Great North Wood
Coordinates: 51°25′35″N 0°04′38″W / 51.426507°N 0.077161°W
The Great North Wood was a natural oak forest that covered most of the area of raised ground starting some four miles (6 km) south of central London, covering the Sydenham Ridge and the southern reaches of the River Effra and its tributaries. At its full extent, the wood's boundaries stretched almost as far as Croydon and as far north as Camberwell.
Very little of the original woodland remains, but today's suburban placenames that contain the contraction Norwood are a reminder of the former woodland nature of the area, and include South Norwood, Upper Norwood, West Norwood (known as Lower Norwood until 1885). Other local names that reflect its past include Woodside, Gipsy Hill, Forest Hill, the Beulah Spa Tavern, Whitehorse Lane, and the Thurlow Arms.
The name Norwood stems from its links to Croydon.
The earliest surviving mention of the wood dates from assize records in 1272, and it was known to be owned by the Whitehorse family during the reign of King Edward III. When Oliver Cromwell seized it from the Archbishop of Canterbury it was measured to cover 830 acres (3.4 km2), but held only 9,200 oaken pollards. Much timber was taken from the woodlands for use in the Royal Dockyard at Deptford as well for charcoal burning and building purposes.
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