A New Addington Walk Route & what to see
	london-footprints.co.uk

A 2 mile circular walk from New Addington tramstop through Hutchinson's Bank nature reserve and Milne Park.

From the tramstop head across the green with creatures carved from wood. Cross North Downs Road bearing left. Just past the recycling depot is an entrance to the reserve. Follow this path but look for a small path going off to the left between two trees marked in red. If barriers come into view you have gone too far. Continue on the path along the high ground which can be narrow in places. Further along there are splendid views to the right across to Frith Wood, Farleigh Dean and Frylands Wood.

The reserve has been managed by London Wildlife Trust since 1987. It is a dry chalk valley with diverse plants, birds and butterflies. Besides the grassland there are hedgerows and woodland. With the aid of grants and volunteer labour much of the scrub which was taking over has been cleared. Fencing has been erected so that the area can now be grazed for maintenance. This is being done in partnership with the Downlands Trust.

At the fenced area there is the opportunity to go down to explore the grassland. Return and continue along the top path. Further along the area becomes wooded. Follow path bearing left. This emerges on Fairchildes Avenue. Go right along this then left at Thistlewood Crescent. Cross to Milne Park. Continue through the park heading towards the church. Exit by the tennis courts onto St Edwards Close and go right. Left at Arnhem Drive.

Until the 1930s, the area now known as New Addington was farmland and woodland in the ancient parish of Addington. In 1935 a housing trust purchased 569 acres to build a Garden Village with 4,400 houses, shops, two churches, a cinema, and village green. By 1939, when the outbreak of war suspended construction, 1023 houses and 23 shops had been built.

After the War, there were concerns about the amount of green space being used for building in outer London and much of the countryside around the estate was declared Green Belt. The Borough of Croydon bought the trust's unused land and a further 400 acres for development. Many prefabs were built and inhabited until the 1960s when they were demolished and replaced with brick two-storey homes. More houses, blocks of flats, the Central Parade of shops, churches and factories were built. The area benefited from the arrival of trams and associated bus services in 2000. (From Wikipedia).

From the roundabout go along Central Parade back to the tramstop.

london-footprints.co.uk 2012

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