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©Copyright 2007 The Secretary |
The Waren is a Residential Care Home for the Elderly, registered by the London Borough of Croydon under The National Care Standards Commission.
It was established in 1982 by the present owner Mr.Safo.
The Warren specialises in caring for elderly people who are over 65 years old and have a past or present mental illness.
The Warren is named after a house called "Warren Woods" which was set in a famous beauty spot in Shooters Hill, Kent, and which later became a home for Korean orphans in the 1950s.
The Warren has an unusual history having been owned by only three people since being built in 1900. The first owner of The Warren, a Mr Henry Kinsey, lived at "Warren Woods", and the internal structure of The Warren is an almost exact replica of the original house in Kent.
In 1900 Mr Kinsey bought the land and plan of The Warren from property developer Douglas Young and Co. for 2,000 Guineas (£2,200.00).
The original Warren plot stretched from Binfield Road, and included six houses from 45-55 on Castlemaine Avenue, stretching to cover the present sites of 84/84a and 82 Coombe Road. Thus The Warren is the mother of eight houses.
The Warren was specially built with many strategic features. Rainwater from the roof was collected in a large tank and was available from a tap in the butlers pantry. All bath water was held in another tank and was piped to strategic points around the garden. A continuous damp course was engineered, replacing the more commonly used air bricks of the time.
The Warren gardens, tennis court, orchard, kennels and pond were all completed in February 1903.
During the First and Second World Wars, Croydon Tennis Club was closed. The club members came to use The Warren's two grass courts, whilst two additional courts were made by converting the croquet lawn. People regularly visiting The Warren at this time included General Sir Edward Woodward, Grandfather of Callen, Mr Davis, who opened the first theatre in Croydon, and Major Rodgers. Mr Kinsey served in the Artillery Rifles and 36th Ulster Division during the Great War.
In 1923, Mr Kinsey, Major Rodgers, and a third friend founded the Plessey Engineering Company in Ilford. Later, a Plessey Radiogram aerial was installed between the chimney stacks of The Warren.
During the Second World War, The Warren Cellar was converted into a shelter and accommodation for 14 A.R.P.'s and other soldiers when their own Head Quarters became uninhabitable.