Woodside is an area in south

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; ...

and the

historic History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

county of Surrey. It is between

Addiscombe Addiscombe is an area of south London, England, within the London Borough of Croydon. It is located south of Charing Cross, and is situated north of Coombe and Selsdon, east of Croydon town centre, south of Woodside, and west of Shirley. E ...

and

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 ...

. It is south of

, west of

Shirley Shirley may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Shirley'' (novel), an 1849 novel by Charlotte Brontë * ''Shirley'' (1922 film), a British silent film * ''Shirley'' (2020 film), an American film * ''Shirley'' (album), a 1961 album by Shirley Bas ...

and

Monks Orchard Monks Orchard is a suburb on the edge of the London Borough of Croydon, in the ceremonial county of Greater London, England, priot to 1965 it was located in the historical county of Surrey. It is situated about 10 miles (16.1 km) south ...

, north of

, and east of

Selhurst Selhurst is an area in the London Borough of Croydon south-south-east of Charing Cross. Historically it lay in Surrey. The area is bounded to the west and south by Thornton Heath and Croydon and to the east and south by South Norwood and Woodsid ...

History

Woodside was first mentioned in 1332, and is thought to signify its location adjacent to 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 ...

, a formerly extensive forest which gives its name to the various ' Norwoods' in the area.Willey, Russ. ''Chambers London Gazetteer'', p 565-6 Woodside was historically largely agricultural land, but its heavy soil made farming difficult; local farmer William Marshall published details of his efforts in this regard in the 1780s. However the clayey soil did enable a brick-making industry to form in the area by the 1850s. A small settlement centred on Woodside Green had already sprouted up by the early 19th century. Handley's brickworks' chimneys dominated the area, their hooter being heard all over the locality at lunchtime to signify the start and finish of the rest period. Handley's was later sold to Hall & Co, who were subsequently taken over by Ready Mixed Concrete, before the brick factories closed altogether in 1974. There were two other brickyards in the group - at Newdigate and Ashford - with the managing director Jack Milsted also being Founder Chairman of Croydon Amateurs FC from 1953 until 1990, when the club was renamed as Croydon FC. After the factories closed the site was turned into

Brickfields Meadow Brickfields Meadow is a meadow in Woodside in the London Borough of Croydon. It is located on the former site of a brickworks in Tennison Road and Dickensons Lane. The meadow covers an area of about 4.37 hectares. The meadow is not very well ...

, a park containing woods and a lake. Croydon Racecourse opened in 1866 on nearby Stroud Green Farm abutting

(now the site of Ashburton Community School and Ashburton Playing Fields), prompting the opening of a railway station in 1871, though the racecourse closed in 1890. In 1871, the Ecclesiastical Commissioners granted 'copyhold' to the Croydon Local Board of Health for Woodside Green upon condition that it should be appropriated by the Board: ::"to be forever kept as an open space and used as, and for, a place of recreation for the use of inhabitants of the parish of Croydon and of the neighbourhood and for no other purpose". Four months later, the Commissioners, passed the freehold of the land to the board "freed from all incidents whatsoever of copyhold or customary tenure to be held and used for the purpose of public walks, recreation or pleasure grounds only". The area has been used by the Local Board of Health and its successors ever since. In 1924 Croydon Council purchased a mansion in the area, tearing it down and replacing turning its grounds into a public park ( Ashburton Park). An extension of the house as kept and converted into a library, however the library moved to a new site in 2006 and the building has since been renovated and renamed as Ashburton Hall. In 2006

Ashburton Learning Village Ashburton Learning Village is a learning complex in Woodside, Greater London. It stands in the London Borough of Croydon, and is located near Ashburton Park. The learning village includes Ashburton Library, Oasis Academy Shirley Park, Croydon M ...

opened, containing a

school A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes comp ...

and a

new library New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

Amenities

Woodside is a nowadays a suburban district of residential streets based around ''Woodside Green'', a triangular green. At one end of the green is a war memorial. It is surrounded by residential properties, with the main shopping parade at one end. Portland Road, an important distributor road, leads away from the green towards South Norwood, and has many more shops, restaurants, pubs and a swimming pool. The green still has a somewhat villagey feel with, several old houses and cottages around it. Housing is largely Victorian terraces or more recent developments of small flats. There is one pub in the immediate area - the Joiner's Arms. Another pub - The Beehive - closed in 2017.

Woodside Green

Woodside Green is a green space and street located in Woodside. The green is located near to

Woodside tram stop Woodside tram stop is a light rail stop situated between Woodside Green and Ashburton Park in the London Borough of Croydon in the southern suburbs of London. The stop is located on the site of the former Woodside railway station of the Woodsi ...

in the

and is over . An indenture of 1662 shows "land lying up on a green called Woodside Green". The Croydon Inclosure Map of 1800 shows an area "Woodside Green". In 1871, the Ecclesiastical Commissioners granted 'copyhold' to the Croydon Local Board of Health upon condition that it should be appropriated by the Board: ::"to be forever kept as an open space and used as, and for, a place of recreation for the use of inhabitants of the parish of Croydon and of the neighbourhood and for no other purpose". Four months later, the Commissioners, passed the freehold of the land to the board "freed from all incidents whatsoever of copyhold or customary tenure to be held and used for the purpose of public walks, recreation or pleasure grounds only". The area has been used by the Local Board of Health and its successors ever since. In 1888, the Borough of Croydon acquired the neighbouring Poplar Farm and subsequently, part of the farm was included in the grounds of the green. The green features mature plane trees with benches beneath them. Beside the roadway which bisects the green is a stone horse- and cattle-trough. Although no longer used in respect of livestock, it is still a feature of the green. A 1905 postcard of Woodside Green shows The Joiners Arms (Nalder & Collyer), Woodside News Agency, E Jupp Family Baker, and The Bee Hive Overton Brewery.

Politics

Woodside is part of the electoral ward of Woodside, one of 28 wards in the London Borough of Croydon. The ward covers a wider area than Woodside proper, reaching up to

Norwood Junction railway station Norwood Junction railway station is a National Rail station in South Norwood in the London Borough of Croydon, south London and is in Travelcard Zone 4. It is down the line from . The station is managed by London Overground and trains are oper ...

and including

South Norwood Country Park South Norwood Country Park is a park in South Norwood, close to Elmers End and Birkbeck train stations. The historic Kent-Surrey border runs through the site, and since 1965 it has been located wholly in the London Borough of Croydon. It is a 47 ...

. The area identifying primarily as 'Woodside' has gradually shrunk, with most living within the SE25 postcode now terming themselves 'South Norwood'.

Transport

The area is served by two

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 ...

stops - Woodside and Blackhorse Lane.The nearest rail station is Norwood Junction, located to the north in South Norwood. Woodside formerly had its own

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a prep ...

, opened in 1871 and served by the

Woodside and South Croydon Railway The Woodside and South Croydon Joint Railway (W&SC) was a short, relatively short-lived and unsuccessful railway in the London Borough of Croydon in London, England. Its site is now largely occupied by Tramlink. Route ; Woodside station Ju ...

, however this closed in 1997 after a long period of decline. The station stood where the tram stop now is, and part of the old disused track-bed was turned into

Addiscombe Railway Park Addiscombe Railway Park, also known as the Addiscombe Linear Park, is a park in Addiscombe, South London, managed by the London Borough of Croydon. The first section of the park was opened on 26 May 2007, with the second stage opened on 15 Ma ...

Gallery

File:Old_Ashburton_Library.jpg, The old Ashburton Library in Ashburton Park, formerly an extension to a mansion File:Joiners Arms, Woodside, SE25 (5717641899).jpg, The Joiners Arms pub File:St Luke's, Woodside - geograph.org.uk - 39050.jpg, St's Luke's Church, built in 1870 with modifications in 1949, now a grade II listed building File:Brickfields,_Woodside.jpg, Lake in Brickfields Meadow File:Woodside tramstop old station building.JPG, The old Woodside station building, now disused File:Woodside_shops.jpg, Shops on Woodside Green, with the boarded-up Beehive to the right

References

External links

Streets within the Ward of WoodsideWoodside Green at London Borough of Croydon website
{{Green Croydon Districts of the London Borough of Croydon Areas of London