{{Short description|Suburb of London, England}} {{distinguish|Cofton Park|Crofton, London}} {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2020}} {{Use British English|date=August 2015}} {{infobox UK place | country = England | region = London | official_name = Crofton Park | constituency_westminster = Lewisham West and East Dulwich | population = 14,937 | population_ref = (2011 Census. Ward)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadKeyFigures.do?a=7&b=13688948&c=Crofton+Park&d=14&e=62&g=6333189&i=1001x1003x1032x1004&o=362&m=0&r=1&s=1476355237836&enc=1|title=Lewisham Ward population 2011|accessdate=13 October 2016|publisher=Office for National Statistics|work=Neighbourhood Statistics|archive-date=21 October 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161021060152/http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadKeyFigures.do?a=7&b=13688948&c=Crofton+Park&d=14&e=62&g=6333189&i=1001x1003x1032x1004&o=362&m=0&r=1&s=1476355237836&enc=1|url-status=dead}}</ref> | post_town = LONDON | postcode_area = SE | postcode_district = SE4, SE23 | london_borough = Lewisham | dial_code = 020 | coordinates = {{coord|51.4523|-0.0333|display=inline,title}} | os_grid_reference = TQ367744 | static_image_name = File:Brockley Road in Crofton Park.jpg | static_image_caption = Brockley Road runs through Crofton Park }} thumb|View of the high street in Crofton Park, London SE4, 2009 '''Crofton Park''' is a predominantly residential suburb in the London Borough of Lewisham.
It is the original site of the former agricultural hamlet of Brockley.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://hidden-london.com/gazetteer/crofton-park/ |title=Crofton Park |publisher=Hidden London |accessdate=14 July 2013}}</ref><ref name="ideal-homes1">{{cite web |url=http://www.ideal-homes.org.uk/lewisham/assets/histories/brockley |title=History of Brockley | History of Lewisham and Districts |publisher=Ideal Homes |date=29 September 2010 |accessdate=14 July 2013 |archive-date=13 July 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130713035532/http://www.ideal-homes.org.uk/lewisham/assets/histories/brockley |url-status=dead }}</ref> It is located {{convert|5.3|mi}} south east of Charing Cross, and is south of Brockley and north of Honor Oak. Major points of interest include the Rivoli Ballroom, the Brockley Jack Theatre and the Arts and Crafts Gothic church of St Hilda.
Crofton Park Ward is bordered by Brockley and Ladywell Cemeteries to the north, and Garthorne Road Nature Reserve in the west with the London to Brighton railway running along the western boundary of the ward and a section of Ladywell Fields to the south east. The area also offers easy access to South East London Green Chain of walks.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.greenchain.com/walks/section-11.php |title=Section 11 |publisher=The Green Chain |accessdate=14 July 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140202225556/http://www.greenchain.com/walks/section-11.php |archive-date=2 February 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Nearby, between Honor Oak and Catford, is Blythe Hill Fields, one of a number of hills in south east London and which provide good views of Canary Wharf and the City of London.
==History== {{More citations needed|section|date=July 2023}} Before the area was built in the late 19th century, the principal buildings were Brockley Farm, Brockley Hall, and the Brockley Jack public house.<ref name="ideal-homes1"/> The area expanded rapidly in the 1890s with the opening of a new railway line (informally known as the Catford Loop) and railway station which opened in 1892.<ref name="kentrail1">{{cite web|url=http://www.kentrail.org.uk/crofton_park.htm |title=Crofton Park |publisher=Kentrail.org.uk |accessdate=14 July 2013}}</ref> It was the naming of the station as Crofton Park which gave the area its modern and invented name. Despite this being the historic heart of Brockley, that name had already been used for two earlier railway stations further north – Brockley Station and Brockley Lane Station.
The rapid pace of expansion of the area continued pre-First World War, with the building of more shops and facilities to support the growing population. ''The London Encyclopaedia'' describes this development as: "a mixture of terrace houses for 'clerkly classes' and local authority flats and houses."<ref name="autogenerated94">Ben Weinreb and Christopher Hibbert, ''The London Encyclopaedia'', Papermac, 1987, p. 94</ref> A handsome Edwardian public library was built next to the railway station in 1905 and, eight years later, a local cinema – the Crofton Park Picture Palace – first opened its doors. This later became the Rivoli Ballroom.
===Brockley Hall=== Brockley Hall, a large private residence, stood on land to the west of the road which now bears its name.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ideal-homes.org.uk/lewisham/assets/galleries/brockley/brockley-hall |title=Brockley Hall, Brockley, 1863 | Lewisham Galleries |publisher=Ideal Homes |date=29 September 2010 |accessdate=14 July 2013 |archive-date=11 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160811025351/http://www.ideal-homes.org.uk/lewisham/assets/galleries/brockley/brockley-hall |url-status=dead }}</ref> The property had a somewhat obscure history.<ref>Typed notes headed 'Brockley Hall' at Lewisham Local Studies and Archives Centre</ref> There was a house on the site before 1745 and probably long before that date. It was the most associated with its final owners, the Noakes family who lived there.<ref>{{cite web| title=Photograph of the Noakes family outside Brockley Hall| url= http://www.wikimyfamily.com/family.php?famid=F34| publisher=Wikimyfamily.com| accessdate=4 September 2013}}</ref> The Noakes were brewers and their ales were sold in many local pubs, including The Brockley Jack which they owned and was just across the road from Brockley Hall. The Hall's lodge stood in Brockley Grove on the approximate site of what are now the front gardens of nos. 24–28.<ref>A photograph of the lodge survives at Lewisham Local Studies and Archives Centre.</ref>
The 1901 census returns show Bertram Noakes as head of the household living in Brockley Hall with his five spinster sisters (Pauline, Elizabeth, Kate, Ada and Maude) and four servants. Lewisham Arhive's photograph of the Hall suggests at one time it was called Noakes Farm.<ref>https://boroughphotos.org/lewisham/noakes-farm-formerly-brockley-hall-3/</ref>
Maude Noakes was the last survivor. An eccentric, she was well known for her large collection of pets. The old lady would bury her pets in the grounds of Brockley Hall and give each one a marked gravestone – even her pigs and cows.<ref>George Russell, ''I remember Crofton Park fifty years ago'' (1979)</ref>
Following Maude's death in April 1931 the property was quickly sold and demolished. Brockley Hall Road, Bearsted Rise, Horsmonden Road, Sevenoaks Road and the 1930s houses in Brockley Grove were built on the site of the Hall and its grounds by the building company Wates.
===The Second World War=== In common with many areas of London, Crofton Park was damaged during the Second World War, particularly by V1 flying bombs and V2 rockets, with the area north of Crofton Park Station on Brockley Road suffering many strikes.<ref>{{cite web|author=Stephen Henden |url=http://www.flyingbombsandrockets.com/V1_summary_se4.html |title=London SE4 Brockley Log |publisher=Flying Bombs and Rockets |accessdate=14 July 2013}}</ref> A V1 'doodlebug' hit on the evening of 18 June 1944 destroyed Brockley Road School and killed five members of the Crofton Park Home Guard. The men are commemorated by a plaque in St Hilda's Church.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://lewishamwarmemorials.wikidot.com/memorial:brockley-st-hilda-ww2-memorial |title=Brockley, St. Hilda WW2 Memorial – Lewisham War Memorials |publisher=Lewishamwarmemorials.wikidot.com |accessdate=4 August 2013}}</ref>
== Governance == For elections to Lewisham London Borough Council Crofton Park is part of the Crofton Park electoral ward.<ref>{{cite web |date=5 November 2020 |title=The London Borough of Lewisham (Electoral Changes) Order 2020 |url=https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2020/1231/made |access-date=14 November 2021 |website=gov.uk}}</ref>
==Notable buildings== {{more citations needed|section|date=July 2023}}
===Brockley Jack=== thumb|Southeast view of the Brockley Jack pub The Brockley Jack was formerly a picturesque timber-framed building and one of the earliest landmarks in Crofton Park. It was described by ''The London Encyclopaedia'' as: "a curious, rambling hostelry, reputedly the haunt of highwaymen".<ref name="autogenerated94"/>
For much of the 18th century it was known as 'The Crooked Billet', for much of the 19th century 'The Castle'.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ideal-homes.org.uk/lewisham/assets/galleries/brockley/jack-public-house |title=Brockley Jack Public House, Brockley, 1885 | Lewisham Galleries |publisher=Ideal Homes |date=29 September 2010 |accessdate=14 July 2013 |archive-date=8 August 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130808213302/http://www.ideal-homes.org.uk/lewisham/assets/galleries/brockley/jack-public-house |url-status=dead }}</ref>
The old Brockley Jack was one of the most photographed pubs in South East London. It was a long, low building with a bay window looking onto the front garden. It had been extended and altered many times during its long history. In the garden were rows of seats and tables beneath old trees, and a large but almost branchless tree stump carrying the pub's sign board. The sign was written on a whale's shoulder blade.
A contemporary account, recorded at about the time of the building's demolition states: "A penthouse on one side sheltered some of the seats and on the other side was a staircase leading to the upper floor of an annex built at right angles to the main building... Within, the rooms are dark with low-pitched ceilings and redolent of beer and tobacco, of which is added the flavour of antiquity from ancient walls and beams."<ref name="autogenerated1">PR64/593, Photo Box 7, Lewisham Local History and Archives Centre</ref>
The association with highwaymen is also cited in the account which continues: "There was a particular staircase so constructed that it could be removed at night, and thus cut off access to the upper storey, in case of criminals being secreted there."<ref name="autogenerated1"/> The film star comedian Will Hay recalled the old ''Brockley Jack'' in his unfinished autobiography, ''I Enjoyed Every Minute'':
"Almost at the corner of the street was romance in the shape of a very old inn, several hundred years old, The Brockley Jack, a reputed haunt and 'pull up' for highwaymen including the famous Dick Turpin. I remember the place quite well – small rooms with the ceiling so low that even a man of ordinary height couldn't stand upright. Alas, the romance didn't long survive on arrival within the district for the place was condemned and pulled down to make way for a modern building."
A 2005 Radio 4 edition of ''Making History'' explored the history of Brockley Jack and found that the pub dated to at least 1810 and was close to areas notorious for robberies of travellers. However, the programme concluded that local legends about a highwayman called Brockley Jack may have been later embroidery to drum up business.<ref name="autogenerated2">{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/history/making_history/making_history_20051018.shtml |title=Radio 4 Making History – Latest programme |publisher=BBC |date=18 October 2005 |access-date=14 July 2013}}</ref>
Brockley Jack, now a Greene King tied pub, was rebuilt as a more substantial structure of brick and stone in 1898. Its foundation stone was laid by Wickham Noakes. A representation of a whale's shoulderblade hangs on a high gable outside the front of the Jack. The real whale's shoulderblade (on which was once the pub's sign) is exhibited above the fireplace to the right of the bar.<ref>Notes in the Brockley photograph collection at Lewisham Local Studies and Archives Centre.</ref>
===St Hilda's Church=== thumb|right|The Church of Saint Hilda in Crofton Park Situated in Stondon Park, St Hilda's Church dates from 1907 and was designed by F H Greenaway and J E Newberry. The Grade II listed building is constructed of Crowborough brick with Chilmark stone dressings and is a fine example of Arts and Crafts ideas superimposed onto Gothic church design. Its English Heritage listing describes it as one of the best Edwardian churches in London.<ref>{{cite web|author=Good Stuff IT Services |url=http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-203411-church-of-st-hilda-crofton-park-greater- |title=Church of St Hilda, Crofton Park – Lewisham – Greater London – England |publisher=British Listed Buildings |accessdate=14 July 2013}}</ref> It has been described by the architectural historian Gavin Stamp as one of two "remarkable and inventive buildings" which distinguish this part of South London, the other building being the Horniman Museum at Forest Hill.<ref>Stamp, Gavin, ''St Hilda's Church, Crofton Park 1908–2008: An Arts and Crafts Church in historical context'', 2008, p. 4</ref>
The church hall adjacent to the current church was its forerunner and originally served as a mission hall. Designed by J E Newberry, it is also Grade II listed.<ref>{{cite web|author=Good Stuff IT Services |url=http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-507105-church-hall-of-st-hilda-s-crofton-park-l |title=Church Hall of St Hilda's, Crofton Park – Lewisham – Greater London – England |publisher=British Listed Buildings |accessdate=14 July 2013}}</ref>
The war memorial in front of the church is in the form of a granite Celtic cross and is inscribed with 141 names of the fallen. It was unveiled on 29 May 1920 by General Sir Ian Hamilton and dedicated by the Bishop Suffragan of Woolwich. A woman is listed among the names – Rosabelle Stanley, a nursing sister.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://lewishamwarmemorials.wikidot.com/memorial:brockley-st-hilda-ww1-war-memorial |title=Brockley, St Hilda WW1 War Memorial – Lewisham War Memorials|publisher=Lewishamwarmemorials.wikidot.com |date=29 May 1920 |accessdate=14 July 2013}}</ref>
===Library=== Crofton Park Library, originally known as Brockley Branch Library, was opened in October 1905 to serve the expanding local population. It is a Carnegie library. Its architect was Alfred L Guy, ARIBA, and it was constructed by F J Gortham of Greenwich. The library is of an eclectic Edwardian free-style composition. Its entrance facade is dominated by a broad Dutch gable and an octagonal tower with a domed roof. The building sustained damage when the neighbouring Crofton Park Station was bombed in 1940 and 1945, losing two glass dome skylights and the leaded glass in the ground floor windows. The library was refurbished in 1959–60.<ref>Photographs at Lewisham Local Studies and Archives Centre.</ref> The library building has been given local listing by Lewisham Borough Council, which describes it as making "a handsome contribution towards the streetscape".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lewisham.gov.uk/myservices/planning/conservation/Pages/Locally-listed-buildings.aspx |title=Lewisham Council – Locally-listed buildings |publisher=Lewisham.gov.uk |accessdate=14 July 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130129024319/http://www.lewisham.gov.uk/myservices/planning/conservation/Pages/Locally-listed-buildings.aspx |archive-date=29 January 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
In 2011, the library was outsourced by the council to be run as a Community run model, by Eco Computer Systems, now renamed Eco Communities. The library takes computer and book donations to help with the running costs of the building.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://libraries.communityknowledgehub.org.uk/study/crofton-park-community-library |title=Crofton Park Community Library | Libraries Community Knowledge Hub |publisher=Libraries.communityknowledgehub.org.uk |date=16 January 2012 |accessdate=14 July 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lewisham.gov.uk/myservices/libraries/branches/Pages/community-library-service.aspx |title=Lewisham Council – Community library services |publisher=Lewisham.gov.uk |accessdate=14 July 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130830152106/http://www.lewisham.gov.uk/myservices/libraries/branches/Pages/Community-library-service.aspx |archive-date=30 August 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Crofton Park Library Saved: Three Years On |url=https://www.newsshopper.co.uk/youngreporter/11560361.crofton-park-library-saved-three-years-on/ |access-date=2022-11-07 |website=News Shopper |language=en}}</ref> The library is staffed by volunteers which meant unlike the Council run libraries it was closed for much of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, finally reopening in April 2021.<ref>{{Cite web |title=ELL libraries reopen with Covid safety rules – Eastlondonlines |url=https://www.eastlondonlines.co.uk/2021/04/ell-libraries-reopen-with-covid-safety-rules/ |access-date=2022-11-07 |website=www.eastlondonlines.co.uk}}</ref>
==Cultural life and leisure== thumb|right|The Crofton Park war memorial, a Grade II listed structure
===Brockley Jack Theatre=== {{main|Brockley Jack Theatre}}
When the rebuilt Brockley Jack pub opened in 1898, it had a large function room at the rear of the building. The room has been used variously as a dance hall, a snooker room and a music venue, and by the 1980s, as nothing much at all. A small group of local actors, David Kincaid, Peter Rocca and Michael Bottle, hit upon the idea of staging dramatic productions in this back room. So, in 1993, the first of these ventures took place: 'An evening with Chekhov', featuring two one-handers, 'On the harmfulness of tobacco' and 'Swan Song'. David and Michael starred and Peter directed.<ref>Information provided by the theatre's first Artistic Director, Mike Burnside</ref>
There was no finance and virtually no facilities but the short run proved a big success, especially with local people.
Gradually, finance was secured and with the help of the brewery, Greene King, the room has been transformed over the years into the vibrant little theatre, fully equipped, that it now is. It has now become a hub of local creativity, staging plays as diverse as 'Julius Caesar', 'Of Mice and Men', 'She Stoops to Conquer' and 'Lilies'. New writing is fostered by in regular workshops, part of the 'Write Now Festival'.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.brockleyjack.co.uk/brockley_jack_studio_past_productions.htm |title=Brockley Jack Studio Theatre |publisher=Brockleyjack.co.uk |accessdate=4 August 2013 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718095450/http://www.brockleyjack.co.uk/brockley_jack_studio_past_productions.htm |archivedate=18 July 2011 }}</ref> Artistic Director Kate Bannister and Theatre Manager Karl Swinyard were awarded Best Venue Directors in the Fringe Report Awards 2011.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fringereport.com/11awards.php |title=Fringe Report |publisher=Fringe Report |accessdate=4 August 2013}}</ref> ===Rivoli Ballroom=== {{main|Rivoli Ballroom}}
Originally built as Crofton Park Picture Palace in 1913, the early cinema was renamed the Rivoli in 1929 and subsequently turned into a ballroom. It has a beautifully conserved interior which largely dates from the 1950s, although the Brockley Road elevation dates from 1931 and the barrel-vaulted ballroom ceiling (originally the cinema auditorium) is also earlier.
It was saved from development as a block of flats after English Heritage gave it a Grade II listing in 2007. A feature in ''Country Life'' described it as: "the best dance space in the country".<ref>{{cite web|last=Swain |first=Marianka |url=http://www.countrylife.co.uk/culture/article/258900/Saving_London039s_Rivoli_ballroom.html#part2 |title=Saving London's Rivoli Ballroom | Culture | Houses for sale, properties for sale |date=2 June 2008 |publisher=Country Life |accessdate=14 July 2013}}</ref>
The English Heritage listing rests largely on the Rivoli's 1950s makeover, describing it as a: "luxuriant, exotic and deeply theatrical" interior, little altered since 1960. Its listing notes that it has special historic interest as witness to the important dance trends of the 1950s and '60s – also noting that attending a dance at Rivoli Ballroom is listed in Time Out's list of 101 things to do in London.<ref>{{cite web|author=Good Stuff IT Services |url=http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-504551-rivoli-ballroom-greater-london-authority |title=Rivoli Ballroom – Lewisham – Greater London – England |publisher=British Listed Buildings |accessdate=14 July 2013}}</ref>
thumb|The Rivoli Ballroom, Crofton Park
In 2012, it was included in a feature in ''The Guardian'' about London's hidden interiors. Described as a popular location of music, fashion and TV shoots because of its kitsch and authentic interior, the article also notes: "There is nothing quite like it anywhere else in London."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/travel/gallery/2012/oct/29/london-hidden-interiors-architecture-pictures#/?picture=398398571&index=9 |title=London's hidden architecture – in pictures | Travel |work=The Guardian|date=29 October 2012 |accessdate=14 July 2013}}</ref>
It maintains a lively calendar of events, including cabaret, dance competitions and themed evenings, including tea dances, and Jackie's Juke Box, a mixed gay/straight night every month which regularly attracts between 200 and 300 people.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.therivoli.co.uk/ |title=The Rivoli Ballroom |publisher=Therivoli.co.uk |accessdate=14 July 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130522034325/http://therivoli.co.uk/ |archive-date=22 May 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
==Transport== The area has a network of rail and bus services, with connections to central London and Kent.
===National Rail=== Crofton Park Station opened in July 1892.<ref name="kentrail1"/> It is served by Thameslink services to London Blackfriars (for the South Bank and Bankside), {{rws|City Thameslink}} (for the City and St Paul's Cathedral), Farringdon (which will connect with the Crossrail network) and St Pancras International (for Channel Tunnel services). In the southbound direction the service links to Catford, Bromley and Sevenoaks. Disabled access entrances to Crofton Park station were opened from Marnock and Lindal Road in 2008. The station ticket office is open every weekday morning, and an automatic Metro ticket machine is also available.
The South London Rail Utilisation Strategy published by Network Rail in March 2008 proposed improvements to rail services along the Catford loop line (through Crofton Park). These include four stopping Thameslink services per hour at this station, and a Victoria to Bellingham service to provide additional trains per hour.
There are three other train stations within a ten to 15-minute walk of Crofton Park Station: Brockley railway station, Honor Oak Park and Ladywell.
{{rws|Honor Oak Park}} and {{rws|Brockley}} stations provide rail links to London Bridge, London Victoria, {{rws|Shoreditch High Street}}, Highbury & Islington, Crystal Palace, Sydenham, East and West Croydon and Caterham. Both stations are served by Southern and since 2010 London Overground services.<!--Overground is a part of the National Rail network-->
===Bus=== A number of bus services operate throughout the area providing links to the West End/The city.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/gettingaround/maps/buses/pdf/croftonpark-14671.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110928003057/http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/gettingaround/maps/buses/pdf/croftonpark-14671.pdf |archive-date=2011-09-28 |url-status=live |title=Buses from Crofton Park |publisher=Tfl.gov.uk |accessdate=4 September 2013}}</ref> Services include: * 171 – Bellingham Catford to Holborn (via Peckham, Elephant and Castle, and Waterloo) * N171 – Bellingham Catford to Tottenham Court Road bus station * 172 – Brockley Rise to St Paul's (via Old Kent Road, Elephant and Castle, and Waterloo) * 122 – Crystal Palace to Plumstead * P4 – Brixton Station to Lewisham Station (via Dulwich Village) * 284 – Lewisham Station to Grove Park
==Local government== Crofton Park electoral ward includes part of the Honor Oak Park area and is one of 18 wards in the London Borough of Lewisham.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://councilmeetings.lewisham.gov.uk/mgMemberIndex.aspx?FN=WARD&VW=LIST&PIC=0 |title=Lewisham Council – Your Councillors |publisher=Councilmeetings.lewisham.gov.uk |accessdate=14 July 2013}}</ref> It is currently represented by two Labour councillors and one Liberal Democrat who were elected on 6 May 2010 when the general election and London Borough elections took place on the same day.
Across Lewisham, Labour gained heavily from the other parties, taking the council from no overall control to a Labour majority of 24 seats. The Liberal Democrats lost a net of five seats, Crofton Park ward being the party's only gain from Labour anywhere in London. This change was put down to the rapid gentrification of the local area.
{| class="wikitable" |- !colspan="6" | Local election results for Crofton Park Ward, Lewisham Borough Council 2002,<ref>[http://www.lewisham.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/93FF44F2-1ECF-4746-8263-17503BDF454A/0/LocalResults2002.pdf Lewisham Borough Council Election results 2 May 2002] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110608215515/http://www.lewisham.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/93FF44F2-1ECF-4746-8263-17503BDF454A/0/LocalResults2002.pdf |date=8 June 2011 }}</ref> 2006<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lewisham.gov.uk/CouncilAndDemocracy/DemocracyAndElections/Elections/ElectionCountsAndResults/CroftonPark.htm |title=Lewisham Borough Council Election results 4 May 2006 |publisher=Lewisham.gov.uk |date=20 October 2010 |accessdate=14 July 2013}}</ref> and 2010.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lewisham.gov.uk/CouncilAndDemocracy/DemocracyAndElections/LocalGovernment/CroftonParkResults6May2010.htm |title=Lewisham Borough Council Election results 6 May 2010 |publisher=Lewisham.gov.uk |date=20 October 2010 |accessdate=14 July 2013}}</ref> |- ! !% 2002 !Votes 2006 !% 2006 !Votes 2010 !% 2010 |- |'''TURNOUT''' |align="right"|25.56% | |align="right"|30.05% | |align="right"|64.8% |- |Candidates for the Labour Party |align="right"|49.46% |align="right"|2,897 |align="right"|35.00% |align="right"|6,404 |align="right"|35.77% |- |Candidates for the Liberal Democrats |align="right"|15.78% |align="right"|1,670 |align="right"|20.18% |align="right"|5,833 |align="right"|32.58% |- |Candidates for the Green Party |align="right"|13.31% |align="right"|2,062 |align="right"|24.92% |align="right"|2,793 |align="right"|15.60% |- |Candidates for the Conservative Party |align="right"|15.81% |align="right"|1,647 |align="right"|19.90% |align="right"|2,589 |align="right"|14.46% |- |Candidate for Lewisham For People Not Profit |align="right"|n/a |align="right"|n/a |align="right"|n/a |align="right"|282 |align="right"|1.58% |- |Candidate for Local Education Action by Parents |align="right"|5.60% |align="right"|n/a |align="right"|n/a |align="right"|n/a |align="right"|n/a |}
==Schools== The in the years 2007–2008 renovated Crofton School – now renamed Prendergast Ladywell School – is the main secondary school in the area and is located on Manwood Road. The area has a number of primary schools, including: * Beecroft Garden Primary School (formerly known as Brockley Primary School) which was rebuilt in 2011–12 * Stillness Infant And Junior Schools in Brockley Rise<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stillnessjs.lewisham.sch.uk/ |title=Stillness School website |publisher=Stillnessjs.lewisham.sch.uk |accessdate=4 August 2013}}</ref>
==Health== Healthcare for the area is commissioned by [http://www.lewishamccg.nhs.uk/ Lewisham CCG]. There is a [https://web.archive.org/web/20090228050648/http://www.lewisham.nhs.uk/welcome.php modern teaching hospital] a short walk away. There are two pharmacies in the area, as well as a local opticians
==Football Team== Crofton Park Football Club was formed in May 2007 and is the area's local side.{{citation needed|date=June 2024}}
==Famous residents==<!-- This section is linked from London Borough of Lewisham --> * Jim Connell (1852–1929), writer of the anthem, "The Red Flag", lived close to St Hilda's Church at 22A Stondon Park. A maroon commemorative plaque was unveiled there by Lewisham Council in February 1989. * British film, radio and music hall comedian Will Hay (1888–1949) lived at 7 Eddystone Road and later 40 Merritt Road, Crofton Park as a child in the late 1890s. He also attended the nearby Brockley Primary School (now renamed Beecroft Garden Primary School).<ref>Graham Rinaldi, ''Will Hay''. Tomahawk Press, 2009, pp.21–2.</ref> * Irish comedian Spike Milligan (1918–2002) lived at 50 Riseldine Road (which is on the Crofton Park side of Honor Oak) in the late 1930s, a few years after coming to England from India.<ref>Humphrey Carpenter, ''Spike Milligan: The biography''. Hodder & Stoughton, 2003, p. 19.</ref> A silver birch tree has been planted in his memory in front of Crofton Park Library.
==Nearest places== * Brockley * Honor Oak * Ladywell * East Dulwich * Nunhead * Lewisham * Forest Hill * Catford * Greenwich
==Nearest railway stations== * Crofton Park railway station * Honor Oak Park railway station * Ladywell railway station * Brockley railway station * Forest Hill railway station * Catford railway station * Catford Bridge railway station
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== {{commons category|Crofton Park}} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20050920045755/http://www.croftonpark.com/ Crofton Park Community website] * [http://www.brockleycentral.blogspot/ Brockley Central Community blog]{{dead link|date=August 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20090206232217/http://www.lewisham.gov.uk/CouncilAndDemocracy/ElectedRepresentatives/Councillors/LocalAssemblies/CroftonParkAssembly/ Crofton Park Local Assembly] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20090213205236/http://www.lewisham.gov.uk/LeisureAndCulture/Libraries/OurServices/WhoWeAre/CroftonParklibrary.htm Crofton Park Library] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20090206225253/http://www.lewisham.gov.uk/CommunityAndLiving/AboutLewisham/Neighbourhoods/BrockleyAndCroftonPark.htm Brockley and Crofton Park History (on Lewisham Council website)] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20090225152649/http://www.londonrivoliballroom.co.uk/history.html The Rivoli Ballroom] * [http://www.gkpubs.co.uk/london/brockley-jack The Brockley Jack pub] * [http://www.brockleyjack.co.uk/ The Brockley Jack Theatre] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20100407042837/http://brockleyjackfilmclub.co.uk/ The Brockley Jack Film Club] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20090105175854/http://www.croftonpark.com/sainthildas/archive/history.htm St Hilda's Church] * [http://lewishamwarmemorials.wikidot.com/memorial:brockley-st-hilda-ww1-war-memorial Full details of St Hilda's Church war memorial] * [http://www.croftonpark.org.uk/ Crofton Park Baptist Church] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20110725202028/http://www.cptug.org/ Crofton Park Transport Users Group] * [http://www.croftonparklabour.org.uk/ Crofton Park Labour Party] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100221081933/http://www.croftonparklabour.org.uk/ |date=21 February 2010 }} * [http://www.flyingbombsandrockets.com/V1_summary_se4.html World War II V1 flying bombs and V2 rockets in SE4] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20061008175403/http://www.ideal-homes.org.uk/lewisham/brockley/haymaking.htm Haymaking in Crofton Park, 1910] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20081006232409/http://www.ideal-homes.org.uk/lewisham/brockley/stondon-park.htm Stondon Park, c.1912] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20110726013511/http://www.ecclsoc.org/ET40.pdf ''The Church of St Hilda, Crofton Park'', (article in 'Ecclesiology Today' by Gavin Stamp, July 2008, pp.77–82)]
{{LB Lewisham}}
Category:Areas of London Category:Districts of the London Borough of Lewisham