View source for A215 road

{{short description|Road in London, England}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2022}}
{{Use British English|date=February 2013}}
{{good article}}
{{Infobox road
|country=ENG
|type=A
|route=215
|header_type=minor
|image=A215 Beulah Hill, Norwood SE19 - geograph.org.uk - 50984.jpg
|image_notes=The A215 running through Norwood, London.
|length_mi=
|direction_a= North
|terminus_a = [[Elephant and Castle]]
|direction_b= South
|terminus_b = [[Shirley, London|Shirley]]
|junction   = {{jct|country=GBR|A|3|name1= }}<br />{{jct|country=GBR|A|202|name1= }}<br />{{jct|country=GBR|A|2216|name1= }}<br />{{jct|country=GBR|A|2214|name1= }}<br />{{jct|country=GBR|A|205|name1= }}<br />{{jct|country=GBR|A|214|name1= }}<br />{{jct|country=GBR|A|212|name1= }}<br />{{jct|country=GBR|A|213|name1= }}<br />{{jct|country=GBR|A|222|name1= }}<br />{{jct|country=GBR|A|232|name1= }}
|destinations=
|previous_type = A
|next_type = A
|previous_route = 214
|next_route = 216
}}

The '''A215''' is an [[A roads in Great Britain|A road]] in [[south London]], starting at [[Elephant and Castle]] and finishing around [[Shirley, London|Shirley]]. It runs through the [[London Boroughs]] of [[London Borough of Lambeth|Lambeth]], [[London Borough of Southwark|Southwark]] and [[London Borough of Croydon|Croydon]].

The A215 was Britain's most crash-prone A road between 1999 and 2010, having 2,836 crashes over its ten-mile length.<ref>{{cite news |title=Every death on every road in Great Britain 1999–2010 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-15975564 |publisher=[[BBC News]] |date=2011-12-02}}</ref>

==Route==

===Walworth Road===
[[File:walworth road.jpg|thumb|left|Walworth Road on a Saturday afternoon in 2003]]
At its northernmost point at [[Elephant & Castle]] in [[Newington, London|Newington]], the A215 begins as Walworth Road, which runs between [[Elephant and Castle]] and [[Camberwell Road]].<ref name="google"/> It runs through [[Walworth]] and is the major shopping street of the area. [[East Street Market]] is especially busy on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Other attractions include the [[Cuming Museum]], Newington Reference Library and [[John Smith House (Southwark)|John Smith House]], a former [[Labour Party headquarters]] which is now used by the [[local education authority]].

[[Charles Babbage]], the [[Victorian era|Victorian]] mathematician and computer pioneer, was likely born at 44 Crosby Row, now Larcom Street,<ref name="ODNB">{{cite ODNB|id=962|title=Babbage, Charles|first=Doron|last=Swade}}</ref> Walworth Road on 26 December 1791.<ref>{{cite web |last1=O'Connor |first1=J.J. |last2=Robertson |first2=E.F. |title=Charles Babbage |url=http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Biographies/Babbage.html |url-status=live |publisher=School of Mathematics & Statistics, University of St Andrews |date=October 1998 |access-date=2007-04-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070401220839/http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Biographies/Babbage.html |archive-date=1 April 2007<!--DASHBot-->}}</ref> A commemorative [[blue plaque]] is displayed on the Sexual Health Clinic at the junction of Larcom Street and Walworth Road.

Just off the Walworth Road was [[Walworth Road railway station]] on the [[London, Chatham and Dover Railway]] that was opened in 1863 and shut in 1916 due to wartime constraints.<ref>{{cite web |last=Catford|first=Nick |title=Walworth Road |url=http://www.subbrit.org.uk/sb-sites/stations/w/walworth_road/index.shtml|work=Subterranea Britannica|access-date=2009-08-20}}</ref>

{{clear}}

===Camberwell Road===
[[File:CamberwellPalace.jpg|thumb|upright|The Camberwell Palace of Varieties]]
Walworth Road transitions into Camberwell Road where the A215 enters the former [[Metropolitan Borough of Camberwell]]. The road runs adjacent to the railway between [[Elephant & Castle tube station]] and [[Loughborough Junction railway station]].<ref name="google"/> Much of Camberwell Road is a [[conservation area]], due to its well-preserved large houses from the early 19th century.<ref>{{cite web
| title =Welcome to Camberwell Guide
| publisher =Global Guides
| year =2003
| url =http://www.southlondonguide.co.uk/camberwell/property.htm
| access-date =2007-04-24| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070528174312/http://www.southlondonguide.co.uk/camberwell/property.htm| archive-date= 28 May 2007 <!--DASHBot-->| url-status=live}}</ref>

By the time of the [[Domesday Book]], Camberwell was already a significant settlement. The town remained a popular resort for Londoners due to its believed medicinal [[Water well|wells]]. In 1685, [[John Evelyn]]'s ''[[John Evelyn's Diary|Diary]]'' mentions a Roman urn filled with bones which was uncovered intact during repairs to the road and exhibited at the [[Royal Society]].<ref>{{cite journal
| title =Camberwell
| journal =Old and New London
| volume =6
| pages =269–286
| publisher =Centre for Metropolitan History
| year =1878
| url =http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=45281
| access-date =2007-04-24}}</ref>

[[Camberwell Green]], at the junction of Camberwell Road and Camberwell Church Street, was the traditional site of Camberwell Fair, an annual fair held every August. Following complaints about the noise and high crime levels generated by the fair, a group of residents bought the fairground in 1855, converting it into the park which remains today.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Walford|first=Edward|year=1878|title=Camberwell|journal=Old and New London|volume=6|pages=269–286|url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=45281}}</ref>

In [[Victorian era|Victorian]] times Camberwell Road was a focal point of south London's [[Music hall]] scene, with a number of music halls opening from the 1850s onwards.<ref>{{cite web
| last =Boast
| first =Mary
| title =The Story of Camberwell: Camberwell Entertainment
| publisher =Arthur Lloyd
| url =http://www.arthurlloyd.co.uk/Camberwell.htm
| access-date =2007-04-24| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070410152633/http://arthurlloyd.co.uk/Camberwell.htm| archive-date= 10 April 2007 <!--DASHBot-->| url-status=live}}</ref> Following the advent of the cinema and later of television, the music halls fell into decline, with the last closing in 1956. Nearby Orpheus Street marks the site of the Metropole Music Hall.

Since the [[New Works Programme]] of the 1930s, [[London Passenger Transport Board|London Transport]] and its successors have planned to extend the [[Bakerloo line]] south to a station on Camberwell Road. The original plans were abandoned due to the [[Second World War]] before much construction had been completed. Construction again began in the 1950s and 1970s, but was abandoned each time. [[Transport for London]] still intends to build this extension, but no date has been set for the work.<ref>{{cite web
| title =Bakerloo Line Extension to Camberwell
| publisher =Always Touch Out
| date =2006-11-18
| url =http://www.alwaystouchout.com/project/104
| access-date =2007-04-24| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070405102614/http://www.alwaystouchout.com/project/104| archive-date= 5 April 2007 <!--DASHBot-->| url-status=live}}</ref>

===Denmark Hill===
After the A215 crosses the A202 it becomes Denmark Hill.<ref name="google"/> This road was originally known as Dulwich Hill, and was renamed in 1683 to commemorate the marriage of Princess Anne (later [[Anne, Queen of Great Britain|Queen Anne]]) to [[Prince George of Denmark]].<ref>{{cite web
 |title=Camberwell History 
 |publisher=London Borough of Southwark 
 |year=2005 
 |url=http://www.southwark.gov.uk/DiscoverSouthwark/heritageandhistory/HistoricSouthwark/HistoricVillagesSection/HistCamberwellHistory.html
 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121223195216/http://www.southwark.gov.uk/DiscoverSouthwark/heritageandhistory/HistoricSouthwark/HistoricVillagesSection/HistCamberwellHistory.html
 |url-status=dead
 |archive-date=2012-12-23
 |access-date=2009-08-20 
}}</ref> The road runs between [[King's College Hospital]] and The [[Maudsley Hospital]] before going alongside [[Ruskin Park]]. Further south the road passes the Denmark Hill Estate.<ref name="google"/>

The Victorian [[art critic]], author and [[social critic]] [[John Ruskin]] lived at 163 Denmark Hill from 1842 to 1871. The house no longer stands and is now the site of a block of [[council flats]].<ref>
{{cite book
| last =Boast
| first =Mary
| title =The Story of Dulwich
| publisher =London Borough of Southwark
| location =London
| url =http://www.dulwich.co.uk/history.html
| access-date =25 April 2007
| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20070430191012/http://www.dulwich.co.uk/history.html
| archive-date =30 April 2007
| url-status=dead
}}
</ref> [[Ruskin Park]], immediately south of the twin hospitals, is named in his honour.

Denmark Hill is home to two of London's largest [[hospital]]s, the general [[King's College Hospital]] (part of [[King's College London]]) which moved to the site from its original central London location in 1913,<ref>{{cite web
| title =King's Denmark Hill campus
| publisher =King's College London
| date =2005-06-30
| url =https://www.kcl.ac.uk/about/history/campuses/denmark.html
| access-date =2007-04-25
| archive-date =3 May 2007
| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20070503231134/http://www.kcl.ac.uk/about/history/campuses/denmark.html
| url-status =dead
}}</ref> and the Maudsley psychiatric hospital.

It is believed by historians that 168, 170 and 172 Denmark Hill were designed by noted architect and prison designer [[William Blackburn]] due their similarity in architectural style to his other buildings. However, as the original documentation relating to the construction of these houses has been lost or destroyed, it has proved impossible to confirm this.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Myatt's Fields, Denmark Hill and Herne Hill |url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=49777 |url-status=live |journal=Survey of London: Lambeth Southern Area |volume=26 |pages=146–154 |publisher=Survey of London |year=1956 |access-date=2007-04-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070609123756/http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=49777 |archive-date=9 June 2007<!--DASHBot-->}}</ref>

Immediately south of the Maudsley Hospital is [[Denmark Hill railway station]], built in 1866 and rebuilt following a fire in 1980, on the [[South London line]]. This station forms part of the [[East London line]] westward extension to [[Clapham Junction (area)|Clapham Junction]] as part of the [[London Overground]] network.<ref name="ELL ext">{{cite web |title=East London Line Extension |url=http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/corporate/east-london-line-extension.pdf |url-status=dead |publisher=Transport for London |access-date=2009-08-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090711062334/http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/corporate/east-london-line-extension.pdf |archive-date=11 July 2009}}</ref>

===Herne Hill===
The road continues southwest into Herne Hill, a short stretch of road running through the [[Herne Hill|area of the same name]].<ref name="google"/> The origin of the name is disputed, but possibly derives from [[heron]]s nesting on the (now buried) [[River Effra]]. The earliest known usage of the name "Herne Hill" dates from 1798.<ref>{{cite web |title=A Brief History of Herne Hill |url=http://www.hernehillsociety.org.uk/ |url-status=live |publisher=Herne Hill Society |date=2007-02-07 |access-date=2007-04-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070412120654/http://www.hernehillsociety.org.uk/ |archive-date=12 April 2007<!--DASHBot-->}}</ref>

St Paul's church was rebuilt in [[Gothic revival|gothic]] style by the architect [[George Edmund Street]] in 1858.

[[Herne Hill railway station]] is at the southern end of Herne Hill, on a busy six-road junction. It opened in 1862 and was initially the southern [[Rail terminal|terminus]] of the [[London, Chatham and Dover Railway]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Brixton Guide |url=http://www.urban75.org/brixton/history/hernehill2.html |url-status=live |publisher=Urban75 |access-date=2007-04-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070609163421/http://www.urban75.org/brixton/history/hernehill2.html |archive-date=9 June 2007<!--DASHBot-->}}</ref>

===Norwood Road===
Norwood Road begins after [[Herne Hill railway station]]. It runs alongside [[Brockwell Park]] and then south to [[Tulse Hill]].<ref name="google"/>
A manor house known as "Brockholle" or "Brockhalle" (the origin of the name "Brockwell") was built on Norwood Road, on what is now a part of Brockwell Park, in the mid-15th century. In 1809 the building was bought by wealthy merchant and [[Sheriff of London]] John Blades. Blades demolished the building, and built [[Brockwell Hall]] as a replacement at the top of the hill in the park; this building still stands today.<ref>
{{cite web
| title =Brockwell Park
| publisher =Brockwell Family History Society
| url =http://www.brockwell-fhs.co.uk/brockwell_history.htm
| access-date =2007-05-03
| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20070928030748/http://www.brockwell-fhs.co.uk/brockwell_history.htm
| archive-date =28 September 2007
| url-status=dead
}}
</ref>

[[Tulse Hill railway station]] is on this road. After passing the station, Norwood Road continues south past [[West Norwood Cemetery]] (home of 65 [[Listed building|Listed Monuments]]<ref>{{cite web
| title =West Norwood Cemetery
| publisher =Friends of West Norwood Cemetery
| url =http://www.fownc.org/
| access-date =2007-05-03| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070520054107/http://www.fownc.org/| archive-date= 20 May 2007 <!--DASHBot-->| url-status=live}}</ref>) to [[West Norwood]] and the Norwood Triangle. Norwood Road is home to [[St Luke's Church, West Norwood|St Luke's Church]], a [[Listed building|Grade II listed]] building designed by [[Francis Octavius Bedford]] in 1823–5 and rebuilt by [[George Edmund Street|GE Street]] in 1870.<ref>{{cite web
 |title=History of St Luke's Church, West Norwood 
 |publisher=St Luke's Church 
 |year=2007 
 |url=http://www.stlukes4u.org/history.htm 
 |access-date=2007-05-03 
 |url-status=dead 
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724183335/http://www.stlukes4u.org/history.htm 
 |archive-date=24 July 2011 
}}</ref>

The Regal Cinema opened on Norwood Road in January 1930; it was unusual in that it also staged live stage shows to accompany films (including performances by animals from [[circus]]es visiting the nearby park). It was home to the Regal Redheads, a troupe of dancing girls who performed in the [[Intermission|interval]].<ref>{{cite web
| last =Chapman
| first =Eric
| title =Memories of Norwood
| publisher =Virtual Norwood
| url =http://www.virtualnorwood.com/localinfo/wnhistory.shtml
| access-date = 2007-05-03| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070429173528/http://www.virtualnorwood.com/localinfo/wnhistory.shtml| archive-date= 29 April 2007 <!--DASHBot-->| url-status=live}}</ref>

===Knights Hill and Norwood High Street===
Knights Hill starts in the north at [[West Norwood]] in the Norwood Triangle one-way system, and runs through a council ward also named as [[Knight's Hill (ward)|Knight's Hill]]. It ends in the south at a junction with the A214 at Crown Lane and Crown Dale. Knights Hill becomes [[Beulah Hill]] here at Crown Point. To the north, south of Knight's Hill is the part of the Crystal Palace area with no name home to a large [[shopping parade|parade]] of competing large super markets along the A215 Norwood Road including Tesco, Cooperative, Iceland and (by Summer 2009) Sainsbury (ex Woolworth's site). [[West Norwood railway station]] is on this road. Knights Hill contains the [[Knights Hill Nature Reserve]], one of the last remaining vestiges of the [[Great North Wood]] which once covered the area.<ref>{{cite web
| title =An Unofficial Brief History of Norwood Grove
| publisher =Friends of Norwood Grove
| date =1998-09-15
| url =http://www.vino.demon.co.uk/fong/history.html
| access-date =2007-05-04}}</ref>

The 1647 Parliamentary Survey described Knights Hill as "a small common wood containing 40 pollard oaks and two elms".<ref>{{cite journal
| title =Norwood Introduction
| journal =Survey of London
| volume =26
| pages =167–73
| year =1956
| url =http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=49779
| access-date =2007-05-04| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070609124326/http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=49779| archive-date= 9 June 2007 <!--DASHBot-->| url-status=live}}</ref>

===Beulah Hill===
{{redirect|Beulah Hill|the community in the United States|Beulah Hill, West Virginia}}
Beulah Hill (originally "Gravel Pit Road"<ref>{{cite web
| title =The Geology of South Norwood
| publisher =Croydon Online
| url =http://www.croydononline.org/history/topics/geology2.asp
| access-date =2007-05-10}}</ref>) begins at a crossroads where the A215 crosses the A214 and Knights Hill becomes Beulah Hill. The road makes a sharp turn to the east where it continues through the neighbourhoods of [[Upper Norwood]]. On the sharp bend is the ornamental [[Beulah Hill Pond]]. Formerly "Big Pond", it was intended as a watering stop for horses and cattle using the road, and still contains a railing to prevent animals straying into deep water. The "Conquering Hero" [[pub]] was built next to the pond for the use of people stopping to allow livestock to use the pond,<ref>{{cite web
| title =Beulah Hill Pond
| publisher =Croydon Online
| url =http://www.croydononline.org/history/places/parks_and_open_spaces/beulahpond.asp
| access-date =2007-05-10}}</ref> and remains today.

The composer and organist of [[St Paul's Cathedral]], [[Thomas Attwood (composer)|Thomas Attwood]], lived in a large house on Beulah Hill from 1821 to 1834. [[Felix Mendelssohn]] stayed at the Attwood family home, once in 1829 and again in 1832, completing some compositions there. The house was demolished in the late 1960s.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://norwoodsociety.co.uk/articles/121-mendelssohn-in-norwood.html |title=Mendelssohn in Norwood |last=Warwick |first=Alan R |website=norwoodsociety.co.uk |publisher=The Norwood Society |access-date=15 December 2017 }}</ref>

In March 1966, shortly before the [[1966 FIFA World Cup|World Cup tournament]], the [[FIFA World Cup Trophy|Jules Rimet trophy]] was stolen from an exhibition at [[Central Hall Westminster]]. It was found seven days later by a dog named [[Pickles (dog)|Pickles]], wrapped in newspaper at the bottom of a suburban garden hedge at Beulah Hill. The story made national headlines.<ref>{{cite news |last=Dean |first=John |title=How my dog found the stolen World Cup trophy – but police failed to recognise it |url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/how-dog-found-stolen-world-7540928 |access-date=2018-10-06 |date=18 March 2016}}</ref>

Nearby is [[St Joseph's College, Upper Norwood|St Joseph's College]] founded in 1855, one of the first Catholic educational institutions to be opened in England following the restoration of the Catholic hierarchy.<ref>{{cite web| title =History of the Lasallian Movement in Great Britain| publisher =Lasallian Magazine| url =http://www.delasalle.org.uk/fsc/history.htm| access-date =2007-05-10| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20070410140234/http://www.delasalle.org.uk/fsc/history.htm| archive-date =10 April 2007| url-status=dead}}</ref> Beulah Hill was the site of Britain's first independent television [[transmitter]], built by the [[Independent Television Authority]] in 1955.<ref>{{cite web
 |last=Graham 
 |first=Russ J 
 |title=First to the Top 
 |publisher=Transdiffusion Broadcasting System 
 |year=2004 
 |url=http://www.transdiffusion.org/tmc/tvh/history/first.php 
 |access-date=2007-05-10 
 |url-status=dead 
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930171511/http://www.transdiffusion.org/tmc/tvh/history/first.php 
 |archive-date=30 September 2007 
}}</ref> Beulah Hill ends at a junction with the A212 (Church Road). From this junction, the A215 is called [[South Norwood Hill]].

===South Norwood Hill===
South Norwood Hill descends sharply towards [[South Norwood]]. It becomes Portland Road at the crossroads with the [[A213 road]].<ref name="google"/> [[Spurgeon's College]] is a theological college which since 1923 has been located in a mansion built in 1890 and known as [[Falkland Park]]. Otherwise this section of the A215 is mainly residential. The former porter's lodge of the Falkland Park estate still stands along South Norwood Hill as no. 217, "Falkland Lodge".

===Portland Road===
[[File:Norwood portland.JPG|thumb|The station entrance to Norwood Junction off Portland Road.]]
Portland Road begins at a crossroads where the A215 crosses the A213 on South Norwood High Street and South Norwood Hill becomes Portland Road. The road then travels down a hill with many shops (mainly takeaways, newsagents). It passes [[South Norwood Leisure Centre]], a new leisure centre which includes a creche, cafe, gym, swimming pool etc. Portland Road ends with a left turn to stay on the A215 at Spring Lane or straight on to change onto the B243, [[Woodside Green]].<ref name="google"/> From June 2010, the road will be the site of a station on the new [[London Overground]] network.<ref name="ELL ext" />

====Early history====
The northern section of the road was historically known as "Cholmerden" or "The Goat House". The Minister's of Bailiffs Account of the Chauntry of St Nicholas show that an annual rent of 33 [[shilling]]s and four pence was paid on the land between 1442–1483; this is the earliest recorded reference to the area. The road at the time ran through an ancient [[woodland]] known as the North Wood (the origin of the modern place name [[South Norwood|Norwood]]). The area was cleared for farmland in the 16th and 17th centuries. Industrial development began in the early 19th century following construction of the [[Grand Surrey Canal]], linking the area to [[Surrey Commercial Docks]] and the [[River Thames]] in 1809. This section of the canal was closed in 1836, with the [[London and Croydon Railway]] built along the canal bed; modern housing development began in the mid-19th century following the opening of the railway.<ref>{{cite web
| last =Moore
| first =Colin
|author2=Gerrard, Derek|author3= Hubbard, Sally
| title =History of South Norwood
| publisher =Metropolitan Police
| url =http://www.met.police.uk/croydon/history.htm
| access-date =2007-04-04| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070402090323/http://www.met.police.uk/croydon/history.htm| archive-date= 2 April 2007 <!--DASHBot-->| url-status=live}}</ref>

====Jolly-sailor station and the London & Croydon Railway====
[[File:JollySailor.jpg|thumb|Jolly-sailor station in 1845, showing the bridge carrying Portland Road in the background and the [[atmospheric railway|atmospheric propulsion system]] pumping station, with its [[Gothic Revival architecture|Gothic]] chimney/exhaust vent, in the foreground.<ref>{{Cite journal
| title =Jolly-sailor Station
| journal =The Pictorial Times
| year =1845
}}</ref>]]
In 1839 the [[London and Croydon Railway]] opened [[Norwood Junction railway station|Jolly-sailor station]] (sic)—listed as "Jolly-sailor near Beulah Spa" on fares lists and timetables—at the north end of the street. The station was renamed Norwood in 1846. The station was immediately adjacent to a [[level crossing]] over Portland Road.<ref name="C&B">{{cite book
| last =Connor
| first =J.E.
| title =London's Disused Stations: The London Brighton & South Coast Railway
| publisher =Connor & Butler
| year =2006
| location =Colchester
| isbn =0-947699-39-2
| page =70}}</ref>

In 1844, the London and Croydon Railway was given parliamentary authority to test an experimental [[atmospheric railway|pneumatic propulsion]] system on the railway (referred to at the time as the atmospheric-propulsion system). A pumping station was built on Portland Road; this created a [[vacuum]] in a pipe paralleling the railway tracks. A piston extended downwards from the trains into a slit in the pipe, meaning that trains were literally sucked towards the pumping station or blown away from it. The pumping station was built in a [[Gothic Revival architecture|Gothic]] style, with a very tall ornate tower which served both as a [[chimney]] and as an exhaust vent for air pumped from the propulsion pipe.<ref name="C&B" />

As part of the construction works for the atmospheric-propulsion system, the world's first railway [[overpass|flyover]] was constructed at the north end of Portland Road, to carry the new atmospheric line over the conventional steam line below. In 1847, the atmospheric propulsion experiment was abandoned.<ref name="C&B" />

Following construction of new lines, the station closed on 1 June 1859 and was replaced by a new station on the south side of the road, [[Norwood Junction]], which is still in use,<ref name="C&B" /> now part of the newly-extended [[East London line]] of the [[London Overground]] which was opened on 23 May 2010.<ref name="ELL ext" /><ref>{{Cite news
 |last=Crerar 
 |first=Pippa 
 |title=East London line's opening puts Hackney on rail map 
 |url=http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23828313-new-pound-1-billion-east-london-rail-route-opens.do 
 |work=London Evening Standard (online) 
 |date=2010-04-27 
 |access-date=2010-08-26 
 |url-status=dead 
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100706200921/http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23828313-new-pound-1-billion-east-london-rail-route-opens.do 
 |archive-date=6 July 2010 
}}</ref>

====Places of interest====
One of the earliest [[cinemas]] in south London, the Electric Picture Palace, opened on Portland Road in 1910.<ref>{{Cite book
| title =Minutes of Proceedings, Report of the Theatres and Music Halls Committee
| publisher =London County Council
| year =1909
| location =London
| url =http://londonfilm.bbk.ac.uk/view/source/?id=77
}}</ref> The cinema was renamed the Central Cinema shortly afterwards, and closed in 1956,<ref>{{cite web| title =Lost Cinemas of South London| publisher =The Dark Screens| year =2006| url =http://www.darkscreens.co.uk/cinema.asp?id=97| access-date =2007-04-04| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20070409042204/http://www.darkscreens.co.uk/cinema.asp?id=97| archive-date =9 April 2007| url-status=dead}}</ref> and no trace of it now remains.

Portland Road is also home to the "Gold Coast", the only [[Ghana]]ian [[public house]] in London; this is a focal point for London's Ghanaian community and serves Ghanaian beer, wine and food.<ref>{{cite web
| title =The Gold Coast
| publisher =Fancyapint Ltd
| date =2005-11-12
| url =http://fancyapint.com/pubs/pub2401.html
| access-date =2007-04-04}}</ref>

''Roots, Routes, Roots'' (also known as the "Portland Road Mosaic"), an {{convert|11|m|adj=on}} long mosaic depicting the history of the [[South Norwood|Norwood]] area, is under the railway bridge. The mosaic was designed by artists [[Gary Drostle]] and Rob Turner, and built by children from a number of local schools.<ref>{{cite web
 |title=Roots, Routes, Roots 
 |publisher=Drostle Projects 
 |url=http://www.drostle.com/southnorwood.html 
 |access-date=2007-04-04 
 |url-status=dead 
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070524020501/http://www.drostle.com/southnorwood.html 
 |archive-date=24 May 2007 
}}</ref>

===Spring Lane===
Spring Lane is a short road that starts at the junction with Woodside Green. It lies entirely within [[Woodside, London|Woodside]]. St Luke's Church, [[Ashburton Park]], [[Ashburton Primary School]] and [[Woodside tram stop]] are on this road.<ref name="google"/>

Spring Lane was notable for many years in having one of the few [[Ancient lights]] notices in London outside central London, on a private house immediately opposite the station.<ref>{{cite web
| last =Hope
| first =Val
| title =Criminal Croydon
| publisher =Strange Croydon
| url =http://www.apaw71.dsl.pipex.com/PDFs/newcriminalcroydon.pdf
| access-date =2007-05-10
| archive-date =28 May 2006
| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20060528192200/http://www.apaw71.dsl.pipex.com/PDFs/newcriminalcroydon.pdf
| url-status =dead
}}</ref> The sign was taken down in 2005.

====Woodside tram stop====
Woodside railway station was built in 1871 to serve Croydon Racecourse ([[A215 road#Ashburton Playing Fields|see below]]). The station was unusual in being designed for horses, with access ramps instead of steps and with unusually high entrances designed to accommodate a horse and rider.<ref>{{cite web
 |title=The New Beckenham to Addiscombe line 
 |publisher=Railways of Britain 
 |url=http://uk.msnusers.com/RailwaysofBritain2/newbeckenhamtoaddiscomberailway.msnw 
 |access-date=2007-05-10 
 |url-status=dead 
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070129041533/http://uk.msnusers.com/RailwaysofBritain2/newbeckenhamtoaddiscomberailway.msnw 
 |archive-date=29 January 2007 
}}</ref> In 1997 the railway was replaced by [[Tramlink]];<ref>{{cite book
| last =Connor
| first =J.E.
| title =London's Disused Stations: The South Eastern Railway
| publisher =Connor & Butler
| year =2003
| location =Colchester
| isbn =0-947699-37-6
| page =72}}</ref> the station is now [[Woodside tram stop]].

===Shirley Road===
Shirley Road is the final road on the A215. It is home to [[Ashburton Community School]] and [[Trinity School of John Whitgift]]. It ends in [[Shirley, London|Shirley]], [[London Borough of Croydon|Croydon]]. Shirley Road skirts the nearby suburb of [[Addiscombe]].<ref name="google">{{Cite map|publisher=Google Maps|title=Overview of the A215|year=2009|cartography=NAVTEQ|access-date=2009-05-27|url=https://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&tab=wl}}</ref> The town is named after the historic manor of Adscomb ("Edge of the valley"), the country seat of the Heron family,<ref>{{cite web
| title =History of Addiscombe Parish Church: Addiscombe parish's early history
| publisher =Addiscombe Parish Church
| url =http://www.addiscombe.fsnet.co.uk/history1.htm
| access-date =2007-05-10 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060501003654/http://www.addiscombe.fsnet.co.uk/history1.htm |archive-date = 1 May 2006}}</ref> which was situated on Shirley Road. The building no longer exists.

====Ashburton Playing Fields====
[[Ashburton Playing Fields]] are just off Shirley Road, behind the school. The fields were first dedicated as a public [[horse racing]] course by [[James I of England|James I]] in the early 17th century. Following the opening of the nearby [[Woodside tram stop|Woodside railway station]] in 1871 large numbers of Londoners began travelling to the racecourse. Following pressure from the Mayor of [[Croydon]], concerned about the large crowds, the racecourse was closed in 1890 and replaced with a [[golf course]]; this was bought by the council in 1942 and given to public use as playing fields.<ref>{{cite web
 |title=Ashburton Playing Fields History 
 |publisher=London Borough of Croydon 
 |url=http://www.croydon.gov.uk/leisure/parksandopenspaces/parksatoz/ashburtonfield/apfhistory 
 |access-date=2009-08-20 
 |url-status=dead 
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091108021227/http://www.croydon.gov.uk/leisure/parksandopenspaces/parksatoz/ashburtonfield/apfhistory 
 |archive-date=8 November 2009 
}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{gbmapping|TQ322785}}
* [http://www.londontown.com/LondonStreets/walworth_road_155.html LondonTown.com information]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070228033803/http://www.ideal-homes.org.uk/southwark/walworth/walworth-road-01.htm 1930 photograph] and [https://web.archive.org/web/20070423015721/http://www.ideal-homes.org.uk/southwark/walworth/walworth-road-02.htm 1978 photograph]

{{UK primary routes 2}}

{{Attached KML|display=inline,title}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:2-0215}}
[[Category:Roads in England]]
[[Category:Streets in the London Borough of Croydon]]
[[Category:Streets in the London Borough of Southwark]]
[[Category:Streets in the London Borough of Lambeth]]
[[Category:Camberwell]]
[[Category:Prince George of Denmark]]