New Addington
Encyclopedia
New Addington is an area on the edge of South London
in the London Borough of Croydon
. It is a large local authority estate surrounded by open countryside, woodland and golf courses. The Prime Meridian
crosses the eastern edge of New Addington. Even though it is in Greater London
the area is not considered part of the Greater London Urban Area
.
. The farms were called Castle Hill, Addington Lodge and Fisher's Farms.
At the time, central Croydon and London more generally had overcrowded slums causing concern to the authorities. In 1935, the First National Housing Trust purchased 569 acre
s (2.3 km²) of Fisher's Farm with the intention of erecting a 'Garden Village
', with 4,400 houses, shops, two churches, cinema, and village green. The Chairman of the Trust was Charles Boot
, hence the earliest part of New Addington is sometimes called The Boot's Estate.
By 1939, when the outbreak of World War II
suspended construction, 1023 houses and 23 shops had been built. The new estate was popular, but the provision of amenities had not kept pace with the house building. Only one of the proposed schools and few of the shops were in operation. For employment, decent shopping and entertainment, the residents had to travel off the estate. This heralded a long history of isolation for the estate, then nicknamed Little Siberia, partly remedied 60 years later with the arrival of Tramlink
route 3, discussed in the 'Regeneration' section below. Tramlink runs alongside Lodge Lane, the main (northern) road access. There is only one other point of access by road, where King Henry's Drive connects with minor roads to the south, leaving the area with a sense of detachment unlike any other community of a similar size in south-east England.
After the War, there were concerns about the amount of green space
being used for building around London. Much of the countryside around the developing estate was declared Green Belt. The County Borough of Croydon bought the unused First National Housing Trust land and a further 400 acres (1.6 km²) to add to it, for extensive further development.
Many dozens of single-storey, detached, prefabricated houses (commonly known as "prefabs") were built in the Castle Hill area of the estate and these were inhabited until the 1960s when they were demolished and replaced with brick-built two-storey homes. At the same time as the smaller prefabs were built, larger two-storey semi-detached houses were also built. These houses, which had metal upper skins, still survive around the King Henry's Drive area near Wolsey School. This was more development than had originally been envisaged but it brought about the structure of the estate as seen today.
Many more houses, blocks of flats, the Central Parade of shops, churches and factories were built. The London Borough of Croydon obtained permission for a further 1,412 houses, which were completed in 1968. This area, at the Croydon end, is known as the Fieldway Estate and has developed its own identity to an extent.
The total population counted by the 2001 Census was 21,527, of which 10,351 were in New Addington ward, with 11,176 in Fieldway ward.
Its isolation has perversely given it a strong sense of community and independence. The Croydon Advertiser
publishes a separate New Addington edition. The presence of the library, youth clubs, leisure centre, shops, churches and street market enables locals to lead full lives in many ways. The Addington Community Association has provided an important hub for the community. However, the distance from Croydon and other centres, with only patchy bus services, prevented New Addington residents from being able to access a full range of employment and educational facilities or indeed shops.
Beginning in the late 1990s, there has been an improvement in quality of life in and perception of New Addington and Fieldway
. The area was declared one of the first Education Action Zones by the Labour
government, with extra investment and opportunities for partnership for schools. The majority of the houses were bought by their tenants, which some say has led to renewed pride in their properties and community. The London Borough of Croydon increased its investment in the remaining housing stock and in the leisure and youth facilities. It also organised a neighbourhood partnership for the estate which local people lead to hold public institutions to account.
But perhaps the most important improvement was the arrival of Tramlink
(route 3) in 2000, providing a connection with Croydon
and Wimbledon
in a little over 20 minutes, and from there connections to central London. This provided the opportunity of a greater choice of schools and jobs. Several 'feeder' bus routes were also introduced to connect with Tramlink, along with general enhancement to bus services in the area. More recently the Octagon Cyber Café has been opened by the London Borough of Croydon, although Tesco
closed its supermarket and Lidl
have bought, closed down and have demolished the Cunningham pub, one of six in New Addington and Fieldway, for redevelopment.
The store was finally approved planning application and was constructed during 2010. It opened in the New Year of 2011. But local residents are still not happy with the overall size of the development which includes 14 flats above the store.
The remaining public houses are the Man on the Moon, The Warbank, The ACA and the Randall Tavern.
New Addington is still surrounded by open space, woodland and golf courses, including some important chalk downland
sites. It is on the top of a hill and its temperature can be noticeably colder on the estate than in surrounding lower areas, lending a meteorological justification to the 'Little Siberia' epithet.
, and Val Shawcross, now a London Assembly
member. In 2006 the two wards of Fieldway and New Addington had two Labour councillors each, both wards seeing strong challenges from the British National Party
. In the 2010 local elections
, New Addington ward elected its first Conservative
Councillor, having one conservative and one labour councillor, while fieldway continued to be a safer labour seat. These wards are unusual as being two of the very few in Greater London
that do not have three councillors each - the Boundary Commission could not find a way to make this standard fit in the isolated New Addington estate. The wards of New Addington and Fieldway represent turnout to both local and general elections in the lowest 10th percentile in the United Kingdom, highlightling the popularity of the aforementioned party and the independent nominee, Alfred Hunstanton Cheadle, who in 1994 narrowly lost his deposit when representing the Make Fieldway Safe party. New Addington has the highest rate of spoilt ballot papers per capita in the South of England.
church, the Good Shepherd Roman Catholic church, the Salvation Army
and several other smaller places of worship.
Although most of the rest of Croydon has the London telephone dialling code '020', New Addington has the Orpington
code for BT customers of '01689'. In recent years, cable telephone providers have entered the estate, using 020. New Addington is in the CR0 postal district, the largest in the country.
Since the beginning of 2006, Croydon Council have started consultation with the local community with a view to regenerating the Central Parade Shopping district and bringing in a partner to develop new housing and a Supermarket retail outlet.
South London
South London is the southern part of London, England, United Kingdom.According to the 2011 official Boundary Commission for England definition, South London includes the London boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Croydon, Greenwich, Kingston, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Southwark, Sutton and...
in the London Borough of Croydon
London Borough of Croydon
The London Borough of Croydon is a London borough in South London, England and is part of Outer London. It covers an area of and is the largest London borough by population. It is the southernmost borough of London. At its centre is the historic town of Croydon from which the borough takes its name...
. It is a large local authority estate surrounded by open countryside, woodland and golf courses. The Prime Meridian
Prime Meridian
The Prime Meridian is the meridian at which the longitude is defined to be 0°.The Prime Meridian and its opposite the 180th meridian , which the International Date Line generally follows, form a great circle that divides the Earth into the Eastern and Western Hemispheres.An international...
crosses the eastern edge of New Addington. Even though it is in Greater London
Greater London
Greater London is the top-level administrative division of England covering London. It was created in 1965 and spans the City of London, including Middle Temple and Inner Temple, and the 32 London boroughs. This territory is coterminate with the London Government Office Region and the London...
the area is not considered part of the Greater London Urban Area
Greater London Urban Area
The Greater London Urban Area is the conurbation or continuous urban area based around London, England, as defined by the Office for National Statistics. It had an estimated population of 8,505,000 in 2005 and occupied an area of at the time of the 2001 census. It includes most of Greater London,...
.
History
Until the 1930s, the area now known as New Addington was farmland and woodland in the southeast of the ancient parish of AddingtonAddington, London
Addington is a district of south London, England, located in the London Borough of Croydon. It is situated south south-east of Charing Cross.-History:...
. The farms were called Castle Hill, Addington Lodge and Fisher's Farms.
At the time, central Croydon and London more generally had overcrowded slums causing concern to the authorities. In 1935, the First National Housing Trust purchased 569 acre
Acre
The acre is a unit of area in a number of different systems, including the imperial and U.S. customary systems. The most commonly used acres today are the international acre and, in the United States, the survey acre. The most common use of the acre is to measure tracts of land.The acre is related...
s (2.3 km²) of Fisher's Farm with the intention of erecting a 'Garden Village
Garden city movement
The garden city movement is a method of urban planning that was initiated in 1898 by Sir Ebenezer Howard in the United Kingdom. Garden cities were intended to be planned, self-contained communities surrounded by "greenbelts" , containing proportionate areas of residences, industry and...
', with 4,400 houses, shops, two churches, cinema, and village green. The Chairman of the Trust was Charles Boot
Charles Boot
Charles Boot of Sheffield, England was the creator and builder of Pinewood Studios on the estate of Heatherden Hall at Iver Heath in the parish of Iver in Buckinghamshire, England.- Basic biography :...
, hence the earliest part of New Addington is sometimes called The Boot's Estate.
By 1939, when the outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
suspended construction, 1023 houses and 23 shops had been built. The new estate was popular, but the provision of amenities had not kept pace with the house building. Only one of the proposed schools and few of the shops were in operation. For employment, decent shopping and entertainment, the residents had to travel off the estate. This heralded a long history of isolation for the estate, then nicknamed Little Siberia, partly remedied 60 years later with the arrival of Tramlink
Tramlink
Tramlink is a tramway system in south London in the United Kingdom which began operation in May 2000...
route 3, discussed in the 'Regeneration' section below. Tramlink runs alongside Lodge Lane, the main (northern) road access. There is only one other point of access by road, where King Henry's Drive connects with minor roads to the south, leaving the area with a sense of detachment unlike any other community of a similar size in south-east England.
After the War, there were concerns about the amount of green space
Green belt
A green belt or greenbelt is a policy and land use designation used in land use planning to retain areas of largely undeveloped, wild, or agricultural land surrounding or neighbouring urban areas. Similar concepts are greenways or green wedges which have a linear character and may run through an...
being used for building around London. Much of the countryside around the developing estate was declared Green Belt. The County Borough of Croydon bought the unused First National Housing Trust land and a further 400 acres (1.6 km²) to add to it, for extensive further development.
Many dozens of single-storey, detached, prefabricated houses (commonly known as "prefabs") were built in the Castle Hill area of the estate and these were inhabited until the 1960s when they were demolished and replaced with brick-built two-storey homes. At the same time as the smaller prefabs were built, larger two-storey semi-detached houses were also built. These houses, which had metal upper skins, still survive around the King Henry's Drive area near Wolsey School. This was more development than had originally been envisaged but it brought about the structure of the estate as seen today.
Many more houses, blocks of flats, the Central Parade of shops, churches and factories were built. The London Borough of Croydon obtained permission for a further 1,412 houses, which were completed in 1968. This area, at the Croydon end, is known as the Fieldway Estate and has developed its own identity to an extent.
The total population counted by the 2001 Census was 21,527, of which 10,351 were in New Addington ward, with 11,176 in Fieldway ward.
Controversial Reputation
New Addington has suffered from a bad reputation in the neighbouring areas, reflecting upon anti-social behaviour and gang violence involving youths on the estate from the 1970s to the present, as well as the perceived poor standard of schools. The area has received mixed press over the years, with educational and health standards low, with a high number of teenage mothers, particularly in Fieldway. New Addington is known locally by the nickname "Addo".Its isolation has perversely given it a strong sense of community and independence. The Croydon Advertiser
Croydon Advertiser
The Croydon Advertiser is a weekly newspaper covering the London Borough of Croydon, South London, and surrounding areas. It is the third-highest selling paid-for weekly paper in London...
publishes a separate New Addington edition. The presence of the library, youth clubs, leisure centre, shops, churches and street market enables locals to lead full lives in many ways. The Addington Community Association has provided an important hub for the community. However, the distance from Croydon and other centres, with only patchy bus services, prevented New Addington residents from being able to access a full range of employment and educational facilities or indeed shops.
Beginning in the late 1990s, there has been an improvement in quality of life in and perception of New Addington and Fieldway
Fieldway (ward)
Fieldway is a ward in the London Borough of Croydon, covering part of the New Addington estate in London in the United Kingdom. The ward currently forms part of the Croydon Central constituency, which is one of the most marginal in the country, with 75 votes separating the Conservatives and...
. The area was declared one of the first Education Action Zones by the Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
government, with extra investment and opportunities for partnership for schools. The majority of the houses were bought by their tenants, which some say has led to renewed pride in their properties and community. The London Borough of Croydon increased its investment in the remaining housing stock and in the leisure and youth facilities. It also organised a neighbourhood partnership for the estate which local people lead to hold public institutions to account.
But perhaps the most important improvement was the arrival of Tramlink
Tramlink
Tramlink is a tramway system in south London in the United Kingdom which began operation in May 2000...
(route 3) in 2000, providing a connection with Croydon
Croydon
Croydon is a town in South London, England, located within the London Borough of Croydon to which it gives its name. It is situated south of Charing Cross...
and Wimbledon
Wimbledon, London
Wimbledon is a district in the south west area of London, England, located south of Wandsworth, and east of Kingston upon Thames. It is situated within Greater London. It is home to the Wimbledon Tennis Championships and New Wimbledon Theatre, and contains Wimbledon Common, one of the largest areas...
in a little over 20 minutes, and from there connections to central London. This provided the opportunity of a greater choice of schools and jobs. Several 'feeder' bus routes were also introduced to connect with Tramlink, along with general enhancement to bus services in the area. More recently the Octagon Cyber Café has been opened by the London Borough of Croydon, although Tesco
Tesco
Tesco plc is a global grocery and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Cheshunt, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest retailer in the world measured by revenues and the second-largest measured by profits...
closed its supermarket and Lidl
Lidl
Lidl is a discount supermarket chain based in Germany that operates over 7,200 stores across Europe. The company's full name is Lidl Stiftung & Co. KG...
have bought, closed down and have demolished the Cunningham pub, one of six in New Addington and Fieldway, for redevelopment.
The store was finally approved planning application and was constructed during 2010. It opened in the New Year of 2011. But local residents are still not happy with the overall size of the development which includes 14 flats above the store.
The remaining public houses are the Man on the Moon, The Warbank, The ACA and the Randall Tavern.
New Addington is still surrounded by open space, woodland and golf courses, including some important chalk downland
Downland
A downland is an area of open chalk hills. This term is especially used to describe the chalk countryside in southern England. Areas of downland are often referred to as Downs....
sites. It is on the top of a hill and its temperature can be noticeably colder on the estate than in surrounding lower areas, lending a meteorological justification to the 'Little Siberia' epithet.
Politics
Politically, New Addington and Fieldway have traditionally been Labour strongholds, providing the only five Labour councillors out of 70 in the London Borough of Croydon between 1982 and 1986. Four of the last six leaders of the Labour Party on Croydon Council have been councillors representing the estate, including Geraint Davies, the area's former Member of ParliamentMember of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
, and Val Shawcross, now a London Assembly
London Assembly
The London Assembly is an elected body, part of the Greater London Authority, that scrutinises the activities of the Mayor of London and has the power, with a two-thirds majority, to amend the mayor's annual budget. The assembly was established in 2000 and is headquartered at City Hall on the south...
member. In 2006 the two wards of Fieldway and New Addington had two Labour councillors each, both wards seeing strong challenges from the British National Party
British National Party
The British National Party is a British far-right political party formed as a splinter group from the National Front by John Tyndall in 1982...
. In the 2010 local elections
Croydon Council election, 2010
Elections for Croydon Council were held on the 6 May 2010. The 2010 General Election and other local elections took place on the same day.In London council elections the entire council is elected every four years, opposed to some local elections where one councillor is elected every year for three...
, New Addington ward elected its first Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
Councillor, having one conservative and one labour councillor, while fieldway continued to be a safer labour seat. These wards are unusual as being two of the very few in Greater London
Greater London
Greater London is the top-level administrative division of England covering London. It was created in 1965 and spans the City of London, including Middle Temple and Inner Temple, and the 32 London boroughs. This territory is coterminate with the London Government Office Region and the London...
that do not have three councillors each - the Boundary Commission could not find a way to make this standard fit in the isolated New Addington estate. The wards of New Addington and Fieldway represent turnout to both local and general elections in the lowest 10th percentile in the United Kingdom, highlightling the popularity of the aforementioned party and the independent nominee, Alfred Hunstanton Cheadle, who in 1994 narrowly lost his deposit when representing the Make Fieldway Safe party. New Addington has the highest rate of spoilt ballot papers per capita in the South of England.
Facilities
The Anglican parish church of New Addington is St Edward's church at the end of Central Parade, built in 1957. Fieldway however is part of Addington parish, under the 11th-century St Mary the Blessed Virgin church in Addington village. There are also a BaptistBaptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
church, the Good Shepherd Roman Catholic church, the Salvation Army
Salvation Army
The Salvation Army is a Protestant Christian church known for its thrift stores and charity work. It is an international movement that currently works in over a hundred countries....
and several other smaller places of worship.
Although most of the rest of Croydon has the London telephone dialling code '020', New Addington has the Orpington
Orpington
Orpington is a suburban town and electoral ward in the London Borough of Bromley. It forms the southeastern edge of London's urban sprawl and is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.-History:...
code for BT customers of '01689'. In recent years, cable telephone providers have entered the estate, using 020. New Addington is in the CR0 postal district, the largest in the country.
Since the beginning of 2006, Croydon Council have started consultation with the local community with a view to regenerating the Central Parade Shopping district and bringing in a partner to develop new housing and a Supermarket retail outlet.
Nearest places
- Addington Interchange
- AddingtonAddington, LondonAddington is a district of south London, England, located in the London Borough of Croydon. It is situated south south-east of Charing Cross.-History:...
- ShirleyShirley, LondonShirley is a place in the London Borough of Croydon, England. It is a suburban development situated 10 miles south south-east of Charing Cross.-Description:...
- West WickhamWest WickhamWest Wickham is a place in the London Borough of Bromley, England. It is 10.3 miles south east of Charing Cross. West Wickham history dates back to early settlements existing since 1068, although the name `Wickham` is an indication of an earlier Anglo-Saxon settlement...
- ForestdaleForestdale, LondonForestdale is a village in southeast London, UK, part of the London Borough of Croydon. It is located to the east of Selsdon, and to the west of Addington. The main building development of the village, commenced in the late 1960s and completed in the mid 70s, took place on what was previously open...
- KestonKestonKeston is a part suburban, part rural area of the London Borough of Bromley, England. It lies on the edge of Hayes Common, to the northwest of Greater London's border with Kent.-History:...
- Biggin HillBiggin HillBiggin Hill is an area and electoral ward in the outskirts of the London Borough of Bromley in southeast London, United Kingdom.-History:Historically the settlement was known as Aperfield and formed part of the parish of Cudham...
- FicklesholeFicklesholeFickleshole is a hamlet in Tandridge, Surrey, England seven miles from Croydon.The Prime Meridian passes just to the east of Fickleshole.The area is mainly used for farming, with stables home to over eighty horses. Fickleshole was established in the early sixteenth century...
Nearest stations
- New Addington tram stopNew Addington tram stopNew Addington is a terminal tram stop serving New Addington, in the London Borough of Croydon, in the southern suburbs of London. The tram stop is served by Tramlink route 3, which connects New Addington with Wimbledon via central Croydon.-Connections:...
- King Henry's Drive tram stopKing Henry's Drive tram stopKing Henry's Drive tram stop is a light rail stop serving the Betchworth Way residential area of New Addington, in the London Borough of Croydon in the southern suburbs of London. It is located in the wide central reservation of a dual carriageway....
- Fieldway tram stopFieldway tram stopFieldway tram stop is a light rail stop serving the Fieldway residential area of New Addington, in the London Borough of Croydon in the southern suburbs of London. It is adjacent to a northbound bus stop on the A2022 Lodge Lane....