South Norwood Lake and Grounds 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 ...

in the London Borough of Croydon. The main entrance is in Woodvale Avenue while other entrances are located in Auckland Road and Sylvan Road. The area measures up to 28 acres (11.53 hectares). As well as the lake, there is a bowling green, tennis and basketball courts, football pitches, a cricket pitch, a playground and a trim trail. The park has active park rangers and has a park ranger's office with adjoining public toilets. The lake was originally created as a

reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...

for the

Croydon Canal The Croydon Canal ran from Croydon, via Forest Hill, to the Grand Surrey Canal at New Cross in south London, England. It opened in 1809 and closed in 1836, the first canal to be abandoned by an Act of Parliament. History Authorised by an Act ...

, which, from 1809 to 1836, ran between

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 the

Grand Surrey Canal The Grand Surrey Canal was a canal constructed in south London, England during the early 19th century. It opened to the Old Kent Road in 1807, to Camberwell in 1810, and to Peckham in 1826. Its main purpose was to transport cargo, primarily timb ...

at New Cross. , it is used by local anglers, who fish for carp, bream and perch among others, and Croydon Sailing Club. The lake is also home to a variety of aquatic birds including a number of

great crested grebes The great crested grebe (''Podiceps cristatus'') is a member of the grebe family of water birds noted for its elaborate mating display. Taxonomy The great crested grebe was formally described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in t ...

as well as regularly sighted herons and ring-necked

parakeets A parakeet is any one of many small to medium-sized species of parrot, in multiple genera, that generally has long tail feathers. Etymology and naming The name ''parakeet'' is derived from the French wor''perroquet'' which is reflected in ...

that can be seen nesting on the island. In 2004, blue green algae resulted in the death of significant numbers of fish, and the predominant species left were

carp Carp are various species of oily freshwater fish from the family Cyprinidae, a very large group of fish native to Europe and Asia. While carp is consumed in many parts of the world, they are generally considered an invasive species in parts of ...

and

perch Perch is a common name for fish of the genus ''Perca'', freshwater gamefish belonging to the family Percidae. The perch, of which three species occur in different geographical areas, lend their name to a large order of vertebrates: the Percif ...

. The lake itself has natural food sources for fish including a blood worm bar.

Norwood Sports Club

The grounds are also home to the Norwood Sports Club. Founded in 1881 by Alfred Steer, the club leased 16 acres which included the lake and in 1888 a further 37 acres were leased from the Ecclesiastical Commissioners. At that point the club was the largest tennis club in the world with 54 courts. Faciliities then included bowls, tennis, cricket and golf as well as the lake. The golf course was requisitioned during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and was damaged and fell into disuse thereafter. The grounds were used by British Dominion Insurance as a staff sports ground from 1920, before the original 16 acres were purchased by

Croydon Council Croydon London Borough Council is the local authority for the London Borough of Croydon in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council, one of 32 in the United Kingdom capital of London. Croydon is divided into 28 wards, electing 70 co ...

in 1931. The additional 37 acres were firstly leased in 1933 and subsequently purchased in 1936, by the council. The sports club leased most of the land until 1947 when 33.5 acres were relinquished. The grounds were opened fully to the public in 1969 but the club still retains some user rights.

References

External links

South Norwood Lake & Grounds webpageCroydon Sailing ClubHistory at Croydon Council websiteCroydon Council - South Norwood Lake and Grounds
Parks and open spaces in the London Borough of Croydon Lakes of London {{London-geo-stub

Norwood Sports Club

See also

References

External links