South Norwood Country Park

South Norwood Country Park is a site of about 50 hectares (125 acres) developed from a former sewage farm. It has a range of wildlife habitats, including a large area of wet grassland and a sizeable lake. It is owned by the London Borough of Croydon and has been designated as a local nature reserve.

Address (main entrance): Albert Road, London SE25 4QL (Map:; OS grid reference TQ353683)

History
The land was originally used for agriculture but has also been used for the manufacture of pottery and bricks, which involved extensive quarrying with subsequent backfilling. For about 100 years the site served as a sewage farm for the Corporation of Croydon, which acquired it piecemeal from 1862 onwards, with the last acquisition as late as 1951.

The sewage farm was never a success for the subsoil was London Clay and the flooded fields would remain wet for months without draining. A series of concrete channels was constructed over the farm to direct the sewage out over the numerous fields. With changes in the methods of treating sewage the irrigation beds were abandoned and round filter beds were built in the centre of the site. The fields were then not used for many years, and a wide range of wetland vegetation grew virtually undisturbed. After the sewage works closed in 1967, the filterbeds were dismantled. The south-western end of the site was extensively tipped with rubbish and highways waste such as road scrapings, old kerbstones and concrete.

The site was declared Metropolitan Open Land in 1982 and a decision was made to develop it into a country park. The aim was to preserve the wetlands and also develop new meadow lands on the areas that had been tipped once they had been made safe. An artificial mound (The Viewpoint) was created mainly from hardcore tipping from wartime demolition. Landscaped in 1988, it is the highest point on the site. A pond has been built to encourage dragonflies and damselflies,

Habitat
The site’s range of habitats includes semi-improved neutral grassland, wet grassland, wet ditches, a lake fringed by a reed bed, a pond, running water, roughland, scattered trees and scrub. The running water is in two streams that cross the site from the Albert Road end to Elmers End Road: the southern one is an open brook that runs along a line where the London Clay meets the Blackheath Beds (sands and gravels); the other runs in a deep concrete channel along the north western boundary.

Species
Birds

More than 100 species of bird are recorded in the country park every year. The site list stands at 177 species, with 163 of them recorded since the park was created in 1989. The large wetlands in particular attract a wide variety of species. At least six species of warbler breed here, including Reed Warbler and Sedge Warbler (the only known site in the borough where these two species nest). Marsh Warbler has also been reported.

The lake supports the common waterfowl found in parks but occasionally something more exotic, such as Shelduck, Pintail and Goosander, drops in. There is also a reasonable chance of seeing Kingfisher, which has bred here since 1998 (the first known breeding record for Croydon).

Common Snipe and Jack Snipe winter in the wet meadow and other waders are occasionally recorded around the lake. At least one Water Rail spends the winter around the lake, in the wet meadow or in the stream near Harrington Road.

All three British woodpeckers may be found, as can Reed Bunting and a variety of finches and tits.

Among the scarcer species recorded in recent years are Red Kite, Merlin, Hen Harrier, Dartford Warbler, Great Grey Shrike, Red-backed Shrike, Bearded Tit, Twite and Firecrest.

Other vertebrates

Frogs, toads and newts can be found in and around the Dragonfly Pond.

Invertebrates

More than 20 species of butterfly have been recorded on the site. The Dragonfly Pond attracts various dragonflies and damselflies, including the Emperor Dragonfly.

Practicalities
Directions


 * Car: The main entrance is off Albert Road, South Norwood, but the site extends as far as Elmers End Road in the north east. The site has car parks open to vehicles from 8am on weekdays and 9am on weekends and bank holidays until just before dusk.


 * Rail: The nearest rail stations are Elmers End, on the east edge of the site, and Birkbeck, at the northernmost corner of the site.


 * Tram: A Tramlink route crosses the site, stopping at Harrington Road on the west edge of the park and Arena to the south. Trams also serve Elmers End.


 * Bus: Bus routes 197 and 312 pass along Portland Road, 356 along Elmers End Road and 289 along Long Lane.

Access

There is free public access to the site at all times.

Facilities

The site has a visitor centre, which sells light refreshments but (according to the Croydon Council website) it is open to the public only at weekends from 1 to 2pm in winter and from 2 to 4pm in summer. (On weekdays it is for schools use only.) Toilets are available and include facilities for Radar keyholders.

''This page has been cobbled together from various internet sources by someone who has never visited the site but thinks that it deserves a page on this website because it keeps cropping up on the Latest News page. If you are familiar with the site, please correct, expand and/or update this information (and delete or amend this paragraph).