Central Nursery

• The Nursery is open to the public between the hours of 2 - 4pm every week on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday

Located off Conduit Lane, Coombe Road

The Nursery is used for the growing of all the bedding plants planted annually within Croydon's Council's Parks and Open Spaces, Highways and Housing sites.

In 1941 Coombe Lodge Estate was acquired by the Council.  It had an area of 41 acres and was considered a most valuable site.  At the time of purchase the land was being cultivated for crops but the Corporation proposed to lay out sports pitches on the greater part and also to establish a hardy nursery in connection with the Parks Departments activities.

The Nursery was officially opened on 14 May 1966 by The Mayor Councillor P.A. Saunders J.P.

The new Central Nursery was considered necessary due to the uneconomic conditions of having seven widely separated nurseries spread over the Borough.  The cost of the new nursery was put at £61,000 and would provide a total of 5,115 square feet of glass.  The site was chosen as the most central to the Borough and being situated in a semi-rural area, reasonably free from air pollution.

The Glass House range included a Fern House, Palm House, 3 Warm Growing Houses, Propagating House and 3 Cool Growing Houses.  There was a frame yard and the existing green houses were retained for shrub production and cool greenhouse work.  A new oil fired heating system was installed with an emergency generator back up and an alarm system to two adjoining residential properties in the event of failure outside working hours.

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Saturday, 5 July, 2008

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