Capital Ring section 3 page 1

CAPITAL RING
Section 3 of 15
Grove Park to Crystal Palace
Section start: Grove Park (Marvels Lane)

Nearest station to start: Grove Park (Rail)

Section finish: Crystal Palace station

Nearest station to finish: Crystal Palace (Overground and Rail)

Section distance 7.8 miles plus 0.5 miles of station links via dinosaur route
Total = 8.3 miles (13.4 km).

Introduction
Much of this longer section is shared with sections of the Green Chain
Walk. It is generally fairly easy walking but there are a variety of surfaces -
road, tarmac paths, rough paths and tracks - and some of them may be
muddy in wet weather. The terrain is generally level with some long and
quite steep slopes and steps at the railway bridges, but there are
alternative routes avoiding the steps as described in the text and shown
on the maps. The first of these involves a different start from Grove Park
station.

There are pubs and cafes at Grove Park, Beckenham Place Park, Penge,
and Crystal Palace Park. Public toilets are at Grove Park, Beckenham
Place Park, and Crystal Palace Park.

The route is generally well signed and passes both New Beckenham and
Penge East railway stations. There are signed links to Ravensbourne
(rail), Beckenham Junction (rail and Croydon tramlink), Kent House (rail)
and Penge West (rail and overground) stations.

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Walking directions
If continuing from Section 2, turn right on reaching Marvels Lane.

If starting from Grove Park station, turn right from the station, then first right
into Chinbrook Road where there is a defective Capital Ring sign high up
on lamp post in hedge. Continue downhill and after passing the second of
the two turnings into Amblecote Road on the right, cross left over
Chinbrook Road at the pedestrian crossing where there is a Capital Ring
sign. Take the right-hand path ahead alongside the Quaggy River. Where
this comes out at the next road (Marvels Lane) you see a large signpost.
Cross to the sign and turn left to start this section.

Alternative route to miss the footbridge steps on Railway Children Walk

From Grove Park station go straight ahead along Downham Way (no
Capital Ring sign), then take the first right, Reigate Road (Capital Ring sign
near corner misleadingly pointing in both directions) for 700 yards to meet
the footpath off the bridge by the children’s playground. Turn left here to
rejoin the main route.

Continue along Marvels Lane uphill past Bannatyne Health Club. At the
end of Marvels Lane, by Grove Park Library, turn right into Somertrees

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Avenue (Capital Ring sign at Grove Park Library) and then almost Did you know?
The path called
immediately left up Coopers Lane (Capital Ring sign) to the end. At the T-
‘Railway Children Walk’
junction with Baring Road, turn right (Capital Ring sign) and then almost is named after the
immediately left (Capital Ring sign) into Railway Children Walk by the right famous book The
hand side of Stratfield House. Railway Children written
by E. Nesbit (Mrs Edith
Bland) who lived
Pass the entrance to Grove Park Nature Reserve (on the right) and climb
nearby. In 1971, the
the 24 steps of the railway footbridge. Follow along Railway Children Walk book was made into a
until it reaches children's playground. well-known film starring
Jenny Agutter.
Turn right at the playground and continue along Reigate Road (Capital
Ring sign) until its junction with Northover Road (opposite a filling station).
Cross over Northover Road. (If needed, there is a pedestrian crossing 20
yards to the right.) Continue ahead along Whitefoot Terrace (Capital Ring
sign) and take the next left into Woodbank Road and stay to the right of the

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grassed area. Follow the road slightly uphill passing Bideford Road and Did you know?
The Downham
Ilfracombe Road. Then turn right into Undershaw Road, keeping to the
Woodland Walk has a
right. Continue along Undershaw Road, passing Capital Ring signs, to its series of right-angled
junction with Moorside Road. turns. This is because it
follows the field
Cross over Moorside Road and go slightly left to continue in the same boundaries of the farms
that existed here before
direction along the Downham Woodland Walk (Capital Ring sign). This
1924 when the London
runs for over a mile (1.6 kilometres) and covers one of the remaining parts County Council
of the Great North Wood. purchased 522 acres to
build a housing estate.
The Woodland Walk crosses four roads. At the first, Downderry Road, Downham Estate
remains the largest
cross the road and keep ahead along a lane serving cottages on the left to
residential development
re-enter the wood then turn sharp left and continue to follow the tarmac in South East London
path as it crosses Oakshade Road. Shortly afterwards the path swings to and was built to house
some 29,000. So large
the right and then crosses Haddington Road. Where the Woodland Walk
was the estate that it
ends, cross Oakridge Road (Capital Ring sign) to immediately reach the warranted an extension
shops at Bromley Road. Cross Bromley Road by the pedestrian crossing, of London's tramway
and on the far side of the car-wash, turn left into Old Bromley Road. Then system to serve it.

cross to the right-hand pavement. Pass Downham Way, Fieldside and

Brangbourne Roads, then in 60 yards turn right into Beckenham Place
Park at the large signpost.

Follow the footpath along the right-hand side of the park, crossing a
humped footbridge over the River Ravensbourne, and continue ahead for a
short distance until a waymarker directs you left onto another path. Follow
the path round as it bends rightwards and over the railway bridge. Having
crossed the railway, take the first turn on the left, onto an earth path. This
turning is easy to miss as the principal path continues straight-ahead.
Look-out for the sign.

To your left will now be a large mound, a recently constructed 'feature'.

Continue through the woods to a junction of paths. Stay straight-ahead,
keeping the lake to your right. (At this point you can take the alternative,
surfaced, step-free route - see map and description on the next page.)
Now keep to the left, through more woods, until a waymarking post directs
you to turn right and then go forwards to the next junction.

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Alternative, surfaced step-free route Did you know?

Arriving at the east end of the lake, turn right and follow the path along the Beckenham Place Park
was laid-out between
side of the lake towards the mansion at the top of the hill. At end of the
1762 and 1793 by a
lakeside path, turn right to cross the stream and rejoin the main route. wealthy timber
merchant, John Cator.
Here, turn right and follow the steps up to the the large signpost. The Cator family left in
1835 and leased the
Break point mansion and park to
The signed link to Ravensbourne station goes left here. tenants who used it as
a school, a sanatorium,
Alternative step free route up the slope and then a golf club.
To avoid the steps, bear left at the 'step-free route' waymarker and make The London County
your way up the slope to a large signpost, turn right there and you shortly Council bought the land
in 1928 and made the
come to the signpost at the top of the steps and re-join the route.
golf club public. The
club closed in 2016.
If you have climbed the steps on the main route, turn right, or if you've With a Lottery grant, the
used the step-free route, go straight-ahead. park has been restored
to something like its
Pass a Green Chain information panel and follow the main path as it twists early 19th Century
and turns past another information board before it becomes tarmac and appearance.

descends towards the lake.

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Cross the stream by the lake and then continue uphill following the path Did you know?
Beckenham Place isn't
round to the left towards the mansion. There is a café and toilets on the
quite what it seems, it's
right here and more in the mansion. Shortly before the mansion, just past an amalgamation of two
five wooden seats, turn right at a waymarker in the grass to reach the houses. The part of the
park's road. Turn left along the road to pass in front of the mansion and building that overlooks
the bulk of the park was
turn right at the large wooden signpost onto a tarmac path. Follow this path built in about 1760 for
to exit from the park into Southend Road. John Cator and firstly
known as 'Stumps Hill'.
Cross Southend Road and turn left (Capital Ring sign). Ignore the Green In 1783 Cator
purchased the
Chain/Capital Ring sign wrongly pointing left towards Calverley Close.
Wricklemarsh Estate at
Continue onwards, and then turn right into Stumps Hill Lane. Note the view Blackheath and whilst
of the Crystal Palace transmitter from the top of Stumps Hill. Keep ahead he had no wish to retain
as Stumps Hill Lane becomes unmade. At the bottom, cross over and turn the great mansion that
stood there he was
left along Worsley Bridge Road (Capital Ring sign). At the T-junction cross
impressed by the
over and turn right along Brackley Road (Capital Ring sign). properties portico. This
was removed and
Break point rebuilt, stone-by-stone,
The signed link to Beckenham Junction station goes left here. at Beckenham to
produce the building we
The route becomes more urban with residential streets and goes past St. see today. The portico
Paul's Church. At the end of Brackley Road cross Copers Cope Road, turn was clearly designed for
a much larger house.

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left, (Capital Ring sign) and then shortly right along Park Road (Capital
Ring sign) to follow the ramp down under New Beckenham Railway
station.

Go straight ahead with the HSBC sports centre on your right. Cross and
turn left into Kings Hall Road (Capital Ring sign) and then right down an
alley (opposite Bridge Road) which takes you into Cator Park. There is a
shared walking/cycle path in the park, so keep to the left. Follow the path
across across two streams, the River Bec and the Chaffinch Brook, to a Y-
junction.

Break point
The signed link to Kent House station goes left at the Y-junction - see map
on the previous page.

Bear right at the Y-junction to follow the path to its far end. At the park exit
follow Lennard Road left and immediately cross via the pedestrian crossing
before continuing left to the crossroads.

Cross and turn right into Kent House Road (Capital Ring sign) and turn left
between numbers 150 and 148 into another alleyway (Capital Ring sign).
This is a straight, fenced path that crosses playing fields. At the end cross
and turn right onto Cator Road (Capital Ring sign). Just past number 57,
the route turns left between houses to another park, Alexandra Recreation
Ground - named after Queen Alexandra, wife of King Edward VII.

Turn left into the park and follow the left hand path (Capital Ring sign)
round to a brick pavilion. Bear right by a Capital Ring sign here to pass a
bowling green then turn left to exit onto Maitland Road.

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Continue ahead and turn right into Lennard Road. The alternative route to Did you know?
After turning right into
avoid the steps at Penge East starts here (see map). For the main route,
the High Street, there
take the first left to Penge East railway station and cross the footbridge. At are two railway bridges:
the far side, turn right along Station Road and then second left along the first, built in 1839,
Kingswood Road (Capital Ring sign). At the end, cross High Street at the carries the main line
from London Bridge to
pedestrian crossing. Turn right after the crossing and head along High the Sussex coast. The
Street. second bridge was built
in 1854 for the branch
Alternative route to avoid steps at Penge East station line to Crystal Palace.
From Maitland Road, cross Lennard Road and keep ahead along Parish The 1854 line then
crosses over the 1839
Lane, then in 250 yards turn right along Penge Lane. Take the first right,
line. This was the
Queen Adelaide Road, then right at St John’s Road (missing Capital Ring world's first railway
sign) to Penge East station. Continue ahead past the footbridge along 'flying junction’.
Station Road rejoining the main route.

Cross Oakfield Road. Go under the railway bridge and cross Anerley Park
and Thicket Road and enter Crystal Palace Park.

Break point
The link to Penge West station goes left after the railway bridge and before
crossing Anerley Park.

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Once inside Crystal Palace Park the route goes towards the central Did you know?
avenue of plane trees, known as Main Avenue or Grand Centre Walk. On The Crystal Palace
started life as the home
the left is a cafe and on the right are toilets.
of the Great Exhibition
in 1851. The building
There are two routes through the park. The main route keeps to the south was only supposed to
and passes the famed dinosaurs, the northerly route is an interesting but last for the life of the
winding path around a greater proportion of the park which adds just over Great Exhibition but in
1854 it was re-erected
half a mile to the distance.
Sydenham in a greatly
enlarged form. It was a
In more detail: the main route turns left just before the café (Capital Ring great public success but
sign) crossing an area of grass before joining a tarmac path going slightly never made money and
uphill with a statue of Guy the Gorilla, on the right. At a Y-junction by elk went bankrupt in 1911.
The building was
statues take the right hand path and follow it round to the right (Capital
destroyed in 1936 by a
Ring sign) over a stone bridge. Immediately after the bridge, turn left and fire which, because of
follow the path round to turn left (Capital Ring sign) over a metal and its elevated position,
wooden bridge. Immediately after the bridge, observe the dinosaurs on the could be seen from
many parts of London.
left and take the right hand fork (Capital Ring sign) uphill. At the T-junction
towards the top of the hill turn right (past Capel Manor College) and then

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left alongside a wire mesh fence. Keep to the left hand path following the Did you know?
fence uphill. After the path begins to level out, Crystal Palace station is on The park and surrounds
is dominated by the 719
the left. Section 3 ends here.
foot Crystal Palace
transmitter which was
Alternative northerly route
built for the BBC in
For the longer, northerly, route proceed along Grand Centre Walk from the
1956.
Café and toilets. You should turn right just before reaching the National
The park is home to the
Sports Centre and take the path that crosses the grass. There is a Capital
world-famous collection
Ring signpost to show you where to turn. of 1850s dinosaur
sculptures, the very-first
Proceed through the grassed area and turn left at the first junction, then depictions of such
first right, and then first left. You are now be before trees surrounding a creatures. These are on
lake. Continue around the lake and you shortly see the abandoned and the south side of the
park next to the Lakes.
apparently rusting 'Crystal Palace Bowl', an open-air stage that is designed
to appear corroded and has won many architectural awards. Pass the
'Bowl' to your right and make for the large footpath signpost visible before
you. Here, turn left and follow an almost straight path/road until you arrive
at a T-Junction on the other side of the park. Turn left, and shortly Crystal
Palace station, the end of Section 3, is before you.

Next steps
Section 4 to Streatham starts from Crystal Palace railway station.

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