Description
The park was formerly the grounds of Haling Grove, an early Victorian house built on land originally part of the much larger Haling Park estate. Haling Grove had a succession of owners, the last being Sydney Shorter who bred horses here. After his death, his widow bequeathed the property to the Playing Fields Association in 1933, who transferred it to Croydon Corporation. After the house was demolished in 1936, the lawn was extended over its site and a small shelter erected. Remnants of the formal gardens, fine trees and shrubberies, and other features remain, such as a ha-ha, coach house and two walled gardens, one of which has an Arts and Crafts garden.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | Haling Park Estate |
|---|---|
| Site location | St Augustine's Avenue, South Croydon |
| Postcode | CR2 6DQ |
| What3Words | ///finely.gasp.scam |
| Type of Site | Public Park |
| Borough | Croydon |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | 8am Mon-Fri/9am weekends - dusk |
| Facilities | Sports facilities, changing rooms, toilets, children’s playground |
| Public Transport | Rail: Sanderstead, Purley Oaks |
| Research Updated | 1 December 2008 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
The land was formerly the grounds of Haling Grove, once part of the much larger Haling Park country estate, most of which was sold for building in 1850 and now largely occupied by Whitgift School (q.v.). The house at Haling Grove was probably very early Victorian, and was occupied by a succession of owners, the last being Mr Sydney Shorter, a London merchant, who was frequently seen exercising his horses at the Grove, or riding a high trap through the town. Mr Shorter was also a breeder of horses and apart from the breeding he carried out at Haling Grove he also owned a Stud Farm at Cookham. He employed a coachman, two grooms and a stable boy at Haling Grove. Mr Shorter died in 1929 and his wife, who was not interested in horses, did not continue to keep them. She bequeathed Haling Grove to the Playing Fields Association in 1933, who transferred it to Croydon Corporation to maintain.
The house was demolished in 1936 and the lawn was extended over its site. Colourful displays of bedding and herbaceous plants are laid out on the lawn and below this there is a meadow with many fine mature trees. The house and garden was separated by a bank of trees from the old kitchen garden, which has been developed as a rose walk. The original bequest requires the meadow to the south to be used as a playing field for organized games although this was temporarily interrupted when the field was used for allotments during and just after the war when food was scarce.
The small park to the east of the house is shown on the first edition Ordnance Survey plan of 1868. The structure of the formal garden to the south, with a straight walk aligned onto a mature Sycamore, is shown on the same plan. Other mature trees found in the grounds include an Oak and Sycamore clump, vestiges of two Beech clumps to the east and single Oaks, and Cedar of Lebanon. There is a yew shrubbery on the south side of the house platform, a ha-ha and two walled gardens, one with a rectangular Arts and Crafts pond and terrace. A wooden shelter, formerly thatched, stands on the site of the house. The ha-ha still exists as does the original coach house, the former visible behind the children's playground.
The house was demolished in 1936 and the lawn was extended over its site. Colourful displays of bedding and herbaceous plants are laid out on the lawn and below this there is a meadow with many fine mature trees. The house and garden was separated by a bank of trees from the old kitchen garden, which has been developed as a rose walk. The original bequest requires the meadow to the south to be used as a playing field for organized games although this was temporarily interrupted when the field was used for allotments during and just after the war when food was scarce.
The small park to the east of the house is shown on the first edition Ordnance Survey plan of 1868. The structure of the formal garden to the south, with a straight walk aligned onto a mature Sycamore, is shown on the same plan. Other mature trees found in the grounds include an Oak and Sycamore clump, vestiges of two Beech clumps to the east and single Oaks, and Cedar of Lebanon. There is a yew shrubbery on the south side of the house platform, a ha-ha and two walled gardens, one with a rectangular Arts and Crafts pond and terrace. A wooden shelter, formerly thatched, stands on the site of the house. The ha-ha still exists as does the original coach house, the former visible behind the children's playground.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ321633 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 4.05 |
| Site Ownership | LB Croydon |
| Site Management | Parks and Open Spaces |
| Dates | C19th; 1930s |
| 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 - Local Importance |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | Yes |
| Special Policy Area | Yes - Archaeological Priority Zone (part) |
| Other LA Designation | Local Open Land. Partly AP2 |
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
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.
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.
Whitgift School occupies former parkland of Haling Park, and vestiges of the earlier planting remain in the school grounds and a copse from the medieval woodland. Haling Park was once the home of Lord Howard of Effingham, Lord High Admiral of the Fleet at the time of the Armada in 1588. The school was founded in Croydon in 1596 by John Whitgift, Archbishop of Canterbury, and opened in 1600; it moved to Haling Park in 1931. Andrew Quadrangle in the centre of the main block has undulating lawns, an ornamental pond, collection of bonsai and a Japanese garden, with aviaries and a variety of exotic birds. An Elizabethan-style Founder's Garden was created in 2000 on the site of Haling Park's walled garden. The Water Gardens opened in 2005 with a waterfall between upper and lower lakes and over 500 species of trees and shrubs.