Three meadows of Croydon

There are three meadows in the Woodside, South Norwood and Selhurst area, approximately north east of Croydon town centre. Two of them only became public parks in the 1990s, meaning they don't appear in the book Croydon's Parks: An Illustrated History, which was published in 1988. 

Brickfields Meadow 

Brickfields Meadow lake, Jan 2021

The peace and stillness of the grassy meadow, small woodland and deep lake at Brickfields are quite a contrast to the site's industrial past. As the name suggests, it was previously a brickworks. The first brickworks on the site started in 1810, where Thomas Becket School now stands, but closed in 1856. Horris Parks opened a brickworks on what is now the meadow in the 1880s and it was later bought by Edward Handley, becoming Handleys Brickworks. The brickworks eventually closed in 1974. Housing was built on part of the site while the rest was opened as public green space. 

Adult & juvenile moorhens, Brickfields, Oct 2020

Interestingly, part of the site also used to be home to a fireworks factory, from 1877 until it apparently relocated to Cheam in around 1901. A map from the 1890s shows the Crystal Palace Fireworks Manufactory in the area where the lake is now, prior to Davidson Road being built. The factory belonged to Brocks, the UK's oldest fireworks producer. They held a popular free weekly fireworks display at the Crystal Palace until it burned down in 1936 and even renamed the company C.T.Brock ‘Crystal Palace’ Fireworks & Co.

According to this blog post, the factory was actually a series of sheds, connected by horse drawn tramways, to minimise the risk of explosions. It still seems a dangerous place to have a fireworks factory, in a built-up area next to a railway line. 

Woodland, Brickfields Meadow, Dec 2020

Brickfields Meadow can be accessed using footpaths from a variety of local roads, with Christie Drive directly next to the lake. The lake is used for fishing and seems to be home to some coots and moorhens. A noisy flock of sparrows can be found in bushes around the lake. Recently I've seen redwings and parakeets in the woodland near the lake. There's a children's play area which seems to be brick-themed, but I imagine it's a bit disappointing as it lacks the usual play equipment. At the time of writing, there's thick mud around the lake, as it is clay soil. 

Play area, Brickfields Meadow, Dec 2020

Heavers Meadow

Heavers Meadow, Nov 2020

If you take the footpath that leaves Brickfields Meadow by the north east corner of the lake and leads past the fenced off electricity infrastructure, you'll come out by 148 Tennison Road. Turn left and walk along Tennison Road and over the railway bridge. Once you're the other side of the railway bridge, you'll have South Norwood Recreation Ground to your right. Keep going along Tennison Road until you get to the gated road which leads to Heavers Farm Primary School, just before the zebra crossing. Turn left and follow the road to the end, then the entrance to Heavers Meadow is on the left.

Heavers Meadow, Nov 2020

Heavers Meadow is a flood meadow which sits between allotments and the Selhurst Traincare Depot (a familiar site for anyone who uses the trains between Croydon and London). The site and allotments have belonged to Croydon Council since 1935 but apparently the meadow in its current form opened to the public in 1986, following works to prevent flooding on Selhurst Road. The Norbury Brook runs through the site. The other entrance to Heavers Meadow is opposite the Seventh Day Adventist Church on Selhurst Road, close to Selhurst Station.

Ducks enjoying Heavers Meadow, Jan 2021

I have to admit, I only visited Heavers Meadow for the first time a few months ago, when the water level was high, so I've not seen what it's like in the summer. There have been a good number of ducks there recently, enjoying the water. The photo below shows snow at Heavers Meadow in January 2021. The Norbury Brook is beyond the fence, with the train depot beyond that. The water level can apparently change rapidly following rain.

Whitehorse Meadow

Whitehorse Meadow sits between Grangewood Park and Selhurst Park football stadium. It can be accessed from a path halfway up Ladbrook Road and the end of Parry Road. I've not managed to find a lot of history of the site. On the map from 1894, part of the National Library of Scotland collection, the site of Whitehorse Meadow and Selhurst Park is occupied by another brick works, however I wasn't able to find any other information about this. 

Croydon Council's history states that the site used to be used as allotments but the soil was found to be contaminated. A Council noticeboard at the site states that the Grangewood and Whitehorse Residents' Association helped save the site from development and it was established as a nature area in 1993, so I am grateful to them for their work. A bench is dedicated:

"In memory of Eva Gibbon and Ted Duffin, whose dedication helped create, maintain and preserve Whitehorse Meadow". 

 The site is peaceful and offers views towards Central Croydon and one of the Selhurst Park stands. There is a pond and I saw a large number of bird species, including a greater spotted woodpecker, great tits, blue tits, redwings, starlings, woodpigeons, gulls and goldfinches. I also saw at least one fox. 

Selhurst Park from Whitehorse Meadow