Hamsey Green is a place on the plateau of the English

North Downs The North Downs are a ridge of chalk hills in south east England that stretch from Farnham in Surrey to the White Cliffs of Dover in Kent. Much of the North Downs comprises two Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs): the Surrey Hills a ...

between the villages of

Sanderstead Sanderstead is a village and medieval-founded church parish at the southern end of Croydon in south London, England, within the London Borough of Croydon, and formerly in the historic county of Surrey, until 1965. It takes in Purley Downs and S ...

to the north and

Warlingham Warlingham is a village in the Tandridge district of Surrey, England, south of the centre of London and east of the county town, Guildford. Warlingham is the centre of a civil parish that includes Hamsey Green, a contiguous, smaller sett ...

to the south. It is split almost across the centre into north and south so is in part in the

Tandridge Tandridge is a village and civil parish in the Tandridge District, in the county of Surrey, England. Its nucleus is on a rise of the Greensand Ridge between Oxted and Godstone. It includes, towards its middle one named sub-locality (hamlet), ...

district of Surrey and in part 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; ...

Geography and amenities

The settlement is a quasi-village which technically does not quite meet

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred ...

status because of a longstanding dependency on Sanderstead. It stretches along the B269 Limpsfield Road with typical suburban houses and a relatively large parade with several restaurants, convenience stores and other shops. The northern border of the village with Sanderstead is Wentworth Way, which marks the edge of the former Hamsey Green Farm estate that was sold off for housing in the 1920s. ''The Good Companions'', a large

pub A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

on the corner with Tithepit Shaw Lane, on the Croydon side of the border, was demolished in December 2012; to the south in Surrey, Hamsey Green is mainly residential with a primary and a secondary school. Within Hamsey Green, part of the larger

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one o ...

of Sanderstead, is St Antony's (

C of E The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

) church. A pond by the east side of the Limpsfield Road is believed to date from

Neolithic The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several p ...

times. It has been recorded since the 13th century, and was mentioned in the Elizabethan Manor Rolls for Sanderstead Manor, when it was referred to as "Wychemere". It is thought to have been a watering hole for cattle. Suburban development in the 1930s reduced the size of the pond; it is now maintained by Croydon Council and local volunteers. There are important open spaces on either side of Hamsey Green: to the east is King's Wood; to the west is

Riddlesdown Riddlesdown is a place in the London Borough of Croydon, one mile east from the centre of its post town of Purley, London, Purley. The name applies to the residential district and to the green space maintained by the City of London Corporation ...

. The

London LOOP The London Outer Orbital Path — more usually the "London LOOP" — is a 150-mile (242 km) signed walk along public footpaths, and through parks, woods and fields around the edge of Outer London, England, described as "the M ...

path around London passes through on the route between West Wickham Common and

Coulsdon Coulsdon (, traditionally pronounced ) is a town in south London, England, within the London Borough of Croydon, in the ceremonial county of Greater London since 1965. Prior to this it was part of the historic county of Surrey. History The loc ...

History

Hamsey Green has never had a manor and the two manors to the north and south were owned by the Atwood Family, who lived at Sanderstead Court. The church was built in 1957 and is part of Sanderstead parish. Since the closure of the Good Companions, there are no pubs in Hamsey Green owing to the fact that nearby Sanderstead has none, due to the abstentionist

Lord of the manor Lord of the Manor is a title that, in Anglo-Saxon England, referred to the landholder of a rural estate. The lord enjoyed manorial rights (the rights to establish and occupy a residence, known as the manor house and demesne) as well as seig ...

in the early 19th century having imposed conditions on the sale of land to prevent the building of pubs. The nearest public houses are in Warlingham Green and Whyteleafe. The Good Companions site is currently derelict and owned by Lidl who propose to build a supermarket.

Nearest places

Kenley Kenley is an area within the London Borough of Croydon. Prior to its incorporation into Greater London in 1965 it was in the historic county of Surrey. It is situated south of Purley, east of Coulsdon, north of Caterham and Whyteleafe and w ...

* Farleigh

Nearby stations

Whyteleafe railway station Whyteleafe railway station serves the village of Whyteleafe right on the border of Greater London and Surrey, England. It is from . The station and all trains serving it are operated by Southern, and it is on the Caterham Line. It is a short ...

* Upper Warlingham station * Riddlesdown station * Whyteleafe South station

References

External links

Sanderstead Parish Online
– Church of England Parish for Sanderstead, Hamsey Green and Riddlesdown {{London Outer Orbital Path , locale=Hamsey Green , forward=

, back=

West Wickham West Wickham is an area of South East London, England, mainly within the London Borough of Bromley with some parts lying in the London Borough of Croydon. It lies south of Park Langley and Eden Park, west of Hayes and Coney Hall, north of ...

, A=4 , B=5 Districts of the London Borough of Croydon Hamlets in Surrey