Waddon is in the Wandle river valley. Waddon Ponds is a public open space, the ponds in which are one of the beginnings of the river. There are plans to open up the culverted river once more at assorted places.

The former Croydon Airport was on the edge of the Waddon region, with the local residential area accordingly, suffering badly in the Blitz and consequent bombing raids in World War II. Land and existing buildings in this area may  be possibly found to be subject to 20th century restrictive covenants preventing new building above a certain height due to the proximity of the former airport, but those limitations ought to be redundant by now, given that the airport has long since gone.

In the vicinity of Waddon Marsh and nearby Beddington, there were both lavender farms and sewage works, so that passengers arriving at Croydon by air would choose their seats cautiously so as to be on the right side for the right smell.

Going through Waddon, from Purley into the West Croydon area, is Purley Way, the A23, home to many superstores and light industrialised units. Waddon railway station is on the line between West Croydon railroad station and Epsom Downs or Sutton. In that location are Tramlink stops at Waddon Marsh and Wandle Park.

Politically, Waddon is the most borderline ward of Croydon Council and has seen its representation swap between the Labour and Conservative Parties for many years.

Today Waddon Ponds is the only place were the River Wandle can be viewed in Croydon, although it used to flow from its source near the Swan and Sugarloaf, on the Brighton Road, through the grounds of the Archbishops of Canterbury’s Palace and into Wandle Park.  The river then flowed towards Waddon and into a large mill pond on the northern side of Mill Lane.  The river proceeds through the Boroughs of Sutton, Merton, Wandsworth and into the Thames.

Most of Waddon Ponds is afforded to water-gardens with great weeping willows trailing their drooping branches in the water.  The ponds are fed by springs which arise at the conjunction of beds of sand and chalk with London Gravel Beds, the water feeds north towards Mill Lane and what used to be the northern millpond and the River Wandle.

The name Waddon is thought to have been deduced from wad-dun or woad hill.  Woad would have grown on the chalk hills and been used by ancient Britains who elicited blue dye from the plant to use as paint.  When the houses were built at near-by Aldwick Road on Brandy Bottle Hill, west of the pond, traces of Bronze Age and Iron Age Man were found.  Remains from the Iron Age were also found on the sandy inclines of Alton Road to the east of the ponds.

Waddon Ponds was part of a very ancient estate that held an area of 2000 acres for 500 years.  The eighteenth century owner of Waddon Court Farm, John Dewey Parker amused important men of the day on his estate.  The visitors included, Boscawens, John Marshall the agriculturalist, Gros the antiquarian, Arthur Young whose agricultural “Travels” became a classic of the time and it was also reputed that Admiral Nelson stayed at the mansion and angled in the abundant lakes which stretch from today’s site past Mill Lane to Waddon Marshes.

The Domesday ledgers mentions that there was a mill at the northern end of the ponds, it was a manorial mill which was used for milling corn.  The River Wandle had been dammed at the northern end to form a lake but the River was diverted at the end of the 19th century to the north and east.  The area of land created was used for water cress beds then drained for allotments and finally industry was established on the site; the Mill shut down in 1928.

In 1910 records show that Waddon Ponds belonged to two estates, Waddon Court, which was owned by My Crowley , and Waddon Lodge which was owned by Miss Mary Waterall.  When the two proprietors died the Corporation bought part of both estates in 1928 following a robust campaign by Mr. Pescott Row an author of books about the beauties of England.  To immortalise the efforts of Row another local author H.M. Tomlinson donated a sundial to the park.

The rest of the both estates was sold to developers and new houses were built on Waddon Court Road, Lodge Avenue, Limes Avenue and Wandle Side.  There were two cottages outside the gates to the pond which had belonged to Mr.Crowley and been used by his employees.  The cottage that stood inside Waddon Ponds had belonged to Miss Waterall, and was used by her nurseryman.  The windows of the cottage were built very high up so that the staff could not see the lady of the house sauntering around the gardens and lawns.  Next to cottage were the stables, cow sheds and carriage house.

So Waddon has a rich and varied history and with the old planning laws still in situ, is unlikely to ever end up enshrouded in tower-blocks or sky scrapers as some of the more unfortunate parts of Croydon have been.