Addington, London
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Coordinates: 51°21′30″N 0°01′50″W / 51.3583°N 0.0305°W
| Addington | |
 St Mary's Church |
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 Addington
Addington shown within Greater London |
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| OS grid reference | TQ375645 |
|---|---|
| - Charing Cross | 11.1 mi (17.9 km) NNW |
| London borough | Croydon |
| Ceremonial county | Greater London |
| Region | London |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | CROYDON |
| Postcode district | CR0 & CR2 |
| Dialling code | 01689[1] |
| Police | Metropolitan |
| Fire | London |
| Ambulance | London |
| EU Parliament | London |
| UK Parliament | Croydon Central |
| London Assembly | Croydon and Sutton |
Addington is a district of south London, England, located in the London Borough of Croydon. It is situated 11.1 miles (18 km) south south-east of Charing Cross.
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History[edit]
The village lay within the Anglo-Saxon administrative division of Wallington hundred. Addington is thought to be named after Edda, a Saxon. In the Domesday Book, two manors are mentioned, linked with the names Godric and Osward.
Addington Place, later known as Addington Farm and now called Addington Palace, dominates the village above the church of St Mary the Blessed Virgin Church and the 'Cricketers' pub. The manor house was situated behind the church and was the residence of the Leigh family. From this Leigh family, Pamela, Countess Mountbatten is descended. There is an oft repeated, but false account of a royal hunting lodge, "where King Henry VIII supposedly wooed Anne Boleyn, whose family owned nearby Wickham Court" by West Wickham Parish Church. However Anne Boleyn of Wickham Court was the aunt of Queen Anne.
The Palladian mansion was built in the mid-18th century by Barlow Trecothick, from Boston, Massachusetts in the United States, who returned to England and became an MP and Lord Mayor of the City of London. After his death without heirs, his nephew James Ivers (later Trecothick), also of Boston, continued his uncle's work and had the grounds laid out by Lancelot Brown. The estate was sold and eventually, as Croydon Palace became too inconvenient and unsanitary, the Addington house and part of the estate was bought for the Archbishops of Canterbury as a country residence. The last Archbishop to use it was Archbishop Benson.
There are still several old houses and buildings in Addington and, even though there has been some fairly modern building, the village atmosphere is intact in the 21st century, despite its being in Greater London. There is a blacksmith's forge, still mainly making ornamental ironwork.[2] The hunt used to meet outside the pub, The Cricketers which has reverted to its former name once again after a temporary change of name. The village co-operative store and post office is now a private house.
St Mary the Blessed Virgin Church[edit]
The church of St Mary the Blessed Virgin Church, built in 1080, in Addington village was once the only church when it was the centre of a larger parish then incorporating Shirley. Now it has been reduced cover Addington village, Fieldway part of the New Addington estate and Forestdale. It has an 11th-century chancel and windows. The south aisle, built in the early 13th century, is narrow as it once had a thatched roof, hence its falling roofline. The belltower assumed its current form in 1876. The crypt is now inaccessible, but the church is the burial place of a Lord Mayor of the City of London, the armigerous Leigh family who were Lords of the manor and five of the six Archbishops of Canterbury who spent time at their residence nearby Addington Palace. There is also a memorial to the Archbishops in the graveyard.
Addington Cricket Club[edit]
The cricket field is one of the oldest in England and still used. The local cricket club was one of the strongest in England during the mid-18th century, frequently taking on opposition of county-strength. Its famous players at the time were Tom Faulkner, Joe Harris, John Harris, George Jackson and the enigmatic batsman Durling.
References[edit]
External links[edit]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Addington, London |
- Addington in the Domesday Book
