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Park Hill Recreation Ground
Park Hill Recreation Ground is a 15 acres (6.1 ha) park near the centre of Croydon, Greater London, managed by the London Borough of Croydon. It runs from Barclay Road to Coombe Road beside the railway line, with the main entrances on Water Tower Hill and Barclay Road. The nearest stations (equidistant to the park) are East Croydon to the north for Tramlink and National Rail services and South Croydon to the south for National Rail. The park was officially renamed as Park Hill in 1964.
At the southern end, at the very top of the hill which forms the park, it joins the grounds of Coombe Cliff once the home of members of the Horniman Tea family. From there a steep drive winds down to Coombe Road where a footpath leads to South Croydon railway station for National Rail. The grounds now form part of the park and are open to the public, but the house itself, is not. As of October 2018[update], it is used for educational purposes. Where the drive meets Coombe Road there is a further entrance and a gatehouse, which is now privately owned for residential purposes. The house is grade II listed.
Previously, the site was a reservoir, but in the 1880s, it was transformed into a public park. The park offers various amenities, such as refreshments, sports facilities, and a walled herb garden.
In his memoirs, "The Chronicles of Wasted Time" (1973), Malcolm Muggeridge reminisces about the park being a childhood playground where he and his father would frequently walk together and engage in discussions about socialism and world affairs.
The recreation ground is the remnant of the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Croydon Park. It was about 210 acres and was probably similar to today's Selsdon wood nature reserve. It dates back to at least the 14th century and in 1382 Sir William Walworth was appointed the park's keeper. On 28 April 1540 it was exchanged as part of a package to Henry VIII for Malling Abbey and other lands. It reverted back to Archbishop Cranmer soon after the King’s death, by his will. By the 18th century Croydon Palace was no longer used, having fallen into a state of disrepair and in 1726 the park was leased to William Busick of Mitcham. It was cultivated into farmland and in 1813 it was leased in 13 lots.
With the consent of his tenant Thomas Weaver, the Archbishop sold just over an acre of Bean Hill to Croydon’s local board of health for a reservoir on 2 November 1850. The reservoir was an approximate brick cylinder 75'(22.9m) in diameter and 50'(15.2m) tall, with a 20'(6.1m) high domed roof. It had a stone floor and was lined with Portland cement. The reservoir was strengthen by sixteen vertical ribs and covered with earth several feet thick that also kept the water at a constant temperature throughout the year. The brickwork also curved inwards between the ribs to help withstand the pressure from the water. It was designed by the board’s consulting engineer William Ranger and built by the local builder William Harris. Water was pumped from a well at the newly constructed Surrey Street pumping station into the reservoir and provided the town with a constant supply of fresh piped water under gravity. The railway cutting meant that a wooden bridge had to be constructed to carry the cast iron water main from the well to the reservoir, where Barclay Road now crosses. The Surrey Street pumping station and reservoir were opened by the 71-year-old Archbishop John Bird Sumner on 11 December 1851. The party descended into the bottom of the reservoir by a temporary wooden staircase under candlelight to see the water pumped from the well arrive at the reservoir.
The reservoir could hold 900,000 gallons and was estimated to supply the town with water for about 18 days. By April 1853, the town was consuming 450,000 gallons daily and 1.5M gallons daily before the end of 1866. The reservoir was nevertheless useful in ensuring water could be supplied to households in the higher areas of the town. By June 1866 water levels in the reservoir were low because demand exceeded supply and water was limited to certain daylight hours to allow the reservoir to refill sufficiently to reach households in the higher areas. The reservoir became redundant when the Russell Hill reservoir (at the south end of the Purley Way playing fields) opened in 1923.
Although the Park Hill reservoir leaked, it was kept full during the second world war for fire-fighting purposes. The reservoir remains roofless under the mound to the south of the later water tower. By 1971 the domed roof had become structurally unsafe and was demolished and the reservoir backfilled.
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Park Hill Recreation Ground
Park Hill Recreation Ground is a 15 acres (6.1 ha) park near the centre of Croydon, Greater London, managed by the London Borough of Croydon. It runs from Barclay Road to Coombe Road beside the railway line, with the main entrances on Water Tower Hill and Barclay Road. The nearest stations (equidistant to the park) are East Croydon to the north for Tramlink and National Rail services and South Croydon to the south for National Rail. The park was officially renamed as Park Hill in 1964.
At the southern end, at the very top of the hill which forms the park, it joins the grounds of Coombe Cliff once the home of members of the Horniman Tea family. From there a steep drive winds down to Coombe Road where a footpath leads to South Croydon railway station for National Rail. The grounds now form part of the park and are open to the public, but the house itself, is not. As of October 2018[update], it is used for educational purposes. Where the drive meets Coombe Road there is a further entrance and a gatehouse, which is now privately owned for residential purposes. The house is grade II listed.
Previously, the site was a reservoir, but in the 1880s, it was transformed into a public park. The park offers various amenities, such as refreshments, sports facilities, and a walled herb garden.
In his memoirs, "The Chronicles of Wasted Time" (1973), Malcolm Muggeridge reminisces about the park being a childhood playground where he and his father would frequently walk together and engage in discussions about socialism and world affairs.
The recreation ground is the remnant of the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Croydon Park. It was about 210 acres and was probably similar to today's Selsdon wood nature reserve. It dates back to at least the 14th century and in 1382 Sir William Walworth was appointed the park's keeper. On 28 April 1540 it was exchanged as part of a package to Henry VIII for Malling Abbey and other lands. It reverted back to Archbishop Cranmer soon after the King’s death, by his will. By the 18th century Croydon Palace was no longer used, having fallen into a state of disrepair and in 1726 the park was leased to William Busick of Mitcham. It was cultivated into farmland and in 1813 it was leased in 13 lots.
With the consent of his tenant Thomas Weaver, the Archbishop sold just over an acre of Bean Hill to Croydon’s local board of health for a reservoir on 2 November 1850. The reservoir was an approximate brick cylinder 75'(22.9m) in diameter and 50'(15.2m) tall, with a 20'(6.1m) high domed roof. It had a stone floor and was lined with Portland cement. The reservoir was strengthen by sixteen vertical ribs and covered with earth several feet thick that also kept the water at a constant temperature throughout the year. The brickwork also curved inwards between the ribs to help withstand the pressure from the water. It was designed by the board’s consulting engineer William Ranger and built by the local builder William Harris. Water was pumped from a well at the newly constructed Surrey Street pumping station into the reservoir and provided the town with a constant supply of fresh piped water under gravity. The railway cutting meant that a wooden bridge had to be constructed to carry the cast iron water main from the well to the reservoir, where Barclay Road now crosses. The Surrey Street pumping station and reservoir were opened by the 71-year-old Archbishop John Bird Sumner on 11 December 1851. The party descended into the bottom of the reservoir by a temporary wooden staircase under candlelight to see the water pumped from the well arrive at the reservoir.
The reservoir could hold 900,000 gallons and was estimated to supply the town with water for about 18 days. By April 1853, the town was consuming 450,000 gallons daily and 1.5M gallons daily before the end of 1866. The reservoir was nevertheless useful in ensuring water could be supplied to households in the higher areas of the town. By June 1866 water levels in the reservoir were low because demand exceeded supply and water was limited to certain daylight hours to allow the reservoir to refill sufficiently to reach households in the higher areas. The reservoir became redundant when the Russell Hill reservoir (at the south end of the Purley Way playing fields) opened in 1923.
Although the Park Hill reservoir leaked, it was kept full during the second world war for fire-fighting purposes. The reservoir remains roofless under the mound to the south of the later water tower. By 1971 the domed roof had become structurally unsafe and was demolished and the reservoir backfilled.