Place Name
It comes from the Middle English words bigging meaning building and hull meaning hill so it is a reference to a “hill with or by a building”. According to David Mills in A Dictionary of London Place Names: “The element bigging is much rarer in the South of England than the North, since it derives from a Scandinavian word meaning ‘to build’ introduced by the Vikings.” It has also been suggested that it could mean the hill belonging to Bygge, a Saxon name. This road gets its name from Bigginwood House, which was built around 1830, when it was owned by James Epps, renowned for the manufacture and marketing of Epps’ Cocoa. The house name is a reference to the nearby Biggin Wood, which was originally part of the Great North Wood, through the Middle Ages, when the woods were spread along the south side of Beulah Hill. Today the wood is about 12 acres. This Croydon road should not be confused with the Biggin Hill with its famous airport to the south in Bromley.
