Description
St Peter's Churchyard is a well-planted churchyard, now closed to burial. St Peter's Church was built in 1849-51, later rebuilt in 1865, and is on a prominent site. The land for the churchyard was given by John Russell who died in 1864 and is buried near the tower. The churchyard has flint boundary walls and a good coverage of mature tree, its path layout little changed. Among those buried here are a number of prominent local businessmen, a former huntsman turned inn-keeper of the Stag and Hounds, and Colonel Edward Kelly, who fought in the Battle of Waterloo. A yew tree was planted to the south east side of the church to mark the Millennium.
Practical Information
| Site location | St Peter's Road, South Croydon |
|---|---|
| Postcode | CR0 1HG |
| What3Words | ///depend.asks.hails |
| Type of Site | Churchyard |
| Borough | Croydon |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Public Transport | Rail: Croydon c.100m to east. Bus: 403, 412, 455, 64, T33 |
| Research Updated | 1 December 2008 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
St Peter's Churchyard is a well-planted flint-walled churchyard, now closed to burial. St Peter's Church was built in 1849-51 designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott, one of whose aunts was buried here and Sir George himself had lived at Blunt House in the parish. A spire was placed on the tower in 1864 but was burnt down before it was finished, and the church was rebuilt and completed in 1865. On a prominent site, St Peter's can be seen from many vantage points in Croydon. After Sir George Gilbert Scott's death in 1878, his son John Oldrid Scott took over his father's business and later designed St Augustine's Church (q.v.), which was built in 1884 as the population of South Croydon expanded. The parish of St Peter's is part of the South Croydon Benefice alongside the parish of St Augustine's.
The land for the churchyard was given by John Russell of Dunlewey House, Bedford Park who died in July 1864 and is buried near the northern side of the tower. There are a number of local businessmen buried in the churchyard including on the south-east side of the church. Among them are Mr Budgen, principal watch maker of Croydon; Mr Cuthbert William Johnson, Chairman on the Local Board of Health; and Mr Bartlett, who has a street nearby named after him. Several local publicans' graves are here including that of James Roffey, huntsman to the stag hounds kept in the neighbourhood who then became inn-keeper of the Stag and Hounds, a local public house. There is a also a memorial to Colonel Edward Kelly, who took an active part in the Battle of Waterloo, was praised by the Duke of Wellington in his dispatches, and died in India in 1828. A gravestone on the south west side of the church marks the grave of Colonel Alfred Bate Richards, editor of the Morning Advertiser, and author of a play called 'Cromwell' performed at the Queen’s Theatre, London.
The churchyard has good coverage of mature trees, which include holly, yew in abundance, specimen trees, lime, Lombardy poplar; there are curving paths running through the ground and some with candy-twist edging tiles. The original layout of the paths remains, although a new ramped path has been added to the vestry entrance in 2008. The churchyard is closed to burials and is looked after by LB Croydon and a voluntary church gardening group (since 1999). A yew tree was planted to the south east side of the church to mark the Millennium. The shrub beds around the church were replanted in 2001 by the voluntary group with a grant from the council as part of the Smarter Croydon initiative. See booklet (1960s) giving information on graves.
The land for the churchyard was given by John Russell of Dunlewey House, Bedford Park who died in July 1864 and is buried near the northern side of the tower. There are a number of local businessmen buried in the churchyard including on the south-east side of the church. Among them are Mr Budgen, principal watch maker of Croydon; Mr Cuthbert William Johnson, Chairman on the Local Board of Health; and Mr Bartlett, who has a street nearby named after him. Several local publicans' graves are here including that of James Roffey, huntsman to the stag hounds kept in the neighbourhood who then became inn-keeper of the Stag and Hounds, a local public house. There is a also a memorial to Colonel Edward Kelly, who took an active part in the Battle of Waterloo, was praised by the Duke of Wellington in his dispatches, and died in India in 1828. A gravestone on the south west side of the church marks the grave of Colonel Alfred Bate Richards, editor of the Morning Advertiser, and author of a play called 'Cromwell' performed at the Queen’s Theatre, London.
The churchyard has good coverage of mature trees, which include holly, yew in abundance, specimen trees, lime, Lombardy poplar; there are curving paths running through the ground and some with candy-twist edging tiles. The original layout of the paths remains, although a new ramped path has been added to the vestry entrance in 2008. The churchyard is closed to burials and is looked after by LB Croydon and a voluntary church gardening group (since 1999). A yew tree was planted to the south east side of the church to mark the Millennium. The shrub beds around the church were replanted in 2001 by the voluntary group with a grant from the council as part of the Smarter Croydon initiative. See booklet (1960s) giving information on graves.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ327644 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 0.5 |
| Site Ownership | Church of England, Diocese of Southwark |
| Site Management | LB Croydon Parks and Open Spaces; Friends of St Peter's Church; GASP (Gardeners of St Peters) |
| Dates | 1850s |
| Listed Structures | LBII: St Peter's Church |
| 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 | Yes - Local Area of Special Character |
| Other LA Designation | Local Open Land. In 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
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.
Park Hill Recreation Ground was created in two stages. Once part of the deer park of the Archbishops of Canterbury, much of the land was later used for agriculture. In the C19th the area was gradually developed for housing and in 1867/8 the Water Tower was built to supply fresh water to the town. In 1887 Croydon Corporation purchased part of Park Hill from the Ecclesiastical Commissioners for a public park, which opened in 1888. It was enlarged in 1930 when the Corporation purchased neighbouring Coombe Cliff House, built for tea merchant and collector John Horniman, where he had a conservatory for his botanical collection. The gardens contain fine trees and shrubs, with an Old English Garden planted in the walled garden, and a 1930s shelter.
The original Town Hall Gardens were built on a site purchased as railway land when Croydon was developing. In 1889 the land was offered to Croydon Corporation for new municipal buildings. Formal gardens were laid out below ground level adjacent to the Town Hall, which was opened by the Prince of Wales in 1896. A plan to build over the gardens in the 1930s came to nothing. In the 1960s a modern garden was created adjacent to the new Taberner House. In 1980 the Police Station that adjoined this was vacated and this enabled a new garden to be laid out bringing together the lower Victorian garden and upper Taberner House garden. Renamed The Queen's Gardens, they were opened by the Queen on 21 June 1983 for the Borough Centenary. The lower garden retains its Victorian character with carpet bedding and planting while the upper garden has a central fountain and pool and more geometric lines.