Place Name
Originally called Springfield Road the name was changed to avoid confusion with another road of the same name off Lawrie Park Road. It is a reference to the mineral springs that rise in the area. They were discovered in the 17thCentury, making the area a popular spa whose visitors included King George III. The spa’s success led to the building of larger houses, and wealthy people began to settle in the area. Nearby Sydenham Wells Park was laid out on the site of mineral springs. But its fate was by no means certain. By the late 19thCentury developers had begun encroaching on the green and Ormanton Road was planned to continue through to Wells Road (now Wells Park Road). A public campaign to save the land from being built over by housing development succeeded and the park was opened to the public in 1901.
