Exclusive Addiscombe
Photographs and stories from the new local history book on Addiscombe are being exclusively previewed on the heritage pages of "The Croydon Guardian".
The Book of Addiscombe Volume 2, researched and collated by the Canning & Clyde Road Residents Association and Friends. It is due to be published at the end of the year (2002), but local history enthusiasts can get a preview in the Guardian paper.
Image: Dr's Surgery on the corner of Morland Road and Lower Addiscombe Road
The second volume includes Woodside, Shirley Park and the Whitgift / Park Hill areas. It also includes contributions from 88 people aged between 11 and 98 years and boasts more than 300 historic photos and maps - many coming from family albums and collections.
The date is 1902 and it was the Coronation of Edward VII who had been waiting in the wings for some 60 years to succeed his mother, Queen Victoria.
The coronation was set for the 26th June, but postponed due to his Appendix problem. In fact, the King to be underwent emergency surgery on the 24th June at Buckingham Palace and the Coronation rescheduled for the 9th August 1902.
So great was the concern about his health, that they shortened the usual Coronation Ceremony and had nurses in attendance for the event. This transpired to be a good idea, since during the proceedings it was the Archbishop of Canterbury that was "taken unwell" and needed the medical assistance !
To continue the medical theme, in 1902 "Glendalough" was the home and thriving practice of Mr. JM Hobson MD. His surgery was held in the square block to the front, which is now a Co-op supermarket. The practice was subsequently sold to Dr. Thompson, who for many years held surgery with Dr's Harris & Jones.
In January 1952, Dr Thompson, very much in the spirit of the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth the Second, decided that a more modern building was needed. The new building was built on the grounds of Glendalough the first purpose built GP surgery in London.
The new building inherited the Number 1 Morland Road address, and continues to this day as a popular practice.
Surprisingly Glendalough still exists, since it has the distinction of being bombed in both the First and Second World Wars. The First World War bombing was from a Zepplin that on 13th October 1915 that also bombed Oval School. The Second World War bombing occurred in 1941.
The whole of the old surgery and ground floor of the house are now the Co-op supermarket, the upper floor is now flats.