Addington Hills


Post to the north Shirley


Addington Hills
Addington Hills. This was once called Pripledeane  meaning 'gravel valley', In 1874 the Croydon Board of Health purchased an initial area, and in 1903 added the part near Shirley was added in 1903, the Birch wood between Oaks Road and Coombe Lane was a gift from Frank Lloyd of Coombe Park and finally the Pine woods in the south east corner were added in 1919 The park rises from Oaks Road to a plateau of Blackheath Pebbles 460 feet above sea level. It is colonized by heather with groups of pines and other trees. Int he north west are steep valleys covered in Birch and Oak.  Springs which once marked the junction of the Blackheath and Woolwich beds have disappeared. Some areas of the park were excavated for gravel in the 19th and earlier. In 1963 a Viewing Platform was given by Alderman Basil Monk as a memorial to Croydon's Millenary. There are inscriptions and pointers to places of interest.
Addington Reservoir. This is on south side of the Hills and was built in 1888 for Croydon Corporation Water Works.. At first the Valve House was open to the public as a cafe with a flat above, But in 1937 typhoid was traced here and the cafe was closed.

Badgers Hole
This was originally a temporary settlement with cottages built in what were extensive pits. There are said to be caverns here. A pub here may have been the ‘Badger Inn”

Bishops Walk
Private road of posh houses leading to Addington Palace.

Coombe Lane
Coombe Lane Tram stop. 1998 .Between Gravel Hill and Lloyd Park on Croydon Tramlink
Lamb Inn. This pub was in the area before the mid-19th.  According to tradition was the site of a battle between smugglers and revenue officers.

Oaks Road
Broadcombe was the old name for the tract of land alongside Oaks Road and at the foot of Addington Hills.
Hither Sheep House Field lay to the east of Oaks Lane. 27 depressions were found in a plot locally called Lyme Pitts

Sandpits Road
This is an area of sandpits lying south and east along the road.  They may have been worked, at least latterly by the Bennett family who had a broom making business here, and latterly a horticultural establishment.
Bungalow cottages from the 1860s
Footpath into Pinewoods

Shirley Hills Road
5 mission church of 1873. The building was also used as an infants school in the 1890s. This is now a house called ‘The Fold’.

Sunken Lane
Water tower.  This is adjacent to the tram stop and has a series of transmission devices attached.

Upper Shirley Road
Brewery. Shirley Brewery was owned by Ludlam and Grant until it was taken over 1882 by Nathanial Page. Later  in 1892 it was taken over again and the name was later used for the Croydon Brewery
152 Sandrock Hotel. This was built in 1867 on the corner of the sandpits., It is said to be name after a  rock nearby on which a preacher stood to conduct services. In 1878 there were livery and bait stables, and a farm. The licensee put swings in the grounds and offered donkey rides following arrangements with gypsies’. He also offered donkey rides in his garden. Visitors from London drank too much, danced and sang, courted more than one lady at a time, wore false noses, exchanged head-gear with those of the opposite sex, and made remarks to passers-by. It was until recently a Charrington house.

Sources
Chelsea Speleological Society. Newsletter
Clunn. The Face of London
Croydon. Guide
Croydon Natural History & Scientific Society, Bulletin
London Borough of Croydon. Web site
Gent. Croydon Past.
London Footprints. Web site
Penguin. Surrey 
Pevsner and Cherry. South London, 
Smyth, Citywildspace, 
Stewart, Croydon History in Field and Street Names
Wealden Cave and Mine Archive. Web site.

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