Description
Becondale Road Open Space is a triangular woodland garden surrounded by a cul-de-sac of Victorian houses built by Isaiah Hitchcock on land that was once part of Norwood Common. The small central garden was initially the responsibility of the lessee and later became that of Lambeth Borough Council.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | Norwood Common |
|---|---|
| Site location | Becondale Road, West Norwood |
| Postcode | SE19 1QJ |
| What3Words | ///fines.scuba.drag |
| Type of Site | Public Open Land |
| Borough | Lambeth |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Public Transport | Rail: Gipsy Hill |
| Research Updated | 13 April 2023 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
In 1861 3 acres of land owned by the Archbishop of Canterbury that was part of Norwood Common on the west of Gipsy Hill was let to Goldsworthy Gurney. Knighted in 1863, Gurney was responsible for superintending the lighting and ventilation of the Houses of Parliament. Although his lease allowed him to build he did not develop the site, and in 1862 assigned the lease to local resident William Alexander Watson, who himself sub-let to Isaiah Hitchcock. In 1876 Hitchcock laid out a cul-de-sac with a very small central garden called Beacon Dale Road, renamed Becondale Road in 1903. The houses on the west, which were built in 1879-1884, have interesting decoration and balconies.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ332710 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 0.02 |
| Site Ownership | LB Lambeth |
| Site Management | Environment Directorate, Parks and Greenspaces Unit (Team Lambeth) |
| Dates | 1876 |
| 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 | Yes |
| Local Authority | Lambeth |
| In Conservation Area | Yes |
| Conservation Area Name | Gipsy Hill |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | No |
| Other LA Designation | Protected London Square. Open Space |
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
Dulwich Upper Wood was once part of the Great North Wood within the Manor of Dulwich. The area developed rapidly following the Great Exhibition of 1852 when Crystal Palace was re-built at Sydenham Hill with large Victorian houses built on the slopes. After Crystal Palace burnt down in 1936, its railway fell into disuse and the area declined. In addition WWII bombing destroyed Victorian houses on the east side of Farquhar Road, their gardens become overgrown and reverting to woodland. In 1981 the site was created as a nature park by the Ecological Parks Trust, now the Trust for Urban Ecology. The wood is largely mixed oak woodland with a number of ancient oak trees and various trees from the Victorian gardens are also present.
Norwood Park is a hilly park that was once woodland owned by the Archbishop of Canterbury. North Wood was common land, and deforestation began in the C17th. By the late C18th the woodland had disappeared and the land was without revenue opportunity, and in 1806 the then Archbishop obtained an Act of Parliament to enclose the common land in Lambeth Manor. The site of Norwood Park was formerly Great Elderhall/Elderhole coppice, which was allocated partly to the Archbishop and partly used for housing development of Elder Road, Gipsy Road, and Salter's Hill. In 1903, following pressure from the MPGA, the LCC approached the Ecclesiastical Commissioners to purchase the site that remained open land, then containing a market garden, a small-holding, an area let to a local dairyman, gardens of two houses on Salter's Hill and the pleasure grounds of Inglewood House. It was purchased in 1908 and the park laid out, opening as New Park in 1911. There are few features and it remains a hilly common, with a tree-lined walk from Finch Avenue.
Westow Park was originally acquired by the local authority for a children's playground in the 1890s. It was augmented by the purchase in 1969/70 of the grounds of two demolished C19th villas, Windermere and Walmer, together with part of a pre-fab estate at College Green. Windermere had been converted and enlarged in 1873-6 for use as the Royal Normal College and Academy of Music for the Blind, which also used Walmer. The park includes the remains of garden terraces created for the blind and an ornamental archway, formerly leading to the front door from Church Road. Within the park are horse chestnuts planted in the original gardens. A pond that was once in the grounds has been filled in since the 1950s.
