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Shirley, London Shirley is a district of Croydon, South London between Addington, Addiscombe and West Wickham in the London Borough of Bromley. Description Shirley was until the 1930s a few hamlets between farms and the estates of large houses. These included Spring Park, Monks Orchard, Shirley Park and Shirley Oaks, names which are still reflected in the names of neighbourhoods today. Contrary to popular opinion, Monks Orchard is not named after a monastery in the area, but probably commemorates a family named Monk, from Addington, who owned some of the land at one time. When Lewis Lloyd acquired the land and had a mansion built in 1854, he adopted the name of a local wood, "Monks Orchard", for the whole estate. Lloyd's Monks Orchard House was one of the most substantial mansions in the Croydon area. It had 19 bedrooms, a billiard room, library, and numerous other rooms. The Dining Hall alone was over 36 by 21 ft (11 by 4 m). The estate covered a huge area, 1,540 acres (6.2 km²), stretching northwards from the Wickham Road almost to Elmers End, southwards nearly as far as Addington, and eastwards across the Borough boundary into West Wickham. It also included several other major residences, such as Spring Park; farms, including Eden Park, Ham Farm, Shirley Farm, Spring Park Farm and Oak Lodge Farm; two dozen or so cottages; The Rising Sun, The Cricketers and the White Hart; and Beckenham Golf Course. As late as 1923, the area was described in the following way: - The Estate, which has an extensive frontage to the road between the villages of Shirley and West Wickham, is delightfully rural in character, typifying that which is best in the unspoiled English countryside...
- The land seems adapted by nature for those who are seeking country houses not too far from London, being already park-like meadow land, well timbered, and dotted with coppices; thus affording almost unlimited scope for imagination, and taste, in laying out grounds, by utilising the natural advantages already there.
When the estate came up for sale in 1920, only parts of it found buyers, and the rest, including the part we now call Monks Orchard was offered again in 1924, and this was finally purchased by the Corporation of London for the relocation of the Bethlem Royal Hospital which had long outgrown its Lambeth home. Building of the new hospital started in 1928, but, sadly, this involved pulling down the old mansion. The hospital development didn't need all the land and parts of it were therefore sold off for housing development. There are still substantial grounds around the Hospital largely undeveloped, although planning permission was recently granted amid local controversy. The Hospital and grounds were transferred into Bromley in the 1990s. In the 1930s, a large amount of building took place over much of the open land, largely suburban style semi-detached houses. To the north, Shirley sprawls into neighbouring areas. However, some land escaped the building boom. Shirley Park House had become a hotel and in 1965 was bought by the Whitgift Foundation with its extensive grounds to become Trinity School in a new building constructed on the site. Neighbouring the school grounds is Shirley Park Golf Course. To the South of Shirley are large areas of woodland, including Shirley Hills and Threehalfpenny Wood. Parks and open spaces are dotted across the area, including Millers Pond. In Upper Shirley, very large houses in a few exclusive estates have been built, housing ambassadors, etc. Shirley has three Anglican churches. Shirley Parish Church - St John the Evangelist - was built in 1956 from SirGeorge Gilbert Scott's design. All Saints Church, Bridle Road, was built in the 1950s and its design is of a very high quality. It was one of the first post-war buildings in Croydon to be listed. St George the Martyr on The Glade was also buit in the 1950s. There are also various evangelical churches and Shirley Methodist and Baptist Churches. Croydon's Synagogue is on Shirley Oaks Road. Nearest places Nearest stations Shrublands Shrublands is a housing estate in the south east corner of Shirley, bordered by woodland on three sides. The area now covered by the Shrublands Estate was originally woodland too, later occupied by the Addington New Golf Course. The roads are named after shrubs and bushes, such as broom, gorse and jasmine. After the Second World War, Croydon's severe housing shortage prompted the Council to make a compulsory Purchase order on the golf course. The area was soon covered in prefabs, and by 1955, Croydon Council had formulated an important plan for the development of the area as a brand new estate. To obtain a slightly rural atmosphere it was proposed that the areas between the houses should as far as possible be communal grass areas. Each house was to have an enclosed back garden. The estate was to be well provided with children's play areas, and shops, doctors' surgeries, community hall and other amenities were all planned. A forward-looking feature was that the estate was to be a 'smokeless zone' right from the beginning. By 1959 the estate was complete. The estate has remained largely unchanged in almost fifty years, with the important additions of a multi-ball games court and the family centre. Other facilities include a pub (The Goat), the Shirley Youth & Community Centre and the Broom Road doctors surgery. Shirley Windmill Today's tower mill was built by Richard Alwen to replace the first mill on the site built by his grandfather William Alwen in 1808 after it was burnt by fire in 1854. By 1893, Alfred Rayson, the owner at the time, was forced to abandon the mill as unviable. After closure the mill was allowed to deteriorate, being struck by lightning in 1899 and again in 1906. In 1951 the mill and land were acquired by the Croydon Corporation. The mill was threatened with demolition when the new John Ruskin School was built but it was protected by its listed status and strong public interest. The school, now John Ruskin College, later left the site and housing was built around the mill. In August 1996, it was announced that Croydon Council was to receive a grant of 218,100 from the Heritage Lottery Fund for this. The grant money has helped restore the mill to working order and open it to the public for a wide-ranging audience. Famous residents, past and present - The parents of John Ruskin, John and Margaret, are buried in the graveyard of Shirley Parish Church.
- Rev. Wilks, Vicar of Shirley, developed the Shirley Poppy, a common garden variety of the plant.
- Ian Wright, the footballer, lives in Upper Shirley.
- The comedian, Ronnie Corbett, has lived in Shirley for many years.
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