The Unexpected Beauty of Croydon

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 ...

A tram at Waddon Marsh on Purley Way It's not a bus, it's not a train... it's a tram! Since 2000, trams have been a key part of transport in Croydon and along the routes to Beckenham, Elmers End, New Addington and Wimbledon. You can read about the history of the Croydon tram system on Wikipedia . It opened in 2000 after literally decades of planning. Part of it runs on former railway lines, while other parts run on or parallel to roads.  I use trams often, as they're fast and direct. The "hopper" fare means you can combine trams and buses in the same journey. I'm going to write about what there is to see around some of the tram stops, beginning with Addington Village Interchange. Addington Village Interchange doesn't seem particularly remarkable at first glance. It's a tram stop and a small bus station with fields on one side and a busy dual carriageway on the other. Ideal if you want to switch between buses or between bus and tram.  Two male pheas...

One question I've never quite been able to answer definitively is whether Croydon is in South East or South West London. It's just South, like the old South Central rail franchise. Perhaps postcodes will give me a clue? Some parts of South Norwood have SE postcodes, while parts of Norbury have SW postcodes. The CR postcode also covers Mitcham, which is in Merton, and Caterham and Warlingham, which are outside of London. Sign showing the boundary of London and Surrey in Caterham on the Hill According to the NHS, Croydon is part of South West London, being in South West London ICB. Our waste management contract is part of the South London Waste Partnership.  To the east of Croydon is the historic boundary between Surrey and Kent. This would suggest that we're in South West London.  This site has an interactive map showing the former boundary . 20mph speed limit is standard for most roads in Croydon You're probably wondering why this matters. Sometimes it's necessary t...