Walking the Route of the Long Lost Croydon Canal (an allday walking tour)
pic of Paul Talling courtesy of David Jenner
Since writing the book London's Lost Rivers I have been on foot returning to the routes of these rivers and canals. The route of the Croydon Canal is particularly interesting, and I am organising some guided walking tours of a large chunk of the route of the Croydon Canal - the 'Croydon Canal Alldayer'
On this walk we walk the route of the long lost Croydon Canal from West Croydon to Forest Hill exploring the delights of Selhurst, South Norwood, Anerley, Penge and Sydenham along the way.
The Croydon Canal opened in 1809 & enabled lime, timber, chalk and agricultural produce to be sent to London in exchange for coal being handled to Croydon, then an ancient market town. The canal was beset with problems as it had 28 locks between New Cross and Honor Oak, a stretch of just over 2 miles. These locks were costly to maintain, and caused queues & congestion for the barges waiting to negotiate them. The canal was a financial failure and closed in 1836 and the railway line from London Bridge to Croydon was built, generally following the route of the canal, but the railway line used cuttings and embankments to avoid the twists and turns of the canal. West Croydon Station stands on the site of the Croydon Canal Basin. Lengths of canal unsuitable for the railway survived a little longer and carried on trading & used for pleasure boating though these were soon lost due to the rapid residential development as London expanded into the suburbs.
On this walk we see remnants of the canal in Anerley and Sydenham, many other clues of the lost canal, looking at old maps and illustrations along with stories of the canal's social history plus much more along the way including the odd bit of dereliction (notably dead pubs), the home ground of Crystal Palace F.C. from 1918 until 1924 now a rail depot, the Norbury Brook, the first subway in the world to be made from reinforced concrete and the Sensible Seat, the bench named after & unveiled by local punk rocker Captain Sensible.
Finish around 4 to 5pm depending on how fast we all walk. It's a long one but not an endurance test. The walk is approx 7 miles long mainly on pavement & you are advised to have a hearty breakfast before we meet up. There will be at least one pub break along the walk with the opportunity to get a drink and a snack. There are also many small shops along the walk that we can stop at if required. We finish at Forest Hill Overground Station where there are several pubs and restaurants.
TIP: Arrive early and enjoy a great fry up at Golden Chef Café(turn right out of station)
On this walk we walk the route of the long lost Croydon Canal from West Croydon to Forest Hill exploring the delights of Selhurst, South Norwood, Anerley, Penge and Sydenham along the way.
The Croydon Canal opened in 1809 & enabled lime, timber, chalk and agricultural produce to be sent to London in exchange for coal being handled to Croydon, then an ancient market town. The canal was beset with problems as it had 28 locks between New Cross and Honor Oak, a stretch of just over 2 miles. These locks were costly to maintain, and caused queues & congestion for the barges waiting to negotiate them. The canal was a financial failure and closed in 1836 and the railway line from London Bridge to Croydon was built, generally following the route of the canal, but the railway line used cuttings and embankments to avoid the twists and turns of the canal. West Croydon Station stands on the site of the Croydon Canal Basin. Lengths of canal unsuitable for the railway survived a little longer and carried on trading & used for pleasure boating though these were soon lost due to the rapid residential development as London expanded into the suburbs.
On this walk we see remnants of the canal in Anerley and Sydenham, many other clues of the lost canal, looking at old maps and illustrations along with stories of the canal's social history plus much more along the way including the odd bit of dereliction (notably dead pubs), the home ground of Crystal Palace F.C. from 1918 until 1924 now a rail depot, the Norbury Brook, the first subway in the world to be made from reinforced concrete and the Sensible Seat, the bench named after & unveiled by local punk rocker Captain Sensible.
Finish around 4 to 5pm depending on how fast we all walk. It's a long one but not an endurance test. The walk is approx 7 miles long mainly on pavement & you are advised to have a hearty breakfast before we meet up. There will be at least one pub break along the walk with the opportunity to get a drink and a snack. There are also many small shops along the walk that we can stop at if required. We finish at Forest Hill Overground Station where there are several pubs and restaurants.
TIP: Arrive early and enjoy a great fry up at Golden Chef Café(turn right out of station)
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Anerley
Anerley
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Sydenham
South Norwood
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Sydenham
Croydon
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Croydon
Sydenham
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