Fairytale of Old Croydon

What fairytales could you imagine taking place in Croydon? I think many people would be stumped by this question. Perhaps the Pied Piper of Hamelin or The Ugly Duckling at Waddon Ponds? 

There are two particular sites in Croydon which evoke fairytale stories of princesses for me, and both were built in the 19th century for the purposes of water supply. 

Pumping Station, Feb 2020

Following the Public Health Act of 1848, which established local boards of health to manage issues including water and sanitation, Croydon was one of the first areas to set up a Local Board of Health. This article from the Museum of Croydon notes that Croydon had very poor sanitation at this point and suffered deadly outbreaks of cholera and other waterborne diseases. A reservoir was built at Park Hill in 1851, filled by a pumping station just off Surrey Street. 

Pumping station, Exchange Square, Aug 2017

The pumping station is said to have reused materials originally used in the West Croydon engine house of the short-lived Croydon Atmospheric Railway, although the website British Listed Buildings states that only the two Maudsley engines were reused. As the population of the town expanded rapidly, the original reservoir was insufficient. The water tower was built at Park Hill in 1867 and the pumping station was expanded at the same time, both designed by Baldwin Latham, a civil engineer and meteorologist who worked for the Croydon Board of Health between 1863-1870. Baldwin Latham was originally from Cheshire and also lived in Ely, Cambridgeshire, but once he came to Croydon in 1863 he spent the rest of his life at a house near the water tower at Park Hill. There's more information from the Museum of Croydon here. 

Park Hill water tower, Sep 2020

Baldwin Latham seems to have had a bit of a thing for castle type designs, with crenellations and slit windows adorning both the water tower and pumping station. I've always imagined Park Hill water tower as the tower Rapunzel was locked in. 

This post from the British Water Tower Appreciation Society includes a contemporary etching showing the original interior of the Park Hill water tower, along with a detailed technical description. 

Plaque on pumping station, Aug 2017

An artwork on the pumping station in Mathews Yard off Surrey Street actually showed a Princess Diana type character at a window, being photographed by two paparazzi below. The artwork was painted by local artist Rich Simmons in August 2017.

Pumping station, Aug 2017

The reservoir at Park Hill was closed in 1923 and replaced by a larger one in the Addington Hills, although it was used during WWII by firefighters. The water tower and pumping station are both Grade II listed but sadly both empty. For more information, see this post on the Friends of Park Hill Park website.

As a contrast, below is a photo of the functional 1950s water tower in Littleheath Woods. 

Littleheath Woods water tower, Dec 2020

Infrastructure doesn't have to be ugly. I suppose we take running water for granted these days, whereas to the Victorians, water supply was a marvel of engineering. I was walking along Primrose Lane in Shirley Oaks recently when I saw a building in the distance which I first assumed was a church, but it turned out to be the Stroud Green Well pump house, pictured below. The plaque over the door says 1906 so not Victorian but shortly after.

Stroud Green Thames Water depot, Jan 2020

In a future blog post, I want to write more about the historical sewage treatment infrastructure of the Croydon area and why some of these sites are (now) beautiful and worth visiting.