Historic Norwood Grove: Dog Walkers’ Haven Not for Sale, Needs TLC 2026

Key Points

• Norwood Grove, a historic park in Upper Norwood, Croydon, is “not for sale”, according to Croydon Council, but locals and users insist it requires urgent investment and “tender loving care” to prevent further deterioration.​
• The park, once hailed as one of South London’s most beautiful green spaces, adjoins Streatham Common and The Rookery in Lambeth, but is falling behind these well-maintained neighbouring sites due to lack of maintenance.​
• Mark Leggett, chair of Friends of Norwood Grove, stated: “It really does need some tender loving care and investment to bring it back. Otherwise, it will continue to crumble.”​
• Regular visitor Nikki Izzard described the park as “one of the borough’s best-kept secrets” and highlighted “an amazing community of dog walkers here”.​
• Another regular user told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) that the park has “seen better days”.​
• Norwood Grove spans 32 acres of rolling fields and woodland on a hill overlooking central Croydon, popular with dog walkers and birdwatchers.
• The park includes a Grade II-listed mansion known as the White House, with historical ties to Arthur Anderson of P&O and Frederick Nettlefold of GKN, but the building and outbuildings like stables are in disrepair with vandalism and graffiti.​
• Purchased nearly 100 years ago through public subscription led by Stenton Covington, opened in 1926 by the Prince of Wales (future Edward VIII).
• Concerns from locals about council plans to sell parts like stables amid financial woes under Mayor Jason Perry, though council insists the park itself is not for sale.​
• Previous uses include a nursery school, bowls club, and social centre; gardens feature a fountain, orangery, and bird bath, but now neglected.

Upper Norwood, Croydon (North London News) February 14, 2026 – Norwood Grove, the historic park cherished by dog walkers and locals alike, is firmly “not for sale” as insisted by Croydon Council, yet campaigners and regular visitors warn it desperately needs investment to halt its decline compared to its pristine Lambeth neighbours, Streatham Common and The Rookery.​

The 32-acre site, perched on a hill with panoramic views over central Croydon, has long been a haven for dog walkers amid its rolling fields and woodland. Once dubbed one of South London’s most beautiful parks, it now shows signs of neglect, with locals calling for “tender loving care” ahead of its centenary.

Mark Leggett, chair of Friends of Norwood Grove, emphasised the urgency, stating as reported in MyLondon: “It really does need some tender loving care and investment to bring it back. Otherwise, it will continue to crumble.”​

What Makes Norwood Grove a Local Favourite?

Regular visitor Nikki Izzard praised the park’s community spirit in the MyLondon article, saying:

“We have an amazing community of dog walkers here,”

and labelling it “one of the borough’s best-kept secrets”.​

The park’s appeal lies in its diverse landscape, including velvety lawns, mature trees attracting birds like nightingales, finches, jays, woodpeckers, and wrens, as described by the Norwood Society in historical accounts cited by Inside Croydon.

Another regular user, speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) and quoted in MyLondon, noted candidly that the park has “seen better days”, reflecting widespread frustration over its upkeep.​

Facilities such as superb bowling greens, a tea room in the former dining room with a hand-painted ceiling, and an oak-floored music room once used by the Norwood Grove Social Centre for dancing, drama, and whist drives added to its vibrancy post-World War II.​

Why Is Norwood Grove Falling Behind Its Neighbours?

Norwood Grove adjoins The Rookery and Streatham Common, both managed by Lambeth Council, which locals hold up as models of well-tended green spaces. The Rookery, a Grade II Listed Historic Garden, boasts ornamental ponds, herbaceous beds, an Old English Garden, White Garden, orchard, community garden, café, and public toilets.

In contrast, as detailed by Steven Downes of Inside Croydon, Norwood Grove’s Grade II-listed White House mansion – thought to be 200 years old – is in a “very sorry state”, with untended, vandalised gardens, graffiti-covered outbuildings near collapse, and a dried-up fountain choked with rubbish and roots.

Locals blame Croydon’s financial crisis, with one park user telling Inside Croydon:

“All these places that Croydon is selling off should be providing a rental income for Norwood Grove, to enable it to have a gardener and perhaps support gardeners for some other areas in Croydon.”​

Steven Downes reported sightings of council contractors securing the stables area, amid fears of sale, with a visitor emailing:

“The security company was there looking at the stables to secure it… They are definitely selling the stables. The council has been told to sell what they can due to debt.”​

What Is the History of Norwood Grove?

Norwood Grove originated as part of the Great Streatham Common, recorded in the Domesday Book as Lime Common, stretching from Norbury to Tulse Hill, according to Croydon Council’s historical document.​

By 1746, Rocque’s Map showed a house called “Copgate” on the site; it became Norbury Grove under T. Mills Esq. In 1847, it was leased to Arthur Anderson, founder of the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company (P&O), who offered pleasure cruises.

From 1878 to 1913, Frederick Nettlefold and his wife resided there; he was a Victorian industrialist from Nettlefolds Ltd (later GKN) and involved with Courtaulds. A blue plaque commemorates their charitable works on the mansion’s south wall.

Sold to Croydon Corporation in 1913, the estate faced development threats in the 1920s. Stenton Covington’s Acquisition Committee, backed by the Archbishop of Canterbury as patron, the Mayor of Croydon as president, and vice-presidents including earls, a baron, MPs, and the Mayor of Wandsworth, raised £18,200 (about £1.4 million today) to buy 32 acres from the Nettlefold family.

How Was Norwood Grove Officially Opened?

On 16 November 1926, HRH The Prince of Wales (later Edward VIII) opened Norwood Grove amid pomp, as recounted in council archives cited by Steven Downes in Inside Croydon.

The Prince arrived at 3pm, met dignitaries in the drawing room, sat on a carved dais overlooking the park, heard the RAF Band play the National Anthem, handed title deeds to the Mayor, received a golden key cigar cutter, and planted a Cupressus macrocarpa Lutea tree near the French windows due to poor weather.

Covington received the chair, a bird bath, and Covington Way named after him. The spade used is preserved in Croydon Reference Library, reused in 1987 for the 50th anniversary tree planting by the Mayor (noting a possible archival error on the date).

Parks & Gardens UK notes the site as an early 20th-century public park from a 19th-century estate, threatened in 1924 but saved for public use.​

What Are the Current Concerns About Sales?

Croydon Council under Tory Mayor Jason Perry faces debt pressures, leading to fears of asset-stripping, as Steven Downes reported exclusively for Inside Croydon:

“Croydon’s cash-strapped council is looking to flog off anything that is not nailed down.”​

The first floor of the White House was converted to flats, possibly sold; the ground floor hosts Joan Runcorn’s nursery school for over 30 years and a bowls club room. The Rangers’ House was sold, allegedly becoming a brothel before eviction.​

A regular park user, researching council archives, told Inside Croydon:

“Norwood Grove was bought by public subscription. While the deeds might have been given to the Corporation nearly 100 years ago, that was only for safe-keeping. It surely doesn’t give the council the right, now, to sell any part of the White House, its out-buildings or the park.”​

Another viewed it as “the final step of asset stripping”, denying sustainable future. Perry pledged to protect open spaces upon election, but locals question this.​

The MyLondon report counters with the council’s insistence that the park is “not for sale”, focusing on investment needs rather than disposal.​

What Features Define Norwood Grove Today?

The early 19th-century White House features an orangery for half-hardy plants, now a shelter with glass domes. A fountain depicts months of the year spilling water; a rose arbour bears a hammer emblem also on the lodge. A stone sphinx once stood by the southeast steps but has vanished.​

Post-war, a nursery produced tomatoes and onions during wartime; stables served as messrooms. Gardens include bedding displays, herbaceous borders, Erica beds, and views southwest.​

Recent neglect includes minimal bin emptying, per locals. Inside Croydon highlighted vandalism in the stables (former nursery until four years prior) and health/safety issues like a broken rose arbour.​

Who Manages Norwood Grove and What Next?

Croydon Council has managed the site for over 110 years, but comparisons to Lambeth’s successes fuel calls for better funding or a trust like the National Trust.

Friends of Norwood Grove, led by Mark Leggett, advocates restoration. As the centenary nears in 2026, locals urge action to match The Rookery’s thriving café and gardens.

One Inside Croydon reader proposed trusts for such assets to shield from “dodgy councils”, echoing historical public subscription ethos.​