Secret gardens in Shirley

Over in Shirley, in the east of the borough of Croydon, there are some beautiful privately-owned green spaces which the public are sometimes allowed to visit. 

MHA The Wilderness Garden rhododendron "Cynthia", April 2026

MHA The Wilderness Garden is a beautiful ornamental garden tucked away behind a nursing home on Shirley Church Road. The site was originally the garden of the Reverend William Wilks, who was vicar of nearby St John's Church and a renowned horticulturist. He was heavily involved with the Royal Horticultural Society, becoming its secretary and journal editor. His interest in hybridising plants produced the Shirley poppy, while his style of gardening was "wild", with a variety of habitats including a bog garden. 

Bog garden, April 2024

The garden was sadly left to decline for many years, but the MHA charity have been restoring it and it is looking beautiful. When I visited in late April, a number of different varieties of rhododendron were in full bloom, including an enormous deep pink one called Cynthia. The garden still has a variety of habitats, combining ornamental plants with areas of woodland, acid grassland, and the bog garden. The paths are all flat and sealed, ideal for those with reduced mobility or using wheelchairs, and they have toilets and plants for sale.


There is a friendly full-time gardener and the site is usually open Monday-Friday 9am-4pm, unless there are no staff available. There are also occasional weekend events where they provide refreshments. To find the garden, follow the path round to the right of the care home and go through the gate. 

Pinewood Scout Centre, July 2026

Pinewood Scout Centre is a hidden area of woodland with a small lake, used by Scouts but also available for hire by other groups, with facilities for camping, cooking, archery, kayaking and more. During the daytime on Thursdays they are open for volunteers, and also for local people to visit and have a look around. The site manager Jim was very welcoming and told me that they want to get the community more involved with the site and if the gates are open on a Thursday, you can come on in. They have recently cleared dense rhododendrons from the area in the photo above, providing more light and space for wildlife. 

Male broad-bodied chaser at Pinewood Scout Centre, July 2026

Common darter at Pinewood Scout Centre, July 2026

On the lake I saw a lot of dragonflies and damselflies, while the woodlands are home to a variety of birds. 

Buzzard at Pinewood, July 2026

This year they have had two buzzard chicks fledge successfully and I could hear them calling as they flew between the large pine trees. They have also got breeding nuthatches, woodpeckers and treecreepers. 

Juvenile Great Spotted Woodpecker, Pinewood, July 2026

How to get there:

As these sites are not open all the time, you may wish to contact them to check they will be open when you plan to visit. 

MHA The Wilderness: thewilderness@mha.org.uk

MHA The Wilderness is located on Shirley Church Road, not far from the junction with Upper Shirley Road. Click here to view on Google Maps. You can get the 130 or 466 buses to the Shirley Church Road bus stop or the 119, 194 or 198 to Upper Shirley Road, and then it's about a 5-10 minute walk. It's usually possible to park on Shirley Church Road if you're driving. 

Pinewood Scout Centre: Facebook page or email bookings@pinewoodscoutcentre.org.uk

Pinewood Scout Centre is located further up Shirley Church Road, just after the junction with South Way. Click here to view on Google Maps. You can get the 194 bus to Benson School and then walk along West Way and South Way, or for a longer but scenic walk, you can get the 130 or 466 to Oaks Road and walk along Sandpits Road to the end, where it becomes a public footpath through Pinewoods alongside Shirley High School, then turn right and walk along to the entrance, which is marked with a signpost on the opposite side of the road. 

Facilities: 

MHA The Wilderness has toilets and at events they sometimes serve refreshments. There is a convenience store by the Oaks Road bus stop on Upper Shirley Road and there are some shops on Wickham Road or at Shrublands on Broom Road. 

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