| Littleheath Woods and Edgecoombe Playground | Croydon |
The name Little Heath appears on a map of 1800 suggesting that there was once less woodland in the area. Littleheath Woods is the collective name for Littleheath Wood, Foxearth Woods, part of Queenhill Shaw and part of Gee Wood. The land was purchased in 1932, largely acquired through the efforts of Malcolm Sharp and the Commons and Footpath Preservation Society. Littleheath Wood was once used for shooting, and a pheasantry was established north of Queenhill Shaw. A bridle path runs through the centre of the woods to Lloyd Park.
The information shown above was correct at the time of the last update 01/04/2017
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The information below is taken from the relevant Local Authority's planning legislation, which was correct at the time of research but may have been amended in the interim. Please check with the Local Authority for latest planning information.
This is the collective name for a number of small woods: Littleheath Wood, Foxearth Wood, part of Queenhill Shaw and part of Gee Wood. Most of the land was acquired through the efforts of Malcolm Sharp and the Commons and Footpath Preservation Society, and the land was purchased in 1932 for £1849, part was in Croydon, and part in Coulsdon and Purley Urban District. Littleheath Wood was used for shooting and a pheasantry was established north of Queenhill Shaw; laurel and privet were planted as cover for game. A bridle path through the centre of the woods runs to Lloyd Park (q.v.) in the north and Selsdon Woods (q.v.) in the south. This path was once fenced to keep the game in the woods.
The name Little Heath appears on a map of 1800, which suggests that there was less woodland in the area. Gruttendens Field was open land in 1800 and still shown as a field a century later, showing that the birch woodland has grown up since 1900. Gee Wood, south-east of the field, once had three ponds that are still discernable today. One of the ponds served livestock in Gruttendens Field and another served Gee Bank, now built over as Foxearth Road. The pond meant that the rear garden fences of several of the properties were diverted from an otherwise straight line. The length of the wood straddles the parish boundary and later the County Borough boundary, and there are a number of 1928 boundary markers. Through the site run Vanguard Long Distance Path, and London Capital Outer Orbital. Friends of Littleheath Woods have written a management plan for the site and the group is active in its maintenance.
Winterman, M A, Croydon's parks: an illustrated history (LB Croydon, 1988) p 53