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The origin of the area’s name is unclear. Some believe that it comes from the Anglo-Saxon word “nook” which means corner. The name may also derive from “northern oak”. Another theory associates the name with the Latin word “noverca” which means stepmother. The first mention of the area comes from 1723. Seventeen years later, Christopher Buckle builds the Nork House. Fir Tree Road takes its name after the line of Nork Park trees that marked the northern boundary. Eighteenth-century author John Burton was a guest at Nork House in 1752. The manor had an ingenious system of raising and distributing water from a well.
Beechholme was a South West London children’s home. It was established in 1879 as The Kensington and Chelsea District School. More than 400 children lived here. TV presenter Dilly Braimoh is a former resident. The home was demolished in 1974 to make room for the High Beeches Estate. Tumble Beacon is a local landmark of prehistoric origin. The former burial mound was transformed into a fire beacon location in Tudor times. It was an air-raid shelter during World War II. Several Saxon burial mounds lie in the area. Seventh-century artifacts such as knives and textiles were found in 1972.
There are no pubs in this SM7 area. The Driftbridge shopping parade borrows the name of the former Drift Bridge Hotel. The Beacon School was known as Nork Park School. Comedian Romesh Ranganathan taught Math here. Music in the Park is a local open-air event held annually at Nork Park. A significant part of Area of Special Scientific Interest Banstead Downs lies here. Gally Hills monument name derives from the remains of the possible victims of medieval gallows. Another monument honors American pilot Andrew Jackson who crashed here in 1944 after he steered his plane to avoid houses.
