Description
All Saints church was built in 1827-9 as a Chapel of Ease to Croydon Parish Church of St John the Baptist, established when Upper Norwood was becoming fashionable; the parish of St Margaret was added in 2003. In the churchyard is a memorial to Robert FitzRoy (1805-1865), who entered the Royal Navy at the age of 13 and was later notable as Captain of HMS Beagle in 1831-36, inviting Charles Darwin to accompany the voyage. He was also a noted meteorologist and former Governor of New Zealand.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | Parish of Upper Norwood, All Saints and St Margaret |
|---|---|
| Site location | Church Road/Beulah Hill, Upper Norwood |
| Postcode | SE19 3LS |
| What3Words | ///wipe.sand.mess |
| Type of Site | Churchyard |
| Borough | Croydon |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Public Transport | London Overground: Crystal Palace then bus. Bus: 50, 196, 259, 469. |
| Research Updated | 1 December 2008 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Commissioners' church by James Savage built in 1827-9 as a Chapel of Ease to Croydon Parish Church of St John the Baptist; the tower and spire were added in 1841 and the chancel by Edwin Nash in 1861, west baptistery of 1952-4. West tower has pinnacles and recessed spire and flying buttresses; fine cast iron gates and gate piers to Church Road. The church was erected when Upper Norwood was becoming fashionable and large houses/villas were being built; the area further developed in the latter part of the C19th when the railway arrived. The church was badly damaged in WWII bombing and restored in 1954. In 2003 the parish of St Margaret Upper Norwood became part of All Saints, when St Margaret's became redundant.
In the churchyard is a memorial to Robert FitzRoy (1805-1865), who entered the Royal Navy at the age of 13 and later notable as Captain of HMS Beagle in 1831-36 for which journey he invited Charles Darwin to accompany the voyage. FitzRoy was awarded a gold medal on his return by the Royal Geographical Society; he later renounced Darwin's theory in The Origin of Species. He was Governor of New Zealand in the 1840s, and a noted meteorologist who developed advanced charts and instruments for accurately predicting the weather from the 1850s and early 1860s, publishing 'The Weather Book' in 1863, a Vice Admiral at his retirement, he committed suicide in 1865. The artist Camille Pissarro painted All Saints in 1871.
The large churchyard is shaded by numerous trees, including yew, conifers, rhododendrons with a holly hedge forming part of the boundary along Beulah Hill. There are a number of monuments and headstones in the grass, and some paths through the churchyard are now tarmac but the layout of path is much like it was in a map of 1868. An area in front of the church is now used for car parking.
In the churchyard is a memorial to Robert FitzRoy (1805-1865), who entered the Royal Navy at the age of 13 and later notable as Captain of HMS Beagle in 1831-36 for which journey he invited Charles Darwin to accompany the voyage. FitzRoy was awarded a gold medal on his return by the Royal Geographical Society; he later renounced Darwin's theory in The Origin of Species. He was Governor of New Zealand in the 1840s, and a noted meteorologist who developed advanced charts and instruments for accurately predicting the weather from the 1850s and early 1860s, publishing 'The Weather Book' in 1863, a Vice Admiral at his retirement, he committed suicide in 1865. The artist Camille Pissarro painted All Saints in 1871.
The large churchyard is shaded by numerous trees, including yew, conifers, rhododendrons with a holly hedge forming part of the boundary along Beulah Hill. There are a number of monuments and headstones in the grass, and some paths through the churchyard are now tarmac but the layout of path is much like it was in a map of 1868. An area in front of the church is now used for car parking.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ331697 |
|---|---|
| Site Ownership | Diocese of Southwark |
| Site Management | Church |
| Dates | 1827-9 |
| Designers | James Savage (church) |
| Listed Structures | LBII: All Saints Church, Memorial to Vice-Admiral Robert FitzRoy |
| On National Heritage List for England (NHLE), Parks & Gardens | No |
| Registered common or village green on Commons Registration Act 1965 | No |
| Protected under London Squares Preservation Act 1931 | No |
| Local Authority | Croydon |
| In Conservation Area | Yes |
| Conservation Area Name | Church Road Upper Norwood |
| Tree Preservation Order | Not known |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | No |
| Other LA Designation | Local Open Land |
Please note the Inventory and its content are provided for your general information only and are subject to change. It is your responsibility to check the accuracy.
Nearby parks and gardens
Beaulieu Heights is on woodland that was once part of the Great North Wood before it formed the grounds of two large houses, Hazelwood and Beaulieu Lodge. Much of the land in the area was owned by the Archbishops of Canterbury. A map of 1870 shows woodland at that time of a very similar extent to that in the area today. Croydon Council purchased Hazelwood and Beaulieu Lodge from the Church Commissioners in 1938 and the park was opened to the public after WWII.
Beulah Spa developed in the early C19th from a spa where people came to take the waters. On 1 August 1831 the 30-acre site, owned by Mr J D Smith, was opened as a place of entertainment with gardens laid out by Decimus Burton. A wide range of attractions were provided but its popularity began to decline when the Crystal Palace moved to nearby Sydenham in 1854. In May 1858 the Beulah Spa estate was sold by auction and a large mansion called The Lawns was built. In 1939 The Lawns estate was conveyed to Croydon Corporation, NT and the MPGA, covenanted to remain as public open space. The mansion was demolished in the mid-1960s after a fire. The lawn today marks the site of the ornamentat gardens, and the hanging woodland remains through which ornamental walks were laid out.
Stambourne Woodland Walk was created over the former gardens of large Victorian villas, which had became neglected and densely overgrown. The project to develop a link Westow Park and South Norwood Lake was conceived in 1962 when Croydon Council purchased land in part from the Church Commissioners along with other small packages. Some of the vegetation was left undisturbed and improvements included planting native trees, shrubs and wild flower seed, and providing paths and seating. The linear walk opened to the public in 1984.