Coombe, Croydon
| Coombe | |
| Surrey | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Coombe Wood House | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | TQ342647 |
| Location: | 51°21’48"N, 0°4’11"W |
| Data | |
| Post town: | Croydon |
| Postcode: | CR0 |
| Dialling code: | 020 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Croydon |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
Croydon South / Croydon Central |
Coombe is a hamlet to the south-east of central Croydon, between Addiscombe, Selsdon and Upper Shirley. The hamlet has become swallowed into the metropolitan conurbation and often does not appear on modern map.[1]
Coombe sits between the green spaces of Addington Hills, Lloyd Park, Ballards and Coombe Wood. It is unusual for this part of metropolitan Surrey in that it has barely been urbanised and has retained its collection of large houses fairly intact. Its rural character is maintained by the woodland aspect of the road and an old cattle trough at the junction of Coombe Lane and Oaks Road. Tramlink, however, runs through Coombe. Coombe Lane, the continuation of Coombe Road, is the principal road. Conduit Lane is an ancient unpaved route that is now a woodland path.
There was an estate at Coombe as far back as 1221, recorded as being held by Richard of Coombe. The name comes from the Old English 'cumb', meaning a valley.[1] In Elizabethan times, it was known as Broad Coombe.[1] In the 17th century, it was owned by the brothers of William Harvey, who first described the circulation of blood.
Early history
In 1722, "Some Persons, digging at a Village call'd Coomb, near Croydon in Surry, found a great Number of Roman Urns, and other Antique Curiosities" (sic).[2] The nearby town of Croydon originally developed due to a Roman road, and part of a Roman road has been found in Coombe Street, Croydon.[3]
The houses of Coombe
Coombe House to the north of the road dates back to 1761 and is a Grade II listed building.[4] It is on the site of an older house owned by the Harvey family. William Harvey stayed at the house frequently and had tunnels dug in the grounds in order to meditate in the dark.[5] A Grade II listed brick icehouse is also in the grounds.[6]
Coombe Lodge is a Grade II listed Georgian red brick mansion built by the 1760s. It was once called Coombe Gate House or Coombe Green House. In 1761, the estate joined with Coombe House and Coombe Farm, an estate that was split and reunited several times.
Coombe Wood House was built in 1898 for Arthur Lloyd, brother of Frank Lloyd. Some years later, then-owner William Cash sold the house to Croydon Corporation, which used the house as a convalescent and children's home. It is now a restaurant and function venue. The ornamental gardens and 14 acres of woodland were kept by the Council and opened to the public in 1948. Coombe Wood Gardens are very popular, with a café in the old stable block, the "Coach House Café".
Outside links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Willey, Russ (2006). The London Gazzetteer. Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. p. 116.
- ↑ "Untitled". Stamford Mercury. British Newspaper Archive: p. 198 (7). 18 October 1722. https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000253/17221018/010/0008.
- ↑ "Archaeological Priority Part 4". Historic England. p. 134. https://www.croydon.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2022-01/archaeological-priority-areas-appraisal-part-4.pdf.
- ↑ National Heritage List 1188548: Coombe House (St Margaret's School) (Grade II listing)
- ↑ Power, D'Arcy (1897). Masters of Medicine - William Harvey. London: T Fisher Unwin. pp. 146. https://ia600208.us.archive.org/8/items/williamharvey00powe/williamharvey00powe_bw.pdf.
- ↑ National Heritage List 1031615: Ice House in Grounds of Geoffrey Harris House, Croydon (Grade II listing)