Notes by David Bradley

The destination board of the tram shows a route running between Thornton Heath and Purley which remained until the Croydon system was joined to the LCC network at Norbury. With through running of the LCC routes 16/18 from 1926 onwards, this local route was curtailed initially at the former Davis theatre but later extended a few hundred yards to Combe Road to ease road congestion outside the theatre.

In taking picture 1065 the camera position was assumed to be in approximately the same position as the upper picture but in fact it is perhaps some 50 yards back. Never the less the clock [on the left] still remains and is working today. The redevelopment works on the left are on the site of the former Grants departmental store with the steel girders supporting the original facade which will be incorporated into the new building design.

Once a very busy thoroughfare, traffic management schemes of the late 1990's take all but very local traffic away from this area.

Both pictures show the Alms Houses and the Alders Departmental store in the distance.