Addington Palace, (also known as Addington Place), Addington Village, England

The following is from the English Heritage Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest:  

Remains of an 18th century park surrounding an 18th century mansion. The grounds were landscaped by Lancelot Brown, and later, in the 19th century, the property became the summer home of the archbishops of Canterbury.

LOCATION, AREA, BOUNDARIES, LANDFORM, SETTING

Addington Palace lies to the south-east of the London Borough of Croydon, between the settlements of Addington, Shirley, and Forestdale. The mid 20th century development of New Addington lies to the east, separated from the site by the A 2022, Kent Gate Way and agricultural land.

The 120 hectare site is bounded on the north-east by Shirley Church Road, on the south-east by Kent Gate Way, on the south-west by Gravel Hill, and on the north by the private road, Birch Hill, some playing fields, and Pinewood Close. Bishops Walk with its prestigious residential developments enters the site off Shirley Oaks Road to the west.

The ground at Addington Palace is undulating and slopes down generally from the north-west to the south-east, forming part of a dry valley with a ridge of high ground about 400 metres to the north of the Palace. The view to the east is marred by the high-rise buildings of New Addington. The vegetation to the north is typical of Surrey heathland, whereas to the south parkland trees thrive.

REFERENCES used by English Heritage

E Walford, London Old and New (nd), p 133

W Watts, Seats... (1779), pl 19

G A Walpoole, New British Traveller (1784), p 56

W Thornton, New Complete and Universal History (1786), p 506

J P Neale, Views of the Seats ... (1818-1823)

G F Prosser, Select Illustrations of Surrey (1828)

J C Loudon, Encyclopedia of Gardening (1829)

Gardeners' Chronicle, i (1902)

D Stroud, Capability Brown (1974), p 214

B Cherry and N Pevsner, The Buildings of England: London 2 South (1983), pp 204-205

F Shorrocks, guidebook, Addington Palace History and Description (nd), pp 23-25

Outline Restoration Plan for Addington Palace Golf Course, (Colson Stone 1991)

Addington Palace and Addington Palace Gardens Restoration Management Plan, (Colson Stone 1996)

Maps

John Rocque,Topographical Survey of the County of Surrey, 1762

A P Driver, Addington Park,1802 (reproduced in Colson Stone 1996)

Tithe map for Addington Manor, 1837 (Croydon Local Studies Centre)

Tithe map for Addington parish, 1842 (reproduced in Colson Stone 1996)

OS 6" to 1 mile: 1st edition surveyed 1867, published 1868

2nd edition published 1898

3rd edition published 1912

1930 edition

OS 25" to 1 mile: 1st edition published 1867

2nd edition published 1898

Illustrations

R Balwin and A Hogg, engraving, East Front of the House, 1762 (reproduced in Colson Stone 1996) [Shows the house before the terrace was made.]

W Watts, engraving, Addington Place, in Surrey, the seat of James Ivers Trecothick Esq, 1779 (reproduced in Colson Stone 1996) [Front of the house from the north-west.]

Archival items

Photograph, Church Walk (Sale catalogue, 1911), (Croydon Local Studies Centre)

Photograph, Addington Palace Estate (Sale catalogue, 1911) [View of a small part of the pleasure grounds from the north-east with east boundary fence.]

Description written: May 1998

Amended: November 2001