South Norwood Tourist Board set up to bring in visitors
FIRST it was guided tours of Croydon, now another band of history buffs are getting in on the act – by forming The South Norwood Tourist Board.
The trio behind the SNTB are out to prove the credentials of South Norwood as a bona fide tourist destination, by citing its links to everything from the football World Cup to Sherlock Holmes.
Jason Cooper, 40, explained he thought-up the concept over a pint at the William Stanley pub in High Street, with friends Ian Woods and Richard Lammy.
Mr Cooper, of Dundee Road, South Norwood, said: "We read a book about Conan Doyle and Sherlock Holmes and it's strange South Norwood doesn't maximise the link. The Sherlock Holmes Society has tens of thousands of members and in America there is a huge amount of interest."
Doyle lived in Tennison Road, South Norwood, from 1891 to 1894, which is where he wrote the famous Reichenbach Falls story – the death of Holmes.
He also played cricket at Norwood Lakes.
The trio's idea is to organise a series of walks and talks around the sites of interest.
Mr Cooper said: "It would be nice for the council to erect signs saying you are entering Sherlock Holmes Country.
"People will think 'the South Norwood Tourist Board, they're having a laugh'. We're quite happy for them to have a laugh."
Another focus of the SNTB will be on one of the country's most famous dogs.
Pickles achieved overnight fame when he discovered the stolen World Cup in a garden in Beulah Hill. Three months later, England went on to win the trophy.
Mr Cooper added: "In 2016 it will be the 50th anniversary of us winning the World Cup and the interest in Pickles the dog will come again."
The SNTB is open to other ideas that will put South Norwood on the map.
Renowned engineer William Stanley is from the area and his work included building Stanley Halls and founding the Stanley Technical School, now the Harris Academy South Norwood.
Mr Cooper added: "We found out Malcolm Muggeridge lived in Birchanger Road, but there's not much mileage in that."
The official launch of the SNTB will be July 31, the centenary celebration of the "world's first concrete subway" opening by Norwood Junction.
For further information, e-mail the SNTB at southnorwoodtouristboard@gmail.com or call 07747 514712.
4 Comments
by DianaFrance
Thursday, February 23 2012, 8:44AM
“Does nobody wonder how old their house is, what was there before it was built, who lived there, what they did for a living, how many people lived in the house generations ago? Is it just me? There are lots of interesting buildings left in Norwood, (or anywhere in the UK) with stories to tell. It is possible to look online at the census returns for any address in England or Wales from 1841 to 1911, although you may need to refer to old maps where street names have changed, and see who lived in your house or on its site in the past.
You can also date houses by their proportions, the materials used, their windows, whether a party wall continued through the roof, and you can tell a lot about many terraces from the train which passes behind them, ncb. If you are interested, that is. Well, I am! Croydon Council and Libraries hold a mountain of information about our area and its past, information which we can all access. Local schools even include Local History lessons to get the kids interested in their heritage. I've spent a lifetime in Croydon and I'm not ashamed to say so - it is part of me. I'm sorry that ncb and others don't feel that affinity with the town - where do you feel you belong? How much do you know about the past of that place?
Maybe the interest in the past comes with age and I'm just a lot older than ncb?”
by scarypicture
Wednesday, February 22 2012, 1:29PM
“Dear NiceCityBoy (isn't that a tortology?)
I didn't get the impression that they are under any illusion that South Norwood will become a holiday destination. I rather thought that it was a bunch of people celebrating and having pride in the area they live in, enjoying the history of the area and encouraging people to look at the area with differnt eyes. Come and have a look and learn about the area...
I thinks it is great!”
by Green_System
Tuesday, February 21 2012, 2:38PM
“Good for them! Hope this works out for them. Croydon Tours is doing really well now, hope these guys have the same sort of energy.”
by nicecityboy
Tuesday, February 21 2012, 12:09PM
“Desperate times calling for desperate measures?
This is more absurd than the Croydon Tours we heard about!
Nothing about South Norwood would make me want to go there (unless passing through in a train or taxi and not stopping). Can't believe for one moment that this huge fan base of americans will fly across the pond to visit South Norwood.”