Fox Hill Crystal Palace: London's 'steepest street'

Fox Hill sits in Crystal Palace, straddled between the boroughs of Croydon and Bromley.

The road has become known as the ‘steepest street’ in London among locals, with a sign warning people of the harsh 20 degree incline at the bottom.

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While there are some roads in London with a sharper incline, Fox Hill appears to be the city’s steepest residential street that’s dotted with homes along its length.

The road is known by locals as London's 'steepest street'

Iba Priato, 36, said she moved to Fox Hill five years ago. She said walking up the steep hill with her child in their buggy can be tiring, but it’s even more difficult when the road is slippery.

Ms Priato told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “What I noticed is in the winter, when it’s very cold in the mornings, it’s icy. I’ve actually fallen down it twice myself.”

She added: “Sometimes there’s a lot of leaves, so that’s slippery as well.

"There was a time when the council put some salt on, but you still need to be careful when it’s raining a lot. It’s dangerous in my opinion, especially for old people. I fell down it twice and I am young.”

Richard Bridge and his wife Philippa, both 64, moved to Fox Hill three years ago for somewhere affordable and close to their children’s school.

The couple said they aren’t deterred by the steepness of the street, and go up and down the hill every day by foot, bike and car to go to the supermarket.

A sign at the bottom of the hill warns residents of the steep incline (photo: Joe Coughlan)

Ms Bridge said: “When I first came here, coming down the hill, I was really impressed. The views out to Kent are fantastic…

"A lot of cyclists use this as a route when they’re biking together because it’s stiff. It’s so steep.”

Mr Bridge added: “We had some people here last year, a film company, making a television advert.

"They used it because it was very steep as a kind of metaphor of climbing up a steep hill. So it’s well known.”

The local said that living on a road managed by two separate councils can cause some issues to “fall in between the gaps”.

The couple said they have campaigned for years to add speed bumps to the road, but haven’t had any luck with either Bromley or Croydon councils.

Mr Bridge said: “There is one problem connected with the steepness which is that people tend to race down it. We would like there to be sleeping policemen and traffic control. It’s a rat run.”

Philippa added: “The neighbours and ourselves have tried over the years [to add speed bumps] because we’ve got kids playing on the field there and it’s unfenced. For football, they’re going into the road for the ball.

The field where kids play football (photo: Joe Coughlan)

"So over the years, we’ve tried loads and loads of times to get Croydon to do something, but it hasn’t worked.”

Alex Booth, 67, has lived just off Fox Hill for nearly his whole life.

Alex Booth (photo: Joe Coughlan)

He said he walks up and down the hill nearly every day to go to the chemist and supermarket, and remembers when there were more Victorian houses on the road before they were knocked down in the 1960s and replaced with new builds.

Mr Booth told the LDRS: “This is meant to be the steepest hill in London I believe. It was steeper on one side than the other and when they built all the houses, that made it a bit steeper. That’s what I can recall.

"They were built in 1969 when I was going to school.”

The local said traffic on the road is rarely an issue. However, he feels drivers speeding down the road is likely due the route being used as a shortcut around Crystal Palace town centre.

Mr Booth said: “Some people say it’s the satnavs, they’ve got them for the quickest route. What happens is instead of them going around the Triangle one way, they’ll come down here.”

Steve Halse, 76, moved to Fox Hill eight years ago due to the cheap house prices, but feels the area’s value has largely caught up with the rest of London by now.

He said while the hill can be difficult to walk, it adds a lot to the appearance of the Georgian houses.

Mr Halse told the LDRS: “I’d rather it wasn’t there, let the truth be known. But it’s fine. I think it looks great with the way the houses come down.

"This was painted by the famous French impressionist Pissarro. The painting of the road, which he took from the bottom looking up, is in the National Gallery.”

The resident said he doesn’t mind cars passing through the road, and agrees that traffic is likely due to the route being used as a shortcut instead of for racing.

Despite his love for the area, he is planning to sell his house on the road.

Mr Halse said: “I’ve been here eight years. In another 10 years I’m going to be 86, and I won’t be walking up the hill then.”

Labour Councillors Ryan Thomson and Ruth McGregor, who represent the Crystal Palace and Anerley ward for Bromley Council, told the LDRS in a joint statement: “As local councillors, we have actively pushed for a 20mph limit to be introduced and other traffic calming measures to be explored on Fox Hill.

"Sadly, under the administration’s current policy, these requests were dismissed out of hand and it is something that we continue to fight for alongside a number of Fox Hill residents.”

They added: “In regards to concerns around the steepness of Fox Hill, we would be more than happy to host a consultation with residents to hear their concerns and explore where we may be able to support.

"We would encourage them to please contact us via our council email addresses – Ryan.Thomson@bromley.gov.uk and Ruth.McGregor@bromley.gov.uk – to arrange and discuss”.

Councillors representing the Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood ward for Croydon Council were approached for comment, but had not responded at the time of publication.