Waddon Ponds

Waddon Ponds is a park just off the Purley Way, once part of the large estate of Waddoncourt Farm, and purchased by Croydon Corporation in 1928. Until recently, it was the only place in the borough where the River Wandle could be seen above ground, fed by springs from the source of the river.

It’s located in a busy area, offering a welcome place of green tranquillity to refresh the spirit in an otherwise urban landscape.

The ponds were once millponds, feeding a corn mill dating back to medieval times. In the late19th century, the area was used for watercress beds, later drained to become allotments and then used for industrial purposes.

The park is a great place to see wildfowl — Mute Swan, Little Grebe and especially Coot amongst the species — with nesting boxes on stilts. It’s a lovely place to wander, or maybe sit on a bench and read, with a pathway right round the ponds, leading past an ornamental garden to a children’s playground.