A Timeline history of West Norwood
The name Norwood is derived from the (Great) North Wood which once covered North Surrey and stretched from Croydon to Camberwell.
Mediaeval Norwood
Upper Norwood passed to Whitehorse family in reign of Edward III.
Tudor Norwood
In Tudor times timber for Golden Hinde, being built in Deptford, came from Norwood.
Stuart Norwood
1652 The diarist, John Evelyn, was robbed in Norwoood.
1662 John Aubrey described Norwood as 'a great wood... belonging to the See of Canterbury'.
1665 Became a refuge from the Plague.
Georgian Norwood
1747 Rocque's map showed Great North Wood being reduced by commons.
1797 Beginning of enclosure of Norwood area.
1800 Topographical Map Of The Country Twenty Miles Round London (Norwood section showing the North Wood).
1805 Print of Thurlow Lodge, part of Thurlow Park/Knight’s Hill Estate owned by Lord Thurlow (1731-1806).
c1810 Norwood High Street laid out
Regency Norwood
1820s Large houses built on Crown Lane.
1825 St Luke’s by Francis Octavius Bedford (1784–1858) established in open country
1831 Beulah Spa opened.
Early Victorian Norwood
1837 South Metropolitan Cemetery was consecrated (later West Norwood Cemetery). Designed by Sir William Tite (1798-1873) it was the first cemetery to use the Gothic style for its chapels, gates, and decorative features. It influenced contemporary architects such as GE Street, Charles Barry, and William Burges
1854 Crystal Palace moved from Hyde Park to Sydenham Hill.
1854 Crystal Palace and West End Railway line opened. Much house building.
Mid Victorian Norwood
1860s Dulwich College bought the Knights Hill Estate.
1861 Jews' Hospital and Orphan Asylum opened on Wellington Road . Buildings included a hospital, an orphanage, a small synagogue and a school (closed 1961).
1863 St Saviour's Almhouses opened in Hamilton Road.
1870 View of West Norwood pre-development
Late Victorian Norwood
1881 West Norwood Fire station opened
Photo of St Lukes
1888 Lower Norwood became known as West Norwood.
Free Public Library opened on Nettlefold Place. Designed by Sidney Smith (1857-1913). Funded by Sir Henry Tate (1819-1899).
Edwardian West Norwood
1905 Tinted postcard of Knight Hill
1911 Norwood Park opened.
1911 West Norwood Picture Palace opened on Knight’s Hill
Pre-War West Norwood
1930 Regal West Norwood opened at 322 Norwood Road. Designed by F. Edward Jones with a seating capacity of 2,100.
1936 Crystal Palace burnt down.
Norwood in WW2
1944 Church on Chatworth Way bombed
Post War West Norwood
1953 Holderness Estate, Knights Hill by Howes and Jackman
1955 Royal Cinema closed in and partly demolished, Replaced by Roseberrys.
1964 Regal Cinema in Norwood Road closed
Free Public Library closed
1967 South London Theatre formed in old West Norwood Fire station premises.
1969 New Norwood Library opened at 304 Norwood High Street. Designed by Ted Hollanby (1921-1999).
2004 Old Free Public Library on Nettlefold Place restored.
2011 New Norwood Library closed.
2018 West Norwood Library converted into a cinema and library/community space, plus bar and cafe.
Booklist
The Phoenix Suburb - Alan R. Warwick ((1972/RP 2009 Norwood Society)
Norwood Past - John Coulter (1996 Historical Publications)
West Norwood Cemetery: The Listed Structures in West Norwood Cemetery- Geoffrey Manning (1989)
West Norwood Cemetery - Paul Graham (1995)
The Wood That Made London - C.J. Schüler (Sandstone Press 2021)
(c) South London Guide 2023