Forestdale is a residential neighbourhood of southeast
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, 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 dow ...
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 sometimes considered to be part of
Addington, its
ancient and ecclesiastical parish.
It is located south of
Upper Shirley, east of
Selsdon
Selsdon is an area in South-East London, England, located in the London Borough of Croydon, in the ceremonial county of Greater London. Prior to 1965 it was in the historic county of Surrey. It is located south of Coombe and Addiscombe, west of ...
, south-west of
Addington's historic centre, north-west of
New Addington
New Addington is a town in South London, England, within the London Borough of Croydon. It is located 5 miles south east of Croydon, south of Addington Village and north of Biggin Hill.
History
Until the 1930s, the area now known as New Addingt ...
and north of
Farleigh.
Geography
Forestdale has public green verges and a nature reserve with diverse walks. Adjoining are Addington and Croydon's closest golf courses. Forestdale is linked to
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 ...
via Addington by Featherbed Lane which skirts the suburb on one side.
The suburb consists of
cul-de-sacs running off four main roads, the cul-de-sacs being subdivided into several 'neighbourhoods'. All houses within a cul-de-sac are of the same style, but differ from other cul-de-sacs in style and materials, such as
weatherboard
Clapboard (), also called bevel siding, lap siding, and weatherboard, with regional variation in the definition of these terms, is wooden siding of a building in the form of horizontal boards, often overlapping.
''Clapboard'' in modern Americ ...
ing,
brick colour and arrangement, and so uniformity of style is achieved within one cul-de-sac but differs from the others.
Forestdale contains a community centre (The Forum) on Pixton Way.
There is a small row of shops at the junction of Featherbed Lane and Selsdon Park Road, which contains a pub (The Forestdale Arms).
The fish & chip shop here (McDermott's) was voted the best in London and the South-East in 2005.
History
Most homes were built here between the late 1960s and mid 1970s on previously open ground containing a number of
smallholding
A smallholding or smallholder is a small farm operating under a small-scale agriculture model. Definitions vary widely for what constitutes a smallholder or small-scale farm, including factors such as size, food production technique or technology ...
s.
, a construction firm heavily involved in many of the homes' construction, won an award in 1972 due to the
solar heating
A solar thermal collector collects heat by absorbing sunlight. The term "solar collector" commonly refers to a device for solar hot water heating, but may refer to large power generating installations such as solar parabolic troughs and sola ...
panels they installed in three of the houses.
[ Copper Development Association First Prize for solar heating]
Transport
Two
London Buses serve the village; routes
353 and
433
All parts of Forestdale are within a mile of
Tramlink
London Trams, previously Tramlink and Croydon Tramlink, is a light rail tram system serving Croydon and surrounding areas in South London, England. It began operation in 2000, the first tram system in the London region since 1952. It is manage ...
tram stops:
*
Fieldway
*
Addington
*
Gravel Hill, which is also connected via the buses.
Education
Primary Education
Courtwood Primary SchoolForestdale Primary School
Gallery
File:Forestdale_shops.jpg, Shops on Selsdon Park Road
File:The_Forum,Forestdale.jpg, The Forum
File:Forestdale_pub.jpg, The Forestdale Arms pub
File:Forestdale_Shopping_Centre.jpg, Forestdale Shopping Centre
File:Forestdale_school.jpg, Forestdale Primary School
File:Forestdale_housing.jpg, Typical housing in Forestdale
References
{{LB Croydon
Districts of the London Borough of Croydon
Areas of London