Address 17 Wilkinson Gardens, London SE25 6BN, UK Similar South Norwood Recreatio, Architecture of Croydon, Selsdon Wood, Grangewood Park, Croydon Palace | ||
Beaulieu Heights is an extensive woodland area between South Norwood and Upper Norwood, London. It is managed by the London Borough of Croydon. It's located between South Norwood Hill and Auckland Road with Auckland Rise to the north and Tummonds Gardens to the south. There are pedestrian entrances from South Norwood Hill and Auckland Rise. The name is locally pronounced /ˈbjuːlə/, as if spelled "Beulah" like the nearby Beulah Hill, and not like the French word or the town of Beaulieu, Hampshire.
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Facilities
History
South Norwood Hill was formerly Beulah Hill or Beggar's Hill, the latter name probably arising from the gypsies who frequented the Great North Wood.
During August 1976 when there was a very hot summer over 1-acre (4,000 m2) of the Oak woodland was destroyed by fire. This area was subsequently cleared and reinstated and the plants and animals which thrive in the woodland soon started to re-colonize the ground.
In 2009, a conservation group called The Friends of Beaulieu Heights has been formed to improve accessibility and biodiversity of the woodland. The group works in partnership with Croydon Council and has produced a woodland management plan for the park, which was approved by the Forestry Commission. Volunteers have opened up footpaths, installed waymarkers and notice board, build steps and planted a community orchard. In line with the management plant, 1ha of holly was removed from site in 2012, in order to bring light back to the woodland floor to allow groundflora and a new generation of trees to flourish. Further work is planned to restore the woodland and bring it back into active management. The Friends hold regular volunteer workdays on site, deliver guided walks and community events to promote the woodland as a community resource and heavan for wildlife.