Purley Trail
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From The Jolly Farmers, go towards the railway bridge. Cross right into Rotary Field by the school playing field. Follow the WhytecliffeRoad South then up the hill to the pillar box. Turn path up the hill. Where the path turns left at right angles, look right up the slope to Purleystation. for the Iron Railway sign. PurleyHistorical Trail 2010 am ckh a Begin at the TescoExtra store (caféand toilets). It was built P 1907 1910. am ckh Pa c. r oge R on the site of the East Surrey water works and opened in f of r oge 1991. On leaving Tesco, turn right and walk down the slope to R f of roads ross c s armer F ley. ur P y esy urt o the subway. Note murals, with pictures of transport in Purley c y esy urt co lly olly over the years. Cross the first road using the pedestrian J ley ur P d ard stc po a , h, c hur C crossing and look left. The Rotary clock was unveiled in 1973. The d ard stc po a m om Fr st ist hr C m om Fr ft. le o o t PurleyStation Croydon, Mersthamand GodstoneIron Railway ore ore st 1992 Look for the BourneSociety plaque on the front of the station. In 1840, the London and Brighton Railway built a station with a The Surrey Iron Railway, with wagons drawn by horses was s ook Br esco T wooden shelter at the GodstoneRoad level crossing, in reputedly the world’sfirst railway and ran initially from Wandsworth to Croydon. The next stage, built by the ame rah G Purley, and it was named ‘GodstoneRoad’. It closed in 1847 Croydon, Merstham& GodstoneIron Railway, ran from : oto h P but reopened in 1856, as ‘CaterhamJunction’, when the s. road ross c CaterhamRailway Company constructed a line linking Croydon to Mersthambetween 1803-1835, mainly for carrying Caterhamto Purley. In 1888, CaterhamJunction station was lime for building. Its route ran to the west side of Brighton ley ur P renamed ‘Purley’. With the station entrance behind you, go Road and a section of it has been preserved, on its original Purleycrossroads down the right side of Station Approach and turn right into site, in the Rotary Field. Another is found by PurleyLibrary, by another BourneSociety plaque. The photo shows an artist’s Purleyis situated at the meeting point of two chalklandriver WhytecliffeRoad South. Walk along WhytecliffeRoad South view of the CMGIRin action at Coulsdon. valleys known as bournes. The CoulsdonBournefollows the and just after the PurleyClinic, go straight ahead into A23and the CaterhamBournefollows the A22. Cross the WhytecliffeRoad North. At 136 WhytecliffeRoad North, cross at road by the pedestrian crossing, to the Jolly Farmers public the road and go through the car park to the left of Christ 1823. Church. Beware of moving vehicles. , dge idge house to learn more of the bournes. br don ls ou C ies rar Lib he the 1905. c Publi ton as oll W , oad R c. B B G G am ckh Pa ng ing ross c n on royd C y by am ckh Pa f of y ey all V .1905 r oge R c n in tra f of r oge R e. c tran en f of y esy ourt C rear rear y esy urt co r our ol erc at W G &G M C ead pst hi C y esy urt co A A s. road ross c d ard stc po a , , tion ta S d ard stc po a With your back to the Iron Railway sign, go along the path. At m om Fr ley ur P m om Fr the T-junction, turn left to the Brighton Road. Just before the ley ur P exit, there is a stone memorial on the grass to the left. Christ Church The Jolly Farmers Christ Church dates from 1877, built as the new parish church. Rotary Field Under the right-hand gable-end are two blue plaques provided Previously the area was in Coulsdonparish. John Henry The Rotary Field was presented to Coulsdon& PurleyUrban by the BourneSociety. One refers to the pub and its Smith contributed over £5,000 towards its erection and District Council by the Rotary Club in 1925. In spring, look out predecessor, a wooden beer house replaced in 1907. The endowment. RobertResker, vicar 1885-1916, wrote a history for the bright yellow flowers on the Forsythia hedge (on the other plaque tells of the subterranean bourneor ‘woe water’ of Purleyand its early development. See the Bournearch in Brighton Road side) and displays of crocuses. that carved the river valleys that meet at Purley, now mostly in the wall. culverts. The plaque refers to a superstition that the Bourne Turn right after leaving Rotary Field and go past a pillar box to floods will occur every seven years and foretell a ‘national Leaving the car park at the Brighton Road exit and turn right to cross Christ Church Road. Continue along Brighton Road disaster’. the pedestrian crossing. Cross Brighton Road, to the sign towards the town centre. ‘Christ Church CofEPrimary School’, and proceed left. Turn 1 2 3 lies Pretoria Terrace, built by JP Oldakerin 1903 to mark the PurleyFountain end of the BoerWar. It was inaugurated in 1904 at Purleycrossroads to 2010 ley. ur P As you continue along Brighton Road, you pass shops that commemorate the reign of Queen Victoria (1837-1901). In 2010. ford nd a S predate the former Gas Company Showrooms. Bank 1935 it was moved to outside the railings of the Waterworks , d, iel F ul a P Buildings was erected by JP Oldakerin 1907 where villas and in 1959 it was moved into the grounds of the Waterworks, y ebruar F : oto h P now Tescosite. The fountain was moved to the Library y ar ot R once stood. It took its name from the corner building, a bank finished in 1907. Now Pizza Express, it was occupied by Garden in BansteadRoad in 1983. London & County Banking Company, later National From PurleyFountain, turn left and walk back towards the PurleyWar Memorial Hospital/AstoriaCourt Westminster Bank, from 1909. centre of Purleyalong BansteadRoad and facing the In 1908, developer JP Oldakerobtained a lease on land At the traffic lights, cross and turn right up RussellHill Road. oncoming traffic owned by the EcclesiaticalCommissioners, and by 1909 he Pass RussellHill Parade (1935) and RussellParade (1939); built a small cottage hospital, with eight beds. At the end of and Tudor Court, built in 1930, across the road. The name the World War I it was decided to extend the Cottage Hospital ‘Russell’ refers to Lord (Earl) John Russell, the first president as a memorial to those who had died in the war. That building of the Warehousemen, Clerks’ and Drapers’ School, which 1915 opened in 1866. It was later called RussellHill School and, . was officially opened in 1922 as the Purleyand District War c Memorial Hospital. since 1962 the premises have been occupied by Thomas ard. stc po More and MargaretRoperSchools. The old school is now a n. ai t oun F m om Royal RussellSchool in Croydon. Fr am ckh Pa ley ur P age ott C r oge R and f of 1909. s. .1920 am ckh Pa c ley ur P y esy urt co ' ks ler C f o r oge R f of l, ta pi os H ley. ur P d ard stc po a PurleyLibrary/PurleyBaptist Church (PBC) y esy urt co ng ing pen O m om Fr , l, choo S The Library was opened in 1935 and the original parts of PBC d ard stc po a were built in 1906. PurleyHall stood where the sports court is , , en em s arehou W m om Opposite the hospital lies AstoriaCourt, built on the site of a Fr found. The area owned by PBCis being redeveloped from he he T ' s raper D former cinema. In 1934, the Cinema Supreme opened and in 2009. 1935 it became the Astoria. There were two more name Shortly before the pedestrian crossing is the next stop. changes – Cannon (1985) and MGM(1993) – before the Continue along BansteadRoad to the major road junction and turn left and go to the pedestrian crossing. Turn right across cinema was demolished in the late 1990s.Continue along The FoxleyHatch Brighton Road. the crossing to reach the start point. Inside the FoxleyHatch public house are several pictures of United Reformed (formerly Congregational) Church Purleyas it was in the past. The tram terminus at RussellHill The foundation stone was laid on 15thOctober 1903, and the Road/Brighton Road is one view of Purleyshown here. on t righ B am ckh a church opened on 22ndOctober 1904. The church, built in the P h ith w r oge Free Gothic style, has been extended over the years. The R 1905. c. f of Memorial Hall was built in 1953, and the Youth Hall in 1995. , am ckh Pa .1906 on ion ct jun c y esy urt co ley ur The church was used as a First Aid post in World War II. P r oge R f of oad oad R d ard stc po , oad R Continue along Brighton Road and cross the cobbled Russell a s s inu m ter y esy urt co m om Hill Place. The first building is The Rectory pub, formerly the Fr m m tra ead st an Gas Company Showrooms, opened in 1927. Continue along B d ard stc po Brighton Road and at Lorimers, look across the road, between a ley ur P m om Fr MannCountrywideand Subway.