Beddington

King George's Field

Selhurst · 3.1 miles

King George’s Field provides a green space within the residential district of Selhurst, a suburb of the London Borough of Croydon situated 7.8 miles south-east of Charing Cross. The area, historically part of Surrey, derives its name from an Old English term meaning “dwelling in a wood” and was first recorded in 1225. Selhurst is bounded by Thornton Heath and Croydon to the west and south, and by South Norwood and Woodside to the east and south, and includes the football stadium Selhurst Park at its northern edge. The suburb grew after the Croydon Canal opened in 1809 and later after the Selhurst railway station began operation in 1865. The park can be reached on foot from Selhurst railway station, which offers frequent services north to London Victoria and London Bridge and south towards Sutton, Caterham and Epsom Downs via East and West Croydon. Bus routes 75 and 157 run the length of Selhurst Road, linking the area with Croydon, Lewisham, Morden and Crystal Palace. As a public field, admission is unrestricted and there are no specific entry fees recorded. While the available description does not list particular facilities, the location within a suburban setting suggests easy pedestrian access from nearby streets and the surrounding housing estates.

Beaulieu Heights

Upper Norwood · 3.7 miles

A stretch of ancient woodland covering roughly 16 acres lies between South Norwood and Upper Norwood in the London Borough of Croydon. Bordered by South Norwood Hill, Auckland Road, Auckland Rise to the north and Tummonds Gardens to the south, the site offers pedestrian entrances from South Norwood Hill and Auckland Rise and includes a small pond. The area forms part of the historic Great North Wood and is currently overseen by the London Wildlife Trust in partnership with Croydon Council as a component of the Great North Wood Project. The wood’s past includes a fire in August 1976 that destroyed more than one acre of oak, after which the cleared area was replanted and natural regeneration has taken place. A local group, the Friends of Beaulieu Heights, was established in 2009 to enhance accessibility and biodiversity; their work, approved by the Forestry Commission, has produced footpaths, waymarkers, a notice board, steps and a community orchard. In 2012 a hectare of holly was removed to increase light reaching the woodland floor, supporting ground flora and younger trees. The Friends organise regular volunteer workdays, guided walks and community events. A broadcasting and telecommunications facility, the Croydon transmitting station, occupies the height; the current 152-metre tower dates from 1962, succeeding an earlier lattice structure erected in 1955. Entry to the park is free, with the pedestrian gates providing direct access from the surrounding streets. The woodland’s management plan aims to maintain its ecological value while offering a publicly accessible green space for locals and visitors alike.

South Norwood Lake

Anerley · 3.7 miles

Spanning roughly 2 ½ acres (11.53 hectares), South Norwood Lake and Grounds lies in the South Norwood area of the London Borough of Croydon, close to Anerley. The main gate opens onto Woodvale Avenue, with additional access points on Auckland Road and Sylvan Road, and the site is managed by Croydon Council. A park-ranger office and public toilets are situated near the lake, providing basic visitor facilities. The grounds host a variety of recreational amenities: a bowling green, tennis and basketball courts, football and cricket pitches, a playground and a trim trail. The lake itself, originally a reservoir built for the Croydon Canal that operated between 1809 and 1836, now supports angling for carp, bream and perch and is the home base of Croydon Sailing Club. Birdwatchers may spot great crested grebes, herons and ring-necked parakeets nesting on the island, while the water’s natural food sources include a blood-worm bar that sustains the fish population. The surrounding parkland also accommodates the historic Norwood Sports Club. Founded in 1881, the club once controlled 53 acres, including the lake, and at its peak in 1888 operated the world’s largest tennis provision with 54 courts. After the golf course was requisitioned during the First World War and later fell out of use, the land gradually transferred to public ownership, with the council acquiring the original 16 acres in 1931 and the remaining 37 acres by 1936. Full public opening occurred in 1969, although the sports club retains limited user rights.

Apsley Road Playground

South Norwood · 3.7 miles

A modest green space with a dedicated children’s play area occupies a corner of Apsley Road in South Norwood, London. Covering roughly 0.25 acres (0.10 ha), the site is entered from the road that gives it its name and is overseen by the London Borough of Croydon. The nearest Tramlink stop is Harrington Road, making the playground reachable by public transport, while the surrounding residential streets provide the primary users. Management of the area falls to Croydon Council, and the provision for wheelchair users is limited. The playground contains standard children’s equipment and is secured after dark, with the gates locked at night. The land was acquired by the borough in 1946, replacing a property formerly known as 15 Apsley Road, and the play area itself was laid out in 1951. An air-raid shelter that had stood at the rear of the original house was removed in 1973. No admission fee is mentioned, and the site does not appear to offer additional facilities beyond the play equipment. Visitors can therefore expect a straightforward, locally-focused space suitable for families living nearby, with basic access via tram and limited provisions for wheelchair users.

Croham Hurst

Sanderstead · 3.7 miles

Spanning 33.6 hectares, the hill is designated as a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest and as a Site of Metropolitan Importance for Nature Conservation, situated in South Croydon within the London Borough of Croydon and close to the town of Sanderstead. The steep rise consists of ancient woodland, though few very old trees survive because timber was historically harvested for fuel. Lower slopes support a varied plant community dominated by oak and hazel on nutrient-rich soils over chalk, while higher ground is largely beech on Thanet Sands. Near the summit, oak and birch grow on the acidic Blackheath pebble beds, whose natural cement has resisted erosion and creates a cap of bare ground dotted with rounded pebbles left from an Eocene shallow sea. Sparse vegetation there includes wavy hair-grass, heather and bilberry, reflecting the site's dual importance for both biology and geology. Archaeological evidence shows human activity from the Mesolithic period, with two turf-walled hut sites dated to between 5 000 and 3 000 BC, and later Neolithic flint tools. A Bronze Age round barrow, now a Scheduled Ancient Monument, is marked by an informational plaque. In medieval times the area formed one of the four manors of Sanderstead; it passed to Archbishop John Whitgift in the late sixteenth century and became part of the Whitgift Foundation. After a public campaign to prevent private development, the whole site was purchased by Croydon Corporation on 8 February 1901 and incorporated into the London Borough of Croydon in 1965. A fire caused significant damage in June 2018. Access is available from Croham Manor Road, Bankside and Upper Selsdon Road.

South Norwood Country Park

Elmers End · 4.3 miles

A 47-hectare green space straddling the historic Kent-Surrey border lies close to Elmers End and Birkbeck stations, and has been wholly within the London Borough of Croydon since 1965. Opened in 1989, the site combines countryside and parkland and overlays a varied past that includes the Great North Wood, a medieval moated manor known as La Motes, a 19th-century sewage farm and wartime civil-defence use. The double-sided moat of the manor, recorded on a 1736 estate map, survives as a heavily overgrown scheduled monument, while concrete channels from the former sewage farm remain visible. Facilities include a car park, visitor centre and the Croydon Sports Arena on the south-eastern edge, home to Croydon F.C. A duck pond mirrors the one at South Norwood Lake, and a large hill behind the arena—formed from wartime rubble—offers views across the London Docklands, Shirley Hills, Crystal Palace, Croydon and as far east as Bromley. The southern terminus of the Waterlink Way cycling route from Greenwich passes through the park. A lottery-funded playground, rebuilt in 2008 for children aged 4-14, occupies former pitch-and-putt ground. Designated a Local Nature Reserve, the park supports wetlands, a Dragonfly Pond and a range of amphibians; in summer the blue and green Emperor Dragonfly can be seen, and over 100 bird species are recorded each year.