A SQUARE BY SQUARE LOOK AT LONDON
TQ 33 60 an area of housing and commercial development along the A22
The boundary has come in a south west wards direction but then reaches a path, which has come from Honister Heights. The boundary joins the path at the point at which it turns south and then joins it. When the path reaches a T junction the boundary turns west along it. It follows the path past a chalk pit to the railway. It crosses the railway and then turns south to follow the line and turns west again to go south of a disused gas works and skirt the end of Downsway. It crosses Godstone Road and turns south.
Post to the west Kenley
Post to the east Tithepit
Post to the south Whyteleafe
On the London, Croydon side of the border
A22 As far as the Rose and Crown this is the bypass road built in 1790 but then it is the old Lewes Road, the ancient road into Sussex.
Bourne Park - used to be Kenley Recreation Ground. Laid out as a park with paddling pool and so on by Coulsdon and Purley UDC in 1921.
The Bourne river flows undermeath the road.
Riddlesdown Road The road comes down off Riddlesdown. The Roman London to Portslade Roman road passed through the Godstone Gap in the North Downs but in the 19th some of it was rebuilt to the west as the A22 - about 1790 when the new road was built from Purley to the Rose and Crown. Both roads go through an area worked for chalk and firestone. The original Roman road is now a sunken track but in 1585 it was still used to carry iron and charcoal from the Weald. The Roman road passed over Riddlesdown on the east side of the Caterham valley. Riddlesdown itself was acquired by the City Corporation as a resultion to a Chancery case. This case partially concerned common land of the Manor of Kenley which was adjacent to the Riddlesdown Chalk Pit.
Rose and Crown. The pub name symbolises the union of York and Lancaster in the marriage of Henry VI and Elizabeth of York. In 1804 member of the Royal Jennerian Society held a vaccination session here.It was first called ‘the Rose’ and built in 1723. demolished to become flats.
Rose and Crown Chalk Pit. In use until the 1960s. A cottage for quarry worker still there. The rail bridge goes over the chalk bed, cutting diagonally. The pit faces South West and is jagged with terraces and slopes – it can be seen most dramatically from roads on the western slopes of the valley. Rosebay willow herb and ragwort have a foothold on its terraces that also support species typical of old chalk grassland including bee and pyramidal orchid and a large colony of common spotted orchid. Rare white mullein and yellow mullein grow on the pit floor. There is a pond, surrounded by scrub, which supports a breeding population of toads, and there are also common lizards and slow worms. Small blue butterflies rely on its the kidney vetch, which grows on the spoil heaps and there are other rare butterflies.
Rail Bridge. A lattice girder viaduct on brick piers built by the joint LBSCR/SER line to Oxted. It goes across a chalk pit.
Gas Works built by the Caterham and Kenley Gas Company. The works was built with second hand materials and become the Caterham and District Gas Works. The Whyteleaf Gas holder is nearby. Begun in 1869 and taken over by Croydon who pulled down the existing holders but erected the present one in 1953.
On the Surrey, Tandridge side of the border
New Barn Lane
Kenley Primary School – set up as Kenley Church of England Primary School in 1885 . it was then on Godstone Road opposite the waterworks and had 97 children. A new school was set up in New Barn Lane in 1936 but because there was no airraid shelter on the old church school site they were moved to this site too
Old Barn Lane
At one time this was Gas House Lane
This material is compiled over many years and from many sources