South Norwood
| South Norwood | |
| Surrey | |
|---|---|
 South Norwood Clock Tower | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | TQ340684 |
| Location: | 51°23’58"N, 0°4’29"W |
| Data | |
| Post town: | London |
| Postcode: | SE25 |
| Dialling code: | 020 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Croydon |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
Streatham and Croydon North |
South Norwood is an urban village in north-eastern Surrey, found to the north of Woodside and Addiscombe, east of Selhurst and Thornton Heath, south of Crystal Palace/Upper Norwood and Anerley, and south-west of Penge. Beside it is Norwood New Town.
The south-eastern side of the district is dominated by the 125 acres of the South Norwood Country Park, which opened in 1989. At the northern end of the town is South Norwood Lake, which was created after the reservoir for the unsuccessful Croydon Canal went out of use.[1][2] It is used by the Croydon Sailing Club and local anglers who fish for carp, bream and perch.
The village stands on the southern slopes of the Norwood Ridge which forms the southern edge of the London Basin. This line of hills runs from north-east to south-west for about three miles and rises to approximately 360 feet above sea level at its highest point. Gravel working was an important local industry and at one time the road along Beulah Hill was called Gravel Pit Road. South Norwood Hill is the most southerly spur of this ridge.
History
The area was originally covered by the Great North Wood, which was a natural oak forest that much of this part of Surrey. Apart from South Norwood, the wood covered Upper Norwood, West Norwood (known as Lower Norwood until 1885) and the Woodside and Gipsy Hill areas.[3]
References to rents being paid for a coppice called Cholmerden in the area date to the 1400s.[4] By the 1670s the site had been developed into the grounds of Goat House.[4] Handley's Brickworks' seven chimneys once dominated the landscape of the area. It has been demolished and the site changed into grassland and a lake, called Brickfields Meadow.[4]
The Croydon Canal was constructed in the early 19th century, running from New Cross to the site of West Croydon station.[4] As it passed through South Norwood, pubs sprang up near its course. The Jolly Sailor still stands at the intersection of South Norwood Hill and High Street. The Ship, a few yards to the east, was beside the loading point for bricks from a nearby brick field across what is now the High Street. The passageway through which bricks passed to the canal is still there. The Goat House pub (which has since been demolished) was said to have been named after an island in the canal on which goats were kept.
Jolly-sailor station opened in 1839 by the London and Croydon Railway. It was listed as Jolly-sailor near Beulah Spa on fare lists and timetables and renamed 'Norwood' in 1846. The station was immediately adjacent to a level crossing over Portland Road, making it slightly further north than the site currently occupied by Norwood Junction station. As part of the construction works for the atmospheric-propulsion system, the world's first railway flyover was constructed south of Tennison Road, to carry the new atmospheric-propulsion line over the conventional steam line below.[5] In 1847, the atmospheric propulsion experiment was abandoned.
In 1848 South Norwood remained a small hamlet, however the following 10–20 years rapid development occurred with the construction of roads and the Selhurst Park estate.[4] The area gained its own parish church, Holy Innocents, in 1895.[6] Much of the growth of the area was the result of William Ford Stanley, who constructed a precision instrument factory in the area in 1867 and established a technical school here in 1902 (now the Stanley Halls).[4]
Further development occurred throughout the 20th century with the building of terraced houses and public housing developments.[4] Large numbers of immigrants from the Caribbean settled here and the area retains a large black population.[4]
In 1966, a dog called Pickles discovered, under a bush in Beulah Hill, the FIFA World Cup Jules Rimet Trophy, which had been stolen from an exhibition of rare stamps at Westminster Central Hall.[7]
About the village
South Norwood Leisure Centre is on Portland Road. Croydon Sports Arena opened in 1953.
South Norwood Country Park is a nature reserve of 116 acres which is home to an abundance of species and wildlife[8] Previously a sewage works was found here, closed in 1966, and fireworks factory. Other parks in the local area are South Norwood Recreation Ground, Heavers Meadow, Brickfields Meadow, Beaulieu Heights, South Norwood Lake and Grounds, Woodside Green and Ashburton Park.
Stanley Arts
Stanley Arts is one of the larger arts and performance venues in the surrounding area, with a focus on community arts. It is named after the local inventor and engineer who founded and designed the buildings, William Stanley. The venue has a 250-seat and a 60-seat theatre space and resident office space for theatre makers.[9] productions from local theatre clubs, a coffee shop, and other community focused activities.[10]
The venue was originally named 'Stanley Halls', built in 1903.[11] On its completion, William Stanley invited all the workmen to a supper at the Halls followed by an entertainment to which the wives and relatives of the men were invited. Stanley said that if "the building was not the most beautiful in the world, it was, at least, one of the most substantially built." He hoped that the Halls would become a pleasant home of entertainment for all of them.
The buildings were completed in stages, with Stanley Public Hall (the main hall and art gallery) opening in 1903, the clock tower and Upper Stanley Hall added in 1904 and the Technical Trade School in 1907. The Assembly room and Society Rooms, alongside offices and the venue secretary’s accommodation, were added in 1909 to complete the complex. An inventor rather than a trained architect, Stanley wasn’t interested in following any one architectural style in his designs for the building, resulting in a unique and idiosyncratic combination of styles and materials described by the architecture historian Nikolaus Pevsner as ‘one of the most eccentric efforts anywhere at a do-it-yourself freestyle.’[12][13]
Outside links
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about South Norwood) |
References
- ↑ "South Norwood Lake & Grounds webpage". Croydon Council. http://www.croydon.gov.uk/leisure/parksandopenspaces/parksatoz/southnorwoodlake/.
- ↑ London Canals: Croydon: Norwood Template:Webarchive
- ↑ Norwood: Introduction: Survey of London: volume 26: Lambeth: Southern area (1956), pp. 167–173]
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 Willey, Russ (2006). The London Gazzetteer. Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. pp. 28–9.
- ↑ Connor, J. E. (2006). London's Disused Stations: The London Brighton & South Coast Railway. Colchester: Connor & Butler. p. 70. ISBN 0-947699-39-2.
- ↑ National Heritage List 1079303: Church of the Holy Innocents, and boundary wall (Grade II* listing)
- ↑ Reid, Alastair (10 September 1966). The World Cup. http://www.newyorker.com/archive/content/articles/060703fr_archive01. Retrieved 2 February 2007.
- ↑ South Norwood Country Park
- ↑ "Residents – Stanley Halls" (in en-GB). https://www.stanleyhalls.org.uk/residents/.
- ↑ "Venue Hire – Stanley Halls" (in en-GB). https://www.stanleyhalls.org.uk/venue-hire/.
- ↑ National Heritage List 1252932: Stanley Halls (Grade II listing)
- ↑ "Stanley Arts: The ‘Eccentric’ Architecture of Inventor William Stanley – The Historic England Blog". https://heritagecalling.com/2023/07/21/stanley-arts-the-eccentric-architecture-of-inventor-william-stanley-in-south-london/.
- ↑ Stanley Arts