1. Park Road bus stop

Near the bus stop and adjacent to the Crystal Palace football stadium, Selhurst Park, is a huge mural tribute to the winger Wilfried Zaha, in recognition of his long list of achievements at the club. The football club collaborated with Street Artist collective MurWalls to get the mural painted. The mural depicts three of Zaha’s favourite images of himself in a Palace shirt, including his iconic celebration of his goal against Brighton & Hove Albion in the play-off semi-finals in May 2013, accompanied by the memorable commentary line “ZAHA, OH YES!”.

Directly opposite Zaha is another large mural by graffiti artist Mr Cenz. It’s vibrant and eye-catching and it took Mr Cenz five days to create the mural as part of the London Mural Festival, which took place in 2020. Its proximity to the Chelsea FC football ground is no coincidence as he has long been a passionate supporter of the team.

2. Russell Court bus stop

A lot of the places on this route are reasonably close to each other, this one being no exception. So it’s possible to walk to South Norwood Recreation Ground from the previous stop or else take the bus to Russell Court. There’s nothing very special about the ground other than it’s a decent-sized open space with lots of room to walk, play sports including tennis and to while away some time. The park dates back to 1889 when the site was acquired by the council and the Borough Road Surveyor estimated that it would cost £1,326.19s.6d. to lay out (that’s about £250,000 in today’s money).

3. South Norwood Clock Tower bus stop

The South Norwood clock tower has an interesting history. It was created in 1907 by Gillett & Johnston of Croydon and is a replica of Little Ben (not to be confused with Big Ben) which is found in Victoria and was erected in 1892. The reason there is a clock tower here was that local people raised money to mark the golden wedding anniversary of William and Eliza Stanley who had done so much for the area including employing many local people and creating Stanley Halls and Stanley Technical School. See later in the blog for information about William Stanley and Stanley Arts Centre.

Walk along the main Selhurst road and you’ll come across several alcoholic establishments. There’s the Craft Beer Cabin. Originally it was Stanley, a Craft Beer black cab, converted into a mobile bar. Due to its success, the owners decided to open a dedicated shop and this can be found near the clock tower, selling not just beer but gin & tonics and wines too.

Opposite here is Shelvedene Goat House, a pub that was named after a former local landmark, the Goat House which was built in the mid 1800s. Then walk towards the Jolly Sailor pub that was originally built in 1807 as South Norwood’s first public building and was rebuilt in the 1860s. Its name is believed to be related to the nearby Croydon Canal and the “Jolly Sailor” being a bargee. 

Within easy reach of these pubs is Stanley Arts Centre, a welcome diversion on this route. William Stanley was an exceptionally prolific inventor and at one time had 78 patents out in the UK and USA. Stanley was a skilled architect who designed and founded the UK’s first Trades school, Stanley Technical Trades School (now Harris Academy South Norwood), as well as designing the Stanley Halls (now the Arts Centre) in South Norwood. He was a noted philanthropist, who gave over £80,000 (worth about £8m today) to education projects during the last 15 years of his life. 

In the Halls’ early years, both professional and amateur performers trod its boards, including the composer/conductor Samuel Coleridge-Taylor. Even in the 1960s Shirley Bassey, Matt Munro and Johnny Dankworth were among professional musicians who rehearsed in the Halls before performing at Fairfield Halls in Croydon.

Inside the building are a number of halls and rooms, and are used for performing arts as well as meetings and events, including weddings and conferences. Much of the original features are still there, including the tiled floors and walls. It really is a remarkable resource and place to visit – they do guided tours which would be a great way to discover all that Stanley Arts Centre has to offer.

Over the road from the Arts Centre is the Norwood Junction Railway Bridge that was the scene of a serious rail accident in 1891 when the bridge collapsed. Amazingly there were no fatalities. Underneath the bridge is a fine 9-panel mosaic by Gary Drostle and Rob Turner. It incorporates both historical and everyday themes – from early settlement in the area; the various means of transport; and cultural, literary, agricultural and industrial heritage.

4. Ashburton Park bus stop

Set inside Ashburton Park is Ashburton Hall, the only remaining part of the original mansion that was built in 1788. It had been used as the library, added as an extension in 1878. After the library was relocated elsewhere in the borough, the building fell into disrepair until the council decided to renovate it – these days it’s a community centre with a small café, and is a valuable resource for hosting events such as weddings, conferences and arts exhibitions.

The park itself is a good size for strolling and playing sports. Sadly, the old bandstand in the middle of the park is derelict and really should be taken down altogether as it’s an eye-sore in an otherwise pretty open space.

5. Shirley Windmill bus stop

As the name of the stop suggests, this is where you’ll find the local windmill. It’s quite astonishing to discover it as you walk round the corner, set in a small piece of green, in a lovely residential area. Shirley Windmill is a Tower Mill, built in 1854 by Richard Alwen to replace an earlier (1808) timber post-mill on this site, lost by fire. It ceased working in about 1890, but most of the original machinery, including its two pairs of millstones, is still in place, and has recently been restored. The mill is 57m high, with five working floors, and has four sails to be turned by the wind to grind the grain into flour, by means of the internal machinery. There are guided tours throughout the summer so it’s worth checking out the dates.

6. Oaks Road bus stop

This is quite near the windmill but there is a stop very near Pinewoods Nature Reserve. The first Ordnance Survey map of Surrey, dated 1863‐1868 shows Pinewoods as part of a much greater wood which included Addington Hills, Spring Park Wood and Ballards Plantation. The 1800 inclosure map shows Pinewoods as part of Shirley Heath and was divided up as allotments for the inhabitants of Croydon. The boggy area in the woodland is where one of the numerous springs in this area rises.  

7. Coombe Lane Tram Stop bus stop

The final place on this route is to visit Heathfield House and Gardens. The house is a Grade II-listed manor house, that was gifted to the people of Croydon in 1964 by Raymond Riesco, a local art collector and philanthropist. Heathfield was originally a sheep farm known as Stones Farm and was part of the Manor of Addington. By 1837, the farm became a Georgian estate and was renamed Heathfield. The estate was leased by Henry Goschen, a Lieutenant in the 2nd Punjab Irregular Cavalry, from his brother Charles, who owned the neighbouring Ballards estate. In 1937, Raymond Riesco bought the property, and arranged for the house, gardens, and farmland to be bought by Croydon Council upon his death as well as donating his collection of oriental ceramics. 

These days the house is in a poor state and most recently has been used as a training centre. The public has the right to roam freely within the grounds. The grade II listed house will not be sold by the council, despite its poor condition, owing to public outcry and will therefore be leased out with the council maintaining control of the grounds. It’s worth going to see it with its glorious grounds and gardens and views over Addington.

This was yet another surprisingly good route. I keep thinking that I’ve seen all the interesting places in London on the 130 bus journeys I’ve already undertaken. So it was a real pleasure to find so much on this route that was just wonderful and a delight. I hope I shall continue to enjoy what London has to offer on many more routes in the weeks, months and years to come.

Toilets that are open to the public and free of charge:

• Stanley Arts Centre
• Ashburton Hall
• The Jolly Sailor