for the servants of the posh people going to worship at St John’s – so there were no pew rents. Since then it has had many alterations. The church was left a lot of money by Cecily Mary Barker (of the Flower Fairies).
Church Hall. This was the start of the “Ragged School” which became St. Andrew’s School and is now on a purpose built site elsewhere.
Southend House. early 19th house. Facing an island with trees
House of flint and brick which in 1882 was said to have a stone over the door dating it to 1553

South End
Offices. Robinson Associates four storey office block replaces the Steam Boot Factory
Steam Boot Factory. Built 1870s. Demolished in 1981. Had previously been used as Ebbutt's furniture depository. .
1 The Edge. Once also called the Blacksmith’s Arms, and more recently called O’Neills.
14 Duke’s Head aka Cactus Jack. Also once called the Fiddler and Firkin
17-19 an 18th house in red brick and set back from the road
34-36 The Skylark. Wetherspoons pub. In old commercial building faced with white tiles.
78 The Tree House aka Blue Anchor. The Anchor is part of the coat of arms of Lord Howard of Effingham who owned Haling Park. The Bourne finally left the line of the Brighton Road by the pub and goes towards Southbridge Road73 Bar Txt
119 chemist shop and always has been
Ledbury Terrace. Built 1882 and intended to be symmetrical

South Park Road
Birdhurst. Currently used by Elmhurst School – private “prep” school which has had various buildings in the areas.
Christian Family Concern – Birdhurst and its outbuildings used as nursery and hostel accommodation. .

St.Andrews Road
Route of Croydon, Merstham and Godstone Iron Tramway. The line ran parallel to Southbridge Road, crossing St.Andrews Road before running to Southbridge Road.

St. Peter’s Road
St Peter. Built 1849-51 by G. G. Scott. It is in a prominent position, with tower and spire. It was then. Rebuilt in 1865, after a fire.
44 plaque to Alfred Russell Wallace 1823-1913 says 'naturalist lived here’. But Wallace only spent about a year here, Plaque erected 1979.

Tanfield Road
Built on the site of Tanfield Lodge. Taintfield was one of the old common fields of Croydon
Wall painted advertisements for Meggezones.

Upland Road
36 Woodman pub

Warham Road
The road may be named for Warham who was Archbishop in 1553 but more likely for the Wareham family which owned Haling Park in the middle ages.,
Route of Croydon, Merstham and Godstone Iron Tramlway Following Southbridge Road it ran into it near Warham Road.

West Street
A pocket of modest streets of little terraces, earlier 19th
23 Surrey Cricketers pub
Providence Baptist Church. Stock brick built in 1847.

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