Croydon Canal

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The Croydon Canal

legend

Grand Surrey Canal

lock

bridge at New Cross Gate Station

lock

4-10

New Cross locks (7)

Brockley Cross bridge

11-26

Honor Oak (17)

(Lock 26 was a staircase of 2)

Dacres Wood (Nature reserve)

Sydenham Resr and feeder

Penge Wharf

Anerley Tea Rooms section

Betts Park concrete trough

Norwood Resr and feeder

Norwood Wharf

steam pumping station

27-28

Croydon Common locks (2)

dock

West Croydon basin

The Croydon Canal ran 9.25 miles^[1] (15 km) from Croydon, via Forest Hill, to the Grand Surrey Canal at New Cross in south London.

Authorised by an Act of Parliament in 1801, the canal was originally intended to extend northwards to Rotherhithe, but the simultaneous construction of the Grand Surrey Canal provided a convenient access route. It opened on 22 October 1809.^[1]

The Croydon Canal linked to the Croydon Merstham and Godstone Railway (itself connected to the Surrey Iron Railway), enabling the canal to be used to transport stone and lime from workings at Merstham. The canal was never extended further south-west, as was initially intended, to reach Epsom.

The canal was originally planned with two inclined planes but in the end 28 locks, arranged in two flights, were used instead. A reservoir was constructed at Sydenham, with another at South Norwood to help keep the canal supplied with water. This still remains as South Norwood Lake in a public park. The canal was built to be 34 feet (10 m) wide. It had a maximum depth of 5 feet (1.5 m). By 1811 there were 22 barges on the canal. The barges were 60 feet (18 m) long and 9 feet (2.7 m) wide and could carry about 30 tons. The canal's main cargo was timber.

After the initial flights of locks, most of the canal followed the 161 ft (49.1m) contour.^[2] The final two locks at Croydon Common raised the level of the canal to the 174 ft (53m) contour, and because there was no natural source of water, a steam pumping station was located at the foot of the locks to pump water up to the summit pound.^[3]

The canal was never a success and closed in 1836.^[1] It was the first canal to be formally abandoned by an Act of Parliament. Much of the alignment was used by the London & Croydon Railway Company (to whom the canal had been sold for £40,250^[1]) for part of the railway route that today links London Bridge railway station and West Croydon railway station — the latter stands on the site of the old canal basin.

[edit] Today

Although the canal closed in 1836, certain sections were retained for leisure use, and some remained in water for a considerable time. The section at Betts Park in Anerley was used as a boating lake, and the area was called Anerley Tea Rooms. The canal was turned into a concrete trough in 1934, but is now dry, and can be seen at the northern corner of Betts Park. Another section exists as a long curved pond in a small nature reserve in Dacres Road, Forest Hill. This was considered for redevelopment in 1989, but research by Lewisham Council resulted in its identity being confirmed, and it now forms an attractive wetland, having been returned to its former width.^[4]^[5] The side of a lock is also visible in the high pavement in David's Road, Forest Hill.^[6]