Addington Hills

• Open all year round
• Car parking - off Shirley Hills Road and Oaks Road, at the junction with Coombe Lane
• Toilets
• London Loop walk
• Chinese restaurant
• Horse rides
• Viewpoint

Located by Coombe Lane, Shirley Hills Road, and Oaks Road.

Addington Hills is a large natural area that rises from Oaks Road up to a plateau which is 460 feet above sea level.  The land was acquired over a period of 45 years from 1874 to 1919, making it the largest public open space at that time in Croydon.  It is still one of the largest open spaces now (130 Acres 52.62 hectares).

Here you will find birch, oak and pine trees, heather and a variety of birds and other wildlife.

In 1874 the Croydon Board of Health purchased the first area following a public meeting, the lower part towards Shirley was added in 1903, the Birch wood from Oaks Road to Coombe Lane was a gift from the late Frank Lloyd of Coombe Park Estate (after whom Lloyd Park was named), and finally the Pine woods in the south east corner were added in 1919.

Addington Hills is on a plateau of Blackheath Pebbles which has been colonized by heather with scattered groups of pines and mixed plantations. The north west side of the plateau has been broken into by a number of steep valleys which are covered with Birch to the west and Oak to the east. Below the Blackheath Pebbles an outcrop of less impervious Woolwich Beds was marked by a line of springs these however have now disappeared possibly due to a lowering of the water table.

In 1963 a Viewing Platform was provided by Alderman Basil Monk as a permanent commemoration of Croydon's Millenary. The platform, which is north west of the restaurant, is situated at the top of steeply sloping ground and provides extensive views over Croydon. A low wall around the platform is engraved with directional lines and inscriptions indicating the main view points, such as Shooters Hill, Epping Forest, Fulham, the Town Hall and skyscrapers of Croydon and on a clear day the towers of Windsor Castle.

Addington Reservoir built in 1888, and located on the south side of Addington Hills, is the only area not open to the public. The Value House was opened at that time to the public for refreshments. However after an outbreak of Typhoid in 1937 the cafe was closed after the outbreak was traced back to the reservoir.

Below the reservoir on the Coombe Road frontage was once Broadcombe Cottage which was part of the Coombe Park Estate. Broadcombe was the old name for the tract of land alongside Oaks Road and at the foot of Addington Hills. Also in this vicinity was the Lamb Inn, which according to tradition was the site of a fierce affray between smugglers and revenue officers.

Click here for a larger Location Map

Back to Parks and Open Spaces

Wednesday, 22 May, 2013

Privacy Policy | Disclaimer | Submit a Comment / Question to Croydon Online