Description
Waddon Ponds, formerly part of an old estate of c.2000 acres, is now the only place where the River Wandle is visible in Croydon. There was a corn mill from medieval times, and the ponds were formerly millponds. The river was dammed to form a lake but in the late C19th diverted to the north and east, creating an area of watercress beds, later drained for allotments and finally used for industrial purposes. The public park was formed in 1928 when Croydon Corporation purchased parts of two estates, Waddon Court and Waddon Lodge, the remaining land built over for housing. A sundial commemorates Mr Pescott Row, who vigorously campaigned for the park.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | Waddon Court, Waddon Lodge |
|---|---|
| Site location | Waddon Court Road/Mill Lane/The Ridgeway/New Road, Waddon |
| Postcode | CR0 4AG |
| What3Words | ///taken.audit.young |
| Type of Site | Public Park |
| Borough | Croydon |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | 8am Mon-Fri/9am weekends - dusk |
| Special Conditions | no cycling |
| Facilities | Children's playground, toilets |
| Public Transport | Rail/London Overground: West Croydon Tramlink: Route 3 Wandle Park. Bus: 289, 455 |
| Research Updated | 1 December 2008 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
This is a relic industrial and ornamental landscape and now the only place where the River Wandle is visible in Croydon, although it once flowed from its source near the Swan and Sugarloaf pub on the Brighton Road, through the grounds of the Palace of the Archbishops of Canterbury, into Wandle Park (q.v.) and then into a large mill pond on the north side of Mill Lane. The name Waddon may derive from 'wad-dun' or 'woad hill' referring to woad that grew on the chalk hills, used as blue dye by ancient Britons; Bronze and Iron Age traces have been found in the area. Waddon Ponds was formerly part of an old estate of some 2000 acres, Waddon Court Farm, which in the C18th was owned by John Dewey Parker. Among the distinguished people he entertained on his estate were Gros the antiquary, Arthur Young whose 'Travels' was a classic of the time, and agriculturalist John Marshall; Lord Nelson may also have stayed at the mansion and fished in the lakes.
The ponds were formerly millponds and a manorial corn mill is referred to in the Domesday Book in 1086; the river had been dammed at the northern end to form a lake but the river was later diverted to the north and east in the late C19th, creating an area used for watercress beds, later drained for allotments and finally used for industrial purposes. The mill closed in 1928 after which there was industrial and residential development on most of the open land.
By 1910 the area that is now Waddon Ponds belonged to two estates, Waddon Court and Waddon Lodge. The public park was formed in 1928 by the purchase by Croydon Corporation of parts of the two estates on the deaths of their respective owners, Mr Crowley of Waddon Court and Miss Mary Waterall of Waddon Lodge. This was achieved through a vigorous campaign by Mr Pescott Row, author of books about the beauties of England. A sundial in the park commemorates him, donated by local author H M Tomlinson. The remainder of the two Waddon estates were sold for housing development, resulting in Waddon Court Road, Lodge Avenue, Limes Avenue and Wandle Side. Two cottages outside the gates of the ponds had been used by Mr Crowley's employees and a cottage inside had been used by Miss Waterall's gardener, next to which were stables, cow sheds and a coach house.
The park has a lakeside walk lined with plane trees, floral displays and lawns to the south and a few C19th trees including two good beeches and many alders, willows and poplars.
The ponds were formerly millponds and a manorial corn mill is referred to in the Domesday Book in 1086; the river had been dammed at the northern end to form a lake but the river was later diverted to the north and east in the late C19th, creating an area used for watercress beds, later drained for allotments and finally used for industrial purposes. The mill closed in 1928 after which there was industrial and residential development on most of the open land.
By 1910 the area that is now Waddon Ponds belonged to two estates, Waddon Court and Waddon Lodge. The public park was formed in 1928 by the purchase by Croydon Corporation of parts of the two estates on the deaths of their respective owners, Mr Crowley of Waddon Court and Miss Mary Waterall of Waddon Lodge. This was achieved through a vigorous campaign by Mr Pescott Row, author of books about the beauties of England. A sundial in the park commemorates him, donated by local author H M Tomlinson. The remainder of the two Waddon estates were sold for housing development, resulting in Waddon Court Road, Lodge Avenue, Limes Avenue and Wandle Side. Two cottages outside the gates of the ponds had been used by Mr Crowley's employees and a cottage inside had been used by Miss Waterall's gardener, next to which were stables, cow sheds and a coach house.
The park has a lakeside walk lined with plane trees, floral displays and lawns to the south and a few C19th trees including two good beeches and many alders, willows and poplars.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ309650 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 3.44 |
| Site Ownership | LB Croydon |
| Site Management | Parks and Open Spaces. Together in Waddon Project |
| Dates | 1928 |
| 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 | No |
| Special Policy Area | No |
| Other LA Designation | Local Open Land. In AP2. Part of site is area at risk of flooding every 100 years. |
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
Duppas Hill was the first public recreation ground in Croydon, but the site had a very long history of use for sporting events. Tournaments were held here until 1286, when Lord William de Warenne was treacherously killed. Croydon Board of Health purchased the land from the Ecclesiastical Commissioners in 1865. There was evidently a pavilion here by 1890 and the park had paths and perimeter trees. By 1932 a bandstand, toilets and drinking fountain had been added although now only the Victorian drinking fountain survives.
Wandle Park was laid out on the site of two old meadows purchased by Croydon Corporation in 1888 and 1889. It opened in May 1890, its chief attraction the River Wandle that ran through it and the popular boating lake formed in the south half of the park, both now gone. Other facilities were a bandstand, tennis courts and bowling green. An open air pool opened in 1913 but had closed by 1979. The Borough's Summer Show was held here during the 1930s; there was fishing in the summer and ice-skating in the winter when the lake froze. In 1967 the river was culverted, its original course now marked by willows, and the lake, by now depleted of water, was filled and grassed over.
Riverside Walk is an area of land that until c.1930 was watercress beds to the rear of Beddington Park on the River Wandle, although there is no trace of this usage, now covered over.