Open House Festival

South Norwood Heritage Zone walking tour

walk/tour

Stanley Arts, 12 South Norwood Hill, Cumberlow Avenue entrance

Come along on a walking tour through the South Norwood Heritage Zone. This tour will explore the making of a London suburb in the 19th century and discover some underrated South Norwood history.

Getting there

Train

Norwood Junction

Bus

130, 154, 196, 197, 312, 410, 74

Additional travel info

This tour ends at South Norwood Methodist Church (very near Stanley Arts), which will be open and offering tea, coffee and biscuits.

Access

Facilities

Accessibility notes

There are no steps and the route is entirely suitable for wheelchair users. Facilities may be found in local cafés and public houses. Park

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Activities

Sat 14 Sep

Walking tour

14:00–15:30

South Norwood Heritage Zone Walking Tour

How to book

Please create a free visitor account to book your festival tickets.

About

What you will discover

A suburb of both London and Croydon, and constructed of the bricks it manufactured, South Norwood came into being during the 19th century. It possess the first subway in the world constructed of reinforced concrete and was a location of one of the only four ever atmospheric railways. It is presently home of an outstanding Brutalist library and houses Stanley Arts in brilliant buildings that are architecturally eccentric. This tour brings to life the unknown stories of buildings, places and people - from inventors to suffragists who contributed to the making of this remarkable south London locality.

Route

We will meet at Stanley Arts (Cumberland Avenue entrance) at 2 pm. The tour will last approximately an hour and a half, ending at South Norwood Methodist Church where tea, coffee and biscuits will be available. The end is close to the starting point.

Nearby

Drop in / Guided tour

Stanley Arts

mixed use, concert/performance space, community/cultural, entertainment, theatre

First opened in 1903, Stanley Arts continues its building's legacy as a beacon for the local community. This Grade II listed Edwardian theatre, gallery, and public hall reflects its founder's interest in the arts and sciences. The historic features of the building are sometimes hidden, other times flaunted. Our Open House tours cover everything past and present about this storied institution.

William Ford Robinson Stanley, 1903

Drop in

South Norwood Methodist Church

religious

South Norwood Methodist Church will open its doors and welcome visitors to tea and biscuits.

Drop in

Little Mouse Cheese Shop

retail

Visit Little Mouse, an Edwardian shop in South Norwood with original wooden frontage and fascia that is now an artisan cheesemonger.

-, 1850

Drop in

St Mark’s Church

religious

A Grade 2-listed mid-Victorian parish church in the Gothic style, built of Kentish ragstone with a slate roof. Unique features include a panel of hand-made decorated tiles beyond the High Altar - probably Royal Doulton - and five noted stained glass windows, probably by Alfred Hemming. The baptistery is also noteworthy, with its font and five murals of Biblical scenes, painted in oil on canvas.

G H Lewis of Linden and Lewis, 1852

Drop in

South Norwood Library

library, civic

The purpose-built library is a fine example of brutalist architecture. Built by Hugh Lea, Borough Architect for Croydon, in 1968 the main volume shows Miesian influence with an abundance of natural light, interrupted by a concrete cuboid.

Hugh Lea , 1966

Drop in

Holy Innocents Church

religious

Holy Innocents Church, South Norwood is a Church of England parish church in the south London suburb of South Norwood, dedicated to the Holy Innocents. It was built in Neo-Gothic imitation of Perpendicular architecture between 1894 and 1895 to designs by the British architect George Frederick Bodley though a planned tower was never built,. The church itself has been Grade II* listed since 1976.

George Frederick Bodley, 1895

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