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Bensham Lane, THORNTON HEATH, CR7 7EN

Sunset over the junction of Bensham Lane with Frant Road and Queen's Road.

Bensham Lane is a suburban road in Thornton Heath, south London.

Photograph taken from Queen's Road. Frant Road is straight ahead, and the ancient Bensham Lane runs from left to right.

For more information about Ancient Lights signs, see the information on another image showing such a sign, Image Bensham Lane cuts across the regular street pattern of nineteenth-century developments (it clearly marks a much older route), resulting in various points like this where houses are staggered rather than forming neat terraces. The area where the car is parked is one such, and would be an attractive space for further development which would block the light to the further house were this right to light not asserted.

The hairdressers stands on the corner of Queens Road, and Bensham Lane. The latter was originally a country lane, winding its way between fields, and can be seen on old maps of Thornton Heath.

This was originally the Croydon Union Workhouse, designed in 1865-66 by John Berney. It was heavily damaged in the Second World War leaving just this Italianate tower (with a pyramid roof underneath the scaffolding) and a small section of the facade below. Grade II listed. The area around it is being developed for housing and happily it looks as if the tower is being renovated. Or perhaps converted into a very tall and narrow bijou apartment. Three months later it looked like this: Image

Newly qualified as a road junction, following the building of housing on the old Queen's Hospital site, this is the junction of Goodman Crescent and Queen's Road. In the background can be seen the tower from the former Workhouse, which is just inside the adjacent grid square.

I didn't, but I have to be grateful to the car driver who stopped for a couple of seconds, which enabled me to take this photograph! Malcolm made two failed attempts to secure my vote (most people were "not at home" in my street) ...... I wonder when he will next visit? The result of the 2010 General Election, in the Croydon North Constituency, was as follows: Name / Party / Votes / % / +/- Malcolm Wicks / Labour / 28,949 / 56.0 / +2.4 Jason Hadden / Conservative / 12,466 / 24.1 / +1.9 Gerry Jerome / Liberal Democrat / 7,226 / 14.0 / -3.2 Shasha Khan / Green / 1,017 / 2.0 / -0.9 Jonathan Serter / UK Independence Party / 891 / 1.7 / +0.0 Novlette Williams / Christian Party / 586 / 1.1 / +1.1 Mohommad Shaikh / Respect-Unity Coalition / 272 / 0.5 / +0.5 Ben Stevenson / Communist Party of Britain / 160 / 0.3 / +0.3 Mohamed Seyed / Independent / 111 / 0.2 / +0.2 Majority 16,483 (31.9%) Turnout 51,678 (60.6% +8.0%)

Originally built in 1865 as the Workhouse, and more recently known as Queen's Hospital, the tower is all that remains of the original structure. The grounds have been used for housing development, and the tower is shortly to be restored.

Originally built in 1865 as the Workhouse, and more recently known as Queen's Hospital, the tower is all that remains of the original structure. Work has now started to convert the tower into luxury flats. As far as I can make out from the diagram, wings, in a contemporary design, will be added. The development will be known as "King's Tower". I wonder what the original occupants of the Workhouse would have thought.