South Norwood Country Park is a park in
South Norwood
South Norwood is a district of south-east London, England, within the London Borough of Croydon, Greater London and formerly in the historic county of Surrey. It is located 7.8 miles (12.5 km) south-east of Charing Cross, north of Wood ...
, close to
Elmers End
Elmers End is an area of south-east London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley, Greater London and formerly part of the historic county of Kent. It is located south of Beckenham, west of Eden Park, north of Monks Orchard and east of An ...
and
Birkbeck train stations. The historic
Kent
Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...
-
Surrey
Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...
border runs through the site, and since 1965 it has been located wholly in the
London Borough of Croydon
The London Borough of Croydon () is a London borough in south London, part of Outer London. It covers an area of . It is the southernmost borough of London. At its centre is the historic town of Croydon from which the borough takes its name; ...
. It is a 47 hectare (116 acre) green space which opened in 1989. The park is a mix of countryside and parkland, and land formerly used for sewage farms serving the growing London population.
Croydon Sports Arena, the home of
Croydon F.C.
Croydon Football Club is an English semi-professional football club based in Croydon, London. Until 2006, they played in the Isthmian League, but lost their place in that league as part of the 2006 re-structuring of non-league football, and n ...
, is on the south-eastern edge of the park. There is also a car park and visitor centre, and a duck pond similar to the one at
South Norwood Lake.
History
The site that is now known as South Norwood Country Park has undergone many changes in its long and chequered history, from the days of the
Great North Wood
The Great North Wood was a natural oak woodland that started south-east of central London and scaled the Norwood Ridge. At its full extent, the wood's boundaries stretched almost as far as Croydon and as far north as Camberwell. It had occa ...
to ancient moated house,
sewage farm
Sewage farms use sewage for irrigation and fertilizing agricultural land. The practice is common in warm, arid climates where irrigation is valuable while sources of fresh water are scarce. Suspended solids may be converted to humus by microbes an ...
, farming, the war years,
civil defence
Civil defense ( en, region=gb, civil defence) or civil protection is an effort to protect the citizens of a state (generally non-combatants) from man-made and natural disasters. It uses the principles of emergency operations: prevention, mit ...
, allotments, wasteland, highways, refuse dump and now the Country Park.
La Motes medieval moated site
![Elmers_End_moat_2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/de/Elmers_End_moat_2.jpg)
The Park was the location of a medieval moated manor, the site of which is a
Scheduled Ancient Monument
In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change.
The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage and d ...
.
An archaeological excavation was carried out in 1972 by Lillian Thornhill on behalf of the
Croydon Natural History & Scientific Society
The Croydon Natural History & Scientific Society (CNHSS) is a cultural society based in Croydon, south London, that concerns itself with the local history, archaeology, natural history and geology of the London Borough of Croydon and adjacent ar ...
in an attempt to ascertain the age of the double-sided moat shown on the Thomas Morley
estate map
Estate maps were maps commissioned by individual landowners or institutions, to show their extensive landed property, typically including fields, parkland and buildings. They were used for display and estate management and were fashionable from ...
of 1736 with the name ''La Motes''.
On an earlier estate map of Peter Burrell, the land is indicated as adjoining ''Sturts Land'' and is given the name ''Lame Oates'' which is obviously a phonetic corruption of ''La Motes''.
Deeds of 1467 relate to a mortgage transaction at ''Leweland'' between Richard at Cherte and Stephan and John Fabian of
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
. At an earlier date, there is documentary evidence of a 13th- or 14th-century manor house of some importance on the site.
The principal owner was Robert de Retford, one of the King's itinerant judges, active between 1295 and 1318. The low-lying position of the land, with streams flowing through it, raises the possibility of natural phenomena, such as the floods of 1315 to 1317, having played a part in the house's disappearance.
Most of the moated earthworks were filled in during the period when the site was used as a sewage farm.
The site is formed of two concentric moats, in the middle of which is a square platform where the manor house once stood.
The site is now heavily overgrown, though it can be made out on old aerial photographs.
Sewage farm
From about 1862 the land was acquired by Croydon Corporation for use as a sewage farm. This was largely unsuccessful because of the heavy
London Clay
The London Clay Formation is a marine geological formation of Ypresian (early Eocene Epoch, c. 56–49 million years ago) age which crops out in the southeast of England. The London Clay is well known for its fossil content. The fossils from t ...
subsoil that makes up the majority of the site. A series of concrete channels (some of which are still visible today) were constructed to direct the sewage over the numerous
lagoons
A lagoon is a shallow body of water separated from a larger body of water by a narrow landform, such as reefs, barrier islands, barrier peninsulas, or isthmuses. Lagoons are commonly divided into ''coastal lagoons'' (or ''barrier lagoons'') an ...
but these were a failure as the lagoons would remain flooded for months without draining away.
In the 1920s a new method for the treatment of sewage had to be found so the farm was largely abandoned and a new sewage treatment works was built on the area now used for the
pitch and putt
Pitch and putt is an amateur sport very similar to, and derived from, golf, where the hole length is typically up to and just 2–3 clubs are typically used. The game was organised and developed in Ireland during the early 20th century, befor ...
course. This was shut down in 1962 and the area was left mostly undisturbed until the creation of the Country Park in 1988–99. It is still often referred to as 'the Sewage Farm' by the older local residents, however, despite not having been used as such for several decades. The manager of the farm was Albert David Prior.
War years
The years leading up to World War II brought about even more dramatic changes, with the armed forces using the area for training. During the war, the site became an A.R.P. (Air Raid Precaution) centre and the civil defence unit was also based here until the 1950s; there was even a ruined house that was specially constructed for the rescue services to practise in.
During the
blitz
Blitz, German for "lightning", may refer to:
Military uses
*Blitzkrieg, blitz campaign, or blitz, a type of military campaign
*The Blitz, the German aerial campaign against Britain in the Second World War
*, an Imperial German Navy light cruiser b ...
, when hundreds of buildings were destroyed in
Croydon
Croydon is a large town in south London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a local government district of Greater London. It is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater London, with an extensi ...
(a heavily targeted town) and surrounding areas, much of the spoils were dumped on the land. This rubble eventually mounted up to form what is now the large hill behind the sports arena today. It is the principal viewpoint in the park and from the top of it you can see the
London Docklands
London Docklands is the riverfront and former docks in London. It is located in inner east and southeast London, in the boroughs of London Borough of Southwark, Southwark, London Borough of Tower Hamlets, Tower Hamlets, London Borough of ...
,
Shirley Hills,
Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace may refer to:
Places Canada
* Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick
* Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario
* Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition building ...
,
Croydon
Croydon is a large town in south London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a local government district of Greater London. It is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater London, with an extensi ...
, and as far east as
Bromley
Bromley is a large town in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. It is south-east of Charing Cross, and had an estimated population of 87,889 as of 2011.
Originally part of Kent, Bromley became a market town, char ...
.
It is the southern terminus of a cycling route from
Greenwich
Greenwich ( , ,) is a town in south-east London, England, within the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is situated east-southeast of Charing Cross.
Greenwich is notable for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich ...
, called the
Waterlink Way.
Playground
The playground at South Norwood Country Park has been rebuilt since it was shut down in 2006 due to health and safety issues.
During 2008 Croydon Council constructed a lottery-funded playground in a large space which was formerly part of the pitch and putt course. The equipment is intended for children aged 4 to 14.
Wildlife
With a wide range of different habitats, the country park is a haven for wildlife and an important site for nature conservation. It is a
Local Nature Reserve.
Many wetlands and ponds in Britain have become polluted or have disappeared, leaving the plants and animals that like wet conditions with fewer places to live. The Dragonfly Pond was built to encourage dragonflies and damselflies, and many other plants and animals such as frogs, toads and newts can be found there too. In the summer months the blue and green Emperor Dragonfly, the largest dragonfly in Britain, can be found there.
South Norwood Country Park has an excellent bird record with over 100 different species being sighted each year. The large wetlands in particular attract a wide variety of birds.
See also
*
List of Parks and Open Spaces in Croydon
This is a list of parks and open spaces within the boundary of the London Borough of Croydon, England.
A
B
C
D
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
W
See also
*Croydon parks and open spaces
*London LOOP ...
References
External links
www.croydon.gov.uk- facilities and contact details
www.croydon.gov.uk/..../smcphistory- history of the site
{{coord, 51, 23, 47, N, 0, 3, 24, W, type:forest_region:GB-CRY, display=title
Parks and open spaces in the London Borough of Croydon
Country parks in London
Local nature reserves in Greater London
Nature reserves in the London Borough of Croydon