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Breidenbach Co were wholesale perfumers occupying premises in Church Road (rear of the Gun Tavern) between 1900 and 1929. The firm was established in London in 1793. A 1930 trade directory lists Breidenbach Co Ltd, wholesale and export manufacturing perfumers, toilet soap makers, head office and factory at Tower Works, Church Road, Croydon. In November 1922 Reginald Blackwell Breidenbach (59) died at his home at Aberfoyle, Addiscombe Grove, East Croydon . The executors of R.B Breidenbach sold the firm to Eugene Rimmel Ltd in 1930.

This collection spans the years c1869 - c1890 and would therefore indicate that this is representative of a much earlier period in the history of the company and may not necessarily have any bearing on its business activity in Croydon.

It would appear that the volumes are not written in the same hand and although some are marked Mr Mortlock it is uncertain if they are all his work. Although, Mr Mortlock was in all probability an employee of the company at one time, the volumes are not necessarily representative of the official company records.

Location of Britannia Club 34 Surrey Street, corner of Bell Hill and Surrey Street.

Formerly Black Lion public house from 1682, renamed Britannia c.1844 closed c.1939

The building was refurbished and became the Britannia Club, a club for service women. It was opened on January 19th 1943 by HRH Princess Alice Duchess of Gloucester. It was also visited by HRH Princess Marina , Duchess of Kent at a later date.

It closed in 1946.

Croydon and the Second World War by Berwick Sayers page 80 1943 quotes;

On January 19th the Duchess of Gloucester opened the Britannia Club for the Womens Services. This had been a derelict public house in Surrey Street which a committee, with Councillor Basil Monk as its Chairman, acquired on loan from the Corporation. It was repaired, and the rooms were each treated as representing a part of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland by means of singularly effective and attractive wall paintings by Mr H. R. Hatch. It was comfortably furnished with the amenities of a residential club, a canteen service, sitting rooms, a library and sleeping accomodation for about forty girls who could stay there on those times of occasional leave which were not long enough for them to travel to their own homes. It was especialy useful for girls who came from overseas or who had no home of their own. Relays of voluntary women helpers assisted the residential hostess and did much to make the club one of the most popular and beneficent institutions of the time

The 1955 Street Directory lists the building as Britannia Club ( R.A.F. Association) .

47 Coombe Road was vacated by the British Red Cross in 2010. The building was renovated and is now divided into flats

In 1880, the existing Volunteer Fire Brigade (which had absorbed earlier brigades) was dissolved by the Local Board of Health, and superseded by a Retained Fire Brigade: this consisted of paid permanent firemen, and 'retained' firemen, who were used and paid as required. However, as a result of some disagreement, a new Volunteer Fire Brigade was established by a Captain Blogg, with himself as Chief. Its main station was in Church Street, and it also had a sub-station at Broad Green, at 149 (later 7) St Jamess Road. This Volunteer Fire Brigade was disbanded in 1886; but the Broad Green station was taken over by the Retained Fire Brigade (by now run by the Borough of Croydon), and numbered as Branch Fire Station No 6. It continued to be manned, like some of the other branch stations, on a voluntary basis. In 1903, there was a general reorganisation of staffing arrangements, and the volunteers became known as Auxiliary Firemen. The Broad Green station was closed in 1907, following the opening of a new enlarged Central Fire Station.

Francis Hadfield, who was largely responsible for compiling, and later preserving these books, was a fireman at Broad Green for much of this period. He eventually became fireman-in-charge, before standing down in 1905. A photograph of him in firemans uniform is held in the Local Studies Library photograph collection.

Founded before 1873. The history of the school before 1961 is intermingled with that of Broadmead Junior School. Known earlier as Sydenham Infant School; renamed Broadmead Infant School when it moved into new premises, January 1972.

Opened 5 January 1977.

Founded 23 April 1968 as a combined infants and junior school. A separate infants school opened 5 January 1977.

Cane Hill Asylum, later Cane Hill Mental Hospital, was opened in December 1883 by the Justices of the County of Surrey. Surrey already possessed two asylums, at Wandsworth and Brookwood, and Cane Hill was intended to alleviate the shortage of spaces which was particularly being felt in several of the inner London Boroughs and by Richmond Guardians. It was built on 148 acres of land purchased from the Portnalls Estate by the Justices of the County of Surrey in order to alleviate the overcrowding of the existing Surrey asylums. (The remaining Portnalls Estate land would be purchased for the hospital in 1914). At the time of opening, Cane Hill could accomodate around 1200 patients and another 800 places were added in the next decade. It stood on high ground and had commanding views of the surrounding countryside.

In 1889 the hospital was taken over by the newly created London County Council, along with Hanwell, Colney Hatch, Banstead and Claybury Asylums which had previously been administered by Middlesex. (Wandsworth passed from Surrey to Middlesex County Council; Surrey would get another asylum with the opening of Netherne in 1909.) Cane Hill by this time was expected to serve mainly South London and also, for the time being, Croydon. However as a County Borough, Croydon would be expected to provide its own asylum in due course.

The newly formed National Health Service took over its administration in 1948 and it served the area of South London stretching from London Bridge to Crystal Palace as well as Beckenham and Penge. At the time of its 70th anniversary in 1953 it was reported to be overcrowded, despite modernisation to the interiors.

The last patients left on 15th March 1992. The hospital buildings are currently unused although a purpose built medium secure unit for the assessment of persons awaiting trial was set up in the hospital grounds in the 1980s. This remains open.

Castle Hill Infant School opened on 19 April 1955; Castle Hill Junior School nearby on 7 September 1955. The two schools were amalgamated in August 1992 under the then junior head teacher.

Opened 23 May 1932.

The school was originally Riddlesdown School, described as the National School for Kenley and Caterham Junction District and situated on the triangle of land between Godstone and Downs Court Roads. On 14 August 1888, the Charity Commissioners agreed the sale of the school and the purchase money was used to erect Purley National Mixed Schools on a different site in Purley High Street. In August 1889, the school moved into its new premises and the Infants and Juniors were separated. The school was renamed Purley National.

The Infants and Juniors from Riddlesdown School were transferred to the new building on 19 August 1889. When the first Headmistress of the Infants, Miss E.A.Bishop, retired 43 years later, the Infants and Juniors were combined on the same site to form Purley Church of England Junior Mixed and Infant School. This was renamed Christ Church (CE) School in 1935.

In 1962 the High Street Purley building was abandoned and the school moved to its present premises.

Founded 1857. By 25 March 1863 there was an infants school; by 27 March 1863, a boys school and 20 April 1863 a girls school. The schools were taken over by the Education Committee, 1 October 1903. On 1 April 1923, the schools were reorganised. After that date the juniors and infants were combined, the senior girls formed a second school and the senior boys went to St Saviours. On 8 January 1934 the schools were again reorganised, the juniors and infants remaining as one school and the senior girls going elsewhere. The school closed in July 1958 because of lack of money for necessary repairs.

The jurisdiction of the Coroner for the County Borough of Croydon lasted from 1883 to 1965 (initially as the Borough of Croydon, 1883 - 1889). Before 1883, Croydon came under the jurisdiction of the Coroner for Surrey until 1825 and for the Eastern Division of Surrey 1825 - 1883.

Since 1965, Croydon has fallen under the jurisdiction of HM Coroner for the Southern District of Greater London which covers the London Boroughs of Croydon, Sutton, Bromley and Bexley and is based at the Coroners Court, Barclay Road, Croydon, CR0 1JN.

By 1834 there was a school held in a cottage and supported entirely by the Rector, the Reverend William Wood of St. John the Evangelist in Old Coulsdon. He applied for a grant on 25 March in that year towards it becoming a National School. In 1845, Thomas Byron III, the Lord of the Manor, gave a parcel of land being part of a garden as a site for a school for poor persons and for the residence of Schoolmaster or Schoolmistress133and for no other purpose whatever. But the Mistress, Ann Webb, continued to live in a nearby cottage, the schoolhouse being occupied by William G. Shepard, a schoolmaster who was only 18 at the time of the 1851 census.

By 1846 there was a National School of 80 mixed pupils, with a master and mistress in two rooms. The school was described as a School of Industry and the master received 1d per week per boy and 3 hours gratuitous labour each afternoon on his land in return for instruction in the morning. It was the only school in the area, meaning that some of the children had to walk for miles to get there, even as far as Hooley and Kenly.

The building and site were privately owned and remained so until October 1923 when they were conveyed to the Rector by a Canon Dickson who had acquired them from the Lord of the Manor. This was probably not the same building or site as that of 1845, an exchange of site being affected by the Lord of the Manor in 1888 and a new building then being erected thereon.

On 19 September 1939 the school transferred to the Keston School buildings and remained there 7 January 1946 with the exception of the period 3 June to the 23 August 1940, when the school was briefly based at the Purley Girls School.

The school commenced on 4 April 1933 as a Day Nursery and on 1 July 1946 as a Nursery School. The initial premises was a private bungalow in Woodman Road. It was founded by Mrs Finn who had advanced ideas on nursery education. Later, a bungalow, Greenacres, was built in Linden Avenue and the Nursery was built in its garden; the Nursery staff slept in the bungalow.

The school came under the Authority of the London Borough of Croydon in 1964.

A Trust was established in 1953 by the Charity Commission Scheme, for the Regulation of a charity to be known as the Coulsdon and District Day Nursery.

The school has shared a governing body with Chipstead Valley Primary School.

In 1883 Croydon recieved a charter of incorporation to become a borough and became a County Borough in 1889. County Borough Status meant that the Borough was responsible for all its own services such as Fire, Police, Education etc. rather than these being provided at County level by Surrey.

The Borough of Croydon was awarded a separate Court of Quarter Sessions by grant of Queen Victoria, dated 25 June 1889 (i.e. shortly after Croydon had achieved County Borough status). The Court came to an end with the County Borough in April 1965. Quarter Sessions Courts dealt with criminal cases, and with licensing matters.

Opened 1 January 1969. The School has always been for both Infant and Juniors.

Croham Hurst was owned by the Whitgift Foundation. In 1898, it became known that the Whitgift Governors wished to dispose of the area. The lower slopes were to be developed and the remainder of the top offered to the Council.

This proposal would have resulted in half of the Hurst being built upon and the rest being enclosed behind a high fence. The proposals caused outrage and the Croham Hurst Preservation Committee was formed. Their campaign was backed by the local press and included the collecting of a petition in 1899 that was given to the Council and which forms the basis of this collection.

On 8th February 1901, the Whitgift Foundation sold the whole of Croham Hurst to Croydon Corporation and the future of the area was assured.

The photograph album was presented to Edward A Martin, FGS (1863 - 1943) by members of the Croham Hurst Preservation Committee, as an expression of thanks for instituting the movement preventing the sale of Croham Hurst for building.

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.