Monks Orchard is a suburb on the edge of the London Borough of Croydon, in the ceremonial county of Greater London, England, prior to 1965 it was located in the historical county of Surrey. It is situated about 10 miles (16.1 km) south south-east of Charing Cross, south of Elmers End and Eden Park, west of West Wickham, and north and east of Shirley and Shirley Oaks.

History

Monks Orchard is not named after a monastery in the area, but in fact commemorates a family named Monk, from Addington, who owned a farm (Monksmead) and a wood (Monks Orchard) here in the 17th century. The land was acquired by Lewis Loyd in 1854, who built a mansion here and adopted the name of the Monks Orchard wood for the whole estate.

The Lawdon Estate was developed in the late 1960s and includes Regency Walk, Sloane Walk and Kempton Walk.

In 2015 the Bethlem Museum of the Mind opened in Bethlem Royal Hospital, which covers the history of the institution and changing attitudes to mental health over the decades.

Amenities

The area contains a small row of shops on Bywood Avenue, with a smaller parade on Orchard Way now reduced to just a Co-op supermarket following the closure of The Orchard pub in 2019. There is also an Anglican church, St George the Martyr, located on Elstan Way; the original church (now the church hall) was built in August 1937, with the current edifice being constructed in August 1952.

Nearest stations

  • Eden Park railway station
  • Elmers End railway station
  • Norwood Junction railway station
  • West Wickham railway station
  • Woodside tram stop

<gallery>

File:Bywood_Avenue_shops,_Monks_Orchard.jpg|Shops on Bywood Avenue

File:Bethlem Royal Hospital - geograph.org.uk - 34691.jpg|Bethlem Royal Hospital

File:Ashburton_Playing_Field.jpg|Ashburton Playing Fields, formerly Croydon Racecourse

File:Co-op,_Monks_Orchard.jpg|The Co-op supermarket on Orchard Way, with the closed Orchard pub on the corner

File:St_George_the_Martyr_church.jpg|St George the Martyr Church

File:St_George_the_Martyr,_Monks_Orchard_2.jpg|St George the Martyr Church

</gallery>

References

  • Map Location
  • Monks Orchard Primary School
  • MORA (Monks Orchard Residents' Association)