Croydon Common Athletic Ground Croydon Common Athletic Ground Croydon Common Athletic Ground, commonly referred to as the Nest, was a football stadium in Selhurst, south London. The original occupiers of the ground were Croydon Common F.C., the Robins, who occupied it from 1908 to 1917. It was also the home ground of Crystal Palace F.C. from 1918 until 1924. The Nest was subleased from the London Brighton and South Coast Railway, the parties being The Croydon Common Football and Athletic Company Limited and then Crystal Palace Football and Athletic Club, The London Brighton and South Coast Railway Company and the Ecclesiastical Commissioners for England.
History of Crystal Palace F.C. new permanent home. Back in 1919, the Palace minute book contained an entry instructing the Secretary to investigate the possibility of obtaining a lease on the 'ground at Selhurst', although calling it a 'ground' was a little misleading since at the time it was a piece of wasteland valuable only to the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway Company. At one time it had been a brickfield, and two chimney stacks still remained. On 3 January 1922 the club purchased the ground at a cost of £2,750, and renowned football ground architect Archibald Leitch was commissioned to design Selhurst Park.