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The congregation bought the 'Iron Church' (formerly a Baptist Church) in Wellesley Road. It was opened as the Free Christian Church on 11 December 1870. The freehold of the land was bought in 1875.
Subsequently, a new, permanent, church was built on the same site: the memorial stone was laid on 20 April 1883, and it was formerly opened on 17 November 1883. The 'Iron Church' had been moved to the rear of the new building: it was renamed the Social Room, and was put to regular use for soirees, dances, children's parties, etc. The Church attracted a relatively small, educated, middle class congregation, and its early ministers included several capable intellectuals. However, relations between minister and congregation were sometimes turbulent. EM Geldart, after some years as a popular minister, antagonised many of his congregation when he began to preach a doctrine of Social Democracy: the strain affected his health, and he died in mysterious circumstances soon afterwards.
His successor, CJ Street, resigned over differences of opinion with the congregation; WM Weston was criticised for some of his views (notably an address advocating the abolition of the traditional home), and resigned to re-join the Roman Catholic Church; and WW Chynoweth Pope was asked to resign following a difficult period of declining attendances. Only after the appointment of GC Sharpe in 1921 did relations become more consistently harmonious. Among the prominent early members of the congregation were Henry Moore and his family. In 1906 his son, H Keatley Moore, paid an official visit during his term of office as Mayor. The church was badly damaged during World War 2; and this, combined with the town centre redevelopments, led to a new church and hall being built in Friends Road in 1958. In 1960 the Church was renamed the Unitarian and Free Christian Church.

MINISTERS:
Rev RR Suffield 1870-1877
Rev EM Geldart 1878-1885
Rev CJ Street 1886-1892
Rev JP Hopps 1892-1903
Rev WJ Jupp 1904-1911
Dr WM Weston 1911-1916
Rev WW Chynoweth Pope 1917-1920
Rev GC Sharpe 1921-1937
Rev RPD Thomas 1937-1946
Rev AB Downing 1947-1949
Rev JP Chalk 1949-1961
Rev G Kereki 1961-1984
Rev P Giles 1984-1985
Rev S Dick 1985-1996
Rev V Marshall 1996-1997
Rev E. H. Birtles 1999-2006

For a history of the church, see:
FW Moore, Croydon Free Christian Church: its early days (typescript, 1923) held in the Local History Collection at S70(288)CRO;
Jeremy Morris, Religion and Urban Change (1992), pp97-100
Roger Thomas, The first hundred years of the of the Unitarian and Free Christian Church in Croydon 1870-1970, S70 (280) CRO.
An illuminated address presented to Thomas Mathews, Treasurer and Secretary of the Church, is held at AR69.

Dagnall Park School was a private school for girls, established in about 1889 at 2 Elgin Villas, Dagnall Park, South Norwood (afterwards renumber 45 Dagnall Park). It was originally run by Miss Beale. In about 1895 it moved to 28 Dagnall Park, where it was run by Miss Florence Tait. She moved the school to 38 Dagnall Park in 1899; and again in 1901 to 199 Selhurst Road, South Norwood. It was taken over by the Misses Strugnell in about 1911, and they moved it once more, in about 1918, to 229 Selhurst Road. The school appears to have closed in about 1933. It may have been loosely associated with Dagnall House School (a boys school).

Land had been conveyed on 15 July 1932 to the Trustees of the Croydon Mothers and Infants Welfare Association which had been formed for the purpose of promoting the health and welfare of the expectant and nursing mothers and infants in Croydon. The intention was to erect a Nursery School (with or without payment as the Association might determine), the Trustees being Mrs Helen Grace Crosfield of Eskdale House, Castlemaine Avenue, South Croydon, the widow of Hugh Theodore Crosfield JP, Rosalind Jessie Everett of Yew Tree House, Hartley Old Road, Purley, Surrey widow and Winifred Jane Philpott of 63 Blenheim Park Road, South Croydon. The Secretary of the Association was F.G. Brown, of La Roque, Overton Road, Sutton, Surrey.

Later, Helen Crosfield seems to have been succeeded as a Trustee by Priscilla Crosfield and Rosaline Everett by Barbara Duncan Harris. The land was at about 91 Canterbury Road (i.e. on the south side of the Canterbury Road between Priory Road and Mitcham Road), with a paint factory and a carriers yard on one side and a metal works on the other, but with a gate leading onto Canterbury Road Recreation Ground. The premises were closed in September 1939. In March 1947 the then trustees Winifred Jane Philpott JP, the wife of Alan Philpott, Gentleman, Barbara Duncan Harris JP, the wife of George Percy Harris of 24 Haling Park Road, Croydon, Gentleman and Priscilla Crosfield of 122 Mortlake Road, Kew Gardens, Richmond, Surrey, Spinster, conveyed the property to the Corporation, the declared intention being that it should be used as a Nursery School.

It had, during the war, been used as a Red Cross Centre but had been reopened as a Nursery School on 3 September 1946. In November 1953 the present Nursery School site off Elborough Road was purchased compulsorily by the Corporation from the South Suburban Co-operative Society Limited for 163100, the land having previously been used as tennis courts and having fallen into disuse. The building seems to have been used initially as an annexe to South Norwood Junior School Crosfield Nursery School moved into the premises in September 1962.

L. H. Turtle Ltd. (Turtles or Turtle's) was established in 1894 by Louis Henry Turtle upon the purchase of a tool shop in Crown Hill (Lindsley and Co.). The shop initially sold cutlery and tools before expanding into garden tools and arts and crafts. In 1913 the site had expanded to include the garden and an old malt house at the end of the garden. This extra space was used to accommodate workshops for grinding, sharpening and repairs. In 1964, the shop became subject to a compulsory purchase order and new premises on Park Street were found. As part of this move, it became one of the first hardware stores to offer self-service shopping. At the same time, offices and storage facilites were obtained in Whitehorse Lane before moving to purpose built premises on Tait Road in 1974. The business continued to operate until 2008 when the shop became subject to another compulsory order and the business was closed. Although there were times when the shop was managed by non-family, both Louis Henry’s children, Marion and Clifford, helped in the shop as did Marion’s son, Rupert. When the move to Park Street was necessary, Jeremy, Louis Henry’s great-grandson took over the business until its closure. Company number: 00836538

The Rogers family originally came from Beckenham. Edward Rogers (1836-1924) set up business as a corn merchant in Thornton Heath in about 1880 (at 71 Thornton Heath; renumbered 280 London Road in 1889; and also known as the Unicorn Granaries). The business was taken over in about 1889 by two of his sons, Edward William Rogers (1864-1958) and S Rogers [Stephen or Sydney]: its name changed to EW S Rogers in about 1894, although in fact S Rogers retired from the partnership only a year or so later. In about 1895, the business opened a retail shop at 62 High Street, Croydon. The London Road premises were seriously damaged by fire in 1895, and again in 1902. In the twentieth century, the firm came to specialise in seeds and horticultural supplies. The High Street shop moved a few doors to 72 High Street in 1921; and the London Road premises (renumbered 516 in 1927) were given up in about 1931. The business closed in 1957. EW Rogers died a few months later, in April 1958.

Alice Maria Skinner (c1866-1908) was the daughter of James Arthur Skinner (1839-1907) - a builder, and Mayor of Eastbourne in the 1890s. She grew up in Eastbourne, and went to school in Tunbridge Wells, but regularly visited relations and friends in Croydon. She married Edward William Rogers (her cousin) in 1893, and lived in Croydon for the rest of her life. They had a daughter, Mildred Elizabeth Rogers ('Millie'), born in 1894. Alice died in April 1908. EW Rogers was subsequently married a second time, to Kate Beatrice [--] (c1885-1922).

The photographs and papers relate to Ernest Rollason, and members of his wifes family, several of whom were teachers or head teachers in Croydon. Ernest Rollasons wife was Winifred Westlake Dowle (b1887), who had been a Pupil Teacher at St Andrews School, Croydon, and then a teacher at St Michaels School, Sydenham, before marrying and later returned to St Andrews as a supply teacher. Winifreds father, Edmund Dowle, was head of the Parish Church Boys School, Croydon, 1882-1894; and of the Senior Boys School, 1894-1895. Her mother, n233e Alice Todhunter (c1860-1898), was the sister of Emily J Todhunter (1869-1909), head of St Andrews Girls (Upper) School, 1884-1908, and of Isaac Todhunter, head of the Parish Church Junior Boys School, ?1894-1909. FA (or JA) Todhunter, head of St Marks Girls School, 1884-1886, was presumably another relation. Mary Large (c1856-1936), head of St Andrews Infants School 1884-1908, had close associations with the family: after the death of Alice Dowle in 1898, Miss Large brought up her two children (Winifred and a younger brother); and she later became godmother to Winifreds son, Geoffrey Rollason, and brought him up while his father, Ernest, was away in the army in World War I.

Ernest F Rollason (c1881-1957) was apprenticed as a pupil teacher at Holly Hall Schools, Dudley, 1895-1899; and then trained at Westminster Teacher Training College, 1899-1901. His first teaching post was as an Assistant at Oval Road School, Croydon, 1902-1903. He then taught at Beulah Road Boys School, Croydon, 1903-1915, before leaving to join the army. At the end of the War, he went to teach at Tavistock Grove Senior Mixed School, where he remained (despite several applications for headships) until his retirement in 1942.

Mr Ralph Cachemaille Thomas married Miss Elsie Florence Uffindell on August 31st 1929 at St Clements Church, Great Ilford. They celebrated their silver wedding anniversery on 31st August 1954 when they were living at 112 Fairlands Avenue, Thornton Heath.

The Loxton and Ward families have a connection with the Bird in the Hand Public House , Sydenham Road, Croydon through the donors grandmother Hilda Annie Loxton (nee Ward) who was at one time the proprietor. The 1886 street directory lists the Bird in the Hand as 51 Sydenham Road North with George Ward, her father, as proprietor. Her name first appears as such in the 1909 street directory, as Mrs Loxton. She married Frederick Percival Duckering 12 June 1928. Thereafter the entry in the 1932 street directory reads Mrs Duckering at 239. She last appears in the 1937 street directory at 291 and 293. By 1939 the entry reads F J Stratford.

Private William Frederick Martin was born in Clapham, the son of Mr. Ernest John and Mrs. A. A. Martin, later of 54 Priory Road, West Croydon, Surrey. In the First World War he fought for the Queens 2nd Battalion of the Royal West Surrey Regiment. He was killed in action at Festubert whilst serving with the British Expeditionary Force on the 16th May 1915 at the age of 19. His grave is unknown but there is a memorial to him at Le Touret Military Cemetery in France.

Sergeant Frederick William Stevens was born at Godstone, the son of Fred William and Louisa Elizabeth Stevens of 2, Jubilee Terrace, Dorking. He was a member of the Queens 1st Battalion of the Royal West Surrey Regiment during the First World War but died on Wednesday 16th January 1918 at the age of 23. He is buried in Dorking Cemetery in Surrey.

Henry George Stevens was an Ordinary Seaman on H.M.S. Queen Mary he died at sea on Wednesday 31st May 1916, and having no grave, he is mentioned on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial in Hampshire.

Private William Stevens was also a member of the 1st Queens Royal West Surrey Regiment.