The Lawns looking towards Spa Hill

Image: © Marathon Taken: 21 Oct 2011

The name The Lawns does not give much indication of the history of this site but it was actually the location of the Beulah Spa. The properties of the mineral spring which was here had been known for many years and during a court case it was proved that the water contained more salts than the water at Cheltenham Spa. It could not rely though on income from people coming to take the waters so in 1831 it was opened as a place for entertainment. The gardens were laid out by Decimus Burton. Fine views were (and still are) to be had, and the entertainments included a maze, a circus and an orchestra. The water was bottled as Beulah Saline Water and sold for two shillings a gallon. The Spa’s popularity started to decline at the time that the Crystal Palace opened in 1854 and in 1858 the estate was put up for auction and much was subsequently developed. In 1939 ‘The Lawns Estate’ was conveyed to Croydon Corporation. The houses beyond the park here are in the appropriately named Spa Hill.

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