Norwood New Town is a largely residential, former working-class enclave within the larger district of Upper Norwood in Southeast

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 ...

. It is within the London Borough of Croydon. In common with the neighbouring districts of

West Norwood West Norwood is a largely residential area of south London within the London Borough of Lambeth, located 5.4 miles (8.7 km) south south-east of Charing Cross. The centre of West Norwood sits in a bowl surrounded by hillsides on its east ...

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 ...

and

Upper Norwood Upper Norwood is an area of south London, England, within the London Boroughs of Bromley, Croydon, Lambeth and Southwark. It is north of Croydon and the eastern part of it is better known as the Crystal Palace area. Upper Norwood is situated ...

, it is named after the contraction 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 ...

, which once occupied this area.

History

Norwood New Town was built from 1840 purposely as one of the main working class areas of early Norwood (the others were South Norwood and the 'Triangle' of Upper Norwood). It was built as a walled estate to separate its working-class inhabitants from the upper-class country houses and farm land, which at that time made up the district. Its construction commenced before the rebuilding of

the Crystal Palace The Crystal Palace was a cast iron and plate glass structure, originally built in Hyde Park, London, Hyde Park, London, to house the Great Exhibition of 1851. The exhibition took place from 1 May to 15 October 1851, and more than 14,000 exhibit ...

on Norwood Hill but it became home to many of the workers employed on the construction of the Palace. The walled-in terraced streets formed a particularly close community, which occupied an area south of Central Hill. The enclosed streets were: *Oxford Road *Naseby Road (formerly Albert Road) *Dover Road (formerly Albert Terrace) *Crystal Terrace *Eagle Hill (formerly Spa Road) The wall was demolished in 1930 and the district was integrated into the neighbouring area, which was becoming increasingly suburbanised.

Transport

Bus

Buses use the A214 (Crown Dale) and the A215 ( Knight's Hill).

Rail

The high elevation of the area has made building railways very difficult so the area does not have a station of its own. The closest railway stations are

and

Gipsy Hill Gipsy Hill in south London is a hilly neighbourhood spanning the southern parts of the London Boroughs of Lambeth and Southwark characterised for its great views of the City of London and Dulwich. Historically, north of its traditional Westow ...

Nearest places

to the north *

for the larger surrounding district * Norbury to the south west *

to the south *

Streatham Streatham ( ) is a district in south London, England. Centred south of Charing Cross, it lies mostly within the London Borough of Lambeth, with some parts extending into the neighbouring London Borough of Wandsworth. Streatham was in Surrey ...

to the west.

References

* Cheesman, Beryl D. (1991), ''Treetops and Terraces - A Bygone Era of New Town , Upper Norwood SE19'' Theban Publishing, Surrey, {{LB Croydon Districts of the London Borough of Croydon Areas of London