Description
Foxley Wood and Sherwood Oaks are areas of woodland that were purchased by Coulsdon and Purley UDC as part of the Green Belt Scheme in the 1930s. There is a long history of woodland management here.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | High Foxley Wood and Foxley Wood |
|---|---|
| Site location | Sherwood Oaks and Higher Drive, Northwood Avenue, Purley |
| Postcode | CR8 2HT |
| What3Words | ///taxi.input.crowned |
| Type of Site | Public Open Land |
| Borough | Croydon |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Public Transport | Rail: Purley, Reedham. |
| Research Updated | 1 December 2008 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Friends of Foxley Woods have undertaken various improvements such as reclamation of chalk downland, scrub clearance, access improvements, nature trail.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ315605 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 10.72 |
| Site Ownership | LB Croydon |
| Site Management | Parks and Open Spaces. Friends of Foxley Woods |
| 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 | Yes - Borough Importance I |
| 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
An area of grass abutting Purley Library has mature trees and a fountain dedicated to Queen Victoria, dated 1901, with a plaque recording that it was resited here in 1983 to commemorate the Rotary Club.
Coulsdon Court, now a hotel known as Coulsdon Manor, was built in 1850 by 'Squire' Thomas Byron, who had gardens laid out by the house, divided from the parkland by a ha-ha. Walled kitchen gardens provided food and a grove of trees was planted to the north-east. His son Edmund inherited in 1862 and lived here until 1921. The next owners, the Cearn family, had the golf course built, later leased to Croydon Council as a public course. In 1981 the Council bought the house and surrounding golf course, and it was leased to hoteliers. A fitness club and tennis courts are now on the site of the kitchen gardens but remnants of its old walls exist, as do other earlier features such as part of the ha-ha and numerous mature trees.
Riddlesdown is first recorded in 1331, at that time called 'Ridelsdoune' meaning 'cleared woodland on a hill' and there is evidence of early human activity. In medieval times Kenley Common and Riddlesdown formed part of the waste land of the Manor of Watendone. In 1883, to prevent the Lord of the Manor from enclosing the commonland further, the Corporation of London acquired most of Riddlesdown 'for public recreation and enjoyment' and 'to preserve the natural aspect'. The Gardener's Pleasure Resort established nearby in 1892 was popular with Victorian day trippers.