Addington Hills
| Addington Hills | |
|---|---|
 View from Addington Hills viewpoint | |
  Addington Hills | |
| Type | Public park |
| Location | Addington |
| Coordinates | 51°21′47″N 0°03′29″W / 51.363°N 0.058°W |
| Area | 130 acres (53 ha) |
| Operated by | London Borough of Croydon |
| Open | All year |
| Public transit access | Tramlink to Coombe Lane tram stop |
Addington Hills (also referred to as Shirley Hills) is a park in
Addington Hills and
Description
Addington Hills reaches 460 feet (140 m) above sea level. The terrain drops sharply to the north, exposing the hills' pebbly composition
The area was originally called the hill of Pripledeane or Prible Dean, a name meaning "Gravel Valley" that came from the Middle English words prebel ("gravel") and dene ("valley").[2] The land was acquired by Croydon Board of Health in four parts over a 45-year period.[3]
Facilities
Addington Hills facilities include:
- Car parking – off Shirley Hills Road and Oaks Road, at the junction with Coombe Lane
- London Looppath
- Chinese restaurant
- Takeaway coffee
- Horse rides
- Viewpoint
Cricket venue
The first definite mention of Addington Hills in a cricket connection is a 1745 match there on Thursday, 23 May between Addington and London. Little about the match is known except that Addington won.[4][5] The venue was used for matches on at least four occasions between 1745 and 1752, a period which coincided with Addington Cricket Club having one of the strongest teams in England. The last match known to have been played there was Addington v Dartford on 12 August 1752.[6]
Wildlife
The heathland areas are dominated by
Burrowing bees and wasps occur in the bare patches of soil and the bushy heathers and acid-loving grasses provide home to a wide range of insects, spiders and other invertebrates, each well adapted to the warm, dry conditions at ground level.[8]
The invertebrate fauna plays an important part in supporting a range of birds and reptiles – and all benefit from the varied mosaic of open and scrubland habitats. In open areas,
Habitats
The northern area of woodland is by far the oldest, in particular the very old oak
Until the 1920s, there were only a few scattered oak, pine and birch on the hills, which were then almost entirely covered in heather. Now there is far more extensive tree cover, and heather is limited to the slopes and ridges where it tolerates the harsh conditions provided by the very dry and acidic poor soil.[8]
See also
- List of Parks and Open Spaces in Croydon
- Ashburton Park
- Woodside Green
- Brickfields Meadow
- Addington Interchange
References
- ^ The plateau is mainly rolled chalk flints, see Outlines of the geology of England and Wales, William Daniel Conybeare
- ISBN 9780199566785.
- ^ "Addington Hills history" (PDF). Croydon Council. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
- ACS(1982). A. Guide to First-Class Cricket Matches Played in the British Isles. Nottingham: ACS. p. 21.
- ^ Ashley-Cooper, F. S. (1900). At the Sign of the Wicket: Cricket 1742–1751. Cricket magazine. p. 36.
- ^ Buckley, G. B. (1935). Fresh Light on 18th Century Cricket. Cotterell. p. 30.
- ^ a b Taken from London Heathland Heritage website Croydon page Archived June 13, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b Adapted from London Biodiversity Partnership / London's Heathland Heritage / Croydon Council information board near the Addington Hills car park.