Beaulieu Heights ( ) is an area of

ancient woodland In the United Kingdom, ancient woodland is that which has existed continuously since 1600 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland (or 1750 in Scotland). The practice of planting woodland was uncommon before those dates, so a wood present in 1600 i ...

between

South Norwood South Norwood is a district of South London, England, within the London Borough of Croydon, Greater London and formerly in the historic county of Surrey. It is located 7.8 miles (12.5 km) south-east of Charing Cross, north of Woodside and ...

and

Upper Norwood Upper Norwood is an area of south London, England, within the London Boroughs of London Borough of Bromley, Bromley, London Borough of Croydon, Croydon, London Borough of Lambeth, Lambeth and London Borough of Southwark, Southwark. It is north ...

in the

London Borough of Croydon The London Borough of Croydon () is a London borough, borough in South London, part of Outer London. It covers an area of and had a population of 397,741 as of mid-2023, making it the most populous London borough. It is London's southernmost ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. It is located between South Norwood Hill and Auckland Road with Auckland Rise to the north and Tummonds Gardens to the south. There are pedestrian entrances from South Norwood Hill and Auckland Rise, and a pond. The name is pronounced as if spelled "Beulah" like the nearby Beulah Hill, and not like the French word or the town of

Beaulieu, Hampshire Beaulieu ( ) is a village located on the southeastern edge of the New Forest in Hampshire, England. It is home to both Beaulieu Palace House, Palace House and the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu, National Motor Museum. In 2020, it was named ...

. The wood is a remnant of The

Great North Wood The Great North Wood was a natural oak woodland that started south-east of central London and scaled the Norwood Ridge. At its full extent, the wood's boundaries stretched almost as far as Croydon and as far north as Camberwell. It had occ ...

and is currently managed by The

London Wildlife Trust London Wildlife Trust is an English wildlife charity based in London. Founded in 1981, London Wildlife Trust is one of 46 members of the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts (known as The Wildlife Trusts), each of which is a local nature charity ...

along with

Croydon Council Croydon London Borough Council, which styles itself Croydon Council, is the local authority for the London Borough of Croydon in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council, one of 32 in London. Croydon is divided into 28 wards, elect ...

as a part of its Great North Wood Project.

History

South Norwood Hill was previously known as Beulah Hill or Beggar's Hill, the latter name possibly relating to the

gypsies {{Infobox ethnic group , group = Romani people , image = , image_caption = , flag = Roma flag.svg , flag_caption = Romani flag created in 1933 and accepted at the 1971 World Romani Congress , ...

who populated the

. In August 1976, over of the Oak woodland was destroyed by fire, due to the warm temperatures. This area was subsequently replanted and the flora and fauna which previously existed in the woodland re-colonised the area. In 2009, a conservation group called The Friends of Beaulieu Heights was formed to improve accessibility and biodiversity of the woodland. The group worked in partnership with Croydon Council and has produced a woodland management plan for the park, which was approved by the Forestry Commission. Volunteers have opened up footpaths, installed waymarkers and notice board, built steps and planted a community orchard. In line with the management plant, 1ha of holly was removed from site in 2012, in order to bring light back to the woodland floor to allow groundflora and a new generation of trees to flourish. Further work is planned to restore the woodland and bring it back into active management. The Friends hold regular volunteer workdays on site, deliver guided walks and community events to promote the woodland as a community resource and haven for wildlife. The

Croydon transmitting station The Croydon transmitting station is a broadcasting and telecommunications facility on Beaulieu Heights in Upper Norwood, London, England (), in the London Borough of Croydon, owned by Arqiva. It was established in 1955 and initially used a sma ...

, a broadcasting and telecommunications facility, is located on Beaulieu Heights. It was established in 1955 and initially used a small lattice tower. The present tower is high and was built in 1962.

References

External links

Croydon Council - Beaulieu HeightsWoodland Trust - Beaulieu HeightsFriends of Beaulieu Heights
Parks and open spaces in the London Borough of Croydon Urban public parks in the United Kingdom {{London-geo-stub

History

See also

References

External links