Description
Formerly part of the parkland belonging to the Coombe Estate, Lloyd Park was given to Croydon Corporation in memory of Frank Lloyd (d.1927). Lloyd, a newspaper proprietor, had lived at Coombe House and formed the idea of presenting some of his land to the borough for public playing fields. After his death the land passed to his daughter, who made the gift in accordance with her father’s wishes and to provide a memorial to him. Although damaged by the storms of 1987 and largely playing fields, much of the old parkland is still recognisable.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | part of Coombe Estate |
|---|---|
| Site location | Coombe Road, Croydon |
| Postcode | CR0 5BT |
| What3Words | ///diner.trout.laser |
| Type of Site | Public Park |
| Borough | Croydon |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Facilities | Sports pitches, car park, bowling green, children’s playground. Lloyd Park Cafe with toilets (check opening times) |
| Public Transport | Tramlink: Route 3 to Coombe Lane, Lloyd Park. Bus: 250, 468. |
| Research Updated | 1 April 2017 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Formerly part of the parkland belonging to the Coombe Estate, the land now known as Lloyd Park was given to the Corporation of Croydon in memory of Frank Lloyd (d.1927). When the New Addington branch of the Croydon Tramlink was being constructed in 1997, excavations carried out in Lloyd Park by the Oxford Archaeological Unit uncovered several ditches associated with Roman settlement and a cremation burial. Coombe is first recorded in 1221 when the land belonged to Richard of Coombe; in the C15th it was called the Borough of Coombe and by Elizabeth I's reign it was known as Broad Coombe. In the C17th the estate was owned by Matthew and Daniel Harvey, brothers of William Harvey who demonstrated the circulation of blood. William frequently stayed at Coombe and had caves made in the grounds in order to gratify his habit of meditating in the dark. Frank Lloyd, a newspaper proprietor had lived at Coombe House (now Geoffrey Harris House q.v.) since 1892, and had the idea of presenting some of his land to the Corporation as playing fields, and prepared a plan for this before he died.
After his death the land passed to his daughter, Mrs J R Garwood, and she decided to make a gift of the land and so carry out her father’s wishes and in addition provide a memorial to him. Although severely damaged by the storms of 1987 and the predominance of playing fields, much of the parkland is still recognisable. This includes clumps of beech on the high point of the park and vestigial belts. One of the fields which make up the park, Chalk Pit Field, contained a chalk pit, which was still visible in the 1940s but was filled in and levelled in the early 1950s. There are at least two bomb craters dating from WWII that are still visible. A sports pavilion was built in 1963 and in 1969 a children’s playground was opened. The playground featured a long slide which went down into one of the old chalk pits. A new sports pavilion was erected c.2008/9 and a head house for a tunnel for National Grid is located near the Lloyd Park tramstop at Coombe Road.
After his death the land passed to his daughter, Mrs J R Garwood, and she decided to make a gift of the land and so carry out her father’s wishes and in addition provide a memorial to him. Although severely damaged by the storms of 1987 and the predominance of playing fields, much of the parkland is still recognisable. This includes clumps of beech on the high point of the park and vestigial belts. One of the fields which make up the park, Chalk Pit Field, contained a chalk pit, which was still visible in the 1940s but was filled in and levelled in the early 1950s. There are at least two bomb craters dating from WWII that are still visible. A sports pavilion was built in 1963 and in 1969 a children’s playground was opened. The playground featured a long slide which went down into one of the old chalk pits. A new sports pavilion was erected c.2008/9 and a head house for a tunnel for National Grid is located near the Lloyd Park tramstop at Coombe Road.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ338646 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 46.13 |
| Site Ownership | LB Croydon |
| Site Management | Parks and Open Spaces |
| Dates | C18-C19; 1927 |
| 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 II (part) |
| Green Belt | Yes |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | Yes - Archaeological Priority Zone |
Gallery
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Nearby parks and gardens
Geoffrey Harris House was formerly called Coombe House, built after 1761 on the site of an older house. An C18th ice-house remains in the grounds. The property went through a number of owners and from 1833 it was let to various tenants. During the tenancy of Mr Hankley in c.1844 the upper lawn was converted from rough commonland to gardens and shrubberies. The next owner was Edward Lloyd (d.1863); his son Frank who later lived here from1892-1927 was an important local benefactor. Remnants of the former ornamental gardens and mature trees are visible today. The house has been put to different uses, including a convalescent home, school and now a residential care home, renamed in 1988 after a consultant at St Lawrence's Hospital in Caterham.
The site was part of the large Coombe estate, including woods and commonland, privately owned until the mid C20th. Croydon Corporation then purchased Coombe Wood and Coombe Wood House, and 14 acres of woodland and ornamentatl garden were opened to the public in 1948. The gardens were laid out as a series of 'garden rooms', with a rock garden by an existing pond, and a terrace garden that was once a Fernery. Over the years the gardens have evolved, to include a rose garden, mixed borders and a winter garden of heathers, conifers and shrubs. Coombe Wood House, built in 1898, had a number of public uses, including a convalescent home for Croydon Hospital, a Children's Home, and is now a restaurant. The stableyard, built in a gravel pit and hidden from view of the house, is now the park café.
Royal Russell School, then known as Ballards School, was built in 1924 on the former Ballards Estate. The school's origins date back to 1853 when a charity was established by a group of City clerks to clothe, support and educate orphaned children from deceased colleagues in warehousing and manufacturing trades. Initially in New Cross, the school moved to larger premises in Caterham Junction in 1862, and then to the current site after WWI. The land was donated by Lord Hollingsworth, of the retailer Bourne and Hollingsworth, who had purchased 44.5 hectares of the Ballards Estate in the early 1920s. The school is named after its first president, former Prime Minister Lord John Russell.