The Unexpected Beauty of Croydon

I've been slipping, sliding and squelching my way through Croydon's green spaces recently. Every time I come home, I bring souvenirs with me, in the form of mud. My trouser legs look like Jackson Pollock has had a go at them with some brown paint.  This time of year, there's water everywhere and many of our parks are flooded. I've seen people concerned about this, particularly as parks are especially important at the moment. However, their tendency to flood is a key reason why some of these sites remain public land.  Ashburton Park, Jan 2021 Croydon's green spaces used to have more ponds and lakes than they currently do.  The current "flooding" in Ashburton Park pretty much exactly matches the location of the lake on this map from 1898 ( available on the National Library of Scotland website here ).  Wandle Park was the site of Croydon's first sewage treatment works, however this was short-lived, being replaced by an abbatoir. Despite this insalubrious ...

I'm not even going to try to claim that Purley Way is beautiful*. It's a former industrial area that has gradually evolved into out of town shopping. It's a horrible place to drive, walk, cycle, or take the bus to. The only decent way to get there is by tram, in my opinion, because the tram route bypasses the awful roads and junctions.  Tram at Reeves Corner, 2020 Did you know that the River Wandle passes under Purley Way and is visible close to both sides of this traffic-clogged artery? It's worth braving a small stretch of road to follow the river to Waddon Ponds. Mural celebrating Croydon's saffron growing heritage under the Roman Way From Croydon town centre or the Old Town, it's a short walk to Wandle Park. Go to Reeves Corner, at the bottom of Church Street, and cross over the tram tracks. You'll see the Roman Way elevated dual carriageway called Jubilee Bridge (I've always thought this a terrible tribute to the Queen's longevity) - head for th...