Coombe, Croydon
Coombe | |
---|---|
Coombe Wood House | |
Location within Greater London | |
OS grid reference | TQ342647 |
London borough | |
Ceremonial county | Greater London |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | CROYDON |
Postcode district | CR0 |
Dialling code | 020 |
Police | Metropolitan |
Fire | London |
Ambulance | London |
UK Parliament | |
London Assembly | |
Coombe is a place in the
Coombe is located between the green spaces of Addington Hills, Lloyd Park, Ballards and Coombe Wood. It is unusual in this part of South London as it has barely been urbanised and has retained its collection of large houses fairly intact. Its rural character is maintained by the woodland aspect of the road and an old cattle trough at the junction of Coombe Lane and Oaks Road. Tramlink, however, runs through Coombe. Coombe Lane, the continuation of Coombe Road, is the principal road. Conduit Lane is an ancient unpaved route that is now a woodland path.
There was an estate at Coombe as far back as 1221, recorded as being held by Richard of Coombe. The name comes from the
Early history
In 1722, "Some Persons, digging at a Village call'd Coomb, near Croydon in Surry, found a great Number of Roman Urns, and other Antique Curiosities" (sic).[2] The nearby town of Croydon originally developed due to a Roman road, and part of a Roman road has been found in Coombe Street, Croydon.[3]
The houses of Coombe
Coombe House to the north of the road (51°21′49″N 0°4′17″W / 51.36361°N 0.07139°W), it dates back to 1761 and is
Coombe Lodge is a
Coombe Wood House (51°21′43.5″N 0°4′3.5″W / 51.362083°N 0.067639°W) was built in 1898 for Arthur Lloyd, brother of Frank Lloyd. Some years later, then-owner William Cash sold the house to Croydon Corporation, which used the house as a convalescent and children's home. It is now a French restaurant, the Château (originally the "Château Napoleon").[9] The ornamental gardens and 14 acres (57,000 m2) of woodland were kept by the Council and opened to the public in 1948.[citation needed] Coombe Wood Gardens are very popular, with a café in the old stable block, the "Coach House Café".
Coombe Farm is a large farmhouse off Oaks Road, reached via Oaks Lane. Oaks Lane was the former main road, closed by
Towards Croydon
Between Lloyd Park and central Croydon, considerable amounts of 20th-century housing was built, particularly in Park Hill. There were estates here too, with two houses surviving a mile from Coombe itself.
Coombe Cliff on Coombe Road was the home of the Horniman family of tea merchants.
In 1930 Croydon Corporation purchased the house and gardens for a convalescent home for children, and it had several other uses before finally being used as an adult education centre in 1960. Coombe Cliff's gardens were merged into neighbouring Park Hill and opened to the public.[10]
Coombe Hill House is a red-brick townhouse on Coombe Road, now considered central Croydon but until the 20th century in a rural setting. It was built around 1713 and is attributed to
Towards Addington
The Ballards estate was a major landholding to the east of Coombe. Until the
Heathfield House (18 acres (7.3 ha)) was also bought by Goschen in 1872, who rebuilt the former farmhouse and leased it to his brother Henry, one of the last serving members of the
Public transport
With the introduction of Croydon Tramlink the 353 bus route that served Coombe was discontinued beyond Addington Village Interchange leaving Coombe with improved privacy but modest public transport links with tramstops some distance from Coombe. The nearest are Coombe Lane tram stop and Lloyd Park tram stop. The area's train station - Coombe Road railway station - closed in 1983.[1]
Coombe Wood School
In 2018, Coombe Wood School opened on the former playing fields at the junction of Melville Avenue and Coombe Road (close to Lloyd Park). Initially in a temporary structure, construction began on a permanent facility in 2019, expected to open in September 2020.[15]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d Willey, Russ (2006). The London Gazzetteer. Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. p. 116.
- ^ "Untitled". Stamford Mercury. British Newspaper Archive. 18 October 1722. p. 198 (7). Retrieved 4 February 2021.
- ^ "Archaeological Priority Part 4" (PDF). Croydon.gov.uk. Historic England. p. 134. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
- ^ Stuff, Good. "Coombe House (St Margaret's School), Croydon, London". britishlistedbuildings.co.uk. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
- ^ Stuff, Good. "Ice House in Grounds of Geoffrey Harris House, Croydon, London". britishlistedbuildings.co.uk. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
- ^ "Geoffrey Harris House". Archived from the original on 21 January 2012. Retrieved 27 October 2011.
- ^ a b Stuff, Good. "Coombe Lodge, Croydon, London". britishlistedbuildings.co.uk. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
- ^ "Home". The Cedars School. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
- ^ "thechateaurestaurant.co.uk". www.thechateaurestaurant.co.uk. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
- ISBN 0951348108.
- ^ "The present Ruskin House, Coombe Hill House". www.croydon.org.uk. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
- ^ ISBN 0951348108.
- ^ "Heathfield". londongardensonline.org.uk. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
- ^ "Statutory Listed Buildings in Croydon – May 2017" (PDF). Croydon.gov.uk. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
- Croydon Advertiser. Local World. Archived from the originalon 22 August 2019. Retrieved 22 August 2019.