Visit West Norwood Places

Welcome to Visit West Norwood Places
The Walkfo guide to things to do & explore in West Norwood

  

West Norwood Places Overview: History, Culture & Facts about West Norwood

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West Norwood history

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Before 1885 West Norwood station and the surrounding area was known as “Lower Norwood”, reflecting its being at a lower altitude than Upper Norwood. “Norwood” recalls the “Great North Wood”, a name that was formerly used for the hilly and wooded area to the north of Croydon. The area was over a mile from the nearest parish church (at St Leonard, Streatham), so St. Luke’s was provided under the Waterloo church scheme and completed in 1825. The South Metropolitan Cemetery was laid out in 1837 to provide burial facilities for the population of crowded areas that were closer to the centre of London.

Knights Hill

There are two Knight’s Hill areas in the south and north of London. The better-known area is the residential area and electoral ward to the south west by the road called Knights Hill. Confusingly, the names of both areas have similar origins.

The Jewish Orphanage

The main building of the Norwood Home for Jewish Children (“The Jewish Orphanage”) was completed in 1862. It was a three-storey edifice, with the appearance of a Jacobean palace. This structure was demolished in 1963, after the children had moved in groups to live in nine houses supervised by house parents. In the 1970s, the main site was sold to Lambeth Council, which developed much of it for a housing estate.

Historical local photographs

Images of Norwood

West Norwood landmarks

South London Theatre Centre was awarded a grant of £1.6m by the Heritage Lottery Fund to enable restoration work. West Norwood Cemetery is one of London’s Magnificent Seven Victorian burial places, with 66 listed structures.

You can visit West Norwood places with Walkfo West Norwood to hear history at West Norwood’s places whilst walking around using the free digital tour app. Walkfo West Norwood has 170 places to visit in our interactive West Norwood map, with amazing history, culture & travel facts you can explore the same way you would at a museum or art gallery with information audio headset. With Walkfo, you can travel by foot, bike or bus throughout West Norwood, being in the moment, without digital distraction or limits to a specific walking route. Our historic audio walks, National Trust interactive audio experiences, digital tour guides for English Heritage locations are available at West Norwood places, with a AI tour guide to help you get the best from a visit to West Norwood & the surrounding areas.

“Curated content for millions of locations across the UK, with 170 audio facts unique to West Norwood places in an interactive West Norwood map you can explore.”

Walkfo: Visit West Norwood Places Map
170 tourist, history, culture & geography spots

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West Norwood historic spots	West Norwood tourist destinations	West Norwood plaques	West Norwood geographic features
Walkfo West Norwood tourism map key: places to see & visit like National Trust sites, Blue Plaques, English Heritage locations & top tourist destinations in West Norwood

  

Best West Norwood places to visit

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West Norwood has places to explore by foot, bike or bus. Below are a selection of the varied West Norwood’s destinations you can visit with additional content available at the Walkfo West Norwood’s information audio spots:

Norbury Estate The Norbury Estate originated as a London County Council cottage estate . It was built between 1901 and 1920 in what is now the north of the London Borough of Croydon . The estate was declared a conservation area in 2008 .

Norwood Ridge The Norwood Ridge is a 10-square-mile (26 km) rectangular upland which occupies the geographical centre of south London . Beneath its topsoil it is a ridge of London Clay that is capped on all sides (including as isolated knolls in the north)

Crystal Palace Bowl Crystal Palace Bowl has 60 years of live music heritage and a legacy as an outdoor performance venue stretching back over a century . It has a unique sculptural permanent stage designed by Ian Ritchie Architects, which won multiple awards .

Dulwich Upper Wood Dulwich Upper Wood is a 2.4 hectare local nature reserve and Site of Borough Importance for Nature Conservation, Grade 1, in Crystal Palace . It is owned by Southwark Council and managed by the Trust for Urban Ecology .

Pear Tree House Pear Tree House was the former Civil Defence control centre for South-East London . It is a block of council flats in the Central Hill Estate of Upper Norwood with eight two-bedroom flats .

Forest Hill Pools Forest Hill Pools is a leisure centre in Forest Hill, London . After being closed in 2006, it was rebuilt including two pools and a health and fitness suite . It reopened in September 2012 .

Forest Croft and Taymount Grange Forest Croft and Taymount Grange are two 1930s Art Deco–style mansion blocks situated at the top of Taymount Rise in Forest Hill, London .

Biggin Wood Biggin Wood is an area of ancient oak woodland situated within the London Borough of Croydon . The London Wildlife Trust is currently working to improve the site for wildlife, as a part of The Great North Wood Project .

Tooting Commons The Tooting Commons consist of two adjacent areas of common land lying between Balham, Streatham and Tooting, in south west London . Tooting Bec Common and Graveney Common are common land adjacent to each other .

Streatham Ice and Leisure Centre Streatham Ice and Leisure Centre is the only Olympic-sized skating rink in the city . It is home to the home ice hockey team, the Streatham RedHawks . The rink replaced the older Streatingham Ice Arena .

Visit West Norwood plaques