The Croydon Canal

The top of the long climb from New Cross culminated in a staircase lock with a swing bridge across the lower chamber

Honor Oak Park - the site of the top lock

        

The previous set of pictures looked at the canal route as it passed through the crematorium and out into the stadium ground. Here we look east down Honor Oak Park towards the railway station. On the far right is No. 193 Honor Oak Park (the white building) and in front are the pair of semi detatched houses. (191a etc.) No. 193 was built after the canal was closed, on land made vacant when the lock keepers house was demolished. The semi detatched houses, being more modern, were built on what was remaining unsold land - eg the canal route itself. The canal crossed (LH view) at an angle from north east to south west (left towards right) to pass through where the semi detatched houses are. The next picture (RH view) looks along the route of the canal - north east to south west. The entire view in this picture is the approximate location of the top chamber of the staircase lock. The long level pound towards Croydon began here at a level of about 161 feet above sea level. Directly behind the semi detatcheds, at the back of properties in Boveney Road and Hengrave Road, are traces of the canal route.

- Used by permission of Croydon Local Studies Library -

A 'View towards Deptford' affords an excellent view of Shooters Hill. Its so so easily seen today - but nearby a gap in trees affords a glimpse of it (above left.) The picture's title is a misnomer for it is not possible to see Deptford anyway! The picture shows the bottom of the staircase lock at Honor Oak, identifable because it has a swing bridge across the chamber. The small lane crossing the lock chamber, is Honor Oak Park's precessdor. Despite being a 'pair' of locks, it was numbered as one lock - 26 contrary to canal practice - the Croydon canal had a total of 29 locks when these and the two Norbury locks are included. We must move on now towards the route of the canal at the rear of Honor Oak Park - once a spectacular stretch that took the Croydon Canal deep Into Forest Wood