History

by Jerry Green A mutiny which occurred at Upper Norwood library was among the historical gems revealed to members of Norwood Society’s local history group at their latest meeting. Jerry Savage, the library’s reference and locaql history specialist, told how the first chief librarian William A Stobie was challenged for control of the library...
Read more »

The area's first cinema was the Photodrome, which opened around 1909. Situated off Ranger Road - now Jasper Road - it would later become the premises of the Jacatex mail order company and the Crystal Palace snooker and social club before being demolished and replaced by housing.
Read more »

The Crystal Palace Fire On 30 Nov 1936, the Crystal Palace at Sydenham was destroyed by fire. The “people’s palace” which had stood dominating the skyline of Upper Norwood for over eighty years as a beacon for culture and enlightenment and an emblem for Victorian invention and engineering was no more. “A dramatic cliff...
Read more »

By Jerry Green Palace Mag Dec 2007 Photograph looking up Anerley Hill showing areas cleared after bomb damage to the left and right of the road. The area in front of the Paxton Arms pub (54-70 Anerley Hill) being used as a site for advertising hoardings In July 1944 two of Hitler’s V1 rockets...
Read more »

By Jerry Green Palace Mag Jan 08 In his book ‘The Great North Wood’ J Corbet Anderson says that no old church or ancient building of any kind has been found within the wide area known by the general denomination of Norwood.  Alan Warwick, author of ‘The Phoenix Suburb’ says in a smaller work...
Read more »

WESTOW STREET Mrs Dee described Westow Street as “a very straggling street with cottages and shops all mixed up together”. Next to the chemist “was a corn chandlers occupied by Mr Haynes, afterwards Constables, with a notice board that round the turning at the side cabs were on hire, then Mr Wheeler’s forge, Mr...
Read more »

By Jerry Green Palace Mag Nov 2007 On April 29 1922 Upper Norwood’s war memorial to those who had died in the Great War was unveiled by Sir William Treloar. The Croydon Advertiser described the memorial as “a lofty stone obelisk” which when originally unveiled stood at the junction of Church Road and Westow...
Read more »

In October 1914 the Crystal Palace was taken over by His Majesty’s Admiralty as a training depot. Its official title was HMS Victory IV but to the 125,000 men who trained there before going off to fight in the Great War it was known as ‘HMS Crystal Palace’.
Read more »

Early nineteenth century inner London burial grounds were in a parlous state: they were so full that bodies were buried in graves so shallow that any scavenging animal could uncover them; and they were a ready source of income for grave robbers and body snatchers. Such was the outcry that Parliament was petitioned and...
Read more »

On June 9th 1920 King George V performed the opening ceremony of the Imperial War Museum in its first home - the Crystal Palace. But the association between the Museum and the Palace would not be an easy one.
Read more »