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| Pollards Hill | |
|---|---|
 Typical homes in Pollards Hill,London Borough of Merton | |
  Pollards Hill Location withinGreater London | |
| Population | 10,287 (2011 Census. Ward)[1] |
| OS grid reference | TQ299684 |
| London borough | |
| Ceremonial county | Greater London |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | MITCHAM |
| Postcode district | CR4 |
| Post town | LONDON |
| Postcode district | SW16 |
| Dialling code | 020 |
| Police | Metropolitan |
| Fire | London |
| Ambulance | London |
| UK Parliament | |
| London Assembly | |
| 51°24′14″N0°07′25″W / 51.4040°N 0.1235°W /51.4040; -0.1235 | |
Pollards Hill is a small residential district straddling thesouth London boroughs ofCroydon andMerton betweenMitcham,Norbury andThornton Heath. The boundary of the two boroughs is a street named Recreation Way. No roads directly cross the Croydon/Merton divide, and streets were planned according to each borough, leading to differing architectural or building schemes. Pollards Hill lends its name to a ward of the London Borough of Merton.
Mitcham Borough Council (MBC) dissolved in 1965 on incorporation into London. It helped to meet the post-World War II housing shortage, wrought by theLondon Blitz, by building prefabricated ‘Arcon’ bungalows at Pollards Hill. The first were ready by January 1946, meant to last about 10 years. Many remained until the mid-1960s. The pre-fabs were mostly demolished in the 1960s, to make way for a new, high density, low-rise scheme that was constructed byMerton London Borough Council andWimpey Homes between 1967 and 1971.
Separately, four landmark maisonette blocks were built by MBC in the 1950s on Yorkshire Road: Westmorland Square (1950), Castleton Road (1956) and between those years Hertford Way and Berkshire Way.
A branch library and community centre were built, which received a design award.[further explanation needed]
Both sides of Pollards Hill electedLabour Party councillors at the last Council elections in May 2022. At present in the local government re-warding process used nationally for the regular election of a delegation of councillors, itlends its name to a ward ofMerton London Borough Council.
The Merton and Croydon areas in Pollards Hill have, since 1992 and 1997 respectively, seen their respectiveseats in London, wholly dependent by borough, return Labour MPs. The area has been represented by theStreatham and Croydon North andMitcham and Morden constituencies since 2024, as a result of the2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies. In all elections since 1997, the two seats have returned Labour majorities greater than 28%.
To the east (in Croydon), covering the sides of the hill, are larger houses, stretching towards centralNorbury. The roads are lined withpollarded lime trees.
To the west (in Merton), at the foot of the hill, is the Pollards Hillestate stretching toBroad Green andPurley Way. A section of the estate was transferred to the ownership of Moat Homeshousing association in 1998 under a stock transfer from the local authority. Moat has since demolished four maisonette blocks dating from the 1950s and is undertaking a wider regeneration of the stock.
Covering the crown of the hill is Pollards Hill Park, an open area of 7.75 acres (3.14 hectares), managed byCroydon Council, to whom it was donated in 1913. The park is the highest point in the Norbury area and can give views as far asWindsor Castle. A viewpoint at the top of the park indicates the direction of various landmarks.[2]
In September 2006,Harris Academy Merton opened on the former site of Tamworth Manor High School. The academy is on the Merton side but right on theCroydon border. Tamworth Manor High School was originally Pollards Hill Secondary Modern School built in the 1950s, which became a comprehensive school, Pollards Hill High School, in 1968.
The nearest railway stations areNorbury railway station andStreatham Common railway station &Thornton Heath railway station. Bus routes 60, 255 serve the eastern Croydon area & Buses 152, 463 serve the western merton area.
Pollards Hill is home to the largestGhanaian British community in the UK on the Merton side according to the 2011 census, with 6% of the population and over 600 people born in Ghana. It has a largeBritish Asian population on the Croydon side, and the area is home to many other different nationalities.
Pollards Hill on the Merton side also contains a wide range of community facilities including a library, community centre, youth centre and a neighbourhood police station, the first in Merton.
In 2005, a community cycling club was set up with help from the Commonside Trust. It won the London Cycling Campaigns' award for Best Community Cycling Initiative in 2006.
