Addington, Surrey

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Addington
Surrey
Addington Church.jpg
St Mary's Church
Location
Grid reference: TQ375645
Location: 51°21’30"N, 0°1’50"W
Data
Post town: Croydon, South Croydon
Postcode: CR0 & CR2
Dialling code: 01689
Local Government
Council: Croydon
Parliamentary
constituency:
Croydon Central

Addington is a village and and ancient parish in Surrey adjacent to the border with Kent. It lies 11 miles south south-east of Charing Cross at the edge of the metropolitan conurbation. The ancient parish forms part of the hundred of Wallington.

History

In ancient days named Edintona, then Eddintone,[1] it is thought to be named after Edda, a Saxon. In the Domesday Book, two manors are mentioned, linked with the names Godric and Osward.[2]

Addington Place, later known as Addington Farm and now called Addington Palace, dominates the village above the church of St Mary the Blessed Virgin Church and the 'Cricketers' pub. The manor house was situated behind the church and was the residence of the Leigh family. From this Leigh family, Pamela, Countess Mountbatten is descended. There is an oft repeated, but false account of a royal hunting lodge, "where King Henry VIII supposedly wooed Anne Boleyn, whose family owned nearby Wickham Court" by West Wickham Parish Church. However Anne Boleyn of Wickham Court was the aunt of Queen Anne.

The Palladian mansion was built in the mid-18th century by Barlow Trecothick, from Boston, Massachusetts in the United States, who returned to Britain and became an MP and Lord Mayor of the City of London. After his death without heirs, his nephew James Ivers (later Trecothick), also of Boston, continued his uncle's work and had the grounds laid out by Lancelot Brown. The estate was sold and eventually, as Croydon Palace became too inconvenient and unsanitary, the Addington house and part of the estate was bought for the Archbishops of Canterbury as a country residence. The last Archbishop to use it was Archbishop Benson.

In the 20th century, technological advances and population growth in the region led to many changes in the way of life for people in Addington. The spread of urbanisation from London had reached the village by the 1930s, and from this time onwards New Addington was developed to the south of the existing village.

There are still several old houses and buildings in Addington and, even though there has been some fairly modern building, the village atmosphere is intact in the 21st century, despite incorporation into the metropolis. There is a blacksmith's forge, dating from around 1740, now mainly making ornamental ironwork.[3] The hunt used to meet outside the pub, The Cricketers which has reverted to its former name once again after a temporary change of name. The village co-operative store and post office is now a private house.

The book, "Addington: A History" was written by Frank Warren, and published by Phillimore & Company in 1984.

St Mary the Blessed Virgin Church

St Mary's Church is an Anglican church in the village. It is associated with the Archbishops of Canterbury of the 19th Century, who lived at the nearby Addington Palace; five of the archbishops are buried at the church.

Transport

Addington Village tram stop and bus station was opened in 2000.

References

  1. http://www.domesdaymap.co.uk/place/TQ3863/addington/ Domesday Map Online: Addington
  2. http://www.british-history.ac.uk/london-environs/vol1/pp1-10 Daniel Lysons, 'Addington', in The Environs of London: Volume 1, County of Surrey (London, 1792), pp. 1-10 http://www.british-history.ac.uk/london-environs/vol1/pp1-10 [accessed 25 February 2015].
  3. http://www.croydononline.org/history/heritage/old_forge.asp

Outside links

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