Capital Ring section 4 page 1 CAPITAL RING Section 4 of 15 Crystal Palace to Streatham Section start: Crystal Palace station Nearest station to start: Crystal Palace (Overground and Rail) Section finish: Streatham (junction of Estreham Road with Lewin Road) Nearest station to finish: Streatham Common (Rail) Section distance 4.2 miles plus 0.2 miles of station links Total = 4.4 miles (6.8 km) Introduction This shorter section is a 'rollercoaster' among the ridges and valleys of the former Great North Wood. The surfaces are almost entirely pavements or tarmac with one short rough path. There are some fairly steep ups and downs, but there are great views as a reward. The walk goes through a series of parks and woods to Norwood Grove mansion and Rookery Gardens, and ends near Streatham Common railway station. There are pubs and cafés at Crystal Palace, Upper Norwood Recreation Ground, Rookery Gardens, and Streatham. There are public toilets at Rookery Gardens and Streatham. There are also toilets within Crystal Palace railway station. Updated by members of the Ramblers for Transport for London In this format: text © Ramblers 2020, maps © OpenStreetMap Downloaded from: http://innerlondonramblers.org.uk/capital-ring Capital Ring section 4 page 2 Walking directions From Crystal Palace station exit, turn left down the station road to reach Anerley Hill road. Cross over and turn right. Take the second left turn into Pleydell Avenue. Note that there is no signpost pointing into Pleydell Avenue. Follow the road, bearing right and then left, through Palace Square. Keep Did you know? Number 22 Belvedere ahead, up a steep, zig zag footpath beside a playground and a grassed Road has a blue plaque area. Having passed the grassed area to your left, turn right into Belvedere on it, which shows that Road. This road is very steep and should you wish to rest for a moment, Benjamin Waterhouse- Hawkins (who created turn around, and observe a splendid view out into Kent. the famous dinosaurs in Crystal Palace Park) Take the first left into Tudor Road and at its end turn right into Fox Hill. At lived here. the end of Fox Hill, turn right into Church Road, cross at the zebra Did you know? crossing, and enter Westow Park. Outside number 26 Belvedere Road is an Go down the steep hill through Westow Park to a gate, where you turn left. octagonal pillar box (For toilets, pass through the gate to turn left up the stepped footpath dating from 1859/79. between the garden centre and the supermarket car park). Designed by John Penfold it is one of only 150 to survive and is Continue through the park, bearing right at a fork, then keep left to pass a the only listed building playground to your right, and go round two sides of a grassed square to in Belvedere Road. reach the gate into the road called College Green. There is a wooden Capital Ring signpost just inside this gate. Turn right into College Green then almost immediately cross and turn left onto Harold Road. Take the first right into Chevening Road to walk besides Upper Norwood Recreation Ground. Shortly afterwards you find a path diverging left into the recreation ground with Capital Ring waymarking posts. This path returns to Chevening Road not long afterwards but makes for a pleasanter walking Updated by members of the Ramblers for Transport for London In this format: text © Ramblers 2020, maps © OpenStreetMap Downloaded from: http://innerlondonramblers.org.uk/capital-ring Capital Ring section 4 page 3 than the pavement. Back on Chevening Road, continue until you see a Did you know? Just before crossing the path on your left running across the full width of the park, passing a brick Upper Norwood pavilion (the Chevening Hub) as it does so. There is a café and WC here, Recreation Ground you open Monday to Saturday. Note that the sign-post in Chevening Road pass Rockmount indicating this turn is currently pointing in the wrong direction and should School. If you detour to walk beside the school be ignored. Take this path and once across the recreation ground turn right along Rockmount Road into Eversley Road. the first junction is with Orleans Road. Set in Go to the end of Eversley Road, beside the park, and then turn left into the pavement at the Hermitage Road. Ascend Hermitage Road's gentle rise and at its end turn junction is a plaque to mark the course of the right into Beulah Hill. Continue along Beulah Hill to the pedestrian crossing, River Effra, one of cross, and continue in the same direction for just under half a mile. Then London's 'lost' rivers. If look out for Biggin Hill - a road on the left. there has been rain you can hear the river under Turn left into Biggin Hill and go steeply downhill. There are fine views over a manhole cover in the road. Take care to keep South London and to the North Downs. Pass the Biggin Wood allotments, a look-out while and cross to the opposite (west) pavement, then after 50 yards, turn right listening. into a footpath (opposite number 47). It is easy to miss this turning so keep Did you know? a look-out. This path leads past tennis courts into Biggin Wood. Biggin Wood is a remnant of the Great Continue through the wood to a gate into residential roads. Leaving the North Wood. This woods, bear right into Covington Way. There are Capital Ring signs to ancient oak woodland once covered a vast guide you here. Walk along the undulating Covington Way. Keep ahead at area between the the crossroads with Norbury Hill and a road called Christian Fields. At the Thames at Deptford and third junction, with Gibson's Hill, you reach the gated entrance to Norwood Croydon. Grove on your right. Updated by members of the Ramblers for Transport for London In this format: text © Ramblers 2020, maps © OpenStreetMap Downloaded from: http://innerlondonramblers.org.uk/capital-ring Capital Ring section 4 page 4 Enter Norwood Grove and follow the path, fairly steeply uphill, and up to Did you know? The Grade II listed the house through a spinney and the house's garden. Dogs are not allowed mansion, Norwood in parts of this garden and there is a well-signposted alternative route for Grove, was built in the walkers with canine company. 1840s by Arthur Anderson, joint founder There are panoramic views to the south of Croydon and the North Downs of the P&O Steam Navigation Company. It from the top of the hill. The Great North Wood once covered all this area, is now an education hence the name Norwood. centre owned by Croydon Council. Pass in front of the house with the views to your right, turn left to pass Did you know? around the orangery to a gate. Pass through the gate and reverse-turn left Rookery Gardens stand to continue along the fenced drive called Copgate Path. on the site of an earlier guest house where The path crosses a tiny tributary of the River Graveney (which feeds into Queen Victoria stayed; the River Wandle) and a line of 400-year-old oak trees. This is also the she came to take the waters at the three boundary with Lambeth. Continue straight along the drive to pass the springs at Streatham Grade II listed Rookery Gardens on the left. Spa which were first discovered in 1659. Updated by members of the Ramblers for Transport for London In this format: text © Ramblers 2020, maps © OpenStreetMap Downloaded from: http://innerlondonramblers.org.uk/capital-ring Capital Ring section 4 page 5 Upon reaching a road, Streatham Common South, bear left to pass the Did you know? The splendid westerly Rookery cafe. There is a large Capital Ring signpost here. Cross the road view from the heights of and walk onto the grassed sward of the common to follow the tarmac path Streatham Common downhill, parallel with the road. There are good views across the Wandle includes a large building Valley as you descend. rising above all around it. This is St. Helier Hospital which was Near the bottom of the hill bear half-right on a tarmac path, then right again begun in 1938 and to walk parallel with the very busy Streatham High Road. Go past the opened in 1941. It is playground (behind which are more toilets, although they are sometimes very much in the Art locked). Continue besides Streatham High Road until reaching the end of Deco style of its day but its appearance has the common and the junction with a road, Streatham Common North. been unkindly Cross this road to the Streatham Memorial Garden. described on occasions. Now cross over Streatham High Road. There is a Capital Ring signpost facing you at this crossing. Having crossed, turn right and almost immediately left into the lengthy Lewin Road. Walk the length of Lewin Road to its junction with Estreham Road. Section 4 of the Capital Ring ends here. Next steps Turn left here for 200 yards to reach Streatham Common railway station, or return to Streatham High Road for buses or Streatham station. Turn right into Estreham Road to start Section 5. Updated by members of the Ramblers for Transport for London In this format: text © Ramblers 2020, maps © OpenStreetMap Downloaded from: http://innerlondonramblers.org.uk/capital-ring .