Crofton Park

Not to be confused with Cofton Park or Crofton, London.

Coordinates: 51°27′08″N 0°02′00″W / 51.4523°N 0.0333°W / 51.4523; -0.0333

Crofton Park
Crofton Park  Crofton Park shown within Greater London
OS grid reference	TQ367744
London borough	Lewisham
Ceremonial county	Greater London
Region	London
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	LONDON
Postcode district	SE4, SE23
Dialling code	020
Police	Metropolitan
Fire	London
Ambulance	London
EU Parliament	London
UK Parliament	Lewisham Deptford
London Assembly	Greenwich and Lewisham
List of places: UK • England • London

Crofton Park is a vibrant, mainly residential suburb and electoral ward in the London Borough of Lewisham. It is the original site of the former agricultural hamlet of Brockley. It is located 5.3 miles (8.5 km) south east of Charing Cross, and is south of Brockley and north of Honor Oak. Major points of interest include the Rivoli Ballroom, the Brockley Jack Theatre and the Arts and Crafts Gothic church of St Hilda.

The area includes Blythe Hill Fields which is one of a number of hills in South East London and which provide good views of the eastern side of the City of London. Crofton Park is bordered by Brockley and Ladywell Cemeteries to the north, and a section of Ladywell Fields to the south east.

History

Before the area was built up in the late 19th century, the principal buildings in this part of Brockley were Brockley Farm, Brockley Hall and the Brockley Jack public house. The area expanded rapidly in the 1890s with the opening of a new railway line (informally known as the Catford Loop) and railway station which opened in 1892. It was the naming of the station which gave the area its modern and invented name of 'Crofton Park'. Despite this being the historic heart of Brockley, that name had already been used for two earlier railway stations further north - Brockley Station and Brockley Lane Station.

The rapid pace of expansion of the area continued pre-World War I, with the building of more shops and facilities to support the growing population. A handsome Edwardian public library was built next to the railway station in 1905 and, eight years later, a local Cinema - the Crofton Park Picture Palace - first opened its doors. This later became the Rivoli Ballroom.

Brockley Hall

Brockley Hall, a large private residence, stood on land to the west of the road which now bears its name. The property had a somewhat obscure history.^[1] There was a house on the site before 1745 and probably long before that date. It was most associated with its final owners, the Noakes family who lived there for over 60 years. The Noakes were brewers and their ales were sold in many local pubs including The Brockley Jack which they owned and was just across the road from Brockley Hall. The Hall’s lodge stood in Brockley Grove on the approximate site of what are now the front gardens of nos. 24-28.

The 1901 census returns show Bertram Noakes as head of the household living in Brockley Hall with his five spinster sisters (Pauline, Elizabeth, Kate, Ada and Maude) and four servants.

Maude Noakes was the last survivor. An eccentric, she was well known for her large collection of pets. The old lady would bury her pets in the grounds of Brockley Hall and give each one a marked gravestone – even her pigs and cows!

Following Maude’s death in 1931 the property was quickly sold and demolished. Brockley Hall Road, Bearsted Rise, Horsmonden Road, Sevenoaks Road and the 1930s houses in Brockley Grove were built on the site of the Hall and its grounds by the building company Wates.

Brockley Jack

The Brockley Jack was formerly a picturesque wooden building, and was said to have been a haunt of highwaymen. For much of the 18th century it was known as 'The Crooked Billet', for much of the 19th century 'The Castle'. The old Brockley Jack was one of the most photographed pubs in South East London. It was a long, low building with a bay window looking onto the front garden. It had been extended and altered many times during its long history. In the garden were rows of seats and tables beneath old trees, and a large but almost branchless tree stump carrying the pub's sign board. The sign was written on a whale's shoulderblade. A contemporary account, written at about the time of the building's demolition states that:

'A penthouse on one side sheltered some of the seats and on the other side was a staircase leading to the upper floor of an annex built at right angles to the main building... Within, the rooms are dark with low-pitched ceilings and redolent of beer and tobacco, of which is added the flavour of antiquity from ancient walls and beams.'^[2]

The association with highwaymen is cited in the account which continues:

'There was a particular staircase so constructed that it could be removed at night, and thus cut off access to the upper storey, in case of criminals being secreted there.'

The film star comedian Will Hay recalled the old Brockley Jack in his unfinished autobiography, I Enjoyed Every Minute:

'Almost at the corner of the street was romance in the shape of a very old inn, several hundred years old, The Brockley Jack, a reputed haunt and "pull up" for highwaymen including the famous Dick Turpin. I remember the place quite well - small rooms with the ceiling so low that even a man of ordinary height couldn't stand upright. Alas, the romance didn't long survive on arrival within the district for the place was condemned and pulled down to make way for a modern building.'

The modern Brockley Jack replaced the old wooden building with a more substantial structure of brick and stone in 1898. A representation of a whale's shoulderblade hangs on a high gable outside the front of the Jack. The real whale's shoulderblade (on which was once the pub's sign) is exhibited above the fireplace to the right of the bar.

St Hilda's Church

Situated in Stondon Park, St Hilda's Church dates from 1907. Designed by F H Greenaway and J E Newberry, it has been described by the architectural historian Gavin Stamp as one of two ‘remarkable and inventive buildings’ which distinguish this part of South London.^[3] The other building being Charles Harrison Townsend’s Horniman Museum at London.

The war memorial in front of the church is in the form of the form of a granite Celtic cross and is inscribed with 141 names of the fallen. It was unveiled on 29 May 1920 by General Sir Ian Hamilton and dedicated by the Bishop Suffragan of Woolwich.

Library

Crofton Park Library, originally known as Brockley Branch Library, was opened in October 1905 to serve the expanding local population. Its architect was Alfred L Guy, ARIBA and it was constructed by F J Gortham of Greenwich. The library is of an eclectic Edwardian free-style composition, its entrance facade is dominated by a broad Dutch-gable and an octagonal tower with a domed roof. The building sustained damage when the neighbouring Crofton Park Station was bombed in 1940 and 1945, losing two glass dome skylights and the leaded glass in the ground floor windows. The library was refurbished in the late 1950s.

This library has now become a community library run by Eco Computer Systems (www.ecocomputersystems.org.uk) The library takes computer donations and book donation to help with the running costs of the building.

Bars, restaurants and shops

Crofton Park ward in the London Borough of Lewisham

There are a number of bars and restaurants in the area on Brockley Road, Honor Oak Park and Brockley Rise which are good places for dining that avoid going into central London. These include Babur - an excellent Indian restaurant on Brockley Rise, and Tapestry - a tapas bar on Honor Oak Park. Jam Circus, opposite Crofton Park Library, provides a good atmosphere for a quiet drink, and is open until midnight on most evenings as is the Mr Lawrence Wine Bar in Brockley Road. The Brockley Jack to the south of the main shopping area has recently been updated and refurbished and is part of the Greene King brewery chain. A second, smaller shopping area is located at the southern end of Brockley Rise, which includes a number of shops and restaurants and The Chandos pub. The newly refurbished Honor Oak pub is situated on the southern edge of the district.

Brockley Jack Theatre

When the rebuilt Brockley Jack pub opened in 1898 it had a large function room at the rear of the building. The room has been used variously as a dance hall, a snooker room, a music venue and, by the 1980s, as nothing much at all.

A small group of local actors, David Kincaid, Peter Rocca and Michael Bottle, hit upon the idea of putting dramatic productions on in this back room.

So, in 1993, the first of these ventures took place. 'An evening with Chekhov', featuring two one-handers, 'On the harmfulness of tobacco' and 'Swan Song'. David and Michael starred and Peter directed.

There was no finance and virtually no facilities but the short run proved a big success, especially with local people.

Gradually, finance was secured and with the help of the brewery, Greene King, the room was transformed over the years into the vibrant little theatre, fully equipped, that it now is.^[4]

Mike Burnside was the theatre's first Artistic Director and, at that time, dinner was served in the interval. New plays were mixed with old favourites and the theatre went from strength to strength.

It is now in the very capable hands^{[citation needed]} of Karl Swinyard and Kate Bannister who are producing quality theatre^{[citation needed]} that appeals to a very wide audience^{[citation needed]}.

For more details, see the Brockley Jack Theatre website.

Transport

The area boasts a good network of rail, overground and bus services connecting to Central London. In 2010, the Crofton Park Transport Users Group - CPTUG - was formed to campaign for improved bus and rail services and facilities.

Rail

Crofton Park station is located in the middle of the area and provides services to Blackfriars. Services operate through Blackfriars to St Pancras International and other locations further north on the First Capital Connect's Thameslink network. Services are provided approximately every 30 minutes. On Saturday and Sunday the services currently operate to London Victoria station. In the southbound direction the service links to Catford, Bromley and Sevenoaks. These services are provided by Southeastern. Disabled access entrances to the station were opened from Marnock and Lindal Road in 2008. The station ticket office is open every weekday morning, and an automatic ticket machine is also available.

The South London Route Utilisation Strategy published by Network Rail in March 2008 proposed improvements to rail services along the Catford loop line (through Crofton Park). These include a Victoria to Bellingham service (recommended for introduction by December 2011), to provide an additional two trains per hour (peak times); four stopping Thameslink services per hour at this station.

There are three other local train stations within a 10-15 minute walk (depending on your location in the ward): Honor Oak Park, Brockley (on the London Bridge / Dalston Junction / Highbury and Islington Line (from Feb 2011), Catford (on the Blackfriars / Thameslink route) Ladywell, and Catford Bridge (both on the Hayes - Cannon Street and Charing Cross line).

London Overground

Honor Oak Park Station is located in the southern end of area and provides good rail links to London Bridge station, Crystal Palace, Sydenham, Forest Hill and East and West Croydon. On 23 May 2010 the station was added to the tube map as part of the East London line extension (now known as the London Overground) and with services to Surrey Quays, Canada Water, Whitechapel, Shoreditch High Street in Shoreditch and Dalston Junction. New East London line services operate eight times an hour northbound, and four trains per hour southbound to both West Croydon station and Crystal Palace. The station is operated by London Overground. The line remains part of the National Rail network (not part of the tube) but is managed by a TfL franchisee rather than a franchise contract let by the Department for Transport.

Bus

A number of bus services operate throughout the area providing links to the West End. Services include:

• 171 - Bellingham Catford to Holborn
• N171 - Bellingham Catford to Tottenham Court Road bus station
• 172 - Brockley Rise to St Paul's
• 122 - Crystal Palace to Plumstead
• P4 - Brixton Station to Lewisham Station
• 284 - Lewisham Station to Grove Park

Local government

Crofton Park electoral ward includes the Honor Oak Park area and is one of 18 wards in the London Borough of Lewisham. It is currently represented by two Labour councillors and one Liberal Democrat who were elected on 6 May 2010 when the General Election and London Borough elections took place on the same day.

Across Lewisham Labour gained heavily from the other parties, taking the council from no overall control to a Labour majority of 24 seats. The Liberal Democrats lost a net of five seats, Crofton Park ward being the party’s only gain from Labour anywhere in London. This change was put down to the rapid gentrification of the local area.

Local election results for Crofton Park Ward, Lewisham Borough Council 2002,[5] 2006[6] and 2010.[7]
	% 2002	Votes 2006	% 2006	Votes 2010	% 2010
TURNOUT	25.56%		30.05%		64.8%
Candidates for the Labour Party	49.46%	2,897	35.00%	6,404	35.77%
Candidates for the Liberal Democrats	15.78%	1,670	20.18%	5,833	32.58%
Candidates for the Green Party	13.31%	2,062	24.92%	2,793	15.60%
Candidates for the Conservative Party	15.81%	1,647	19.90%	2,589	14.46%
Candidate for Lewisham For People Not Profit	n/a	n/a	n/a	282	1.58%
Candidate for Local Education Action by Parents	5.60%	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a

Football Team

Crofton Park Football Club was formed in May 2007 and is the area's local side. Playing under amateur status, the club is currently competing in the men's London and Kent Border League, Junior One Division. Home matches are played at Catford Powerleague at 14:00 on Sundays.

The team is sponsored by local firm JD & Sons with plans to expand the football club to cover youth level at U'14 and U'16 age groups and to also form a women's team in the near future.

Schools

The recently (2007/8) rebuilt Crofton School - now renamed Prendergast Ladywell Fields College - is the main secondary school in the area and is located on Manwood Road. The area has a number of primary schools.

Health

Community-based healthcare for the area is provided by Lewisham PCT. There is a modern teaching hospital a short walk away. There are two pharmacies in the area, as well as a local opticians.

Famous residents

Jim Connell (1852–1929), writer of the anthem, "The Red Flag", lived in Stondon Park (which is on the border of Crofton Park and Honor Oak).

The 1930s/40s British film, radio and music hall comedian Will Hay (1888–1949) lived at 7 Eddystone Road and later 40 Merritt Road, Crofton Park as a child in the late 1890s. He also attended the nearby Brockley Primary School.^[8]

The comedian Spike Milligan (1918–2002), lived at 50 Riseldine Road (which is on the cusp of Crofton Park and Honor Oak) after coming to England from India in the 1930s.

References

1. ^ Based on notes on Brockley Hall at Lewisham Local History and Archives Centre
2. ^ PR64/593, Photo Box 7, Lewisham Local History and Archives Centre
3. ^ Stamp, Gavin, St Hilda's Church, Crofton Park 1908-2008: An Arts and Crafts Church in historical context, 2008, p.4
4. ^ Information from the theatre's first Artistic Director, Mike Burnside.
5. ^ Lewisham Borough Council Election results 2 May 2002
6. ^ Lewisham Borough Council Election results 4 May 2006
7. ^ Lewisham Borough Council Election results 6 May 2010
8. ^ Rinaldi, Graham, Will Hay, Sheffield: Tomahawk Press, 2009, pp.21-2.

Nearest places

• Brockley
• Honor Oak
• Ladywell
• Forest Hill
• Catford
• Nunhead
• Lewisham
• Greenwich

Nearest railway stations

• Crofton Park railway station
• Honor Oak Park railway station
• Ladywell railway station
• Brockley railway station
• Forest Hill railway station
• Catford railway station
• Catford Bridge railway station

External links

• Brockley Central Community blog
• Crofton Park Community Link
• Crofton Park Local Assembly
• Crofton Park Library
• The Rivoli Ballroom
• The Jam Circus
• The Brockley Jack pub
• The Brockley Jack Theatre
• The Brockley Jack Film Club
• St Hilda's Church
• Full details of St Hilda's Church war memorial
• Crofton Park Baptist Church
• Crofton Park Transport Users Group
• Crofton Park Labour Party
• Facebook Group for Crofton Park Liberal Democrats
• Crofton Park Green Party blog
• Brockley Hall, 1863
• Brockley Jack, 1885
• Haymaking in Crofton Park, 1910
• Stondon Park, c.1912
• The Church of St Hilda, Crofton Park, (article in 'Ecclesiology Today' by Gavin Stamp, July 2008, pp.77-82)
• Saving London's Rivoli Ballroom, (article in 'Country Life', June 2008)
• Brockley and Crofton Park History (on Lewisham Council website)
• World War II V1 flying bombs and V2 rockets in SE4
• More information on the history of Crofton Park railway station
• Full English Heritage listing description for St Hilda's Church
• Full English Heritage listing description for the Rivoli Ballroom
• Full English Heritage listing description for Church Hall of St Hilda's, Crofton Park