The A215 is an A road in

south London South London is the southern part of Greater London, England, south of the River Thames. The region consists of the Districts of England, boroughs, in whole or in part, of London Borough of Bexley, Bexley, London Borough of Bromley, Bromley, Lon ...

, starting at

Elephant and Castle Elephant and Castle is an area of South London, England, in the London Borough of Southwark. The name also informally refers to much of Walworth and Newington, due to the proximity of the London Underground station of the same name. The n ...

and finishing around Shirley. It runs through the

London Boroughs The London boroughs are the current 32 local authority districts that together with the City of London make up the administrative area of Greater London, England; each is governed by a London borough council. The present London boroughs wer ...

Lambeth Lambeth () is a district in South London, England, which today also gives its name to the (much larger) London Borough of Lambeth. Lambeth itself was an ancient parish in the county of Surrey. It is situated 1 mile (1.6 km) south of Charin ...

Southwark Southwark ( ) is a district of Central London situated on the south bank of the River Thames, forming the north-western part of the wider modern London Borough of Southwark. The district, which is the oldest part of South London, developed ...

and

Croydon Croydon is a large town in South London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a Districts of England, local government district of Greater London; it is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater Lond ...

. The A215 was Britain's most crash-prone A road between 1999 and 2010, having 2,836 crashes over its ten-mile length.

Route

Walworth Road

At its northernmost point at

Elephant & Castle Elephant and Castle is an area of South London, England, in the London Borough of Southwark. The name also informally refers to much of Walworth and Newington, due to the proximity of the London Underground station of the same name. The nam ...

in Newington, the A215 begins as Walworth Road, which runs between

and Camberwell Road. It runs through

Walworth Walworth ( ) is a district of South London, England, within the London Borough of Southwark. It adjoins Camberwell to the south and Elephant and Castle to the north, and is south-east of Charing Cross. Major streets in Walworth include the ...

and is the major shopping street of the area.

East Street Market East Street Market also known locally as 'East Street', 'The Lane', or 'East Lane', is a street market in Walworth, London, Walworth in South London, South East London. Location East Street is in the London Borough of Southwark and is betwee ...

is especially busy on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Other attractions include the Cuming Museum, Newington Reference Library and John Smith House, a former Labour Party headquarters which is now used by the

local education authority Local education authorities (LEAs) were defined in England and Wales as the local councils responsible for education within their jurisdictions. The term was introduced by the Education Act 1902, which transferred education powers from school bo ...

Charles Babbage Charles Babbage (; 26 December 1791 – 18 October 1871) was an English polymath. A mathematician, philosopher, inventor and mechanical engineer, Babbage originated the concept of a digital programmable computer. Babbage is considered ...

, the

Victorian Victorian or Victorians may refer to: 19th century * Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign ** Victorian architecture ** Victorian house ** Victorian decorative arts ** Victorian fashion ** Victorian literatur ...

mathematician and computer pioneer, was likely born at 44 Crosby Row, now Larcom Street, Walworth Road on 26 December 1791. A commemorative

blue plaque A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place in the United Kingdom, and certain other countries and territories, to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person, event, or former building on the site, serving a ...

is displayed on the Sexual Health Clinic at the junction of Larcom Street and Walworth Road. Just off the Walworth Road was Walworth Road railway station on the

London, Chatham and Dover Railway The London, Chatham and Dover Railway (LCDR or LC&DR) was a railway company in south-eastern England. It was created on 1 August 1859, when the East Kent Railway was given parliamentary approval to change its name. Its lines ran through Lond ...

that was opened in 1863 and shut in 1916 due to wartime constraints.

Camberwell Road

Walworth Road transitions into Camberwell Road where the A215 enters the former

Metropolitan Borough of Camberwell Camberwell was a civil parish and metropolitan borough in south London, England. Camberwell was an ancient parish in the county of Surrey, governed by an administrative vestry from 1674. The parish was included in the area of responsibility of ...

. The road runs adjacent to the railway between

Elephant & Castle tube station Elephant & Castle is a London Underground station in the London Borough of Southwark in Central London. It is on the Bank and Monument stations, Bank branch of the Northern line, between Borough tube station, Borough and Kennington tube stati ...

and

Loughborough Junction railway station Loughborough Junction railway station is a railway station in the Loughborough Junction neighbourhood nearby Herne Hill railway station, Herne Hill in the London Borough of Lambeth. It was opened as Loughborough Road by the London, Chatham and ...

. Much of Camberwell Road is a

conservation area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural or cultural values. Protected areas are those areas in which human presence or the exploitation of natural resources (e.g. firewoo ...

, due to its well-preserved large houses from the early 19th century. By the time of the

Domesday Book Domesday Book ( ; the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book") is a manuscript record of the Great Survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...

, Camberwell was already a significant settlement. The town remained a popular resort for Londoners due to its believed medicinal wells. In 1685,

John Evelyn John Evelyn (31 October 162027 February 1706) was an English writer, landowner, gardener, courtier and minor government official, who is now best known as a diary, diarist. He was a founding Fellow of the Royal Society. John Evelyn's Diary, ...

's ''

Diary A diary is a written or audiovisual memorable record, with discrete entries arranged by date reporting on what has happened over the course of a day or other period. Diaries have traditionally been handwritten but are now also often digita ...

'' mentions a Roman urn filled with bones which was uncovered intact during repairs to the road and exhibited at the

Royal Society The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...

Camberwell Green Camberwell Green is a hectare () of common land in Camberwell, south London laid out as a formal park. Its south-west corner is the junction of Camberwell Road/Denmark Hill and Camberwell New Road/Camberwell Church Street. Its other edges shar ...

, at the junction of Camberwell Road and Camberwell Church Street, was the traditional site of Camberwell Fair, an annual fair held every August. Following complaints about the noise and high crime levels generated by the fair, a group of residents bought the fairground in 1855, converting it into the park which remains today. In

times Camberwell Road was a focal point of south London's

Music hall Music hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment that was most popular from the early Victorian era, beginning around 1850, through the World War I, Great War. It faded away after 1918 as the halls rebranded their entertainment as Varie ...

scene, with a number of music halls opening from the 1850s onwards. Following the advent of the cinema and later of television, the music halls fell into decline, with the last closing in 1956. Nearby Orpheus Street marks the site of the Metropole Music Hall. Since the

New Works Programme The New Works Programme of 1935–1940 was the major investment programme delivered by the London Passenger Transport Board (LPTB), commonly known as London Transport, which had been created in 1933 to coordinate underground train, tram, trolle ...

of the 1930s, London Transport and its successors have planned to extend the

Bakerloo line The Bakerloo line () is a London Underground line that runs between in suburban north-west London and in south London, via the West End. Printed in brown on the Tube map, it serves 25 stations, 15 of which are underground, over . It runs par ...

south to a station on Camberwell Road. The original plans were abandoned due to the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

before much construction had been completed. Construction again began in the 1950s and 1970s, but was abandoned each time.

Transport for London Transport for London (TfL) is a local government body responsible for most of the transport network in London, United Kingdom. TfL is the successor organization of the London Passenger Transport Board, which was established in 1933, and His ...

still intends to build this extension, but no date has been set for the work.

Denmark Hill

After the A215 crosses the A202 it becomes Denmark Hill. This road was originally known as Dulwich Hill, and was renamed in 1683 to commemorate the marriage of Princess Anne (later Queen Anne) to

Prince George of Denmark Prince George of Denmark and Norway, Duke of Cumberland (; 2 April 165328 October 1708), was the husband of Anne, Queen of Great Britain. He was the consort of the British monarch from Anne's accession on 8 March 1702 until his death in 1708. ...

. The road runs between King's College Hospital and The

Maudsley Hospital The Maudsley Hospital is a British psychiatric hospital in south London. The Maudsley is the largest mental health training institution in the UK. It is part of South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, and works in partnership with the I ...

before going alongside Ruskin Park. Further south the road passes the Denmark Hill Estate. The Victorian

art critic An art critic is a person who is specialized in analyzing, interpreting, and evaluating art. Their written critiques or reviews contribute to art criticism and they are published in newspapers, magazines, books, exhibition brochures, and catalogue ...

, author and

social critic Social criticism is a form of academic or journalistic criticism focusing on social issues in contemporary society, in respect to perceived injustices and power relations in general. Social criticism of the Enlightenment The origin of modern ...

John Ruskin John Ruskin (8 February 1819 20 January 1900) was an English polymath a writer, lecturer, art historian, art critic, draughtsman and philanthropist of the Victorian era. He wrote on subjects as varied as art, architecture, Critique of politic ...

lived at 163 Denmark Hill from 1842 to 1871. The house no longer stands and is now the site of a block of council flats. Ruskin Park, immediately south of the twin hospitals, is named in his honour. Denmark Hill is home to two of London's largest

hospital A hospital is a healthcare institution providing patient treatment with specialized Medical Science, health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically ...

s, the general King's College Hospital (part of

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public university, public research university in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV ...

) which moved to the site from its original central London location in 1913, and the Maudsley psychiatric hospital. It is believed by historians that 168, 170 and 172 Denmark Hill were designed by noted architect and prison designer William Blackburn due their similarity in architectural style to his other buildings. However, as the original documentation relating to the construction of these houses has been lost or destroyed, it has proved impossible to confirm this. Immediately south of the Maudsley Hospital is Denmark Hill railway station, built in 1866 and rebuilt following a fire in 1980, on the

South London line The South London line is a railway line in inner south London, England. The initial steam passenger service on the route was established by the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (LBSCR) on 1 May 1867 when the central London terminal statio ...

. This station forms part of the

East London line The East London line is a railway line running north to south through the East, Docklands and South areas of London. It is used by London Overground services. It was previously a line of the London Underground. Built in 1869 by the East Lond ...

westward extension to Clapham Junction as part of the

London Overground London Overground (also known simply as the Overground) is a Urban rail in the United Kingdom, suburban rail network serving London and its environs. Established in 2007 to take over Silverlink Metro routes, it now serves a large part of Greate ...

network.

Herne Hill

The road continues southwest into Herne Hill, a short stretch of road running through the area of the same name. The origin of the name is disputed, but possibly derives from

heron Herons are long-legged, long-necked, freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae, with 75 recognised species, some of which are referred to as egrets or bitterns rather than herons. Members of the genus ''Botaurus'' are referred to as bi ...

s nesting on the (now buried)

River Effra The River Effra is a former stream or small river in south London, England, now culverted for most of its course. Once a tributary of the River Thames, flows from the Effra were incorporated in the Victorian era into a combined sewer draining mu ...

. The earliest known usage of the name "Herne Hill" dates from 1798. St Paul's church was rebuilt in gothic style by the architect

George Edmund Street George Edmund Street (20 June 1824 – 18 December 1881), also known as G. E. Street, was an English architect, born at Woodford in Essex. Stylistically, Street was a leading practitioner of the Victorian Gothic Revival. Though mainly an eccl ...

in 1858. Herne Hill railway station is at the southern end of Herne Hill, on a busy six-road junction. It opened in 1862 and was initially the southern terminus of the

Norwood Road

Norwood Road begins after Herne Hill railway station. It runs alongside

Brockwell Park Brockwell Park is a park located south of Brixton, in Herne Hill and Tulse Hill in south London. It is bordered by the roads Brixton Water Lane, Norwood Road, Tulse Hill and Dulwich Road. The park commands views of the skyline of City of Lond ...

and then south to

Tulse Hill Tulse Hill is a district in the London Borough of Lambeth in South London that sits on Brockwell Park. It is approximately five miles from Charing Cross and is bordered by Brixton, Dulwich, Herne Hill, Streatham and West Norwood. History The a ...

. A manor house known as "Brockholle" or "Brockhalle" (the origin of the name "Brockwell") was built on Norwood Road, on what is now a part of Brockwell Park, in the mid-15th century. In 1809 the building was bought by wealthy merchant and

Sheriff of London Two Sheriffs of the City of London are elected annually by the members of the City livery companies. Today's Sheriffs have only ceremonial duties, but the historical officeholders held important judicial responsibilities. They have attended the ...

John Blades. Blades demolished the building, and built Brockwell Hall as a replacement at the top of the hill in the park; this building still stands today.

Tulse Hill railway station Tulse Hill railway station is in the Tulse Hill area of the London Borough of Lambeth in south London, between railway bridges over the A205, South Circular Road and the A215, Norwood Road. It is measured from . There are currently 4 platfo ...

is on this road. After passing the station, Norwood Road continues south past

West Norwood Cemetery West Norwood Cemetery is a rural cemetery in West Norwood in London, England. It was also known as the South Metropolitan Cemetery. One of the first private landscaped cemeteries in London, it is one of the " Magnificent Seven" cemeteries of ...

(home of 65 Listed Monuments) to

West Norwood West Norwood is a largely residential area of south London within the London Borough of Lambeth, located 5.4 miles (8.7 km) south south-east of Charing Cross. The centre of West Norwood sits in a bowl surrounded by hillsides on its east, ...

and the Norwood Triangle. Norwood Road is home to St Luke's Church, a

Grade II listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...

building designed by Francis Octavius Bedford in 1823–5 and rebuilt by GE Street in 1870. The Regal Cinema opened on Norwood Road in January 1930; it was unusual in that it also staged live stage shows to accompany films (including performances by animals from

circus A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicy ...

es visiting the nearby park). It was home to the Regal Redheads, a troupe of dancing girls who performed in the interval.

Knights Hill and Norwood High Street

Knights Hill starts in the north at

in the Norwood Triangle one-way system, and runs through a council ward also named as Knight's Hill. It ends in the south at a junction with the A214 at Crown Lane and Crown Dale. Knights Hill becomes Beulah Hill here at Crown Point. To the north, south of Knight's Hill is the part of the Crystal Palace area with no name home to a large

parade A parade is a procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, floats, or sometimes large balloons. Parades are held for a wide range of reasons, but are usually some variety ...

of competing large super markets along the A215 Norwood Road including Tesco, Cooperative, Iceland and (by Summer 2009) Sainsbury (ex Woolworth's site).

West Norwood railway station West Norwood railway station is in the London Borough of Lambeth in West Norwood, South London. It is measured from . The station, and all trains serving it, are operated by Southern, and it lies in Travelcard Zone 3. Services from Platform ...

is on this road. Knights Hill contains the Knights Hill Nature Reserve, one of the last remaining vestiges 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 ...

which once covered the area. The 1647 Parliamentary Survey described Knights Hill as "a small common wood containing 40 pollard oaks and two elms".

Beulah Hill

Beulah Hill (originally "Gravel Pit Road") begins at a crossroads where the A215 crosses the A214 and Knights Hill becomes Beulah Hill. The road makes a sharp turn to the east where it continues through the neighbourhoods of

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 ...

. On the sharp bend is the ornamental Beulah Hill Pond. Formerly "Big Pond", it was intended as a watering stop for horses and cattle using the road, and still contains a railing to prevent animals straying into deep water. The "Conquering Hero"

pub A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the late 17th century, to differentiate private ho ...

was built next to the pond for the use of people stopping to allow livestock to use the pond, and remains today. The composer and organist of

St Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Paul the Apostle, is an Anglican cathedral in London, England, the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London in the Church of Engl ...

, Thomas Attwood, lived in a large house on Beulah Hill from 1821 to 1834.

Felix Mendelssohn Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (3 February 18094 November 1847), widely known as Felix Mendelssohn, was a German composer, pianist, organist and conductor of the early Romantic music, Romantic period. Mendelssohn's compositions inc ...

stayed at the Attwood family home, once in 1829 and again in 1832, completing some compositions there. The house was demolished in the late 1960s. In March 1966, shortly before the World Cup tournament, the

Jules Rimet trophy The FIFA World Cup is a golden trophy that is awarded to the winners of the FIFA World Cup association football tournament. Since the advent of the World Cup in 1930, two different trophies have been used: the Jules Rimet Trophy from 1930 to 19 ...

was stolen from an exhibition at Central Hall Westminster. It was found seven days later by a dog named

Pickles Pickle, pickled or Pickles may refer to: Food * Pickle, a food that has undergone pickling * Pickled cucumber * Pickle, a sweet, vinegary pickled chutney popular in Britain, such as Branston Pickle, also known as "sweet pickle" or "ploughman's ...

, wrapped in newspaper at the bottom of a suburban garden hedge at Beulah Hill. The story made national headlines. Nearby is St Joseph's College founded in 1855, one of the first Catholic educational institutions to be opened in England following the restoration of the Catholic hierarchy. Beulah Hill was the site of Britain's first independent television

transmitter In electronics and telecommunications, a radio transmitter or just transmitter (often abbreviated as XMTR or TX in technical documents) is an electronic device which produces radio waves with an antenna (radio), antenna with the purpose of sig ...

, built by the

Independent Television Authority The Independent Television Authority (ITA) was an agency created by the Television Act 1954 ( 2 & 3 Eliz. 2. c. 55) to supervise the creation of " Independent Television" (ITV), the first commercial television network in the United Kingdom. The ...

in 1955. Beulah Hill ends at a junction with the A212 (Church Road). From this junction, the A215 is called South Norwood Hill.

South Norwood Hill

South Norwood Hill descends sharply towards

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 ...

. It becomes Portland Road at the crossroads with the

A213 road List of A roads in zone 2 in Great Britain starting south of the River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is ...

. Spurgeon's College is a theological college which since 1923 has been located in a mansion built in 1890 and known as Falkland Park. Otherwise this section of the A215 is mainly residential. The former porter's lodge of the Falkland Park estate still stands along South Norwood Hill as no. 217, "Falkland Lodge".

Portland Road

Portland Road begins at a crossroads where the A215 crosses the A213 on South Norwood High Street and South Norwood Hill becomes Portland Road. The road then travels down a hill with many shops (mainly takeaways, newsagents). It passes

South Norwood Leisure Centre South Norwood Leisure Centre is a leisure centre located on Portland Road in South Norwood in Croydon, London. It contains a 25m sized swimming pool, teaching pool, 32 station gym and two studios. The centre is managed by Better (GLL). Facilitie ...

, a new leisure centre which includes a creche, cafe, gym, swimming pool etc. Portland Road ends with a left turn to stay on the A215 at Spring Lane or straight on to change onto the B243, Woodside Green. From June 2010, the road will be the site of a station on the new

network.

Early history

The northern section of the road was historically known as "Cholmerden" or "The Goat House". The Minister's of Bailiffs Account of the Chauntry of St Nicholas show that an annual rent of 33

shilling The shilling is a historical coin, and the name of a unit of modern currency, currencies formerly used in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, other British Commonwealth countries and Ireland, where they were generally equivalent to 1 ...

s and four pence was paid on the land between 1442–1483; this is the earliest recorded reference to the area. The road at the time ran through an ancient

woodland A woodland () is, in the broad sense, land covered with woody plants (trees and shrubs), or in a narrow sense, synonymous with wood (or in the U.S., the '' plurale tantum'' woods), a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunli ...

known as the North Wood (the origin of the modern place name Norwood). The area was cleared for farmland in the 16th and 17th centuries. Industrial development began in the early 19th century following construction of the Grand Surrey Canal, linking the area to

Surrey Commercial Docks The Surrey Commercial Docks were a large group of docks in Rotherhithe, South East (London sub region), South East London, located on the south bank (the Surrey side) of the River Thames. The docks operated in one form or another from 1696 to ...

and the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, s ...

in 1809. This section of the canal was closed in 1836, with the

London and Croydon Railway The London and Croydon Railway (L&CR) was an early railway in England. It opened in 1839 and in February 1846 merged with other railways to form the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (LB&SCR). Origins The Croydon line and other railways ...

built along the canal bed; modern housing development began in the mid-19th century following the opening of the railway.

Jolly-sailor station and the London & Croydon Railway

In 1839 the

opened Jolly-sailor station (sic)—listed as "Jolly-sailor near Beulah Spa" on fares lists and timetables—at the north end of the street. The station was renamed Norwood in 1846. The station was immediately adjacent to a

level crossing A level crossing is an intersection where a railway line crosses a road, Trail, path, or (in rare situations) airport runway, at the same level, as opposed to the railway line or the road etc. crossing over or under using an Overpass#Railway, o ...

over Portland Road. In 1844, the London and Croydon Railway was given parliamentary authority to test an experimental pneumatic propulsion system on the railway (referred to at the time as the atmospheric-propulsion system). A pumping station was built on Portland Road; this created a

vacuum A vacuum (: vacuums or vacua) is space devoid of matter. The word is derived from the Latin adjective (neuter ) meaning "vacant" or "void". An approximation to such vacuum is a region with a gaseous pressure much less than atmospheric pressur ...

in a pipe paralleling the railway tracks. A piston extended downwards from the trains into a slit in the pipe, meaning that trains were literally sucked towards the pumping station or blown away from it. The pumping station was built in a Gothic style, with a very tall ornate tower which served both as a

chimney A chimney is an architectural ventilation structure made of masonry, clay or metal that isolates hot toxic exhaust gases or smoke produced by a boiler, stove, furnace, incinerator, or fireplace from human living areas. Chimneys are typical ...

and as an exhaust vent for air pumped from the propulsion pipe. As part of the construction works for the atmospheric-propulsion system, the world's first railway flyover was constructed at the north end of Portland Road, to carry the new atmospheric line over the conventional steam line below. In 1847, the atmospheric propulsion experiment was abandoned. Following construction of new lines, the station closed on 1 June 1859 and was replaced by a new station on the south side of the road, Norwood Junction, which is still in use, now part of the newly-extended

of the

which was opened on 23 May 2010.

Places of interest

One of the earliest

cinemas A movie theater (American English) or cinema (Commonwealth English), also known as a movie house, cinema hall, picture house, picture theater, the movies, the pictures, or simply theater, is a business that contains auditoriums for viewing fi ...

in south London, the Electric Picture Palace, opened on Portland Road in 1910. The cinema was renamed the Central Cinema shortly afterwards, and closed in 1956, and no trace of it now remains. Portland Road is also home to the "Gold Coast", the only

Ghana Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...

ian

public house A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption Licensing laws of the United Kingdom#On-licence, on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the ...

in London; this is a focal point for London's Ghanaian community and serves Ghanaian beer, wine and food. ''Roots, Routes, Roots'' (also known as the "Portland Road Mosaic"), an long mosaic depicting the history of the Norwood area, is under the railway bridge. The mosaic was designed by artists Gary Drostle and Rob Turner, and built by children from a number of local schools.

Spring Lane

Spring Lane is a short road that starts at the junction with Woodside Green. It lies entirely within Woodside. St Luke's Church, Ashburton Park, Ashburton Primary School and Woodside tram stop are on this road. Spring Lane was notable for many years in having one of the few

Ancient lights Right to light is a form of easement in English law that gives a long-standing owner of a building with windows a right to maintain an adequate level of illumination (lighting), illumination. The right was traditionally known as the doctrine of " ...

notices in London outside central London, on a private house immediately opposite the station. The sign was taken down in 2005.

Woodside tram stop

Woodside railway station was built in 1871 to serve Croydon Racecourse ( see below). The station was unusual in being designed for horses, with access ramps instead of steps and with unusually high entrances designed to accommodate a horse and rider. In 1997 the railway was replaced by

Tramlink Tramlink, previously Croydon Tramlink and currently branded as London Trams, is a light rail tram system serving Croydon and surrounding areas in South London, England. It is the first operational tram system serving the London region since 195 ...

; the station is now Woodside tram stop.

Shirley Road

Shirley Road is the final road on the A215. It is home to Ashburton Community School and

Trinity School of John Whitgift The Trinity School of John Whitgift, also known as Trinity School, is a independent boys' day school with a co-educational sixth form, located in Shirley Park, Croydon. Part of the Whitgift Foundation, it was established in 1882 as Whitgift ...

. It ends in Shirley,

. Shirley Road skirts the nearby suburb of

Addiscombe Addiscombe is an area of south London, England, within the London Borough of Croydon. It is located south of Charing Cross, and is situated north of Coombe and Selsdon, east of Croydon town centre, south of Woodside, and west of Shirley. ...

. The town is named after the historic manor of Adscomb ("Edge of the valley"), the country seat of the Heron family, which was situated on Shirley Road. The building no longer exists.

Ashburton Playing Fields

Ashburton Playing Fields are just off Shirley Road, behind the school. The fields were first dedicated as a public

horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance activity, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its bas ...

course by

James I James I may refer to: People *James I of Aragon (1208–1276) * James I of Sicily or James II of Aragon (1267–1327) * James I, Count of La Marche (1319–1362), Count of Ponthieu * James I, Count of Urgell (1321–1347) *James I of Cyprus (1334� ...

in the early 17th century. Following the opening of the nearby Woodside railway station in 1871 large numbers of Londoners began travelling to the racecourse. Following pressure from the Mayor of

, concerned about the large crowds, the racecourse was closed in 1890 and replaced with a

golf course A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, tee box, a #Fairway and rough, fairway, the #Fairway and rough, rough and other hazard (golf), hazards, and ...

; this was bought by the council in 1942 and given to public use as playing fields.

References

External links

*
LondonTown.com information

an

{{DEFAULTSORT:2-0215 Roads in England Streets in the London Borough of Croydon Streets in the London Borough of Southwark Streets in the London Borough of Lambeth Camberwell Prince George of Denmark