Acacia/Hazel Grove/Paxton Park

[Falkor]

I heard this road was developed in the 1850s in honour of the great gardener, but I'm wondering if it looked the same then as it does now? Today, the land is occupied by blocks of flats, but what was the old Paxton Park like..? I don't believe I've seen any photos...

[Steve Grindlay]

Falkor, I believe you're right about the development of Paxton Park. I've uploaded a couple of pictures of what I understand is Acacia Road, from the Sydenham Society's collection, together with the relevant part of Stanford's 1862 map, here: http://tinyurl.com/n72xv . I would guess the pictures were taken in the 1970s, when the present estate was developed.

[Falkor]

Thanks Steve! I knew it had to look different in the early days, but couldn't find any photos in either of my Sydenham history books, although they do mention it and the connection with Paxton. I just wondered if the houses were terraced or detached etc. Never expected to see a photo of it--decent quality as well--much appreciated! Thank you for sharing... Was walking around there yesterday, and that photo more than satisfies my curiosity.

[Falkor]

There's UNTOLD photos down at the local studies centre! I don't know if some are new, but I sure don't remember seeing them before...

[LewisSale]

I've looked at the two pictures that Steve Grindlay has posted as being of Paxton Park. One of the pictures would seem to be a picture of the left hand side of LAUREL GROVE, that is of Numbers 1 to 25. Numbers 7 - 11 were built about 1900 and are shown in the 1901 census (31 March) as being unoccupied and not then numbered suggesting that they were newly built. They certainly look like "turn of the century" houses. There were six styles of houses on this side of LAUREL GROVE. That is: 1 - 5, 7 - 11, 13 - 17, 19, 21- 25 and 27; this latter house was, I think, called Vine Cottage and is not in the photograph. The right hand side of LAUREL GROVE, that is numbers 2 - 10, was called ST GEORGE'S TERRACE and was one of the first developments on the Paxton Park Estate as it is shown fully occupied in the 1861 census.
Also shown in this census are 1 - 3 LAUREL GROVE and 4 other houses which I cannot identify yet.
20 houses are shown as "being built" on the Estate and I believe these to have been:
The 9 houses comprising the former MYRTLE TERRACE in MYRTLE GROVE
4 houses in ACACIA ROAD comprising OSBORNE TERRACE and
7 houses in ACACIA ROAD being part of the 20 comprising PAXTON VILLAS and laterly 29 - 41
POPE'S VILLAS (laterly 26 - 28 Acacia Road) are shown as newly built.
I believe also that these houses were being built by John SUGDEN (Builder) and his brother Leonard (Carpenter) and Abraham HARGREAVES (Master Bricklayer) who are all shown as residents on the Estate in 1861. The three men also came from the same Yorkshire village, Calverly.
By 1871 the estate was virtually fully built over.
CHARLES TERRACE (laterly 11- 13 Acacia Road), 6 more houses on the left hand side of Acacia Road bringing the houses knwon as PAXTON VILLAS to 20 (15 - 53 Acacia Road), ARTHUR TERRACE (2 -24 Acacia Road) and a one house addition to OSBORNE TERRACE (30 Acacia Road)
1- 5 PENZANCE VILLAS (1 - 9 Acacia Road) were built in the 1870's and Acacia Road was then completed.
LAUREL GROVE was completed by the addition of the 3 houses in about 1900.
I am completely foxed by MYRTLE GROVE. The 1911 census shows 1 - 9 (the former MYRTLE TERRACE), then GROVE HOUSE, KENT HOUSE and YORK HOUSE and I am unable to identify where these were.
MYRTLE GROVE had 25 houses in all and was, I think, consecutively numbered. That seems to have been from the far end on the south side which was number 1 to the junction with Acacia Road number 15 then cross over to the north side, numbers 16 to 25.
1 - 9 were MYRTLE TERRACE then there was number 10, number 11, a relatively large house, then 12 - 15, a terrace of four. North side was 16 -17 then 18 - 22, 23 and 24 and large house number 25.
The other picture Steve posted shows two houses one of which has a number on the door as 47. This could only be in Acacia Road as the other two streets did not use such a high house number. However, 45 and 47 Acacia Road were part of PAXTON VILLAS, which was built in three stages. However, the two houses do not look as if they were part of the same build although 41 - 53 Acacia Road were built together and were of the same type of house. Could it be that these houses were not part of Paxton Park?
Any views would be welcome

Lewis

[FergussonFamily]

I am completely foxed by MYRTLE GROVE. The 1911 census shows 1 - 9 (the former MYRTLE TERRACE), then GROVE HOUSE, KENT HOUSE and YORK HOUSE and I am unable to identify where these were....

...Could it be that these houses were not part of Paxton Park?

Any views would be welcome

In the 1861 Census, York House comes immediately before Paxton Villas in the schedule and after Laurel Grove. I would assume it was therefore part of Acacia Road. It may be the large building on the opposite side (eastern side) of Acacia Road to Paxton Villas (the 1863 surveyed OS Kent VII map, published 1870, looks identical to Steve's 1862 Stanford map) and on the corner of Myrtle Grove.

I can't help with Grove House and Kent House. They must be additions after 1863, but probably in the two spaces remaining on the eastern side of Acacia Road.

In the 1861 Census, #1 Paxton Villas is empty and "newly built" and there are an additional 4 uninhabited properties next to it.