Description
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.
Practical Information
| Site location | Sanderstead Road/Brantwood Road, South Croydon |
|---|---|
| Postcode | CR2 6EX |
| What3Words | ///translated.lions.wacky |
| Type of Site | Public Park |
| Borough | Croydon |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | 8am Mon-Fri/9am weekends - dusk |
| Facilities | Playground |
| Public Transport | Rail: Sanderstead, Purley Oaks. Bus: 403 |
| Research Updated | 1 April 2010 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
The area of South Croydon developed in the C19th largely as a result of the railway and in 1888 Croydon Corporation, which had been established in 1883, sought to provide recreation facilities to serve its growing population. The Borough Road Surveyor drew up plans for what was then referred to as 'Brighton Road Recreation Ground' and the site that is now South Croydon Recreation Ground was purchased in 1889. It was laid out at a cost of £2,552, although the Borough Road Surveyor's initial estimate had been £572 2s. The new park opened to the public in 1895 and had facilities for sport such as cricket and football and also a bandstand, which was located opposite the end of Wyche Road. The bandstand has since gone and little of the C19th fabric remains today, although there are remnants of earlier planting of beech, plane and lime trees along the north boundary, and a tree-lined walk along the railway embankment. Today it largely comprises open grass, bounded by Sanderstead Road and the railway.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ325628 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 3.44 |
| Site Ownership | LB Croydon |
| Site Management | Parks and Open Spaces |
| Dates | 1889 |
| Designers | Borough Road Surveyor |
| 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
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.
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.
Wettern Tree Garden was laid out from 1919 on by Eric Frank Wettern, whose family had moved to Sanderstead in the 1900s. He and his brother Herbert built houses and later purchased land to create gardens. Eric's garden at Roselands was a series of themed gardens, with specimen and rare trees grown from seed collected during business trips, and Herbert created a rose garden. A lifelong member of the RHS, Eric was a member and later President of the Sanderstead Horticultural Society, which in 1953 held its Summer Show in his garden at Roselands. When he conveyed his garden to Croydon Corporation for the benefit of the public in 1965 the name was changed to Wettern Tree Garden. The gardens now also include the Rose Trellis Garden created in 1967 and a Millennium Gazebo in 2000.