You may be interested in the attached pictures of the work going on in the lower reaches of Welcomes Road today.
One picture in particular shows the extensive stress lines on the road a result of the recent frosts no doubt weakened by the weight of the construction site traffic from 10 and 42 Welcomes Road.
The developer at 10 Welcomes Road has kindly done some
temporary repairs to the worst of the damage to the road.
With the flood alleviation works in Kenley Lane starting on or soon after Monday 9th January 2023, Welcomes Road is close to becoming impassable. The frost damage near 8/10 Welcomes Road will be repaired shortly potentially adding to the problems as the road will be partly blocked while the work proceeds. In addition the zone around the bottom of Welcomes Road and Kenley Lane will be traffic light controlled, or so it was understood when WURA had a site meeting with the Council Water Engineer and F.M Conway (contractors) several months ago.
The full mapping for the alleviation works can be viewed here . These appear to show that Welcomes Road will be shut at the bottom end for the duration of the works, along with Kenley Lane which will be approached via Hermitage Road. The pdf maps have been supplied courtesy of Kendra Planning, for which many thanks.
Although Zig Zag Road is not included as a diversion route it is likely to see more traffic though it would be appreciated if construction traffic drivers are instructed to use Uplands Road to approach Welcomes Road to reach the building sites at 10 and 42 WR as Zig Zag Road is not suitable for HGVs. However it would appear that Welcomes Road will continue to be closed at Simone Drive for essential gas pipe replacement works perhaps for another 10 days meaning for this period Zig Zag Road will be the only access route for people living in Welcomes Road from No 68 downwards. It would be appreciated if construction traffic could be minimised until the gas works have been completed when Uplands Road can be used for access rather than Zig Zag Road.
Additionally, drainage investigative works on Hayes Lane j/w Godstone Road have been scheduled for Friday 13th January between 9am & 2pm. Advance “No Waiting” signs are due to be erected on nearby lamp posts soon so that the contractors can get access to all of the gullies.
Please leave yourself plenty of time for your car journey as it will undoubtedly take longer for the next 2 months or so.
Please note that Welcomes Road is currently shut just north of Simone Drive so please avoid the area unless you are accessing your home, as of 6th January 2023.
The work to replace the defective gas pipe has taken place but reinstatement of the road is currently expected to take some time and it would appear that Welcomes Road will continue to be closed at Simone Drive for perhaps for another 10 days through to mid January. This means that once the flood alleviation works start at the bottom of Welcomes Road for this period Zig Zag Road will be the only access route for people living in Welcomes Road from No 68 downwards.
Don’t forget the Battle of Britain fly by at Kenley Airfield at 13:32 on Sunday 21st August.
As always, this is weather permitting and may be subject to late schedule changes. Please ensure that you arrive early and congregate in the assigned area.
with fox in hot pursuit…
Photos by SH with kind permission of RP
The other day when one of our members reported that a turtle had appeared through the fence from the building site next door to her, the event ignited a good deal of interest among members and offers poured in to ‘house’ Tommy until he could be returned to his rightful owners.
He was offered several ponds but in the end Tommy moved to Kenley Lane to take up residence in a thriving pond there. I wonder if he will stay there or move on? Will the owners come and claim him back and what if he doesn’t want to move? Will there be tears?
Thank you everyone who offered a home to Tommy or who took an interest in the fate of this itinerant amphibian.
If you have children who would like to write a short story about the adventurers of Tommy the Terrapin, the one the Committee likes best will be published in the next WURA Newsletter and put on the web site. Closing dates for your story 31st August 2020.
It’s not until 1869 that Kenley starts to be identified as a distinct area in the Croydon Directory, although it is still listed under the Coulson ward. There are a mere 11 entries in 1869, including Mr John Hough at Welcomes Farm and Mr Henry Laycock, at Eastcott, on Valley Road just at the bottom of Welcomes Road.
 | The advert (left) in the Caterham Directory of 1872/73 shows how development is being encouraged along the Caterham branch line. It is at this point that the early properties in the immediate area start to appear, including Elmwood (on Abbots Lane opposite the end of ZigZag Road), Hillside (building itself near Kenley Lane opposite the church, but with driveway down to Welcomes Road) and The Mount (Hermitage Road). No road names are included yet, building was sparse enough that the property name was sufficient to identify each property within Kenley. By 1876 the list has expanded to 54 entries, with properties being listed as Hayes Lane, Godstone Road and Valley Road. |
In 1882 the Waddenden Arms appears in the Directory (now, of course, the Wattenden Arms) although the Village History refers to the landlord there being Thomas Hill from 1876, followed by Sophia Hill from 1895. Within another couple of years Woodhurst, Elmhurst and Benthall appear, grouped around what is now ZigZag Road but just listed as property names.
1886 brings the arrival of a local school, with a Mr Walter Smith as the schoolmaster.
During the 1880’s, the number of entries for Kenley continues to increase, reaching 243 by 1890.
In the early 1900’s, properties begin to appear specifically listed as Welcomes Road, some with names still in use today:
The 1901 Census provides supporting information. It shows Mrs F Dyer as the head of the household at Hazelea. My Henry Laycock is still at Eastcott, Mr George Maw at Benthall, Mr Charles Thomes at Woodhurst and Harriet Wilson at Elmshurst. It logs a population for Kenley of 1299 people.
The WURA website is indebted to local history expert John Carr for making his research into the Croydon Register and 1901 Census information available and also acknowledges the Bourne Society Village Histories 6: Kenley (Ed Grahame Brooks).
The Kenley Community Plan work last year was carried out by Croydon Council in response to concerns raised by the local community about the impact of the increase in housing in Kenley. The Council secured funding from the Greater London Authority’s (GLA) Good Growth Fund (GGF) to appoint consultants to engage with the community to create a Community Plan for the area.
The last update presentation of the Plan was held at the Kenley Memorial Hall in September, and included the following key areas of interest:
The Council is now seeking your feedback on the draft Plan prior to publishing the final version. If you wish to provide feedback please follow this link which will take you to the draft Plan and a structured feedback questionnaire.
The questionnaire and draft Plan will be live from 1pm on Friday 21 February 2020 and feedback will close at midnight on Sunday 22 March 2020. The final Plan will be published in late spring.
You can keep up-to-date with what is happening in Kenley here: www.croydon.gov.uk/kenleycommunity
If you would like to be added to Croydon Council’s Kenley mailing list to ensure you are included in any further engagement and to be kept up-to-date please send your details to: kenleycommunity@croydon.gov.uk
