Townapedia
Sanderstead church
Sanderstead church · Ross Burgess digital photograph created by myself, CC BY-SA 3.0
Sanderstead TQ3461 293
Sanderstead TQ3461 293 · Roger W. Haworth ( talk · contribs ), CC BY-SA 4.0
The White House Sanderstead
The White House Sanderstead · Tag Scientist, CC BY-SA 4.0
Croydon Flyover
Croydon Flyover · Pafcool2, Public domain
Fairfield Halls - London
Fairfield Halls - London · Jim Linwood, CC BY 2.0
Spreadeagle, Croydon, CR0 (2353133094)
Spreadeagle, Croydon, CR0 (2353133094) · Ewan Munro from London, UK, CC BY-SA 2.0

Sanderstead, United Kingdom

Sanderstead is a town of 12,777 people in England, United Kingdom.

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Population12,777 GeoNames
RegionEngland
Elevation551 ft 168 m
Time zoneEurope/London
Nearest airportLondon Biggin Hill Airport (BQH) 5 mi
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Why visit Sanderstead

Townapedia lists 8 museums and landmarks, 39 parks and trails, 72 places to eat, 2 places to stay and 7 attractions in and around town.

Highlights include Croydon Flyover, Fairfield Halls, Croham Hurst round barrow and Croydon War Memorial.

About Sanderstead

Sanderstead is a village and medieval-founded church parish at the southern end of Croydon in south London, England, within the London Borough of Croydon, and formerly in the historic county of Surrey, until 1965. It takes in Purley Downs and Sanderstead Plantation, an area of woodland that includes the second-highest point in London. Sanderstead sits above a dry valley at the edge of the built-up area of Greater London. Cementing its secular identity from the late 19th century until abolition in 1965 it had a civil parish council.

From the Wikipedia article Sanderstead (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Things to do7

Croydon Flyover

Bridge · 2.6 mi

Road in Croydon, London, England, UK

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Fairfield Halls

Cinema and theater · 2.6 mi

Arts, entertainment and conference centre in Croydon, London

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The Spread Eagle Theatre

Cinema and theater · 2.7 mi

Pub theatre above the Spread Eagle pub in Croydon, London, England

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Warehouse Theatre

Cinema and theater · 2.8 mi

Former theatre in Croydon, London, England

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Ashcroft Theatre

Cinema and theater · 2.6 mi

Theatre within the Fairfield Halls, Croydon, London, England

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Breakneck Hill

Scenic view · 1.1 mi

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Sanderstead Hill

Scenic view

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Museums and landmarks8

Croham Hurst round barrow

Monument and historic site · 1.1 mi

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Croydon War Memorial

Monument and historic site · 2.7 mi

War memorial in London

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Museum of Croydon

Museum · 2.7 mi

Local and social history museum in Croydon, London

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Peter Cushing

Monument and historic site · 1.2 mi

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Promenade de Verdun War Memorial

Monument and historic site · 2.5 mi

War memorial in Croydon, London

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Sanderstead War Memorial

Monument and historic site

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Paolo Francis Gallery

Museum · 1.3 mi

105 Sanderstead Road, South Croydon

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Croydon Parish 1901

Monument and historic site · 1.3 mi

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Parks, trails and playgrounds39

Bramley Bank

Hiking and trails · 1.5 mi

Nature reserve in Upper Shirley

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Croham Hurst

Park · 1.0 mi

Woodland in Croydon, Greater London, England, United Kingdom

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Littleheath Woods

Park · 1.2 mi

Woodlands in London, England

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Addington Hills

Park · 2.1 mi

Park in the United Kingdom

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Addiscombe Railway Park

Park · 3.2 mi

Park in London Borough of Croydon, United Kingdom

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Coombe Wood

Park · 1.9 mi

Woodland and garden area in the London Borough of Croydon

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Cotelands

Park · 2.5 mi

Small park near Park Hill, managed by the London Borough of Croydon

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Selsdon Wood

Park · 1.4 mi

Woodland in Croydon, England

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Addington Park

Park · 2.2 mi

Park in the United Kingdom

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Addington Vale

Park · 2.9 mi

Park in London Borough of Croydon

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Blanchman's Farm

Park · 2.4 mi

Park

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Dollypers Hill

Park · 2.4 mi

Park

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27 more on the map.

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Restaurants and cafes72

The Sir Julian Huxley

Bar and pub · 0.8 mi

152-154 Addington Road, South Croydon

Mo-Th 08:00-24:00; Fr-Sa 08:00-01:00; Su 08:00-24:00

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Dawat Express

Restaurant · Pakistani, Indian · 0.9 mi

168 Addington Road, South Croydon

Mo-Su 11:00-23:00

Open in Google Maps · +44 20 8166 6159

El Patio

Restaurant · Spanish · 0.9 mi

143 Addington Road, South Croydon

Mo 18:00-22:00; Tu-Th 12:00-14:30,18:00-22:00; Fr-Sa...

Open in Google Maps · +44 20 8651 4615

Mojito

Restaurant · Indian, Italian

49 Limpsfield Road, South Croydon

Mo-Su 11:00-23:00

Open in Google Maps · +44 20 8412 1158

Royal Tandoori Selsdon

Restaurant · Indian · 1.0 mi

226 Addington Road, South Croydon

Tu-Sa 17:00-22:30; Su 14:00-21:00

Open in Google Maps · +44 20 8651 3500

Selsdon Spice

Restaurant · Indian · 0.9 mi

4 Selsdon Parade, South Croydon

Mo 17:00-22:30; Tu off; We-Th 17:00-22:30; Fr-Sa 17:00-23:00; Su...

Open in Google Maps · +44 20 8651 6602

The Med Kitchen

Restaurant · Mediterranean

39 Limpsfield Road, South Croydon

Mo-Sa 12:00-23:00; Su 12:00-22:00

Open in Google Maps · +44 20 8651 1110

The Real Pizza Company

Restaurant · Pizza · 0.9 mi

174 Addington Road, South Croydon

Mo-Th 16:00-22:00; Fr-Sa 12:00-22:30; Su 12:00-22:00

Open in Google Maps · +44 20 8137 8327

Wa Yang Yang

Restaurant · Chinese · 0.9 mi

160 Addington Road, South Croydon

Mo-Su 12:30-22:00

Open in Google Maps · +44 20 7998 1526

Costa

Cafe · Coffee Shop

25 Limpsfield Road, South Croydon

Mo-Fr 06:30-18:00; Sa 07:00-18:00; Su 08:00-17:30

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Costa

Cafe · Coffee Shop · 0.9 mi

172 Addington Road, South Croydon

Mo-Fr 06:30-17:00; Sa 07:00-17:00; Su 08:00-16:30

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Culina Bistro

Restaurant · 0.9 mi

8 Selsdon Parade, South Croydon

Mo-We 09:00-17:00; Th 09:00-23:00; Su 09:00-17:00

Open in Google Maps · +44 20 3154 4953

60 more on the map.

History

There is evidence of prehistoric human activity in and around Sanderstead. In 1958–60 the Sanderstead Archaeological Group excavated in the vicinity of Sanderstead pond and revealed the presence of man as far back as the Mesolithic Period nearly 12,000 years ago, as well as pottery fragments dated between 100 AD and 1300 AD and a bronze belt from the end of the Saxon era. North of the village at Croham Hurst, upon a wooded hill, are circular barrows believed to be from a Bronze Age settlement. This is now part of a public open space and the site is marked by a brass monument. A Romano-British homestead (small farming settlement) was discovered during the construction of the Atwood School. During the 1980s, when the school was extended, further excavation revealed the remains of several round huts, hearths, a brooch, and pottery, some of which hailed from North Africa.

An Anglo-Saxon reference to Sanderstead can be found in the will, dated 871, of Alfred, an ealdorman. The village lay within the Anglo-Saxon administrative division of Wallington hundred. It later appears to have been given to St Peter's Abbey, Winchester (Hyde Abbey) by Æthelflæd, the wife of Edgar the Peaceful and mother of Edward the Martyr, where it remained after the Norman Conquest.

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Sanderstead appears in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Sandestede, and belonging to St Peter's Abbey, Winchester. It had a noted population (probably of just the adult males) of 26 including 21 villagers, 4 slaves and 1 cottager. Its Domesday assets were assessed as 5 hides, and 10 carucates of arable land. It had 9 ploughs and wood worth 30 hogs. Its Domesday entry records that in the time of Edward the Confessor it was valued at 100 shillings, and now 12 pounds; and yet it produces 15 pounds.

The village was granted to Sir John Gresham by Henry VIII following the Dissolution of the Monasteries. It was passed to his son Richard who subsequently sold it to John Ownsted, the transfer being ratified in 1591. Ownsted died without issue in 1600, and devised his estates to his two sisters and cousin Harman Atwood, with Atwood subsequently purchasing the shares of his joint legatees. The Atwood family had a long association with Sanderstead, with inscriptions at the local church indicating a presence in the village from the reign of Edward II.

The manor house, known as Sanderstead Court, was substantially remodelled by Harman Atwood. This large country house was probably first constructed in the early sixteenth century. The Atwoods continued to occupy the house until 1778, when it was devised to Atwood Wigsell. It was turned into a hotel in 1928, and before the Second World War it was used by the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was very badly damaged by fire (not a bomb) in 1944 and was demolished in 1958. One very small part of the hotel building does however still stand. On the site now stands "Sanderstead Court", a cluster of two-storey blocks of flats.

One of the more curious aspects of Sanderstead is that it has no pub, unlike nearby Warlingham which has around six.

On the edge of the village lies the site of the Old Saw Mill, now home to a number of private residences and the picturesque setting for Sanderstead Cricket Club. Cricket has been played in the area since the 18th century, with matches recorded in 1731 and 1732. The Old Saw Mill cricket ground itself has been in use since 1926 and continues to the present day with five teams playing in the Surrey Championship and a number of other Colts, The legendary Sunday XI and other friendly teams.

Located between Limpsfield Road and Kingswood Lane is the large Kings Wood.

It derives its name from a small wood to the north of Kings Wood Lodge. In 1823, Ordnance Survey Maps called the wood Sanderstead Wood, but this might be due to a mistake.

It covers some 147½ acres, criss-crossed by ancient rides and is on relatively flat ground. It was purchased in 1937 under the Green Belt Act by the local council and is now public open space. There is the site of a Romano-British settlement on the northern boundary, a small farmstead undisturbed for 2000 years.

From the History section of Sanderstead on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.

More about Sanderstead

Education

Sanderstead has four schools, namely; Atwood Primary School, Gresham Primary School, Kingsdown Secondary School and Ridgeway Primary School. It is also conveniently placed for a number of others located within a couple of miles from the village including Croydon High School, Harris Academy Purley, Riddlesdown Collegiate, Royal Russell School, The Quest Academy, Thomas More Catholic School, Warlingham School, and Whitgift School.

From the Wikipedia article Sanderstead, under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Notable people from Sanderstead

Born in Sanderstead, according to Wikidata (CC0). Each name links to its Wikipedia article.

Where to stay2

Churches and places of worship28

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Shopping13

Gas and EV charging4

Schools, colleges and libraries18

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Healthcare6

Map of Sanderstead

197 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.

Getting there and nearby towns

London Biggin Hill Airport (BQH) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 5 miles away.

Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.

Towns near Sanderstead

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Page built November 10, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us or suggest a place.