…AND WE’VE GOT A FILM FESTIVAL!!!

FIRSTLY, A LITTLE BIT OF HISTORY: Once upon a time much of this area was covered by the Great North Wood. Gipsies camped here. Paxton rebuilt the Crystal Palace here. Camille Pissarro painted here, Emile Zola photographed the area. Many people know the area as Upper Norwood, these days it’s more commonly known as Crystal Palace…

WELCOME WELKOM VELKOMMEN WILLKOMMEN ECOUTER TO CRYSTAL PALACE

The main jewel of the area is the Upper Norwood joint library which sits in Westow Hill on one side of the main ‘Triangle’ area – so called because of – doh! – its triangular shape. Wonderful staff, all sorts of events going on there and one of the best children’s librarians in Greater London.

There’s also a hugely popular food market which began in May 2013, all sorts of nooks and corners where you’ll find second hand markets, art studios, a recording studio and a plethora of shops selling all sorts of things retro.

Geography: The Crystal Palace area sits in or on the edge of five London boroughs – Bromley, Croydon, Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham. The main shopping area is the aforementioned Triangle bordered by Westow Hill, Church Road (part) and Westow Street. (Crystal Palace is the only area covered by five boroughs. Some areas of London are covered by three boroughs, none by four boroughs.)

ESSENTIALS

If you’ve just moved here; are staying in one of the area’s hotels or with friends / relatives the first essentials are probably going to be supermarkets, post office, and transport.

SUPERMARKETS:

Co-op Central Hill (in former Costcutter)

Iceland 19 Westow Hill

Sainsbury’s Westow Street

POST OFFICE:

Loco newsagents (rear of shop) 55 Westow Street

TRANSPORT: Most of the local bus services leave either from the bus station on Crystal Palace Parade or have stops on the Parade itself. Other routes which just miss the Parade are the 249 and 432 which go down / up Anerley Hill

The number 3 bus from the bus station at the Triangle end of Crystal Palace Parade takes you to Brixton (Underground – Victoria line)  then on into central London, crossing the Thames and passing the Houses of Parliament and Trafalgar Square before finishing its journey at Oxford Circus.

IMPORTANT: London buses no longer accept cash fares  as Transport for London (TfL) have changed to a cash free bus network across the capital.

This means that all passengers boarding a bus in London will need to be in possession of a prepaid or concessionary ticket, Oyster card or contactless payment card.

STATIONS: British Rail stations at Crystal Palace (just off Anerley Hill) and Gipsy Hill (on Gipsy Hill). You can also catch the Overground from Crystal Palace (part of the Undergound) which takes you into east London.

BE AWARE: Off peak cheap rail tickets are NOT valid coming back from London during certain times. Please check when you buy your tickets. (This does not apply to the Underground or Overground)

(There’s several newsagents and more restaurants – 35 different national cuisines according to one estimate – than you can throw a dead sheep at.)

ONCE YOU’VE SETTLED IN AND WANT TO START TO EXPLORE:

CULTURAL:

Dinosaurs: the first ‘must see’ stop. These monsters can be found in Crystal Palace park between the National Sports Centre and Thicket Road. Designed by Waterhouse Hawkins, who lived at 22 Belvedere Road. www.crystalpalacepark.org.uk

Friends of Crystal Palace Dinosaurs aim to:

promote long-term conservation of the dinosaurs and raise funds in support of this aim
encourage research, interpretation, engagement, and access related to the dinosaurs
work with other stakeholders towards broader aims in Crystal Palace Park

The term “dinosaurs” refers to the sum total of the approximately thirty paleontological statues, five geological displays, and related landscaping in the vicinity of the tidal lake in Crystal Palace Park. cpdinosaurs.org.

Subway: Reputedly designed by Edward Barry, the son of Charles Barry who designed the Houses of Parliament, this subway was built under Crystal Palace Parade to link the already built Crystal Palace high level station (demolished in the 1950s) with the Crystal Palace. Currently closed to the public.  Friends of Crystal Palace Subway website: cpsubway.org.uk

Museum: Crystal Palace museum. Close to the top of Anerley Hill in the former Crystal Palace school of engineering. Open Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holiday Mondays 11 am to 3.30 pm (winter) 4pm (summer!) Last entry half an hour before closing. Admission free.

Guided walks round the park set off from here from March each year. Tickets £3.50 plus concessions. www.crystalpalacemuseum.org.uk

Library: Upper Norwood joint library. Westow Hill, corner of Beardell Street. So called because it’s been run jointly by the London boroughs of Croydon and Lambeth and is the country’s only independent library – and nothing to do with ‘waccy baccy’.
Great staff – including one of Greater London’s best children’s librarians – who keep the place going brilliantly despite funding problems and massive staff cutbacks. uppernorwoodlibrary.org

Also the new home for Norwood Society local history meetings. These are held on the third Thursday of every month (excluding July and August). Admission free, all welcome. Donations for tea and cakes during the interval appreciated.

Art:

There are several artists workshops in the area – Coopers Yard (off Westow Hill by the side of the Iceland store) and Paddock Passage off Westow Street.

Inaspace gallery 16 Westow Street www.inaspacegallery.co.uk

Picture Palace picture framers at 65 Westow Street (opposite Sainsbury’s) has a wealth of framed and unframed paintings, posters and prints at ground level and above. www.the-picturepalace.com/

Locally there’s also the Dulwich Picture Gallery www.dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk

South London Gallery near Camberwell Green. 65-67 Peckham Road
London SE5 8UH Opening times: Tuesday-Sunday 11am-6pm (except Wednesdays 11am-9pm)

Music: Lots of events in local pubs.

FOLK OF THE WOOD evening ceilidh once a month at West Norwood’s Portico Gallery – full details at www.folkofthewood.co.uk/portico.html

Cinema

The former cinema building at 25 Church Road – closed in 1968 despite a 2,000-strong petition calling for it to stay a cinema – was acquired from Gala bingo in secret by KICC (Kingsway International Christian Centre) in July 2009 prompting a massive public outcry by the local community.

Bromley council refused planning permission for change of use to a church  in December 2009. KICC have refused at least two requests by cinema operators City Screen to buy it. In March 2015 a revised application for a church with mixed community use put in b y KICC was again turned down by a Bromley council plans sub committee.  This one may run and run. www.picture-palace.org

Nearest main cinemas are the Odeon Beckenham (227 or 358 bus from the bus station on Crystal Palace Parade) Empire Bromley (227 bus) or the Ritzy Brixton, run by the afore-mentioned City Screen. (Number 3 bus).
Empire Bromley also shows special screenings on Wednesday mornings under the title ‘Empire Seniors’ but age limits only apply to the certificate of the film being shown.  All three services leave from the bus station on Crystal Palace Parade.

DULWICH Dulwich Paradiso film society 211 Lordship Lane, East Dulwich. email [email protected]

selondonfilmclubs.wordpress.com/east-dulwich Films on the third Thursday of every month (and the occasional children’s film on Saturday afternoon), upstairs at the East Dulwich Tavern 1 Lordship Lane SE22

Dulwich Film @ The MCT – Michael Croft Theatre Alleyns school, Townley Road, Dulwich www.michaelcrofttheatre.org.uk

SYDENHAM At the Golden Lion pub, Sydenham Road www.sydenhamfilmclub.org

Books:

Bookseller Crow on the Hill at 50 Westow Street have a wide range of the latest titles. Includes a book club: booksellercrowbookclub.com

The Lane Books, Haynes Lane off Westow Street Hundreds of second hand books on a wide variety of subjects – fiction, crime fiction, sci-fi and fantasy, art, ballet, photography, pottery, history, travel, canals and waterways, esoteric, poetry, military, business, pop and rock music, classical music, etc etc Just outside Haynes Lane Market. Open Saturdays from 10.30 am, Sundays from 11am.

See also: Markets (Second Hand) Haynes Lane Market.

FESTIVALS

Crystal Palace Film Festival cpiff.org.uk

Crystal Palace Overground Festival The area’s mega-event of the year. crystalpalacefestival.org

MUSEUMS

Crystal Palace Museum (see above)

Horniman Museum and Gardens 100 London Road, Forest Hill www.horniman.ac.uk

(Following information is all from the Horniman museum)

EASTER, APRIL AND MAY 2015

Easter Holidays

Monday 30 March to Friday 10 April

Bring your family to the Horniman in the Easter Holidays and join us for fabulous craft activities, take part in traditional Easter egg rolling, have a go at printing with plants, try your hand at pond dipping or minibeast hunting, touch real objects from around the world, and many more fun family activities run by us and local community groups. Please see horniman.ac.uk for full details. Highlights include:

Big Wednesdays: Chirpy Chickens!

Wednesday 1 April, 11am – 3.30pm
Join us for a day of activities all about our chickens. Find out all about the chickens and their friends in our animal Walk, touch some chicken taxidermy, eggs and other objects and take part in traditional Easter egg rolling!. Free

Big Wednesdays: Plantastic

Wednesday 8 April, 11am – 3.30pm
Join us for a day of activities inspired by plants. Dance like a flower, make a natural botanical flower print and see our mini-beast home being re-built and lots more. Free

Family Art Fun: Easter
Monday 30 March to Friday 10 April, 11am – 2.45pm
Free and fabulous craft activities inspired by springtime and Easter. Different activities each day include Easter Bunny Messengers, Pecking Hens, Bee Headdresses and Leafy Plant Masks. See horniman.ac.uk for full details. Free

Discovery for All

Monday, Tuesdays and Fridays, 30 March to 10 April, 2-3.30pm

Drop in to our Hands On Base to explore thousands for real objects from around the world. Free

Easter Fair

Sat 4 & Sun 5 April, 10.30am – 4.30pm
Hop around the Gardens with the Horniman Bunny, go on an Easter Egg trail, take part in craft activities, discover what’s in our arts and crafts market, visit our Farmers’ Market for seasonal produce (Saturday only), and enjoy food and drink, and more. Free entry

APRIL AND MAY

Adult Events

Behind the Scenes at the Horniman: Taxidermy in Fashion with Polly Morgan

Thursday 9 April, 7-8pm
Artist Polly Morgan gives a unique insight into her work which is leading the taxidermy renaissance. Since 2004, Polly has been playing with and dismantling taxidermy traditions, creating eerily beautiful still lives. Polly’s work is on display as part of the new exhibits in the Natural History Gallery.

Tickets: £5. Over 18s only.

Nature Late

Thursday 14 May, 6.30-9.30pm
Nature is really hotting up in the creative world. From reinventing taxidermy, 1920s nature films with live electronic scores to street artists painting wildlife, cocktails, food and more, discover why nature is so hot it’s cool. Part of Museums at Night.

Tickets: £5. Over-18s only.

British Vintage Wireless and Television Museum West Dulwich Telephone 020 8670 3667

The Museum is open by appointment only. Please phone in advance if you wish to visit, to arrange an appointment and request address details and directions.

There is no admission charge for individuals, but donations towards the running costs are gratefully received.

There is a small administration fee for groups of five or more people due to extra staffing required. Please contact the Museum to arrange.

LEISURE

Parks and Open Spaces:

BEAULIEU HEIGHTS

Beaulieu Heights: 16 acres of woodland and meadow, is one of the best kept secrets of Crystal Palace. Opened by Croydon council in the sixties, having acquired the land from the Church in 1938. This beautiful park offers stunning views over the South Downs as it drops down from Church road below the antenna and forms one of the most tranquil havens in Upper Norwood. An article about Beaulieu Heights was published in the summer 2011 edition of The Norwood Review (The official journal of theNorwood Society). www.norwoodsociety.co.uk

Wildlife on site: Surveys by volunteers of the site have resulted in a tree count of 60 species and 52 species for plants and birds. A muntjac deer was also reported in the area. A volunteer with the London Bat Group identified two types of Pipistrelle bat and Noctules. (Source: Friends of Beaulieu Heights website)

Crystal Palace park

As well as Crystal Palace park there are a couple of other parks in the area which, like Crystal Palace park, have a Friends group.

Friends of Crystal Palace Park

Volunteering in the park: The Friends meet on the second Sunday of every month – 2pm at the park information centre (opposite the cafe at the bottom end of the park)

“Come and join us for some light gardening and tidying. “We provide all the equipment needed as well as tea and biscuits at the end of the session.” focpp.blogspot.co.uk

Westow park Behind Sainsbury’s supermarket, Westow Street, SE19. Several entrances including one from Westow Street into Coxwell Road (opposite the Secret Garden) and another on Church Road near the top of Fox Hill.

The odd-shaped park originally formed part of the grounds of the Royal Normal College for the Blind which began life in two shops on Anerley Hill. Visible from the park is the school’s old tuning house. friendsofwestowpark.ning.com

Beaulieu Heights Access from South Norwood Hill which is at the far end of Church Road and at its lower end from Lancaster Road. beaulieuheights.org

Upper Norwood recreation ground between Chevening and Eversleigh Roads. www.friendsofnorwoodpark.co.uk

Norwood Park Down Central Hill (opposite Virgo Fidelis) between Elder Road and Salters Hill. www.friendsofnorwoodpark.co.uk

Friends of Norwood Park:  “Norwood Park has some of the best panoramic views of the capital, a water play area, cafe, sporting facilities, and a unique country walk offering a place to sit and contemplate in peace surrounded by wild flowers and trees.

“The Friends of Norwood Park are always looking to the future and are dedicated to improving the facilities in the park. “In the last two years The Friends have raised funds to open an outdoor gym and refurbish the park cafe as well as launching a park safety scheme and setting up a home growing project for local people.

“The Friends now plan to improve sporting facilities and provide more amenities for young people. “By supporting us you can be part of the long-term future of this park for the whole community.”

Sydenham Hill Wood and Cox’s Walk. Close to the Dulwich Wood House pub on Sydenham Hill. Take the bus from Crystal Palace Parade to the last stop on Sydenham Hill and wander back to Cox’s Walk where an elephant called Archie once travelled. Follow the line of the old railway back towards the pub. This is a hidden gem. www.wildlifetrusts.org/reserves

FOR KIDS: Upper Norwood library has an excellent childrens library with all sorts of events for youngsters of all ages (including babies).

New website lists London’s Free Attractions The link is http://www.londonwebmaps.co.uk/ and the Twitter account can be found @londonwebmaps.

FOOD, GLORIOUS FOOD!

CRYSTAL PALACE FOOD MARKET bottom of Haynes Lane / top of Bedwardine Road. Saturdays 10 am to 3pm.

“Meat, vegetables, fruit, eggs, honey, bread, cakes, salads, hot foods, the Cafe Thing, coffee, tea, pastries, cheese, dairy and munch munch more.” There is also a collection box for Norwood Foodbank www.crystalpalacefoodmarket.co.uk 

Norwood and Brixton Foodbank
St Luke’s Church
Knights Hill
West Norwood
SE27 9HS

www.norwood.foodbank.org.uk

CAFES / RESTAURANTS  etc

Too numerous to mention them all. They include:

Breakfasts: At Crystal Pantry cafe 6 Church Road from 7 am Monday to Saturday

Little Palace cafe 49 Westow Hill from 8 am seven days a week

Wetherspoon’s pub The Postal Order – so called because it is housed in the former Upper Norwood sorting office – serves breakfasts 8 am to midday, seven days a week.

Brown and Green cafe in Crystal Palace station – and in Gipsy Hill station too.
www.brownandgreencafe.com

Living Water Satisfies community cafe  46 to 48  Westow Street corner of Haynes Lane. Breakfasts from 9 am www.livingwatersatisfies.org.uk.

Cafe Thing (Haynes Lane / top of Bedwardine Road)

The area has an amazing mix of restaurants.

There’s the award winning The Exhibition Rooms at 69 – 71  Westow Hill (corner of Jasper Road) www.theexhibitionrooms.com Lorenzo’s pizza next door at 73 Westow Hill www.lorenzo.uk.com Joanna’s restaurant 56 Westow Hill and  vegetarian bar/cafe at 38 Westow Street www.joannas.uk.com

Comfort and Joy at 79a Church Road prides itself on its ‘global’ menu.

Continuing the global theme this includes:

Brazil: Braziliana cafe at 72 Westow Hill

Chinese: Chi Oriental 14 Westow Hill www.chioriental.co.uk (and takeaways on Church Road and Westow Street)

Italian:

Lorenzo 73 Westow Hill
Pizza at the Palace 70 Westow Hill
Ponte Nuovo ristorante bar 66 Westow Hill www.pontenuovo.net

Japanese: Edo 18 Westow Hill

Mauritian / Indian: Neo India 78 Westow Hill

Mediterranean: (takeaway) Crystal Saray 64 Westow Hill www.crystal-saray.co.uk

Nepalese and Indian: Gurkha Cottage 17 Westow Street
Yak and Yeti 107 Church Road (in the parade to the right of Belvedere Road)

Portuguese: A Torre 19 Westow Street www.atorre.co.uk

Sardinian: Mediterranea restaurant and pizzeria 21 Westow Street www.mediterranea.co

Thai:
Tamnaq Thai 50 to 54 Westow Hill www.tamnagthai.com
Thai Crystal  7 Westow Hill www.thaicrystal.net

Venezuelan: Mi Coluna es Tuya 61 Westow Street

Vietnamese: Urban Orient 74 Westow Street

BAKERIES

Bettys 67 Westow Hill patisserie, bakery, tea house.

Blackbird bakery 71 Westow Street. Also a deli. eat in or take away. blackbirdbakerylondon.co.uk

CHEESE SHOP

Good Taste Food and Drink 28 Westow Hill – see delicatessens.

DELICATESSENS

Bella Isola Italian delicatessen and patisserie 53 Westow Hill

Blackbird – see Bakeries

Good Taste Food and Drink 28 Westow Hill Also a deli. wwwgoodtaste-fd.co.ukee cheese shop

Piast  Polish and Continental deli 3 Holly Bush Terrace, Westow Street between Westow Hill and Paddock Passage.

PUBS / WINE BARS

Again there’s a lot – almost as many as there are estate agents!

The Grape and Grain at the top of Anerley Hill is a recent winner of the CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale) South Eastern Regional pub of the year.

There’s also The White Hart on the corner of Westow Street and Church Road; Westow House at the end of Westow Hill where it meets Crystal Palace Parade www.thewhitehartse19.co.uk; Numidie’s wine bar at 48 Westow Hill

And that’s just for starters!

MARKETS (Second Hand)

Haynes Lane Market. Haynes Lane off Westow Street. Clothes, books, jewellery, vinyl, CDs etc etc etc. Sundays and Fridays 11 am to 5 am; Saturdays 11 am to 6pm.

Jasper Road Antiques Market. Jasper Road. Not just antiques. Spread over four floors

There are also weekend markets in the former dairy in  Carberry Road (off Westow Street) and on Westow Street to the right of the old post office.

CHARITY SHOPS

Cancer Research 30 Westow Hill. Open seven days a week.

Enterprise Trust 18 Westow Street.

Living Water Satisfies. 68 Church Road. (art materials, second hand books) The charity counsels battered women. Also runs a community cafe on the corner of Westow Street and Haynes Lane.

Shelter 11 Westow Hill

CASHPOINTS

Sainsbury’s supermarket, Westow Street has its own – free – cashpoints (two) on the right hand side wall outside its main entrance.

Barclays 59 to 61 Westow Hill

Lloyds TSB 84 Westow Hill

……AND ALSO

BRIDAL WEAR AND BABY ITEMS

Allbone and Trimit www.allboneandtrimit.co.uk bespoke wedding dress designer & maker. 4 Coopers Yard off Westow Street – the long slope down the left hand side of Iceland. Part of ‘The Overspill’ building. www.allboneandtrimit.co.uk

Love Bridal 57 Westow Street www.lovebridal.co.uk

Papagaio toys, games, baby gifts. 83 Church Road www.papagioworld.com

CANDLES

The Milkhouse Candle Co 111 Church Road www.milkhousecandles.co.uk

CARPENTRY

Jake Dunn Designs 69 to 71 Church Road (the old tractor shop)

CHEMISTS

Sefgrove  3 to 5 Westow Hill 020 8670 5198

CLOTHES

fortyseven 47 Westow Street – see also: hairdressers.

Crazy Man Crazy 18a Church Road

D Solo’s Mens and ladies clothing 23 Church Road

Shoufang Fashion. 60 Church Road. Saturdays and Sundays Midday to 5pm.

Simon Carter* 71 Westow Street www.simoncarter.net

Vien vintage clothing gifts and furniture 79 Church Road

Vintage Hart. Inside the White Hart pub on the corner of Church Road and Westow Street.

NOTE: Grand Bay (formerly at 23 Westow Street*) can now be found online: www.grandbayboutique.co.uk Facebook: Grandbay boutique

*sells mens socks

And more clothes stalls in Haynes Lane Market.

CYCLES

Blue Door Bicycles 5 and 7 Central Hill. This shop for many years was Talbot Cycles. bluedoorbicycles.com

Cadence, top of Anerley Hill (to the left of the Grape and Grain) www.cadenceperformance.com

Popiel  1 Westow Street (corner with Paddock Passage) www.popiel.co.uk

DRY CLEANERS

Franklin Bell 77 Westow Hill

Palace Cleaners 101 Church Road

Top Quality 9 Westow Hill

FLOWERS/GARDENING

Doris 18-20 Crystal Palace Parade just to the right of the Westow House pub. www.dorisflorist.co.uk

The Secret Garden. Access via Coxwell Road off Westow Street. Hidden at the back of the Phoenix Centre and to the left of Sainsbury’s. Just across from one of the entrances into Westow Park. www.thesecretgardencentre.com

FURNITURE

Do South 2 Westow Street has a mouthwatering display of wonderfully kooky items on the corner of Westow Street and Central Hill. www.do-south.com

Lawrences at 2 Holly Bush Terrace, Westow Street between Westow Hill and Paddock Passage sells second hand furniture.

Second hand furniture can also be found in the Haynes Lane and Jasper Road markets and in several shops on Church Road where they occupy three out of a row of five shops opposite the side of the cinema building.

These are (from left) unnamed at 38, Cartwrights at 34 and Bambino at 28 to 32  .

GIFT SHOPS

Brave Girl Gifts 86a Westow Hill

Coconut Trading 73 – 75 Church Road www.coconuttrading.co.uk

Glitter and Twisted at 25 Westow Street (part of the Foresters Hall building with the big clock outside)

Smash Bang Wallop  40 Westow Street smashbangwallop.co.uk

South of the River 56 Westow Street www.southoftheriver.co.uk

HAIRDRESSERS / BARBER SHOPS

2nd Glance hair and beauty salon. 113 Church Road. In parade to right of Belvedere Road

fortyseven 47 Westow Street – see also: clothes

Hi Maintenance Club 74 Westow Hill  www.gmshair.com

Jay Michaels 30 to 34 Westow Street

Way Ahead 41 and 43 Westow Street

Willie Smarts 1 Westow Hill at corner of Westow Hill and Gipsy Hill

Barber shops:

Palace Barber Shop 62 Westow Hill

Phoenix combine barbers 22 Church Road

HARDWARE

Hollybush Stores 24 to 28 Westow Street

Macdonalds  57 Westow Hill (corner of Woodland Road). Not the burger bar. If you can’t find it anywhere else on the Triangle then Macdonalds is the only place likely to have it. And if they haven’t you’re looking at a trip into Penge or Bromley.

HEALTH AND BEAUTY / NAIL CARE

Beauty by Renata Brown 77 Church Road

Crystal Nails professional nail care and waxing 40 Westow Hill

Mother Earth health and beauty salon 42 Westow Street

Nails Palace 81 Church Road

Nature Palace 10 Church Road. Acupuncture, massage, herbals.

North Wood Clinic 36 Westow Street

Revitalize beauty salon 14 Church Road

Training Points personal training studio 85 Church Road.

Your Style – hair, beauty and nails aka Studio Fryzjersko Kosmetyczne 75 Westow Hill www.your-style.co

HEALTH SHOPS

Planta 32 Westow Hill www.planta.co.uk

INTERNET CAFES

Chimeby Links at 89 Church Road Open from 10 am Monday to Saturday. Late Monday to Friday but shuts 4pm Saturdays.

Link Telecom at 4 Westow Hill (open seven days a week from 8 am) and

Upper Norwood Joint Library Internet access currently unavailable but you do need to join their Computer Club 24 hours before you can use the computers. No fee. Watch this space.

JEWELLERY

Crystal Palace jewellers. 76 Church Road. Wedding rings to order.

Haynes Lane Market. Second-hand  jewellery can be found on other units there.

KEY CUTTING

Topy 38 Westow Hill

LAUNDERETTES

One just off the Triangle at 9 Central Hill. There’s another on Anerley Hill close to its junction with Hamlet Road which is nearer to the National Sports Centre, another on the parade at the top of South Norwood Hill at the far end of Church Road.

MEETING PLACES / ROOMS FOR HIRE

Antenna Studios, top of Bedwardine Road

Phoenix community centre, Westow Street (to left of Sainsbury’s)

Salvation Army centre, Westow Street

Upper Norwood library, Westow Hill

MINICABS

The Keen Group Crystal Palace Parade

OPTICIANS

Crystal Eye Centre 20 Westow Hill

PAINT

Hollybush Stores Westow Street

Rafael Gabriel 36 Church Road

POLICE

The Crystal Palace area sits in, and on, the edge of five London boroughs. In an emergency dial 999. In a non-emergency dial 101.

There are several Safer Neighbourhood Teams (SNT) for this area covering Crystal Palace Triangle; Crystal Palace; Gipsy Hill;  South Norwood, College (the Southwark part of Crystal Palace) and Sydenham. Accessible via Metropolitan Police website.

POST OFFICE

Loco,  55 Westow Street. On some days prepare to queue….and queue….and queue.

POUND SHOPS

Pound Shop Westow Street (to right of Sainsbury’s)

Poundstretcher (former Woolworth’s building) halfway along Westow Hill where the zebra crossing is.

SHOES

Merlin Shoes 44 Westow Street  (corner of Haynes Lane and opposite Grand Bay)

SHOE REPAIRS

Topy 38 Westow Hill

SORTING OFFICE

On Westow Street between Hollybush Stores and the Enterprise Trust charity shop. There’s a red pillar box outside. Entrance on the left hand side down a flight of steps.

SPORT AND RECREATION

SWIMMING at the National Sports Centre which sits in the middle of Crystal Palace park. One pool which some may find too big for a leisurely swim.

Nearest other pools West Norwood and Beckenham.

STUDIOS

ANTENNA STUDIOS
Bowyers Yard, Haynes Lane, Crystal Palace, SE19 3AN,
0208 653 5200

Recording/rehearsal studios. Three music practice and recording rooms, two pianos, dance studio, classes…and Cafe Thing. www.antennastudios.co.uk

VINYL

Second hand 45s LPs and the occasional 78 can be found at:

Bambino Church Road (basement)
Haynes Lane Market (upstairs and downstairs)

YOGHURT DRINKS

YoguSensi 93 Church Road

……and now the bad bits

There’s only one set of public loos. These are behind the Phoenix Centre on Westow Street which stands to the left of Sainsbury’s and are open 7 am to 7pm – when they haven’t been closed because of vandalism.  Best avoided?  Some pubs and restaurants will let you use their facilities if you ask. (Please remember to say ‘Please’)

Cycling on pavements. Because of the one-way system many cyclists travel on the pavement going against the traffic. So much for getting fit. And healthy. (Cycles are also an ideal way of stealing people’s mobile phones.) July 2014: Police announce that cyclists now face on-the-spot £50 fines.

Chewing gum on pavements.

Parking – or rather the lack of it. There are 46 public car parking spaces around the Triangle. The former public car park behind Sainsbury’s has morphed into being part of Sainsbury’s – seemingly without anyone being told about it. Maximum stay outside  or inside is now only three hours with the threat of a £70 fine for overstayers – and other transgressions.

Street drinkers (also found in Westow Park);  beggars outside Sainsbury’s claiming to be homeless.

*During the Olympics the Great Britain womens handball team stayed in the Crystal Palace area. The ladies hoped to make the quarter-finals but unfortunately failed to make the knockout stages.
Handball – which is hugely popular in other European countries – received £2.9m from UK Sport in the build-up to London 2012 but afterwards lost its ENTIRE funding towards Rio 2016.
Athletes now have to find sponsorship or pay their own expenses if they want to make it to Rio………

The post A GUIDE TO CRYSTAL PALACE (Original title: A GB women’s handball team* guide to the Crystal Palace Triangle) appeared first on News from Crystal Palace - News & stories from the fresh air suburb - Crystal Palace, London SE19.