Croydon park's journey from golf course to BMX track
Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 10 Oct, 12:43 · Archive
Norbury Park in Croydon was once a golf course where Scottish sheep kept the grass short.
Norbury Park stretches across 28-and-a-half acres between Norbury Avenue and Green Lane and is one of Croydon's best-known green spaces. Before becoming public open space, the land belonged to Pembroke College in Cambridge and was known as Palmer's Fields. By the 1870s it was used to train horses for the Streatham Races, and later became the Hermitage Sports Ground.
In 1897, North Surrey Golf Club established an 18-hole golf course on the land. The course opened on 2 October that year with around 600 spectators watching professional golfers compete, including JH Taylor and James Braid, both later major figures in the sport. Scottish sheep were reportedly used to keep the grass short, with a shepherd and his dogs staying in a hut on the course during summer months.
The Hermitage mansion, intended as the clubhouse, burned down in 1898 and was replaced by a wooden structure built by architects Gibson and Russell. Housing development gradually reduced the course size, and by 1933 only 36 acres remained. The last ball was putted on the 18th green in December 1934. The following year, Croydon Corporation bought the land for public open space. During the Second World War the park was turned over to food production, with allotments remaining on parts of the site afterwards.
How it is being reported
- The Croydon park with first-ever BMX track where golfers once played with sheepNorbury Park is one of Croydon's best-known green spaces, stretching across 28-and-a-half acres between Norbury Avenue and Green Lane.This Is Local London · 10 Oct, 12:00
- The Croydon park with first-ever BMX track where golfers once played with sheepNorbury Park is one of Croydon's best-known green spaces, stretching across 28-and-a-half acres between Norbury Avenue and Green Lane.Croydon Guardian · 10 Oct, 12:00
In this story: Norbury Park · Croydon · North Surrey Golf Club · Pembroke College · JH Taylor · James Braid
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