Fair And Lake - Wandle Park, Croydon

Wandle Park c1955
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A travelling fair each summer here was both a delight and a way to earn a few shillings when the fair ended. I would help dismantle the rides and stalls, working hard from morning to evening for about five shillings (25p) some of which would then be spent next day on hiring a rowing boat on the lake! The families who owned the rides were generous and very hardworking. I loved those times and it seems such a shame that the boating lake is no more.

There were little arched footbridges here and there and I shall never forget the way the water was reflected on the underside of the bridge as the boat glided under each one. There was an island in the centre of the lake and sometimes I would stop the rowboat in the rushes around the middle island. It was like being beside an island in the sea for a 12 year old lad, keeping a sharp eye peeled for any hostile pirates who might be hiding there!

Wandle Park also had two bridges crossing the railway lines running from West Croydon Station to Waddon and all stations to Epsom Downs. One of my favourite pastimes was to stand on the footbridge and wait for the steam trains to come along, huffing and puffing their wonderful, but not very clean, smoke and steam as they passed under the footbridge. Some were mainly freight wagons carrying tons of coal in what seemed like endless trucks until the guards van swept into view.

The other railway bridge was a more solid affair with a hard surfaced slope instead of steps. Underneath this structure, on the park side, there were some dark cavern-like rooms which seemed to be totally unused. There were heavy doors but they were never locked and I often used to creep into one of these mysterious spaces, feeling a tad scared, but could never resist a peep.

I have not seen Wandle Park for over 40 years, having moved away from Croydon around 1960-something. I do, however, know that the lovely lake was filled in some years ago and is now probably grassed over. I've no idea if the fair still sets up its rides and stalls there nowadays; perhaps it does. I hope so.