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Focus Summer 2001 - Menu - Index - Previous
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Walks
Society review
The first walk of the year took place in most
welcome sunshine, the whole of the winter period being mostly
continuous rain - floods everywhere and a lake appearing where
there had never been a lake - just playing fields.
We were taking a look at some of the activities
we had been involved in in past years. We went by tram to Lloyds
Park and went across the field to see the Croydon Society copse,
which we planted 12 years ago. This is now thriving despite the
rain sodden fields around. It is on a site that drains down the
bank and so is not sitting in a pool of water.
We traversed the rest of the hill through thick mud, squelching
away over to Addington Hills to see if the heather was surviving.
Because of constant trampling it gets worn down in the summer
and has to be protected during the winter so it will survive.
It had been fenced round and the silver birches seedlings removed
by the Downland Management Group. The heather looked healthy.
We next went on to the viewpoint on Addington
Hills. This had had silver birches removed and some of the tops
of trees cut back so that you could see the view. Over the years
the trees and houses in between the view point and the skyline
have reached above the skyline and you couldn't see the Town
Hall or the Parish Church. They are noticeably overshadowed by
the ever rising height of buildings everywhere.
We walked back to Lloyd Park and then dispersed.
The next walk was along the Wandle. We took
the tram to Mitcham Junction and proceeded to the Goat Pub at
Hack bridge from where you can now see the landfill site at Beddington
where Gravel is being extracted and where one day a Country Park
will be created. We went down by Mill Green and along to see
where there was a leather mill, which produced chamois leather
where my mother used to work. The Wandle Valley Isolation Hospital
was here where children came who had scarlet fever, diphtheria,
typhoid and polio. In its place is a large estate of small houses.
We then turned down Watermeads Lane with the
factories on one side and little houses on the other. Very soon
we were walking along by the Wandle, rushing away and very high
up near to the edge of the bank. Gradually the scene became more
rustic and on one side is the Watermeads Nature Reserve (with
galvanised railings) and then a big field which once was the
Civil Service Playing fields. In the background stood the boarded
up Bishopsford House, lately a community centre for sports. I
used to play net ball on this playing field but to-day it is
being tipped with landfill and there were baths, water toilets,
lorries and many other large discarded items which would be buried
into a large hole in the ground and then land filled again.
We then wended our way to the Fishery Cottages
which once had work people who managed the trout streams. Izaac
Walton wrote about them. Today it is an idyllic spot, especially
on a beautiful warm day with the cottages freshly painted and
the Wandle is quiet and not thundering away.
This was the place for the Bishop's Ford across
the river - Bishopsford Road is its name.
Retracing our steps slightly and crossing
the road we entered Ravensbury Park a lovely tranquil retreat
where we saw some ducks nesting and the Wandle flowed gently
along. There used to be a big house here with rowing boats -
scones and tea were served here before the war. There is a wonderful
retirement home in the grounds not far from the river. This is
a recent development and must have been an enlightened thought.
Leaving the Park and crossing the road we entered the outskirts
of Morden Hall Park and went up the drive and crossed the Wandle
where it thunders by the side of the original wheel and the Snuff
Mill Centre and we went into the National Trust Café for
refreshments, to look at the Garden Centre and rest awhile before
returning on Tramlink from Phipps Bridge Road.
I had hoped to find some remnants of the Surrey
Iron Railway along the way but at the Goat where we began there
was the Tramway Path but its name was removed and a small house
has been built backing on to it and a fierce galvanised fence
to keep out fast cyclists has been built.
We did see two millstones for grinding at Morden Hall.
The Walk at Farthing Downs was nearly cancelled
and was poorly attended probably because there was confusion
about going there with the Foot and mouth scare. Pauline Payne
who took us on this walk had found a Yew Walk and we did this.
It is totally full of overgrown yew trees, hundreds of them and
we walked along there until we got to the end of them and found
we were at the end of Farthing Downs where there is a tea place.
Having had a little rest we came back via the road and walked
through the disinfectant grill and looked at the Cairn which
was built to commemorate the millennium in Coulsdon. Pauline
had a great deal to do with this and will be our speaker at our
September meeting (Tuesday 18th September)
The yew walk has yew trees of great age. It is said that it was
there in Anne Boleyn's day. If anyone has a history of this walk
I would like to have a copy.
May Johnson
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