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Shirley was previously a hamlet of Croydon parish, but became a separate parish in 1846. The land for Shirley Church Recreation Ground was purchased in 1928 by the local Council in order to preserve an area of open space among the suburban housing estates that were rapidly developing in the area. The area was once wooded and some of the trees along Shirley Church Road are marked on a map of 1868. A bowling green and tennis courts were later provided and the park is opposite Shirley Parish Church of St John.

Shirley Heath was part of a much larger area of woodland, Spring Park Wood, which was significantly lost to housing development in the early C20th and for a golf course in 1922. The area west of the Bridle Way that runs through the site became known as Kennel Wood because it was where the Old Surrey Foxhounds were kept and trained. The golf course was purchased in 1934 by the local council; pre-fabs and then the Shrublands Estate were built on the northern part, with the southern part provided as public open space. The only reminder of Spring Park Wood survives in a small area of woodland surrounded by housing north of Links View Road.

South Croydon developed in the C19th largely as a result of the railway and in 1888 Croydon Corporation sought to provide recreation facilities to serve the growing population. Originally referred to as 'Brighton Road Recreation Ground', the site that is now South Croydon Recreation Ground was purchased in 1889 and opened to the public in 1895. There was once a bandstand, and cricket and football were played here. Little of the C19th fabric remains today, although there are beech, plane and lime trees along the north boundary, and a tree-lined walk along the railway embankment.

South Norwood Country Park was created in 1987 on land in the north east of the borough, originally used for agriculture as well as pottery and brickworks. Old maps show there may have been an C18th moated site near the open stream. From 1862 it became Croydon Corporation's sewage farm, with land acquired in a piecemeal fashion until as late as 1951. The sewage works closed in 1967 and the filter beds were dismantled to ground level. The new Country Park sought to preserve the wetlands and developed new meadowlands on areas that had previously been tipped.

South Norwood Lake was constructed to supply the London to Croydon Canal, which opened in 1809. No longer viable by 1836 it was purchased by the London & Croydon Railway Co., the canal then drained and used for railway track bed. In 1881 Norwood Sports Club leased 16 acres of land for a cricket field and the lake for fishing, swimming and skating. Further land was acquired and when the club was sold in 1911 its facilities included bowls, cricket and tennis. In 1931 Croydon Corporation purchased 16 acres of land, and the lake and surrounds opened to the public, although the club continued to lease the facilities. In 1933 the Corporation leased 37 acres including the former golf course and bowling green, eventually purchasing it in 1936. In 1969 all the grounds were opened to the public.

South Norwood Recreation Ground is on a site purchased by Croydon Corporation in 1889, and its facilities included a bandstand, refreshment kiosk, drinking fountain, various sports pitches and a pavilion with changing rooms. A paddling pool and playground were provided in memory of journalist Mr Hall, and the annual village fair attracted crowds. In 1932 Croydon Council purchased adjacent land, some used for allotments until 1949. Today the layout is greatly simplified and there are no longer flower displays but some of the original trees remain.

St Augustine's Church was built in 1881-84, when south Croydon was gradually being developed and there was need for a new church to serve the growing parish. It was designed by the architect John Oldrid Scott. In 1989 the church was re-modelled in order to accommodate a much-needed community centre. The church stands in pleasant grounds, which include a much-used footpath between Churchill Road and St Augustine’s Avenue, and has a large copper beech tree in front of the church entrance. The grounds are mainly grassed with mixed shrubs dotted around the borders. A community garden group has transformed the grounds in recent years, removing significant overgrowth and have sought to grow plants with links to the Bible and the Holy Land. St Augustine’s grounds have not been used for burials, and remain the responsibility of the PCC.

Development of the Norbury area began after the arrival of the railway in 1878, and Nos. 2-8 St Helen's Road are among the oldest houses in Norbury. These houses and those of St Helen's Crescent and Norbury Crescent face onto this triangular green space, which acts as a focal point. There are mature plane trees around the perimeter, which is bordered by privet hedging, with a single path across the grass.

St James's Church was built in 1828 on the last area of open space here, once extensive commonland. From 1890-1920 half an acre of the churchyard became the responsibility of Croydon Corporation to provide much-needed public open space. Finally, in 1959, it was agreed that the whole churchyard should become a public garden, although this was not laid out until 1966. The old churchyard walls remain and gravestones were laid as a paved area adjacent to the church.

St John the Evangelist is the old parish church of Coulsdon, a village recorded from Saxon times. The present building is essentially late C13th with a C15th tower. The church is associated with the Byron family, and various family members are buried here. They were major landowners in Coulsdon since 1782 when Thomas Byron purchased Coulsdon Manor and the sub-manor of Hooley. In 1871 Edmund Byron, who had inherited the estate in 1862, provided land to extend the graveyard. It has subsequently been enlarged a number of times, and now has a garden of remembrance but is closed for burials. An ancient yew and a great chestnut tree were once found in the churchyard. The lych-gate dates from 1910.

St John's Church Memorial Garden was formed from the churchyard of Croydon parish church. Destroyed by fire in 1867, St John's Church was rebuilt in 1870 and until 1957 had a traditional graveyard but by then no longer used for burials. When Church Street was widened, a new home was needed for the War Memorial and plans were developed to create a memorial garden on the site of the well-treed churchyard. The gravestones were removed, some headstones used to form paths, more elaborate memorials erected as a screen wall round the church. Special tombs and sarcophagi were relocated in the garden, as was the War Memorial. Adjacent is the former Archbishops Palace, now Old Palace of John Whitgift School. Improvements were made to the Memorial Garden in c.2015 with funding from the Pocket Parks initiative. 

Shirley was previously a hamlet of Croydon parish, but became a separate parish in 1846. Prior to the construction of St John's Church in 1854-6 there was a Mission chapel here with a school room, playground, cottages and burial ground, and garden for the poor. From 1879-1912 the vicar of St John's was Revd William Wilkes, an important figure in horticulture, Secretary of the RHS and responsible for developing the Shirley Poppy. The large churchyard has a number of fine mature trees and monuments, including that of John Ruskin's parents, the Preston family tomb in the form of a classical temple, and a memorial to Arthur Lloyd, brother of Frank Lloyd after whom Lloyd Park is named.