Selsdon our area

Aerial Map of Selsdon.  (Gardens, golf courses, woodland, fields etc!)

Selsdon – a short introduction

The boundaries of Selsdon are shown on the membership map. Selsdon is a 'greenbelt' suburb in Surrey, South East England on the southern border of the London Borough of Croydon. 

Selsdon has great transport links, with fast and easy access to London & the South Coast, and is close to many local and national attractions. Residents typically have a high life expectancy and a low crime rate.

Selsdon 'village' was developed from farmland into housing from the 1920’s, and Selsdon today has a library, community centre, churches, a high street with a post office, shops and restaurants, the ‘Village Club’, two pubs, schools (one of which offers a sports club with 25m swimming pool), a tennis club, three supermarkets, a hotel spa/country club, as well as many well run, community focused, clubs and voluntary groups. Local Activities

Our resident association has been active for nearly a century. One of the oldest in the UK. Most visible for delivering the fantastic display of 'cross street' Christmas lights - all funded by voluntary donations each year. Also providing the highly valued 'Selsdon Gazette' which is a free, quality, monthly community magazine produced by the association and delivered direct to over 4,000 households. On the 'Selsdon Triangle', (the green area on the central traffic junction), the SRA commissioned a metalwork Tree sculpture clock and decorative railings by blacksmith and sculptor, Jon Mills. 

Selsdon has two well maintained woods, (Littleheath and Selsdon), and adjoins Sanderstead Plantation, Bramley Bank and King's Wood, so hundreds of acres of public woodland to explore, as well as having playground and recreation areas. It is also situated in walking distance of two well established golf courses (Croham Hurst, Farleigh) and a short drive from four others (Addington Court, The Addington, Purley Downs and Shirley Park). 

All this green space makes Selsdon a wildlife haven. Foxes, badgers, birds, bluebells, even deer, are a common sight. Selsdon is, at its highest points (such as in Littleheath Woods), more than 166 metres above sea level meaning that Selsdon is well placed for 'fresh air and fine vistas'. 

Running through the two woods are two well known walking routes 'The London Loop (section 4)' and 'The Vanguard Way (section 1)'. The south of Croydon holds internationally important habitat of Chalk grassland/downland (see rare butterflies and orchids). Selsdon and the surrounding hills drain through aquifers to the River Wandle (which is a rare chalk stream - one of only 200 in the world) that leads to the Thames.  It is also close to Kent (known as the Garden of England) and the Surrey Hills AONB (an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty). Popular with walkers and cyclists alike.

For suggested local walks and bike rides, please see our 'Places to walk and visit' page.

Selsdon - Some notable connections

For a more detailed history of Selsdon, please see our History page.

In summary…

The earliest written records, dating to the Anglo Saxon period, show that Selsdon was owned and used as a manor, farm and sometime hunting venue by the monarchy or their high ranking favourites and for a long time loaned/leased to Religious Orders such as the Benedictines. (Croydon was the summer home of the powerful Archbishops of Canterbury for over 500 hundred years.)

The most notable, more recent, resident of Selsdon was George Smith (30 April 1765 – 26 December 1836) MP, banker and director of the infamous East India Company, who bought the freehold in 1810. He transformed the Selsdon farm into a manor house, ‘Selsdon Park’. Smith is a direct ancestor of our current monarch. He was a great-great-grandfather (through George's grand-daughter Frances Bowes-Lyon, Countess of Strathmore and Kinghorne) of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother (wife to King George VI), and therefore also ancestor of Queen Elizabeth II and King Charles III. His memorial is in All Saints Church, Sanderstead. Following his family’s residence in Selsdon there were two further owners until 1925, when the last ‘Squire’ died and the manor was sold for development. The house to become a hotel and golf course (golf course closed and 'rewilded' in 2023) and from 1926 onwards the surrounding farmland began to be developed into what was then known as ‘Selsdon Garden Village’.

Sir Julian Huxley (22/06/1887-14/02/1975), Biologist and writer, an early advocate of conservation and an influential populariser of science. His connection to Selsdon lies in his public support of the 10 year campaign to create a ‘bird sanctuary’ and save Selsdon Wood from housing development in the 1920/30’s. He was a keen bird watcher and was very influential in shaping the modern RSPB. He went on to become the first Director-General of UNESCO (1946) and a founding member of the World Wildlife Fund. He also has a pub in Selsdon named in his honour!