I knew about the trees and the green spaces, but I wasn’t prepared for how quietly extraordinary Wettern Tree Garden would be.
Like with many towns that are on the outskirts of the city, the main attraction is typically quite a walk away, but thankfully, Wettern Tree Garden was just up the road.
Wettern Tree Garden(Image: Ezekiel Bertrand)
I thought Wettern Tree Garden would simply be a big field with some trees, but turns this garden isn’t a playground or a sports field.
It’s not even a park in the usual sense because it’s a living piece of history, with trees planted nearly a century ago still towering overhead.
I learnt that the garden was created by Eric Wettern, who started planting here after returning from the First World War.
He was a man curious about what could grow in chalky soil, experimenting with conifers, collecting seeds from trips abroad, and shaping this space bit by bit.
Wettern spent most weekends working on it for decades, and when he finally handed it over to Croydon Council in 1965, it was already his pride and joy.
To this day, much of the original layout remains.
As I walked past the towering Atlas Cedar by the entrance, I couldn’t stop thinking about the patience required to nurture a tree from seed.
Near it stood the Wellingtonia, a mammoth Sequoia gigantea, and the Coastal Redwood, planted over 90 years ago.
I wandered down the Delphinium border, imagining Eric and his family tending the plants, sipping tea by the Summer House, or picking vegetables like globe artichokes and seakale.
There’s a Serbian spruce which definitely was the most impressive thing, and the Foxglove Tree, which bursts into purple flowers in late spring.
Its name comes from the bell-shaped blooms that appear before the leaves, and apparently, in China, it’s believed to preserve beauty and health.
Beyond a neatly trimmed arch, a gate leads uphill to Purley Beeches.
It’s not as intricately designed as Wettern Tree Garden, but the walk is worth it.
This particular area is very different from the urban areas I usually roam when I visit Croydon.
You forget Croydon was once part of Surrey for hundreds of years, while it’s only been a London borough for 60 years.
Walking among these trees, I felt a kind of calm you don’t often find in a city.
I’m starting to wish I had visited the garden earlier in the year when the plants were all blooming.
The garden itself got me thinking about how Eric Wettern turned a simple piece of land into something generations later can enjoy.
I like to imagine that if I lived here, this would be the spot I’d visit for a moment of quiet reflection or just to escape the laptop world.
It’s easy to imagine this garden hosting a summer wedding, or someone bringing a sketchbook to capture the trees, or a couple stopping for afternoon tea in the quiet.
By the time I left, pushing the gate closed behind me, I felt like I had stumbled across something truly special.
Wettern Tree Garden was recognised as one of the country’s green spaces, winning a Green Flag award this year.
For anyone in Croydon or beyond, it’s worth making the trip.
