Description
Ashburton Park is a municipal park created on the site of an C18th park; the original mansion was built in 1788 but was largely demolished in 1927. Croydon Corporation purchased the site in 1924 and it was first used as a putting green but this was abandoned after a decline in use and it was subsequently re-opened as a public park.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | Byculla Park; Stroud Green House; Woodside Convent |
|---|---|
| Site location | Lower Addiscombe Road/Spring Lane, Addiscombe |
| Postcode | CR0 6NR |
| What3Words | ///beats.kinks.onion |
| Type of Site | Public Park |
| Borough | Croydon |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | 8am Mon-Fri/9am weekends - dusk |
| Facilities | Library. Toilets; car park in Tenterden Road; children’s playground; bowling green; tennis, netball and basketball courts, Petanque |
| Events | Various including fairs and firework displays; Summer Show |
| Public Transport | Tramlink: Route 2/3 Woodside. |
| Research Updated | 1 December 2008 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Ashburton Park is a municipal park created on the site of an C18th park; the original mansion was built in 1788 and underwent several name changes over the years. From 1855 the estate was known as Byculla Park after a Bombay suburb and then between 1869-1878 the house was called Stroud Green House after nearby Stroud Green Common. At one time the owner was Henry Dorling, a horse racing celebrity; King James I is said to have established public horse racing in Croydon early in his reign and there was a race-course nearby on the area now covered by Ashburton Playing Fields and Stroud Green housing estate. In 1878 it was purchased by Revd Father Tooth, founder of the 'Community of the Paraclete', who erected the chapel buildings and opened Woodside Convent Orphanage in 1882 for sons of gentlemen under the care of six sisters of his Community. The remains of the convent chapel was later used as Ashburton public library but it is now vacant, adjacent to which is a mid C19th lodge formerly of Stroud Green House.
An article in The Times of 10 March 1921 provides an interesting account of life in the orphanage by a former inmate: 'I was at Woodside during the war from 1915 to 1918, and we boys had much to be thankful for during those years.Candidates were admitted who had lost one parent. The grounds at one time were stocked with over 4000 fruit trees, and during the scarce years of the war , fruit and vegetables were available to us in abundance. We were encouraged to learn to do things for ourselves, and our hobbies included felling, sawing and chopping the large trees in the grounds, grafting, pruning and tending the fruit trees, and collecting and storing the fruit.'
Croydon Corporation purchased the site in 1924 and the old house was largely demolished in 1927. The site was first used as a putting green but this was abandoned after a decline in use. The park was used for the annual Croydon Summer Show, which in its heyday ran over 2 days with events up until midnight, animal shows as well as flower, fruit and vegetable shows, illuminations and dancing. The park today is enclosed within late C20th iron railings with good wrought iron gates at the east corner of the park.
An article in The Times of 10 March 1921 provides an interesting account of life in the orphanage by a former inmate: 'I was at Woodside during the war from 1915 to 1918, and we boys had much to be thankful for during those years.Candidates were admitted who had lost one parent. The grounds at one time were stocked with over 4000 fruit trees, and during the scarce years of the war , fruit and vegetables were available to us in abundance. We were encouraged to learn to do things for ourselves, and our hobbies included felling, sawing and chopping the large trees in the grounds, grafting, pruning and tending the fruit trees, and collecting and storing the fruit.'
Croydon Corporation purchased the site in 1924 and the old house was largely demolished in 1927. The site was first used as a putting green but this was abandoned after a decline in use. The park was used for the annual Croydon Summer Show, which in its heyday ran over 2 days with events up until midnight, animal shows as well as flower, fruit and vegetable shows, illuminations and dancing. The park today is enclosed within late C20th iron railings with good wrought iron gates at the east corner of the park.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ346669 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 7.49 |
| Site Ownership | LB Croydon |
| Site Management | Parks and Open Spaces |
| Dates | Ashburton House 1788; Public Park since 1924 |
| Listed Structures | Local List: Ashburton Park former chapel building |
| 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 | No |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | No |
| Other LA Designation | Local Open Land, Green Corridor |
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
Woodside Green is a traditional village green, now divided into 3 parts by roads. References to the old hamlet date back to 1662 and the Green is shown on the Croydon Inclosure Map of 1800. In 1870 the north-east part was proposed as a site for a new church but local pressure opposed this and in 1871 the land was granted to Croydon Local Board of Health on condition it was 'forever kept as an open space'. In 1888 the adjacent Poplar Farm was acquired and its land later added to the Green. The Green retains a stone cattle and horse trough, and is bounded by post and rail fencing. The layout has only altered from the late C19th to accommodate road widths and the War Memorial now located at the apex of the Green.
This small recreation ground is on former farmland acquired by Croydon Board of Health in 1905 and laid out as a public park by 1911. It was once part of the Ashburton Estate owned by the Baring family. The estate mansion used to be situated at the corner of Addiscombe Road and Northampton Road. The estate farmhouse was also on Addiscombe Road with a farmtrack alongside it known as Love Lane.
Long Lane Woods is old woodland, shown on Thomas Bainbridge's map of Croydon of 1800. The area remained unaltered although the surrounding fields have been replaced by houses and gardens. The land was in the ownership of F E Lloyd and was purchased in 1924 by Croydon Corporation for public open space. Part of the woodland, which is predominantly oak, has been fenced off as a bird sanctuary.