Description
Rotary Field was given to the people of Purley by the Purley Rotary Club in 1925. In the first half of the C19th the ground was part of the route of the 'World's First Railway Line', the Surrey Iron Railway laid down in 1803. It operated in much the same way as the canals, with people paying tolls to take their own horse-drawn wagons along the iron rails. The line was abandoned in 1846 but parts of the trackbed and section of track can be seen in the park. A drinking fountain commemorating Queen Victoria was erected in 1901, later resited to the library gardens by Banstead Road.
Practical Information
| Site location | Brighton Road/Pampisford Road, Purley |
|---|---|
| Postcode | CR8 2NU |
| What3Words | ///maps.drop.seats |
| Type of Site | Public Park |
| Borough | Croydon |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | 8am Mon-Fri/9am weekends - dusk |
| Facilities | Children’s playground, skate ramp |
| Events | Annual Fireworks display in November and occasional local fetes |
| Public Transport | Rail: Purley. |
| Research Updated | 1 May 2006 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Rotary Field was given to the people of Purley by the Purley Rotary Club in 1925. Prior to that the ground had been used for the 'World's First Railway Line', the Surrey Iron Railway, which was laid down in 1803 and ran here from Coulsdon through Purley to Wandworth. It operated in much the same way as the canals, with people paying tolls to take their own horse-drawn wagons along the iron rails. It was particularly busy during the Napoleonic Wars for transporting supplies to the fleet in Portsmouth. The line was eventually abandoned in 1846 but parts of the trackbed and section of track can be seen in the grounds. A drinking fountain commemorating Queen Victoria was erected in 1901, later re-sited to the library gardens by Banstead Road in 1983 to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee of the Rotary Club in Purley and the Centenary of Croydon as a borough.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ315620 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 1.82 |
| Site Ownership | LB Croydon |
| Site Management | Parks and Open Spaces |
| Dates | 1925 |
| Listed Structures | Local List: Railing rails |
| 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 |
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
Thomas More Catholic School was originally the Warehousemen and Clerks Schools whose origins date back to December 1853. The school began in a house in New Cross, but soon larger premises were needed and in 1862 the present site was purchased, renamed Russell Hill after the school's President. The handsome red-brick buildings were opened by the Prince of Wales and the school grounds were laid out with various sports facilities such as cricket lawn and fields. Mr Ayles, Headmaster from 1878-96 and a keen gardener, had an apple orchard by his house. Much of the school grounds behind the main buildings have been built over, but landscaping at the front remains with mature trees, steps and terraces as indicated on the map of 1868.
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.
Purley Way West is on the edge of a large open area that was the site of Croydon Airport; some of the former taxiing area remains visible. The first Croydon Aerodrome was formed from two earlier airfields, and has now largely been built over. A second complex was built to the east in 1926 and Croydon Airport was opened on 2 May 1928. It served as London's main civic international airport but finally closed in 1959. A number of the airport buildings remain to the north of Purley Way West and the airport land is now parkland, playing fields and the Roundshaw Estate in Sutton. In 1991 a memorial to the Battle of Britain was erected next to Purley Way.