Promenade De Verdun
Explicitly reflected in its name, Promenade De Verdun, established in 1922 serves to commemorate french sacrifices on the western front including Verdun in 1916.
Plantation
- Row of Lombardy Poplars and the grass verge along the eastern side of the road.
- Poplar, Beech, Maple, Birch, Horse Chestnut, Pine
- Cherry, Plum, Hawthorn
The memorial landscape consits of a long straight road leading up to a Glade II listed obelisk memorial acting as its focal point.
The east side of the road is borded by Lombardy Poplar trees imported from France and planted in a mixture of English soil and imported French soil.
The French soil was donated by the French Minister of the Interior with 10 tons being transported from the field of the explosion near Armentieres in French Flanders where the British and French had fought side by side in late 1914.
During the storm in 1987, many of the Poplar trees were destroyed and had to be replaced by the Croydon Council in 1989
The centenary of the battle of De Verdun was commemorated in 2016 in the presence of Mayor of Croydon and many local residents.
The Original Lombardy Poplars.
