The
London Borough of Croydon is a
London boroughThe administrative area of Greater London contains thirty-two London boroughs. Inner London comprises twelve of these boroughs plus the City of London. Outer London comprises the twenty remaining boroughs of Greater London.-Functions:...
in
south-west LondonThe South West is a sub-region of the London Plan corresponding to the London Boroughs of Croydon, Kingston upon Thames, Lambeth, Merton, Richmond upon Thames, Sutton and Wandsworth. The sub region was established in 2008. The south west has a population of 1,600,000 and is the location of 730,000...
,
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and is part of
Outer LondonOuter London is the name for the group of London Boroughs that form a ring around Inner London.These were areas that were not part of the County of London and became formally part of Greater London in 1965...
. It covers an area of and is the largest London borough by population. It is the southernmost borough of
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
. The borough is now one of London's leading
businessA business is a legally recognized organization designed to provide goods and/or services to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, most being privately owned and formed to earn profit that will increase the wealth of its owners and grow the business itself...
,
financialFINANCIAL is the weekly English-language newspaper with offices in Tbilisi, Georgia and Kiev, Ukraine. Published by Intelligence Group LLC, FINANCIAL is focused on opinion leaders and top business decision-makers; It's about world’s largest companies, investing, careers, and small business. It is...
and cultural centres, and its influence in
entertainmentAn entertainment is any activity which provides a diversion or permits people to amuse themselves in their leisure time.Entertainment is typically passive - as in watching opera or a movie. Activities which involve participating in games or sports are more often considered to be recreation...
and the
artsaRts, which stands for analog Real time synthesizer, is an audio framework that is no longer under development. It is most famous for previously being used in KDE to simulate an analog synthesizer....
contribute to its status as a major metropolitan centre.
At its centre is the historic town of
CroydonCroydon is a major commercial centre in Greater London and the principal settlement of the London Borough of Croydon. It is south of Charing Cross, and is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan...
from which the borough takes its name. Croydon is mentioned in the
Domesday BookThe Domesday Book is the record of the great survey of England completed in 1086, executed for William I of England, or William the Conqueror...
, and from a small market town has expanded into one of the most populous areas on the fringe of London. Central Croydon is the civic centre of the borough and houses the largest office and retail centre in the south east of England outside
Central LondonThe term Central London refers to the districts of London which are considered closest to the centre. There is no conventional definition, nor any official one, for the entire area that can be called "central London". Central London covers about 10 square miles on areas both north and south of the...
.
Croydon Council and its predecessor
Croydon CorporationCroydon was a local government district in north east Surrey, England from 1849 to 1965.-History:A local board of health was formed for the parish of Croydon St John the Baptist in 1849. On March 9, 1883 the town received a charter of incorporation to become a municipal borough...
unsuccessfully applied for
city statusCity status in the United Kingdom is granted by the British monarch to a select group of communities. The holding of city status gives a settlement no special rights other than that of calling itself a "city". Nonetheless, this appellation carries its own prestige and, consequently, competitions...
in 1954, 2000 and 2002. The area is currently going through a large regeneration project called
Croydon Vision 2020Croydon Vision 2020 is a regeneration programme by the London Borough of Croydon for the centre of Croydon in South London. The original study was carried out in 1999 by EDAW and is being taken forward through the Local Development Framework process...
which is predicted to attract more businesses and tourists to the area as well as backing Croydon's bid to become
London's Third City. Since 2003 Croydon has been certified as a Fairtrade borough by the Fairtrade Foundation. It was the first London Borough to have Fairtrade status which is awarded on
certain criteriaFairtrade Town is a marketing tool in which this status is awarded by a recognized Fairtrade certification body describing an area which is committed to the promotion of Fairtrade certified goods...
.
History
The London Borough of Croydon was formed in 1965 from the
Coulsdon and Purley Urban DistrictCoulsdon and Purley Urban District was a local government district in north east Surrey from 1915 to 1965.It was formed in 1915 from part of the abolished Croydon Rural District...
and the
County Borough of CroydonCroydon was a local government district in north east Surrey, England from 1849 to 1965.-History:A local board of health was formed for the parish of Croydon St John the Baptist in 1849. On March 9, 1883 the town received a charter of incorporation to become a municipal borough...
. It is now governed by a
cabinet-style councilA Cabinet-style Council is a type of local government which has been introduced in the United Kingdom for Local Councils following the introduction of the Local Government Act 2000....
created in 2001. The name Croydon comes from Crogdene or Croindone, named by the
SaxonsThe Saxons were a confederation of Old Germanic tribes. Their modern-day descendants in Lower Saxony and Westphalia and other German states are considered ethnic Germans ; those in the eastern Netherlands are considered to be ethnic Dutch; those in north...
in the 8th century when they settled here, although the area had been inhabited since prehistoric times. It is thought to derive from the
Anglo-SaxonOld English , also called Anglo-Saxon, is an early form of the English language that was spoken and written in parts of what are now England and south-eastern Scotland between at least the mid-5th century and the mid-12th century. What survives through writing represents primarily the literary...
croeas deanas, meaning "the valley of the
crocusCrocus is a genus of perennial flowering plants, native to a large area from coastal and subalpine areas of central and southern Europe , North Africa and the Middle East, across Central Asia to western China.The genus Crocus is placed botanically in the iris family...
es", indicating that, like
Saffron WaldenSaffron Walden is a medium-sized market town in the Uttlesford district of Essex, England. It is located north of Bishop's Stortford, south of Cambridge and approx north of London...
in
EssexEssex is a county in the East of England region of the United Kingdom. The county town of Essex is Chelmsford.-History:In pre-Roman Britain the territories of Suffolk and Essex were home to the Trinovantes tribe, which had grown wealthy through intensive trade with the Roman Empire, contemporary...
, it was a centre for the collection of
saffronSaffron is a spice derived from the flower of the saffron crocus , a species of crocus in the family Iridaceae. A C. sativus flower bears three stigmas, each the distal end of a carpel. Together with their styles—stalks connecting stigmas to their host plant—stigmas are dried and used in cooking...
. Another opinion holds that the name derives from the Old French
croie dune, meaning "chalk hill", since Croydon stands at the northern edge of the chalk hills called the
North DownsThe North Downs are a ridge of chalk hills in south east England that stretch for 120 miles from Farnham in Surrey to the White Cliffs of Dover in Kent. The North Downs lie within two Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty , the Surrey Hills and the Kent Downs...
.
By the time of the Norman invasion Croydon had a church, a mill and around 365 inhabitants as recorded in the Domesday Book. The
Archbishop of CanterburyAlso see Leaders of ChristianityThe Archbishop of Canterbury is the chief bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury, the see that churches must be in communion with in order to be...
, Archbishop Lanfranc lived at
Croydon PalaceCroydon Palace, in Croydon, now part of London, was the summer residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury for over 500 years. Regular visitors included Henry III and Queen Elizabeth I...
which still stands. Visitors included Thomas Beckett (another Archbishop), and royal figures such as King Henry VIII and Queen Elizabeth I.
Croydon carried on through the ages as a prosperous market town, they produced charcoal, tanned leather, and ventured into brewing. Croydon was served by the
Surrey Iron RailwayThe Surrey Iron Railway was a narrow gauge railway that linked the Surrey towns of Wandsworth and Croydon via Mitcham . It was constructed in the early years of the 19th century, opening on 26 July 1803.-Origins:...
, the first public railway (horse drawn) in the world, in 1803, and by the
London to BrightonThe Brighton Main Line is a major British railway line running from London Victoria and London Bridge to Brighton. The route is approximately 50 miles in length. It is operated by Southern and First Capital Connect and is electrified throughout...
rail link in the mid-1800s, helping it to become the largest town in
SurreySurrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire, and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford...
.
In the 1900s Croydon became known for industries such as metal working, car manufacture and its aerodrome,
Croydon AirportCroydon Airport was an airport in South London which straddled the boundary between what are now the London boroughs of Croydon and Sutton. Croydon was the first airport in the world to introduce air traffic control, in 1921...
. The aerodrome became the largest in London and the main terminal for international air freight into the capital. Starting out during
World War IWorld War I , also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Wars, was a global military conflict which involved most of the world's great powers, assembled in two opposing alliances: the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance...
as an airfield for protection against
ZeppelinFor the English rock group, please see Led Zeppelin. For other meanings please see Zeppelin .A Zeppelin is a type of rigid airship pioneered by the German Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin in the early 20th century. It was based on designs he had outlined in 1874 and detailed in 1893...
s, and developing into one of the great airports of the world during the 1920s and 1930s, it welcomed the world's pioneer aviators in its heyday.
British AirwaysBritish Airways plc is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom. It is headquartered in Waterside near its main hub at London Heathrow Airport and is the largest airline in the UK based on fleet size, international flights and international destinations. Its second hub is London Gatwick...
used the airport for a short period of time after redirecting from
Northolt AerodromeRAF Northolt is a Royal Air Force station located east by northeast of Uxbridge in the London Borough of Hillingdon, in West London, UK. Approximately north of London Heathrow Airport, it also handles a large number of private civilian flights....
, and Croydon was the operating base for
Imperial Airwaysright|thumb|BOAC Speedbird logo, adopted following the merger of UK airlines in 1939, it was commissioned by Imperial Airways who rarely used it on their own planes prior to 1939. According to Adenair who also used it under their BOAC ownership, it was designed by Theyre Lee-Elliot...
. As aviation technology progressed, however, and
aircraftAn aircraft is a vehicle which is able to fly by being supported by the air, or in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil An aircraft is a vehicle which is able to fly by being supported...
became larger and more numerous, it was recognized in 1952 that the airport would be too small to cope with the ever-increasing volume of air traffic. The last scheduled flight departed on 30 September 1959. It was superseded as the main airport by both
London HeathrowLondon Heathrow Airport or Heathrow , located in the London Borough of Hillingdon, is the world's busiest airport in terms of international passenger traffic. It is the world's second busiest airport in total passenger traffic. It is also the largest and busiest airport in the United Kingdom...
and
London Gatwick AirportLondon Gatwick Airport is London's second largest international airport and second busiest in the United Kingdom after Heathrow. In 2008, it was the world's 28th-busiest airport in terms of passenger numbers and 9th busiest in terms of international passengers...
. The air terminal, now known as Airport House, has been restored and has a hotel and museum in it. It was partly due to the airport that Croydon suffered heavy bomb damage during
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
In the late 1950s and through the 1960s the council commercialized the centre of Croydon with massive development of office blocks and the
Whitgift CentreThe Whitgift Centre is a large shopping centre and office development in the centre of Croydon, London, opened in stages between 1968 and 1970. The centre currently comprises of retail space and was the largest covered shopping development in Greater London until the opening of Westfield London at...
which was formerly the biggest in town shopping centre in Europe. The centre was officially opened in October 1970 by the Duchess of Kent. The original
Whitgift SchoolWhitgift School is an independent day school educating approximately 1,200 boys aged 10 to 18 in South Croydon, London in a parkland site.- History and grounds :...
there had moved to Haling Park, South Croydon in the 1930s; the replacement school on the site, Whitgift Middle School, now the
Trinity School of John WhitgiftThe Trinity School of John Whitgift, usually referred to as Trinity School, is a British independent boys' school, located in Shirley Park, Croydon. The current building was assumed in 1965 on the site of the former Shirley Hotel...
, moved to Shirley Park in the 1960s when the buildings were demolished.
The present borough council unsuccessfully applied for
city statusCity status in the United Kingdom is granted by the British monarch to a select group of communities. The holding of city status gives a settlement no special rights other than that of calling itself a "city". Nonetheless, this appellation carries its own prestige and, consequently, competitions...
in 2000 and again in 2002. If it had been successful it would have been the third local authority in
Greater LondonGreater London is the top-level administrative subdivision covering London, England. The administrative area was officially created in 1965 and covers the City of London, including Middle Temple and Inner Temple, and thirty two London boroughs...
to hold that status along with the
City of LondonThe City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
and the
City of WestminsterThe City of Westminster is a borough of London with city status. It is located west of the City of London and north of the River Thames, and forms part of Inner London and the bulk of London's central area....
. At present the London Borough of Croydon is the second most populous Local government district of England without city status,
KirkleesThe Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees is a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, England. It has a population of 401,000 and includes the settlements of Batley, Birstall, Cleckheaton, Denby Dale, Dewsbury, Heckmondwike, Holmfirth, Huddersfield, Kirkburton, Marsden, Meltham, Mirfield and Slaithwaite...
being the first. It is said that their applications were turned down due to a lack of a
cathedralA cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
in the borough, a historic recommendation for cities.
Croydon is currently going through a vigorous regeneration plan, called
Croydon Vision 2020Croydon Vision 2020 is a regeneration programme by the London Borough of Croydon for the centre of Croydon in South London. The original study was carried out in 1999 by EDAW and is being taken forward through the Local Development Framework process...
. This will change the
urban planningUrban, city, and town planning is the integration of the disciplines of land use planning and transport planning to explore a very wide range of aspects of the built and social environments of urbanized municipalities and communities...
of Central Croydon completely. Its main aims are to make Croydon
London's Third City and the hub of retail, business, culture and living in South London and South East England. The plan was showcased in a series of events called
Croydon ExpoThe Croydon Exp07 was a series of events aimed at business and residents in the London Borough of Croydon, UK to demonstrate the £2bn of development projects planned for Croydon in the next 10 years . It is part of the Croydon Vision 2020 regeneration programme. The council-backed scheme is hoping...
. It was aimed at business and residents in the London Borough of Croydon to demonstrate the £3.5bn development projects the Council wishes to see in Croydon in the next ten years. There have also been exhibitions for regional districts of Croydon, including
WaddonWaddon is a place in the London Borough of Croydon, to the south west of central Croydon on the borders of the London Borough of Sutton. Waddon has an older area with 19th century properties, some even older, close to central Croydon. Further south is a large estate of Council-owned homes and a...
,
South NorwoodSouth Norwood is an urban town and ward in South London, England, in the London Borough of Croydon. It is a suburban development 7.8 miles south-east of Charing Cross. South Norwood is a town comprising a resident population of just over 14,000...
and
Woodside- Australia :*Woodside, South Australia, a town*Woodside, Victoria, a town*Woodside Petroleum, an Australian company- Canada :*Woodside, Nova Scotia, a neighborhood in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia*Woodside, Kings County, Nova Scotia- United Kingdom :...
,
Purley- in England :*Purley, London**Purley Way, out-of-town retail area*Purley-on-Thames, in Berkshire- People :*David Purley , British race driver*Purley, several members of fictional family in 1996 British film Secrets & Lies...
,
New AddingtonNew Addington is an area in the London Borough of Croydon. It is a large local authority estate surrounded by open countryside, woodland and golf courses...
and
CoulsdonCoulsdon , known by locals and historically as Coalsden, is a town on the southernmost boundary of the London Borough of Croydon. It is surrounded by the Greater London greenbelt of the Farthing Downs, Coulsdon Common and Kenley Common.-History:...
. Examples of upcoming architecture featured in the expo can easily be found to the centre of the borough in the form of the
Croydon GatewayRuskin Square is the name given to a project to redevelop a block of land between East Croydon railway station and the existing town centre of Croydon in South London. It is part of the major Croydon Vision 2020 regeneration scheme...
site and the
Cherry Orchard Road TowersCherry Orchard Road is a road and planned high-rise building in East Croydon, London. The street is part of the longer A222 road for all of its length...
.
Governance
The governance of the borough is by Croydon Council, which is responsible for the administration of Croydon. Croydon shares its
London AssemblyThe London Assembly is an elected body, part of the Greater London Authority, that scrutinises the activities of the Mayor of London and has the power, with a two-thirds majority, to amend the Mayor's annual budget. The Assembly was established in 2000 and is headquartered at City Hall on the south...
member with neighboring
SuttonThe London Borough of Sutton is a London borough in South London, England and forms part of Outer London. It covers an area of and is the 80th largest local authority in England by population. It is one of the southernmost boroughs of London...
. It is a safe Conservative seat with the south of Croydon and parts of Sutton traditionally voting towards the Conservatives. The current Assembly Member is
Steve O'ConnellStephen O'Connell is a British Conservative politician. He is a member of the London Assembly for Croydon and Sutton and a councillor in the London Borough of Croydon....
who was elected to the assembly in 2008 with a majority of 43%. Croydon is part of the
LondonLondon is a constituency of the European Parliament. It currently elects 8 MEPs using the d'Hondt method of party-list proportional representation, having previously elected 9 - Boundaries :...
constituency in the
European ParliamentThe European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union , it forms the bicameral legislative branch of the Union's institutions and has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
. Between 1979 and 1984 it formed part of the
London SouthPrior to its uniform adoption of proportional representation in 1999, the United Kingdom used first-past-the-post for the European elections in England, Scotland and Wales...
constituency, followed by
London South and Surrey EastPrior to its uniform adoption of proportional representation in 1999, the United Kingdom used first-past-the-post for the European elections in England, Scotland and Wales...
between 1984 and 1999 before the adoption of
proportional representationProportional representation , sometimes referred to as full representation, is a category of electoral formula aimed at securing a close match between the percentage of votes that groups of candidates obtain in elections and the percentage of seats they receive...
.
Politics of Croydon Council
The council consists of 70 councillors elected in 24 wards. From 1994 to 2006 the
Labour PartyThe Labour Party is a centre-left political party in the United Kingdom. Founded at the start of the 20th century, it has been seen since 1920 as the principal party of the Left in England, Scotland and Wales, but not Northern Ireland, where it has only recently begun to organise again...
controlled the council. Thirty-seven Labour and 31
ConservativeThe Conservative and Unionist Party, more commonly known as the Conservatives, the Conservative Party, or Tory Party is a conservative political party in the United Kingdom...
councillors were elected in the
2002 electionsElections to Croydon Council in London, England were held on 4 May, 2002. The whole council was up for election for the first time since the 1998 election. The Labour Party managed to keep control of the council which it had done since 1994 when it took power away from the Conservative Party...
, plus a lone
Liberal DemocratThe Liberal Democrats, often shortened to Lib Dems or just Liberals, are a centre-left political party in the United Kingdom, formed in 1988 by a merger of the Liberal Party and the Social Democratic Party; the two parties had been in alliance for seven years, from shortly after the formation of...
, bolstered by a subsequent defection of a councillor who had originally been elected as a Conservative, defected to Labour, went back to the Conservatives and spent some time as an independent.
At the
2006 local electionsElections to Croydon Council in London, England were held on 4 May, 2006. The whole council was up for election for the first time since the 2002 election. The Labour Party lost control of the council to the Conservative Party.-Election...
the Conservatives regained control of the council after gaining 12 seats, taking ten seats from Labour in Addiscombe, Waddon and Norwood and the single Liberal Democrat seat in Coulsdon. They had seen 6% swings from Labour to Conservative in the two previous by-elections, each won by the incumbent party. Since the 2006 elections, a by-election in February 2007 saw a large swing back to Labour from the Conservatives. Since the election, a Labour councillor has joined the Conservatives while a Conservative councillor has become an independent. Cllr Jonathan Driver, who became Mayor in 2008, died unexpectedly at the close of the year, causing a by-election in highly marginal Waddon. The composition of the council is 42 Conservatives, 26 Labour, 1 independent, 1 vacancy and no Liberal Democrats. The next election is due to take place in May 2010 along with all the other councils in London.
The controlling majority group in the borough is the
Conservative PartyThe Conservative and Unionist Party, more commonly known as the Conservatives, the Conservative Party, or Tory Party is a conservative political party in the United Kingdom...
. From February 2005 until May 2006 the Leader of Croydon Council was
Labour Co-operativeLabour Co-operative describes those candidates in British elections standing on behalf of both the Labour Party and the Co-operative Party, based on a national agreement between the two parties....
Councillor Tony Newman, succeeding Hugh Malyan. Mike Fisher, Conservative group leader since May 2005, was named as Council Leader following the Conservative victory. Croydon is a
cabinet-style councilA Cabinet-style Council is a type of local government which has been introduced in the United Kingdom for Local Councils following the introduction of the Local Government Act 2000....
, and the Leader heads a ten-person cabinet, its members responsible for areas such as education or planning. There is a Shadow Cabinet drawn from the principal opposition party. A backbench cross-party scrutiny and overview committee is in place to hold the executive cabinet to account.
The borough is covered by three parliamentary constituencies for the Westminster Parliament, these are
Croydon NorthCroydon North is a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, covering the north west of the London Borough of Croydon. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election...
,
Croydon CentralCroydon Central is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election...
and
Croydon SouthCroydon South is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, covering the south west of the London Borough of Croydon...
. There are 24 wards which represent Croydon Council.
Civic history
For much of its history, Croydon Council was controlled by the Conservative Party or conservative-leaning independents. Former Croydon councillors include current MP
Andrew PellingAndrew John Pelling is a British politician. First elected as a Conservative he is currently an independent Member of Parliament for Croydon Central...
, former MPs
Vivian BendallVivian Walter Hough Bendall was Conservative MP for Ilford North from 1978 until 1997.An estate agent, Bendall was a prominent councillor in the London Borough of Croydon for many years. He represented Croydon on the Greater London Council 1970-73...
,
David CongdonDavid Leonard Congdon is a British former Conservative Party politician. He was Member of Parliament for Croydon North East, South London from 1992 to 1997....
, Geraint Davies and Reg Prentice,
London AssemblyThe London Assembly is an elected body, part of the Greater London Authority, that scrutinises the activities of the Mayor of London and has the power, with a two-thirds majority, to amend the Mayor's annual budget. The Assembly was established in 2000 and is headquartered at City Hall on the south...
member
Valerie ShawcrossValerie Shawcross CBE is a Labour Party politician and member of the London Assembly for Lambeth and Southwark. She is a former Labour Party national women's officer, and was a councillor for New Addington in Croydon from 1994 to 2000, serving as Chair of Education, then Leader of Croydon...
, Lord Bowness,
John Donaldson, Baron Donaldson of LymingtonJohn Francis Donaldson, Baron Donaldson of Lymington, PC, QC was a senior British judge who served as Master of the Rolls for 10 years, from 1982 to 1992.- Early and private life :...
(
Master of the RollsThe Keeper or Master of the Rolls and Records of the Chancery of England, known as the Master of the Rolls, is the third most senior judge in England and Wales, after the President of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom and the Lord Chief Justice...
) and H.T. Muggeridge, MP and father of
Malcolm MuggeridgeThomas Malcolm Muggeridge was a British journalist, author, satirist, media personality, soldier-spy and, in his later years, a Christian convert and writer.- Biography :...
. The first Mayor of the newly created
County BoroughCounty borough is a term introduced in 1889 in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland , to refer to a borough or a city independent of county council control. The Local Government Act 1972 abolished them in England and Wales, but they are still used in the Republic of Ireland and Northern...
was
Jabez BalfourJabez Spencer Balfour was a businessman, British Liberal Party politician and fraudster.He was Member of Parliament for Tamworth from 1880 to 1885, and for Burnley from 1889 to 1893. Balfour was also interested in local politics in his home town of Croydon, Surrey where he regularly topped the...
, later a disgraced
Member of ParliamentA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a parliament. In many countries the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a unique title, such as senate, and thus also have unique titles for its members, such as senators. Members of...
. Former Conservative Director of Campaigning, Gavin Barwell, has been a Croydon councillor since 1998 and will contest the Croydon Central seat for the Conservatives aiming to replace independent Conservative Andrew Pelling at the
next general electionThe next United Kingdom general election will take place in all constituencies of the United Kingdom for seats in the House of Commons due on or before Thursday 3 June 2010....
.
Some 10,000 people work directly or indirectly for the council, in its main offices in Taberner House or in its schools, care homes, housing offices or work depots. The council is generally well-regarded, having made important improvements in education and social services. However, there have been concerns over benefits, leisure services and waste collection. Although the council has one of London's lower rates of council tax, there are inevitable claims that it is too high and that resources are wasted.
The
Mayor of CroydonIn England, the office of Mayor or Lord Mayor had long been ceremonial posts, with few or no duties attached to it. The most famous example is that of the Lord Mayor of the City of London....
for 2008-09 was Councillor Jonathan Driver until his unexpected death in December 2008. The Leader is Cllr Mike Fisher and the Deputy Leaders are Cllr Tim Pollard and Cllr Dudley Mead. The Chief Executive since 7 July 2007 has been Jon Rouse.
Government buildings
Croydon Town HallCroydon Clocktower on Katharine Street in Central Croydon is an arts centre in Croydon, London, England. It contains the Museum of Croydon, the Riesco Gallery with a collection of Chinese pottery and ceramics, the David Lean Cinema, the Braithwaite Hall used for concerts and conferences, and a café...
on Katharine Street in
Central CroydonCroydon is a major commercial centre in Greater London and the principal settlement of the London Borough of Croydon. It is south of Charing Cross, and is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan...
houses the committee rooms, the mayor's and other councillors' offices, electoral services and the arts and heritage services.
The present Town Hall is Croydon's third. The first town hall is thought to have been built in either 1566 or 1609. The second was built in 1808 to serve the growing town but was demolished after the present town hall was erected in 1895.
The present town hall was designed by local architect Charles Henman and was officially opened by the Prince and Princess of Wales on 19 May 1896. It was constructed in red brick, sourced from
WrothamWrotham is a village situated on the Pilgrims' Way in Kent, at the foot of the North Downs. It is located one mile north of Borough Green and approximately five miles east of Sevenoaks. It is within the junction of the M20 and M26 motorways....
in
KentKent , originally Cantia, is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the River Thames estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent...
, with
Portland stonePortland stone is a limestone from the Tithonian stage of the Jurassic period quarried on the Isle of Portland, Dorset. The quarries consist of beds of white-grey limestone separated by chert beds. It has been used extensively as a building stone throughout the British Isles, notably in major...
dressings and green
WestmorelandWestmoreland is a historic county in England. It may also refer to:-Places:Canada*Westmorland County, New BrunswickJamaica*Westmoreland, Jamaica, a parishUnited States...
slateSlate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary...
s for the roof. It also housed the court and most central council employees.
Parts, including the former court rooms, have been converted into the
Museum of CroydonThe Museum of Croydon is a museum located inside the Croydon Clocktower arts facility. It is in Central Croydon, London Borough of Croydon, England...
and exhibition galleries. The original public library is now a cinema, part of the
Croydon ClocktowerCroydon Clocktower on Katharine Street in Central Croydon is an arts centre in Croydon, London, England. It contains the Museum of Croydon, the Riesco Gallery with a collection of Chinese pottery and ceramics, the David Lean Cinema, the Braithwaite Hall used for concerts and conferences, and a café...
. The Braithwaite Hall is used for events and performances. The town hall was renovated in the mid-1990s and the imposing central staircase, long closed to the public and kept for councillors only, was re-opened in 1994. The civic complex, meanwhile, was substantially added to, with buildings across Mint Walk and the 19-floor Taberner House to house the rapidly expanding corporation's employees.
Ruskin HouseFor the re-generation plan for the centre of Croydon, see Ruskin SquareRuskin House, situated in its own grounds on Coombe Road, Croydon, South London, has been an important centre of Britain's progressive movements for a century...
is the headquarters of Croydon's
LabourThe Labour Party is a centre-left political party in the United Kingdom. Founded at the start of the 20th century, it has been seen since 1920 as the principal party of the Left in England, Scotland and Wales, but not Northern Ireland, where it has only recently begun to organise again...
,
Trade UnionA trade union is an organization of workers who have banded together to achieve common goals in key areas, such as working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labor contracts with employers...
and
Co-operativeThe Co-operative Party is a centre-left political party in the United Kingdom committed to supporting and representing co-operative principles. The party does not put up separate candidates for any UK election itself. Instead, Co-operative candidates stand jointly with the Labour Party as "Labour...
movements and is itself a co-operative with shareholders from organisations across the three movements. In the nineteenth century, Croydon was a bustling commercial centre of London. It was said that, at the turn of the twentieth century, approximately £10,000 was spent in Croydon's taverns and inns every week. For the early labour movement, then, it was natural to meet in the town's public houses, in this environment. However, the temperance movement was equally strong, and
Georgina King LewisGeorgina King Lewis was described as a "Friend of the Oppressed". She followed in the grand tradition of philanthropic Victorian Quakers, leaving an important legacy in Croydon, South London, England...
, a keen member of the
Croydon United Temperance CouncilA temperance movement is a social movement against the use of Alcoholic beverages. Temperance movements may criticize excessive alcohol use, promote complete abstinence, or pressure the government to enact anti-alcohol legislation....
, took it upon herself to establish a dry centre for the labour movement. The first Ruskin House was highly successful, and there has been two more since. The current house was officially opened in 1967 by the then Labour
Prime MinisterThe Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the political leader of the United Kingdom and the Head of Her Majesty's Government...
,
Harold WilsonJames Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, KG, OBE, FRS, PC was a British Labour Party politician; one of the most prominent British politicians of the latter half of the 20th century, he served two terms as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, firstly from 1964 to 1970, and again from 1974...
. Today, Ruskin House continues to serve as the headquarters of the Trade Union, Labour and Co-operative movements in Croydon, hosting a range of meetings and being the base for several labour movement groups. Office tenants include the headquarters of the
Communist Party of BritainThe Communist Party of Britain is a communist party in Great Britain. Although founded in 1988 it traces its origins back to 1920 and the Communist Party of Great Britain, and claims the legacy of that party and its most influential members Harry Pollitt and John Gollan as its own.-History:The...
and Croydon Labour Party. Geraint Davies, the MP for
Croydon CentralCroydon Central is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election...
, had offices in the building, until he was defeated by
Andrew PellingAndrew John Pelling is a British politician. First elected as a Conservative he is currently an independent Member of Parliament for Croydon Central...
and is now the Labour representative standing for
Swansea WestSwansea West is a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
in
WalesWales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom, bordered by England to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It is also an elective region of the European Union...
.
Taberner HouseTaberner House houses the main offices of Croydon Council. It is in Central Croydon, London, close to the old Town Hall .- History :...
was built between 1964 and 1967, designed by architect H. Thornley, with Allan Holt and Hugh Lea as borough engineers. Although the council had needed extra space since the 1920s, it was only with the imminent creation of the London Borough of Croydon that action was taken. The building is in classic 1960s style, praised at the time but subsequently much derided. It has its elegant upper slab block narrowing towards both ends, a formal device which has been compared to the famous
Pirelli TowerThe Pirelli Tower or Pirelli Building , is a prominent building in Milan, Italy....
in
MilanMilan in Italy, is the capital of the region of Lombardia and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while the urban area is the fifth largest in the E.U. with an estimated population of 4.3 million...
. It was named after Ernest Taberner OBE, Town Clerk from 1937 to 1963.
Taberner House houses most of the council's central employees and its 'one-stop shop' is the main location for the public to access information and services, particularly with respect to housing.
Geography and climate
The borough is in the deep south of London, with the
M25 orbital motorwayThe M25 motorway is a 117 mile orbital motorway which encircles Greater London, United Kingdom except for the tolled Dartford Crossing where it crosses the River Thames to the east of London...
stretching to the south of it, between Croydon and Tandridge. In the north and east of Croydon the authority mainly borders the
London Borough of BromleyThe London Borough of Bromley is a London borough of south east London, England and forms part of Outer London. The principal town in the borough is Bromley.The Prime Meridian passes through Bromley.-Geography:...
and in the north west the boroughs of
LambethThe London Borough of Lambeth is a London borough in South London, England and forms part of Inner London.-History:The London Borough of Lambeth was formed in 1965 from the former area of the Metropolitan Borough of Lambeth and part of the former area of the Metropolitan Borough of Wandsworth...
and
SouthwarkThe London Borough of Southwark is a London borough in south east London, England. It is directly south of the River Thames and the City of London, and forms part of Inner London.-History:...
. The boroughs of
SuttonThe London Borough of Sutton is a London borough in South London, England and forms part of Outer London. It covers an area of and is the 80th largest local authority in England by population. It is one of the southernmost boroughs of London...
and
MertonThe London Borough of Merton is a London borough in south west London.The borough was formed in 1965 by the merger of the former area of the Municipal Borough of Mitcham, the Municipal Borough of Wimbledon and the Merton and Morden Urban District, all formerly within Surrey. The main commercial...
are located directly to the west. It is at the head of the
River WandleThe River Wandle is a river in southeast England. It runs through southwest London and is approximately 9 miles long. It flows into the River Thames on the Tideway at Wandsworth....
, just to the north of a significant gap in the
North DownsThe North Downs are a ridge of chalk hills in south east England that stretch for 120 miles from Farnham in Surrey to the White Cliffs of Dover in Kent. The North Downs lie within two Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty , the Surrey Hills and the Kent Downs...
. It lies south of London, and the earliest settlement may have been a Roman staging post on the London-Portslade road, although conclusive evidence has not yet been found. The main town centre houses a great variety of well-known stores on
North EndNorth End is a pedestrianized road in Central Croydon which is the main equivalent to a high street in Croydon. The road holds both of the main shopping centres, Centrale and Whitgift Centre plus a forthcoming one called Park Place. The road offers many well-known shops such as WHSmith, Next, Zara...
and two shopping centres. It was pedestrianised in 1989 to attract people back to the town centre. Another shopping centre called
Park PlacePark Place may refer to:Canada:* Park Place , a park in the city of Barrie* Park Place , a skyscraper* Park Place Mall, Lethbridge, AlbertaUnited Arab Emirates:...
, is planned to be built by 2012.
Cityscape
The CR postcode area covers most of the south and centre of the London Borough of Croydon while the other parts in the north are covered by
SWThe SW postcode area, also known as the London SW postcode area, is a group of postcode districts covering part of south west London, England. The area originates from the South Western and Battersea districts of the London postal district.-History:The postcode area originated in 1857 as the SW...
and
SE postcodesThe SE postcode area, also known as the London SE postcode area, is the part of the London postal district covering part of south east London, England.-History:...
include the areas of South Norwood and Selhurst, Upper Norwood, West Norwood, and Norbury and Streatham.
Districts in the London Borough of Croydon include
AddingtonAddington is a village in south London, England, in the London Borough of Croydon.-Village history:The village lay within the Anglo-Saxon administrative division of Wallington hundred. Addington is thought to be named after Edda, a Saxon. In the Domesday Book, two manors are mentioned, linked with...
, a small village to the east of Croydon which until 2000 was poorly linked to the rest of the borough as it was without any railway or light rail stations with only a few patchy bus services to rely on.
AddiscombeAddiscombe is a suburb in the London Borough of Croydon, England. It is situated just to the northeast of central Croydon, and is home to a high proportion of people who commute to Central London, owing to its proximity to the busy East Croydon railway station and Tramlink, linking Addiscombe with...
is a town just northeast of the centre of Croydon, and is popular with commuters to
Central LondonThe term Central London refers to the districts of London which are considered closest to the centre. There is no conventional definition, nor any official one, for the entire area that can be called "central London". Central London covers about 10 square miles on areas both north and south of the...
due to its close proximity to the busy
East Croydon stationEast Croydon station is a railway station and tram stop in Croydon, 8.3 miles south of Charing Cross in Travelcard Zone 5. It is the largest and busiest station in Croydon and the busiest in London outside Travelcard Zone 1. It is one of three railway stations in the London Borough of Croydon with...
.
AshburtonAshburton is a small neighbourhood in the London Borough of Croydon neighbouring South Norwood, Shirley, Addiscombe and Woodside. The area is mostly home to residential houses and flats. Most in the area would describe themselves as living in Shirley or Addiscombe.Ashburton was named after...
, to the northeast of Croydon, is mostly home to residential houses and flats, being named after Ashburton House, one of the three big houses in the Addiscombe area. Broad Green is a small district, centred on a large green with many homes and local shops in West Croydon.
CoombeCoombe is a place in the London Borough of Croydon, not far from central Croydon.Coombe is located between the green spaces of Shirley Hills, Lloyd Park, Ballards and Coombe Wood. It is unusual in this part of South London as it has barely been urbanised and has retained its collection of large...
is an area, just east of Croydon, which has barely been urbanised and has retained its collection of large houses fairly intact.
CoulsdonCoulsdon , known by locals and historically as Coalsden, is a town on the southernmost boundary of the London Borough of Croydon. It is surrounded by the Greater London greenbelt of the Farthing Downs, Coulsdon Common and Kenley Common.-History:...
, southwest of Central Croydon, which has retained a good mix of traditional high street shops as well as a large number of restaurants for its size.
CroydonCroydon is a major commercial centre in Greater London and the principal settlement of the London Borough of Croydon. It is south of Charing Cross, and is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan...
is the principal area of the borough,
Crystal PalaceCrystal Palace is a residential area in South London, England named from the former local landmark, The Crystal Palace, which occupied the area from 1854 to 1936. The area is located approximately 8 miles south east of Charing Cross, and offers impressive views over the capital...
is an area north of Croydon, which is shared with the
London Boroughs of LambethThe London Borough of Lambeth is a London borough in South London, England and forms part of Inner London.-History:The London Borough of Lambeth was formed in 1965 from the former area of the Metropolitan Borough of Lambeth and part of the former area of the Metropolitan Borough of Wandsworth...
,
SouthwarkThe London Borough of Southwark is a London borough in south east London, England. It is directly south of the River Thames and the City of London, and forms part of Inner London.-History:...
,
LewishamThe London Borough of Lewisham is a London borough in south-east London, England and forms part of Inner London. The principal settlement of the borough is Lewisham and its council is based at Catford.The Prime Meridian passes through Lewisham....
and
BromleyThe London Borough of Bromley is a London borough of south east London, England and forms part of Outer London. The principal town in the borough is Bromley.The Prime Meridian passes through Bromley.-Geography:...
.
FairfieldFairfield is a ward in the London Borough of Croydon, covering most of the Croydon area of London in the United Kingdom. The ward currently forms part of Andrew Pelling MP's Croydon Central constituency, which has one of the smallest majorities for the Conservative Party in the UK on its current...
, just northeast of Croydon, holds the
Fairfield HallsFairfield Hall is an arts centre in Croydon, London, England and opened in 1962. It contains a concert hall, the Ashcroft Theatre , the Arnhem Gallery civic hall and an art gallery....
and the village of
ForestdaleForestdale is part of the London Borough of Croydon, to the east of Selsdon, and to the west of Addington. The main building development of the village, commenced in the late 1960s and completed in the mid 70s, took place on what was previously open ground, containing a number of smallholdings...
, to the east of Croydon's main area, commenced work in the late 1960s and completed in the mid-70s to create a larger town on what was previously open ground.
Hamsey GreenHamsey Green is a place on the plateau of the North Downs between the villages of Sanderstead to the north and Warlingham to the south. It is split almost across the centre east and west with the southern part in the Tandridge district of Surrey...
is a place on the plateau of the
North DownsThe North Downs are a ridge of chalk hills in south east England that stretch for 120 miles from Farnham in Surrey to the White Cliffs of Dover in Kent. The North Downs lie within two Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty , the Surrey Hills and the Kent Downs...
, south of Croydon.
KenleyKenley is a district in the south of the London Borough of Croydon. It borders Purley, Coulsdon, Riddlesdown, Caterham and Whyteleafe. Kenley is situated 13 miles south of Charing Cross. The 2001 census showed Kenley having a population of 13,525....
, again south of the centre, lie within the London
Green BeltA green belt or greenbelt is a policy and land use designation used in land use planning to retain areas of largely undeveloped, wild, or agricultural land surrounding or neighbouring urban areas. Similar concepts are greenways or green wedges which have a linear character and may run through an...
and features a landscape dominated by green space.
New AddingtonNew Addington is an area in the London Borough of Croydon. It is a large local authority estate surrounded by open countryside, woodland and golf courses...
, to the east, is a large local authority estate surrounded by open countryside and golf courses.
NorburyNorbury is a town in the London Borough of Croydon, on the border with the London Borough of Lambeth and the London Borough of Merton. It shares the postcode London SW16 with nearby Streatham...
, to the northwest, is a suburb with a large ethnic population.
Norwood New TownNorwood New Town is a largely residential former working class enclave within the larger district of Upper Norwood in Southeast London. It is within the London Borough of Croydon...
is a part of the
Norwood-Places:In Australia:* Norwood Secondary College, Secondary School in Ringwood, Victoria.* Norwood, South Australia, suburb of Adelaide**Electoral district of Norwood, a state electoral district in South Australia...
triangle, to the north of Croydon.
Monks OrchardMonks Orchard is a place on the edge of the London Borough of Croydon, England. It is a town situated about 10 miles south south-east of Charing Cross.- History :...
is a small district made up of large houses and open space in the northeast of the borough.
Pollards HillPollards Hill is a residential district crossing the border of the south London boroughs of Merton and Croydon between Mitcham and Norbury. It is the name of a council ward in Merton. The district is bisected by the Merton/Croydon boundary along Recreation Way...
is a residential district with houses on roads, which are lined with pollarded lime trees, stretching to Norbury.
PurleyPurley is a place in the London Borough of Croydon. It is a suburban development situated 11.7 miles south of Charing Cross.The name derives from "pirlea", which means 'Peartree lea'. Purley has a population of about 72,000.-Local government:...
, to the south, is a main town whose name derives from "pirlea", which means 'Peartree lea'.
SandersteadSanderstead is a village in London Borough of Croydon, located on high ground at the edge of the built-up area of Greater London. From 1915 to 1965 it formed a parish in the Coulsdon and Purley Urban District of Surrey. Having been a farming community in previous centuries, Sanderstead is now...
, to the south, is a village mainly on high ground at the edge of suburban development in
Greater LondonGreater London is the top-level administrative subdivision covering London, England. The administrative area was officially created in 1965 and covers the City of London, including Middle Temple and Inner Temple, and thirty two London boroughs...
.
SelhurstSelhurst is a suburban development in the London Borough of Croydon south-south-east of Charing Cross. A relatively small area, Selhurst is bounded by South Norwood, West Croydon and Thornton Heath and, like nearby Broad Green, has lost its distinct identity from these larger neighbours in recent...
is a town, to the north of Croydon, which holds the nationally known school, The
BRIT SchoolThe BRIT School for Performing Arts & Technology is an independent technology school partly funded by the BRIT awards located in The Crescent, Selhurst, Croydon, in London, England...
.
SelsdonSelsdon is an area located in the southern suburbs of the London Borough of Croydon. The suburb was developed during the inter-war period during the 1920s and 1930s, and is remarkable for its many Art Deco houses...
is a suburb which was developed during the inter-war period in the 1920s and 1930s, and is remarkable for its many Art Deco houses, to the southwest of Croydon Centre.
ShirleyShirley is a place in the London Borough of Croydon, England. It is a suburban development situated 10 miles south south-east of Charing Cross.-Description:...
, is to the east of Croydon, and holds
Shirley WindmillShirley Windmill is a Grade II listed tower mill in Shirley, in the London Borough of Croydon, England which has been restored to working order.-History:...
.
South CroydonSouth Croydon is a locality in Greater London, the area surrounding the valley south of central Croydon about 1 km in radius, centred on the Red Deer public house on the Brighton Road. It is part of the South Croydon post town and in the London Borough of Croydon. It is essentially a...
, to the south of Croydon, is a locality which holds local landmarks such as The Swan and Sugarloaf public house and independent
Whitgift SchoolWhitgift School is an independent day school educating approximately 1,200 boys aged 10 to 18 in South Croydon, London in a parkland site.- History and grounds :...
part of the
Whitgift FoundationThe Whitgift Foundation is a charity based in Croydon, South London, England, established in 1596 by John Whitgift, Archbishop of Canterbury, who lived at Croydon Palace. The purpose of the charity is to provide education for the young and care for the elderly...
.
South NorwoodSouth Norwood is an urban town and ward in South London, England, in the London Borough of Croydon. It is a suburban development 7.8 miles south-east of Charing Cross. South Norwood is a town comprising a resident population of just over 14,000...
, to the north, is in common with West Norwood and Upper Norwood, named after a contraction of Great North Wood and has a population of around 14,590.
Thornton HeathThornton Heath is a district in the London Borough of Croydon, 7.2 miles south of Charing Cross.Thornton Heath High Street is the centre of a large area of north Croydon known as Thornton Heath between West Croydon and South Norwood.-History:...
is a town, to the northwest of Croydon, which holds Croydon's principal hospital
MaydayMayday University Hospital is a large NHS hospital in the borough of Croydon in south London, England. It is administratively a part of Mayday Healthcare NHS Trust. It is a teaching hospital....
.
Upper NorwoodUpper Norwood is an elevated area in south London, England within the postcode SE19. It is a residential district largely in the London Borough of Croydon although some parts extend into the London Borough of Lambeth, London Borough of Southwark and the London Borough of Bromley. Upper Norwood...
is, west to Croydon, on a mainly elevated area of the borough.
WaddonWaddon is a place in the London Borough of Croydon, to the south west of central Croydon on the borders of the London Borough of Sutton. Waddon has an older area with 19th century properties, some even older, close to central Croydon. Further south is a large estate of Council-owned homes and a...
is a residential area, mainly based on the
Purley WayPurley Way is a section of the A23 trunk road in the London Borough of Croydon, in the areas of Purley, Waddon and West Croydon, and has given its name to the out-of-town shopping area alongside it with a catchment area covering most of South London. It was designed as a bypass for Croydon and was...
retail area, to the west of the borough.
West CroydonWest Croydon is a locality to the north west of central Croydon in South London. It is located inside the London Borough of Croydon.West Croydon is a largely residential area, with little open space. However, the key roads of Purley Way and London Road pass through the area. The former is known...
is west of Croydon and
WoodsideWoodside is a neighbourhood in the London Borough of Croydon located between Addiscombe and South Norwood.-About the town:Woodside is a suburban district of residential streets based around Woodside Green, a small sized area of green land. At one end of the green is a war memorial. It is surrounded...
is located to the northeast of the borough, with streets based around
Woodside GreenWoodside Green is an area and street located in Woodside, London, centred on a village green. The station is located near to Woodside tram stop in the London Borough of Croydon...
, a small sized area of green land. And finally
WhyteleafeWhyteleafe is a small town in South East England, in the Surrey district of Tandridge. Four streets in Whyteleafe are just inside the southern edge of the London Borough of Croydon. Neighbouring villages and towns include Woldingham, Caterham, Coulsdon, Warlingham, and Kenley...
is a town, right to the edge of Croydon with some areas in the Surrey district of Tandridge.
Croydon is a gateway to the south from Central London, and therefore has a number of major roads running through it.
Purley WayPurley Way is a section of the A23 trunk road in the London Borough of Croydon, in the areas of Purley, Waddon and West Croydon, and has given its name to the out-of-town shopping area alongside it with a catchment area covering most of South London. It was designed as a bypass for Croydon and was...
on the
A23 roadThe A23 road is a major road in the United Kingdom between London and Brighton, East Sussex. It became an arterial route following the construction of Westminster Bridge in 1750 and the consequent improvement of roads leading to the bridge south of the river by the Turnpike Trusts...
was built to by-pass Croydon town centre on which the A23 once did, is one of the busiest roads in the borough, and has been the site of several major retail developments including one of only 17
IKEAIKEA is a privately-held, international home products retailer that sells flat pack furniture, accessories, and bathroom and kitchen items in their retail stores around the world...
stores in the United Kingdom. It carries on to
Brighton RoadBrighton Road is a major road running through Croydon and Purley, in south London, England. The northern part of its length is designated the A235, and further south it becomes the A23....
which is the main route running towards the south from
CroydonSouth Croydon is a locality in Greater London, the area surrounding the valley south of central Croydon about 1 km in radius, centred on the Red Deer public house on the Brighton Road. It is part of the South Croydon post town and in the London Borough of Croydon. It is essentially a...
to
PurleyPurley is a place in the London Borough of Croydon. It is a suburban development situated 11.7 miles south of Charing Cross.The name derives from "pirlea", which means 'Peartree lea'. Purley has a population of about 72,000.-Local government:...
and continues on the
A23The A23 road is a major road in the United Kingdom between London and Brighton, East Sussex. It became an arterial route following the construction of Westminster Bridge in 1750 and the consequent improvement of roads leading to the bridge south of the river by the Turnpike Trusts...
. The centre of Croydon is very congested, and the urban planning has since become out of date and quite inadequate, due to the expansion of Croydon's main shopping area and office blocks. Wellesley Road, is a
dual carriagewayA dual carriageway or divided highway is a road or highway in which the two directions of traffic are separated by a central barrier or strip of land, known as a central reservation or median...
that cuts through the centre of the town, and makes it hard to interchange between the civic centre's two railway stations.
Croydon Vision 2020Croydon Vision 2020 is a regeneration programme by the London Borough of Croydon for the centre of Croydon in South London. The original study was carried out in 1999 by EDAW and is being taken forward through the Local Development Framework process...
includes a plan for a more pedestrian-friendly replacement. It has also been named as one of the worst roads for cyclists in the area. Construction of the
Croydon UnderpassCroydon Underpass is a underpass located in Central Croydon, London. The road is part of the A212 which stretches from Catford to Forestdale. Construction of the underpass beneath the junction of George Street and Wellesley Road/Park Lane during the early Sixties...
beneath the junction of George Street and Wellesley Road/Park Lane during the early Sixties started, with the main aim to prevent traffic congestion on Park Lane, situated above the underpass. The
Croydon FlyoverThe Croydon Flyover is a flyover located in Central Croydon, London. It is part of the A232 road which connects Orpington with Ewell. The flyover connects Park Lane and the Croydon Underpass, on the A212 road with Duppas Hill Road. It crosses over the A236, Old Town and Southbridge Road and the...
on the other hand is situated near the underpass and next to
Taberner HouseTaberner House houses the main offices of Croydon Council. It is in Central Croydon, London, close to the old Town Hall .- History :...
. It mainly leads traffic on to
Duppas HillDuppas Hill is a park, road and surrounding residential area in Waddon, near Croydon in Greater London . It is thought to be named after a family called 'Dubber' or 'Double'.Duppas Hill has a long history of sport and recreation...
, towards
Purley WayPurley Way is a section of the A23 trunk road in the London Borough of Croydon, in the areas of Purley, Waddon and West Croydon, and has given its name to the out-of-town shopping area alongside it with a catchment area covering most of South London. It was designed as a bypass for Croydon and was...
with the intention for easy links with
SuttonSutton is the principal town in the London Borough of Sutton. It is situated 10.6 miles south-southwest of Charing Cross. It is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. Nearby settlements include Belmont, Carshalton, Cheam, Banstead, St...
and
Kingston upon ThamesKingston upon Thames is the principal settlement of the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames in south-west London.It was the ancient market town where Saxon kings were crowned and is now a suburb situated south west of Charing Cross...
further afield. The major junction on the flyover is for
Old TownOld Town is a small neighbourhood and main road next to Croydon in the London Borough of Croydon. The road is a dual-carriageway and forms part of the A236 which is a major A Road connecting both Mitcham and South Croydon...
, which is also a large three-lane road.
Topography and climate
Croydon covers an area of 86.52 km², the 256th
largest district in England. Croydon's physical features consist of many hills and rivers that are spread out across the borough and into the
North DownsThe North Downs are a ridge of chalk hills in south east England that stretch for 120 miles from Farnham in Surrey to the White Cliffs of Dover in Kent. The North Downs lie within two Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty , the Surrey Hills and the Kent Downs...
,
SurreySurrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire, and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford...
and the rest of South London.
Addington HillsAddington Hills is a park in Upper Shirley, London, England. It is managed by the London Borough of Croydon. It was part of the old parish of Addington before the suburb of Shirley was developed in the 1930s. The site consists largely of woodland on a gravel bed, with London's largest area of...
is a major
floodplain||-||-||-||-||-||-||-||}A floodplain, or flood plain, is flat or nearly flat land adjacent to a stream or river that experiences occasional or periodic flooding...
in London for the
Thames ValleyThe Thames Valley Region is a loose term for the English counties and towns roughly following the course of the River Thames as it flows between Wiltshire in the west to London in the east. It includes parts of Wiltshire, Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, North Hampshire,Surrey and West London...
and is recognised as a significant obstacle to the growth of London from its origins as a port on the north side of the river, to a large circular city. The
Great North WoodThe Great North Wood was a natural oak forest that covered most of the area of raised ground starting some four miles south of central London, covering the Sydenham Ridge and the southern reaches of the River Effra and its tributaries...
is a former natural oak forest that covered the
Sydenham RidgeSydenham is a area and electoral ward in the London Borough of Lewisham; although some streets towards Crystal Palace Park and Penge are outside the ward and in the London Borough of Bromley, and some streets off Sydenham Hill are in the London Borough of Southwark. Sydenham was in Kent until 1889...
and the southern reaches of the
River EffraThe River Effra is a river in south London, England. It is now mainly underground. The name is derived from the Celtic word for torrent given by the pre-Roman tribes or the name of a farm in Brixton.When the London sewerage system was constructed during the mid-19th century, its designer Sir...
and its tributaries. The most notable tree, called Vicar's Oak, marked the boundary of four ancient parishes;
LambethLambeth is a place in the London Borough of Lambeth, although the area is now more commonly known as Waterloo, after the railway station whose viaduct separates the former centre of the village from the River Thames...
,
CamberwellCamberwell is a district of London, England and forms part of the London Borough of Southwark. It is a built-up inner city district located south east of Charing Cross. To the west it has a boundary with the London Borough of Lambeth.-Etymology:...
, Croydon and
BromleyBromley is a large suburban town in southeast London, England and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Bromley. It is located southeast of Charing Cross and is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. It was historically a market town in the county...
. John Aubrey referred to this "ancient remarkable tree" in the past tense as early as 1718, but according to JB Wilson, the Vicar's Oak survived until 1825. The
River WandleThe River Wandle is a river in southeast England. It runs through southwest London and is approximately 9 miles long. It flows into the River Thames on the Tideway at Wandsworth....
is also a major tributary of the
River ThamesThe River Thames is a major river flowing through southern England. While best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows through several other towns and cities, including Oxford, Reading and Windsor....
, where it stretches to
WandsworthWandsworth is an inner suburb of London on the south bank of the River Thames in south-west London. Wandsworth takes its name from the River Wandle, which enters the Thames at Wandsworth. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.Wandsworth appears in...
and
PutneyPutney is an affluent district of south-west London in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It is located south-west of Charing Cross, on the southern bank of the River Thames, opposite Fulham...
for 9 miles (14 km) from its main source in
WaddonWaddon is a place in the London Borough of Croydon, to the south west of central Croydon on the borders of the London Borough of Sutton. Waddon has an older area with 19th century properties, some even older, close to central Croydon. Further south is a large estate of Council-owned homes and a...
.
Croydon has a
temperateIn geography, temperate or tepid latitudes of the globe lie between the tropics and the polar circles. The changes in these regions between summer and winter are generally mild, rather than extreme hot or cold. But in continental areas, such as central North America the variations between summer...
climate in common with most areas of
Great BritainGreat Britain is an island lying to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island. With a population of about 59.6 million people, it is the third most populated island on Earth. Great Britain is surrounded by over 1000 smaller...
, it is similar to that of
GreenwichGreenwich is a district in south-east London, England, on the south bank of the River Thames in the London Borough of Greenwich. It is best known for its maritime history and as giving its name to the Greenwich Meridian and Greenwich Mean Time.The town became the site of a Royal palace, the...
in
Inner LondonInner London is the name for the group of London boroughs which form the interior part of Greater London and are surrounded by Outer London. The area was first officially defined in 1965 and for purposes such as statistics, the definition has changed over time. The terms Inner London and Central...
: its Koppen climate classification is
Cfb. Its mean annual temperature of 9.6
°CCelsius is a temperature scale that is named after the Swedish astronomer Anders Celsius , who developed a similar temperature scale two years before his death...
is similar to that experienced throughout the Weald, and slightly cooler than nearby areas such as the Sussex coast and Central London. Rainfall is considerably below England's average (1971–2000) level of 838 mm, and every month is drier overall than the England average.
The nearest weather station is at
Gatwick Airport.
Architecture
The skyline of Croydon has significantly changed over the past 50 years. High rise buildings, mainly office blocks, now dominate the skyline. The most notable of these buildings include Croydon Council's headquarters
Taberner HouseTaberner House houses the main offices of Croydon Council. It is in Central Croydon, London, close to the old Town Hall .- History :...
, which has been compared to the famous
Pirelli TowerThe Pirelli Tower or Pirelli Building , is a prominent building in Milan, Italy....
of
MilanMilan in Italy, is the capital of the region of Lombardia and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while the urban area is the fifth largest in the E.U. with an estimated population of 4.3 million...
, and the
Nestlé TowerThe Nestlé Tower is a skyscraper occupied by the multinational packaged food company Nestlé S.A. in Croydon. It acts as the groups United Kingdom headquarters, with its European HQ in Vevey, in its native Switzerland. Nestlé is, according to the Forbes Global 2000 list, the second most powerful...
, the UK headquarters of
NestléNestlé S.A. is a multinational packaged food company founded and headquartered in Vevey, Switzerland, and listed on the SWX Swiss Exchange with a turnover of over 87 billion Swiss francs...
In recent years, the development of tall buildings, such as the approved
Croydon Vocational TowerCroydon Vocational Tower is an under-construction mixed-use skyscraper to be built in Central Croydon. The high-rise building which will be built on the former low rise Fairfield Building which was built in the 1950s as part of Croydon College...
and
Wellesley SquareWellesley Square is a planned town square and high-rise building in West Croydon. Planning permission for the tower was given in April 2008. The location of the site on the 'urban motorway' of Wellesley Road has lain fallow for over ten years. This project aims to add new 'life' onto the road...
, has been encouraged in the
London PlanThe London Plan is a planning document written by the Mayor of London in the United Kingdom and published by the Greater London Authority. The plan was first published in final form on 10 February 2004 and has since been amended. The current version was published in February 2008...
, which will lead to the erection of new skyscrapers over the next few years as London goes through a high-rise boom.
No.1 Croydon, formerly the NLA Tower, Britain's 88th tallest tower, close to
East Croydon stationEast Croydon station is a railway station and tram stop in Croydon, 8.3 miles south of Charing Cross in Travelcard Zone 5. It is the largest and busiest station in Croydon and the busiest in London outside Travelcard Zone 1. It is one of three railway stations in the London Borough of Croydon with...
, is an example of 1970s architecture. The tower has been nicknamed the 50p building, as it resembles many 50p pieces in a pile.
Lunar HouseLunar House is a 20-storey office block at 40 Wellesley Road, Croydon, in south London. on the east side, and houses the headquarters of the UK Border Agency, an executive agency of the Home Office in the United Kingdom...
is another high-rise building. Like other government office buildings on Wellesley Road, such as
Apollo House, the name of the building was inspired by the
US moon landingsNASA's Apollo Program landed the first humans on Earth's moon. US President John F. Kennedy announced his support for a manned moon landing on May 25, 1961, as part of a special address to a joint session of Congress:...
(In the Croydon suburb of New Addington there is a
public houseA public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises in countries and regions of British influence. Although the terms often have different connotations, there is little definitive difference between pubs, bars,...
, built during the same period, called
The Man on the Moon).
A new generation of buildings are being considered by the council as part of
Croydon Vision 2020Croydon Vision 2020 is a regeneration programme by the London Borough of Croydon for the centre of Croydon in South London. The original study was carried out in 1999 by EDAW and is being taken forward through the Local Development Framework process...
, so that the borough doesn't lose its title of having the "largest office space in the south east", excluding Central London. Projects such as
Wellesley SquareWellesley Square is a planned town square and high-rise building in West Croydon. Planning permission for the tower was given in April 2008. The location of the site on the 'urban motorway' of Wellesley Road has lain fallow for over ten years. This project aims to add new 'life' onto the road...
, which will be a mix of residential and retail with an eye-catching colour design and 100 George Street a proposed modern office block are incorporated in this vision.
Notable events that have happened to Croydon's skyline include the Millennium project to create the largest single urban lighting project ever. It was created for the buildings of Croydon to illuminate them for the third millennium. Not only did this project give new lighting to the buildings, but it provided an opportunity to project onto them images and words, mixing art and poetry with coloured light, and also displaying public information after dark. Apart from increasing night time activity in Croydon and thereby reducing the fear of crime, it helped to promote the sustainable use of older buildings by displaying them in a more positive way.
Demography
According to the
2001 censusA nationwide census, commonly known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census....
, Croydon has a population of around 269,100. In 2005 this was recorded to have risen up to 342,700, making Croydon the ninth most populous local authority in England out of 354 boroughs. 159,111 were males, with 171,476 females. In 2001 the number of people per hectare in Croydon was 38.21, in London 45.62, and in England 3.77. The mean age of the residents of Croydon was 33.75 and 233,748 out of 330,587 residents described their health as 'good'.
White is the majority ethnicity with over 72%, compared to 92% in England as a whole. Black or Black British was the second-largest ethnicity, over 13%; 11.3% is South Asian.
The most common householder type were
owner occupiedOwner occupied is a classification of UK housing tenure as described by the Department for Communities and Local Government, a UK government department that has amongst its remit the monitoring of the UK housing stock.Other classifications are:...
with only a small percentage rented. Many new housing schemes and developments are currently taking place in Croydon, such as The Exchange and Bridge House,
IYLOIYLO is the commercial name given to an under construction project to construct a residential skyscraper in the London Borough of Croydon, London. The slogan used by the clients Phoenix Logistics and E3 Property International is Inspiration For Life. The building, once finished, will feature 20...
,
Wellesley SquareWellesley Square is a planned town square and high-rise building in West Croydon. Planning permission for the tower was given in April 2008. The location of the site on the 'urban motorway' of Wellesley Road has lain fallow for over ten years. This project aims to add new 'life' onto the road...
and
Altitude 25Altitude 25 is the name given to an under construction project to construct Croydon's tallest skyscraper on Fairfield Road in the London Borough of Croydon, London. The development is intended to regenerate a brownfield site just three minutes' walk from East Croydon station...
. The
Metropolitan PoliceMetropolitan police is a generic title for the municipal police force for a major metropolitan area, and it may be part of the official title of the force...
recorded a 10% fall in the number of crimes committed in Croydon, better than the rate which crime in London as a whole is falling, in 2006. Croydon has had the highest fall in the number of cases of violence against the person in South London, and is one of the top 10 safest local authorities in London. According to
Your Croydon (a local community magazine) this is due to a stronger partnership struck between Croydon Council and the police. In 2007, overall crime figures across the borough saw decrease of 5%, with the number of incidents decreasing from 32,506 in 2006 to 30,862 in 2007. Croydon has five police stations. Croydon police station is on Park Lane in the centre of the town near the
Fairfield HallsFairfield Hall is an arts centre in Croydon, London, England and opened in 1962. It contains a concert hall, the Ashcroft Theatre , the Arnhem Gallery civic hall and an art gallery....
; South Norwood police station is a newly refurbished building just of the High Street; Norbury police station is on London Road; Kenley station is on Godstone Road; and New Addington police station is on Addington Village road.
Population change
The table below details the population change since 1901, including the percentage change since the last available census data. Although the London Borough of Croydon has existed as a London borough since 1963, figures have been generated by combining data from the towns, villages, and
civil parishIn England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and in some places the lowest tier of local government, below districts and counties. A civil parish can alternatively be known as a town, village, neighbourhood or community by resolution of its parish council; and in a limited number of...
es that would later be constituent parts of the authority.
| Population growth Population growth is the change in population over time, and can be quantified as the change in the number of individuals in a population using "per unit time" for measurement...
in Croydon since 1901 |
| Year |
1901 |
1911 |
1921 |
1931 |
1941 |
1951 |
1961 |
1971 |
1981 |
1991 |
2001 |
| Population |
141,918 |
185,914 |
221,692 |
264,358 |
281,273 |
299,271 |
316,084 |
333,942 |
316,296 |
319,218 |
330,688 |
| Population change |
– |
+43,996 |
+35,778 |
+42,666 |
+16,915 |
+17,998 |
+16,813 |
+17,858 |
−17,646 |
+2,922 |
+11,470 |
| Source: A Vision of Britain through Time |
Economy
| Labour Profile |
| Total employee jobs |
128,800 |
| Full-time |
91,100 |
70.7% |
| Part-time |
37,700 |
29.3% |
| Manufacturing |
5,400 |
4.2% |
| Construction |
6,300 |
4.9% |
| Services |
117,000 |
90.9% |
| Distribution, hotels & restaurants |
30,500 |
23.7% |
| Transport & communications |
6,900 |
5.4% |
| Finance, IT, other business activities |
33,800 |
26.2% |
| Public admin, education & health |
38,900 |
30.2% |
| Other services |
6,900 |
5.3% |
| Tourism-related |
9,100 |
7.1% |
The main employment sectors of the Borough is retail and
enterpriseAn organization is a social arrangement which pursues collective goals, which controls its own performance, and which has a boundary separating it from its environment...
which is mainly based in Central Croydon. Major employers are well-known companies, who hold stores or offices in the town.
Purley WayPurley Way is a section of the A23 trunk road in the London Borough of Croydon, in the areas of Purley, Waddon and West Croydon, and has given its name to the out-of-town shopping area alongside it with a catchment area covering most of South London. It was designed as a bypass for Croydon and was...
is a major employer of people, looking for jobs as sales assistants, sales consultants and store managerial jobs. IKEA Croydon, when it was built in 1992, brought many non-skilled jobs to Croydon. The store, which is a total size of 23,000 m², took over the former site of Croydon Power station, which had led to the unemployment of many skilled workers. In May 2006, the extension of the IKEA made it the fifth biggest employer in Croydon, and includes the extension of the showroom, market hall and self-serve areas. Other big employers around Purley is the large Tesco Extra store in Purley, along with other stores in Purley Way which include, Sainsbury's, B&Q, Comet, Vue and Toys "R" Us along with many others. Croydon town centre is also a major retail centre, and home to many
High StreetHigh Street, or the High Street, is a metonym for the generic name of the primary business street of towns or cities in the United Kingdom...
and
department storeA department store is a retail establishment which specializes in satisfying a wide range of the consumer's personal and residential durable goods product needs; and at the same time offering the consumer a choice multiple merchandise lines, at variable price points, in all product categories...
s as well as designer boutiques. The main town centre shopping areas are on the
North EndNorth End is a pedestrianized road in Central Croydon which is the main equivalent to a high street in Croydon. The road holds both of the main shopping centres, Centrale and Whitgift Centre plus a forthcoming one called Park Place. The road offers many well-known shops such as WHSmith, Next, Zara...
precinct,
Whitgift CentreThe Whitgift Centre is a large shopping centre and office development in the centre of Croydon, London, opened in stages between 1968 and 1970. The centre currently comprises of retail space and was the largest covered shopping development in Greater London until the opening of Westfield London at...
,
CentraleCentrale is a shopping centre in Croydon, South London, one of the largest covered retail developments in London. It is owned and managed by the St Martins Property Group and was opened in 2004....
and the
St George's WalkSt George's Walk is a covered shopping parade in the centre of Croydon, London that houses many independent stores. It was completed in 1964 by Ronald Ward and Partners, the designers of St George's House and Millbank Tower, but unlike similar precincts such as The Mall in Bromley it has not been...
.
Department storeA department store is a retail establishment which specializes in satisfying a wide range of the consumer's personal and residential durable goods product needs; and at the same time offering the consumer a choice multiple merchandise lines, at variable price points, in all product categories...
s in Croydon town centre include
House of FraserHouse of Fraser is a British department store group with 62 stores across the United Kingdom and Ireland. The flagship London store is House of Fraser on Oxford Street in London whilst the retailer has recently undertaken its largest new store opening in Belfast.Over the years House of Fraser has...
, Marks and Spencer,
AlldersAllders is an independent department store in Croydon, established by Joshua Allder in 1862. It is the fourth-largest department store in the United Kingdom.The Croydon store was the flagship of a large chain of department stores in the UK...
,
DebenhamsDebenhams plc is a Britishretailer operating under a department store format in the UK and franchise stores in other countries. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.- History :...
and
T.K. MaxxT.K. Maxx is the only 'off-price' retailer in Europe with stores throughout the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland and Germany. The company is part of the TJX Companies which also owns other 'off-price' retail chains such as T.J. Maxx and Marshalls in the United States...
. Croydon's main
marketA market is any one of a variety of different systems, institutions, procedures, social relations and infrastructures whereby persons trade, and goods and services are exchanged, forming part of the economy. It is an arrangement that allows buyers and sellers to exchange things...
is
Surrey Street MarketSurrey Street Market is a market that sells mainly meat & vegetables as well as a range of other items through the week in Croydon, south London. It has a Royal Charter dating back to 1276 linking it to the Archbishop of Canterbury. The market is regularly used as a location for TV, film and...
, which has a royal charter dating back to 1276. Shopping areas outside the city centre include the
Valley ParkValley Park Retail and Leisure Complex is a major out-of-town retail park in the Purley Way retail and industrial area of the London Borough of Croydon. Valley Park was opened in 1992 on the site of the former Croydon 'B' Power Station which was built in the late 1940s and opened in 1950...
retail park,
Croydon ColonnadesThe Colonnades Leisure Park is an out-of-town leisure park located in the Purley Way retail and industrial district of the London Borough of Croydon, South London which opened in the late 1990s...
,
Croydon FivewaysCroydon Fiveways is a small out-of-town retail park and road junction in the industrial and large retail area of Purley Way inside the London Borough of Croydon, South London...
, and the
Waddon Goods ParkWaddon Goods Park is a small out-of-town retail park in the Purley Way retail and industrial area of the London Borough of Croydon, South London. It contains one of three McDonalds on the Purley Way A23 road, Magnet and Pets at Home...
.
In a 2005 survey on spending potential, Croydon came 21st (second in London behind the
West EndThe West End of London is an area of Central London, England, containing many of the city's major tourist attractions, businesses, headquarters and the commercial West End theatres. Use of the term began in the early 19th century to describe fashionable areas to the west of Charing Cross...
which came out first) with £909 million while the next London retail centre,
Kingston upon ThamesKingston upon Thames is the principal settlement of the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames in south-west London.It was the ancient market town where Saxon kings were crowned and is now a suburb situated south west of Charing Cross...
came 24th with £864 million. In a 2004 survey on the top retail destinations, Croydon was 27th.
In 2007, Croydon leapt up the annual business growth league table, with a 14% rise in new firms trading in the borough after 125 new companies started up, increasing the number from 900 to 1,025, enabling the town, which has also won the Enterprising Britain Award and "the most enterprising borough in London" award, to jump from 31 to 14 in the table.
TramlinkTramlink is a tramway system in south London in the United Kingdom which began operation in May 2000...
created many jobs when it opened in 2000, not only drivers but engineers as well. Many of the people involved came from Croydon, which was the original hub of the system.
Retail stores inside both
CentraleCentrale is a shopping centre in Croydon, South London, one of the largest covered retail developments in London. It is owned and managed by the St Martins Property Group and was opened in 2004....
and the
Whitgift CentreThe Whitgift Centre is a large shopping centre and office development in the centre of Croydon, London, opened in stages between 1968 and 1970. The centre currently comprises of retail space and was the largest covered shopping development in Greater London until the opening of Westfield London at...
as well as on
North EndNorth End is a pedestrianized road in Central Croydon which is the main equivalent to a high street in Croydon. The road holds both of the main shopping centres, Centrale and Whitgift Centre plus a forthcoming one called Park Place. The road offers many well-known shops such as WHSmith, Next, Zara...
employee people regularly and create many jobs, especially at Christmas. As well as the new building of
Park PlacePark Place is a shopping centre which had been expected to open in Croydon, England by 2011, although this date has been pushed back and building has not started. It is part of the Croydon Vision 2020 re-generation scheme...
, which will create yet more jobs, so will the regeneration of Croydon, called
Croydon Vision 2020Croydon Vision 2020 is a regeneration programme by the London Borough of Croydon for the centre of Croydon in South London. The original study was carried out in 1999 by EDAW and is being taken forward through the Local Development Framework process...
, highlighted in the
Croydon ExpoThe Croydon Exp07 was a series of events aimed at business and residents in the London Borough of Croydon, UK to demonstrate the £2bn of development projects planned for Croydon in the next 10 years . It is part of the Croydon Vision 2020 regeneration programme. The council-backed scheme is hoping...
which includes the
Croydon GatewayRuskin Square is the name given to a project to redevelop a block of land between East Croydon railway station and the existing town centre of Croydon in South London. It is part of the major Croydon Vision 2020 regeneration scheme...
,
Wellesley SquareWellesley Square is a planned town square and high-rise building in West Croydon. Planning permission for the tower was given in April 2008. The location of the site on the 'urban motorway' of Wellesley Road has lain fallow for over ten years. This project aims to add new 'life' onto the road...
, Central One plus much more.
Croydon is a major office area in the south east of England, being the largest outside of
Central LondonThe term Central London refers to the districts of London which are considered closest to the centre. There is no conventional definition, nor any official one, for the entire area that can be called "central London". Central London covers about 10 square miles on areas both north and south of the...
. Many powerful companies based in
EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains , and the Black Sea to the southeast...
and worldwide have European or British headquarters in the town.
American International GroupAmerican International Group, Inc. is an American insurance corporation. Its corporate headquarters are located in the American International Building in New York City. The British headquarters office is on Fenchurch Street in London; continental Europe operations are based in La Défense, Paris,...
(AIG), the sponsors of
Manchester United F.C.Manchester United Football Club is an English football club, one of the most popular football clubs in the world, based at Old Trafford in Greater Manchester. The club was a founding member of the Premier League in 1992, and has played in the top division of English football since 1938, with the...
has its European headquarters in East Croydon in
No.1 CroydonNo.1 Croydon is a skyscraper at 12-16 Addiscombe Road, Croydon, London, next to East Croydon station. It was designed by R. Seifert & Partners and completed in 1970. It has 24 stories and is high. 'NLA' stood for 'Noble Lowndes Annuities'...
formerly the NLA Tower (50p building), shared with Liberata,
PegasusPegasus Software is based in Kettering, England and develops accounting and financial management and payroll software applications for small and medium sized businesses.-History:...
and the
Institute of Public FinanceThe Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy is a professional institute for accountants working in the public services.CIPFA has 14,000 members who work throughout the public services, in national audit agencies, in major accountancy firms, and in other bodies where public money...
. AIG is the sixth-largest company in the world according to the 2007
Forbes Global 2000The Forbes Global 2000 is an annual ranking of the top 2000 public companies in the world by Forbes magazine. The ranking is based on a mix of four metrics: Sales, Profit, Assets and Market value...
list. The
SwissSwitzerland , officially the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 states named cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities...
company
NestléNestlé S.A. is a multinational packaged food company founded and headquartered in Vevey, Switzerland, and listed on the SWX Swiss Exchange with a turnover of over 87 billion Swiss francs...
has its UK headquarters in Croydon in the
Nestlé TowerThe Nestlé Tower is a skyscraper occupied by the multinational packaged food company Nestlé S.A. in Croydon. It acts as the groups United Kingdom headquarters, with its European HQ in Vevey, in its native Switzerland. Nestlé is, according to the Forbes Global 2000 list, the second most powerful...
, on the site of the proposed
Park PlacePark Place is a shopping centre which had been expected to open in Croydon, England by 2011, although this date has been pushed back and building has not started. It is part of the Croydon Vision 2020 re-generation scheme...
shopping centre, so the offices may be modernised and re-newed causing the company to relocate for a while. Real Digital International has developed a purpose built factory on Purley Way equipped with the most sophisticated production equipment and technical solutions. ntl:Telewest now Virgin Media has offices at Communications House, from the Telewest side when it was known as Croydon Cable. The
Home OfficeThe Home Office is the United Kingdom government department responsible for immigration control, security and order. As such it is responsible for the police, United Kingdom Borders Agency and MI5. It is also in charge of government policy on security-related issues such as drugs, counter-terrorism...
UK Border AgencyThe UK Border Agency came into existence on 1 April 2008. Formed as a result of a Cabinet Office report, a decision was taken to merge the Border and Immigration Agency, UKvisas and the port of entry functions of HM Revenue and Customs into one new integrated border control body...
has its
headquartersHeadquarters denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. The corporate headquarters is the entity at the top of a corporation taking full responsibility managing all business activities...
in
Lunar HouseLunar House is a 20-storey office block at 40 Wellesley Road, Croydon, in south London. on the east side, and houses the headquarters of the UK Border Agency, an executive agency of the Home Office in the United Kingdom...
in Central Croydon. In 1981, Superdrug opened a 11,148 m² (120,000 ft²) distribution centre and office complex at Beddington Lane. The head office of international engineering and management consultant
Mott MacDonaldThe Mott MacDonald Group is an employee-owned company management, engineering and development consultancy serving the public and private sectors world-wide...
is located in St Anne House on Wellesley Road. BT has large offices in Prospect East in Central Croydon. The
Royal Bank of ScotlandThe Royal Bank of Scotland Group is a British banking and insurance holding company in which HM Treasury holds a 70.33% controlling shareholding, through UK Financial Investments Limited...
also has large offices in Purley, south of Croydon.
Direct LineDirect Line is a division of the Royal Bank of Scotland Group that specialises in selling insurance and other financial services over the phone and internet....
also has an office opposite
Taberner HouseTaberner House houses the main offices of Croydon Council. It is in Central Croydon, London, close to the old Town Hall .- History :...
. Other companies with headquarters in Croydon include
Lloyds TSBIn January 2009, Lloyds TSB Group changed its name to Lloyds Banking Group. This article is now about the brand Lloyds TSB which is still operated as part of the Lloyds Banking Group....
,
Merrill LynchMerrill Lynch & Co., Inc. was a global financial services firm acquired by Bank of America in 2009, today known as Bank of America Merrill Lynch. The firm was acquired by Bank of America under distressed circumstances during the 2008 Financial Crisis. This article describes both the historical...
and
Balfour BeattyBalfour Beatty plc is a London-based construction, engineering, rail and investment services company. It is one of the largest construction companies in the UK, and the 15th largest in the world...
.
Ann SummersAnn Summers is a British chain of High street sex shops.As an unlicensed sex shop under British law, it means only a small proportion of the available product lines can be sex toys and the range of pornography sold is strictly limited in both volume and content.-History:The company was named after...
used to have its headquarters in the borough but has moved to the Wopses Lodge Roundabout in Tandridge.
Landmarks
There are a large number of attractions and places of interest all across the borough of Croydon, ranging from historic sites in the north and south to modern towers in the centre.
Croydon AirportCroydon Airport was an airport in South London which straddled the boundary between what are now the London boroughs of Croydon and Sutton. Croydon was the first airport in the world to introduce air traffic control, in 1921...
was once London's main airport, but closed on 30 September 1959 due to the expansion of London and the need of more room at the airport which was impossible to provide, so Heathrow International Airport took over as London's main airport. It is now disused and is a tourist attraction. The
Croydon ClocktowerCroydon Clocktower on Katharine Street in Central Croydon is an arts centre in Croydon, London, England. It contains the Museum of Croydon, the Riesco Gallery with a collection of Chinese pottery and ceramics, the David Lean Cinema, the Braithwaite Hall used for concerts and conferences, and a café...
arts venue was opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1994. It includes the
David Lean CinemaThe David Lean Cinema is a small cinema built in the 1990s to honour the director David Lean who was born in the town. It is located in Central Croydon, London on Katherine Street...
(built in memory of
David LeanSir David Lean was an English filmmaker, producer, screenwriter and editor, best remembered for big-screen epics such as Lawrence of Arabia, The Bridge on the River Kwai,Doctor Zhivago,...
), the
Museum of CroydonThe Museum of Croydon is a museum located inside the Croydon Clocktower arts facility. It is in Central Croydon, London Borough of Croydon, England...
and
Croydon Central LibraryCroydon Central Library is Croydon's main public library located inside the Croydon Clocktower in Central Croydon. It is owned by the London Borough of Croydon on behalf of Croydon Council...
. The Museum of Croydon (formerly known as Croydon Lifetimes Museum) highlights Croydon in the past and the present and currently features high-profile exhibitions including the Riesco Collection, The Art of Dr Seuss and the Whatever the Weather gallery.
Shirley WindmillShirley Windmill is a Grade II listed tower mill in Shirley, in the London Borough of Croydon, England which has been restored to working order.-History:...
is a working windmill and one of the few surviving large windmills in
SurreySurrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire, and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford...
, built in 1854. It is
Grade II listed and received a £218,100 grant from the
Heritage Lottery FundThe Heritage Lottery Fund is a fund established in the United Kingdom under the National Lottery etc. Act 1993. The Fund opened for applications in 1994. It uses money raised through the National Lottery to transform and sustain the UK’s heritage...
.
Addington PalaceAddington Palace is a 18th century mansion in Addington near Croydon, south London, England.The original manor house called 'Addington Place' was built about the 16th century.The Addington estate was owned by the Leigh family until early 1700s....
is an 18th century mansion in
AddingtonAddington is a village in south London, England, in the London Borough of Croydon.-Village history:The village lay within the Anglo-Saxon administrative division of Wallington hundred. Addington is thought to be named after Edda, a Saxon. In the Domesday Book, two manors are mentioned, linked with...
which was originally built as Addington Place in the 16th century. The palace became the official second residence of six Archbishops, five of whom are buried in St Mary's Church and churchyard nearby.
North EndNorth End is a pedestrianized road in Central Croydon which is the main equivalent to a high street in Croydon. The road holds both of the main shopping centres, Centrale and Whitgift Centre plus a forthcoming one called Park Place. The road offers many well-known shops such as WHSmith, Next, Zara...
is the main pedestrianised shopping road in Croydon, having
CentraleCentrale is a shopping centre in Croydon, South London, one of the largest covered retail developments in London. It is owned and managed by the St Martins Property Group and was opened in 2004....
to one side and the
Whitgift CentreThe Whitgift Centre is a large shopping centre and office development in the centre of Croydon, London, opened in stages between 1968 and 1970. The centre currently comprises of retail space and was the largest covered shopping development in Greater London until the opening of Westfield London at...
to the other. The
Warehouse TheatreThe Warehouse Theatre is a professional producing theatre with one hundred seats in the centre of the London Borough of Croydon, based in an oak-beamed former cement Victorian warehouse. It is acclaimed for its commitment to new writing, including its annual International Playwriting Festival, in...
is a popular theatre for mostly young performers and is due to get a face-lift on the
Croydon GatewayRuskin Square is the name given to a project to redevelop a block of land between East Croydon railway station and the existing town centre of Croydon in South London. It is part of the major Croydon Vision 2020 regeneration scheme...
site. The
Nestlé TowerNestlé S.A. is a multinational packaged food company founded and headquartered in Vevey, Switzerland, and listed on the SWX Swiss Exchange with a turnover of over 87 billion Swiss francs...
is the
UK headquartersThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
of
NestléNestlé S.A. is a multinational packaged food company founded and headquartered in Vevey, Switzerland, and listed on the SWX Swiss Exchange with a turnover of over 87 billion Swiss francs...
and is one of the tallest towers in
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, which is due to be re-fitted during the Park Place development. The
Fairfield HallsFairfield Hall is an arts centre in Croydon, London, England and opened in 1962. It contains a concert hall, the Ashcroft Theatre , the Arnhem Gallery civic hall and an art gallery....
is a well known concert hall and exhibition centre, opened in 1962. It is frequently used for
BBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation, usually referred to by its abbreviation as the "BBC", is the longest established and largest broadcaster in the world...
recordings and was formerly the home of
ITVITV is a public service network of British commercial television broadcasters, set up under the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC. ITV is the oldest commercial television network in the UK...
's
World of SportWorld of Sport is a British television sport anthology programme which ran on ITV between January 2, 1965 to September 28, 1985 in response to competition from BBC's Grandstand. Like Grandstand, the programme ran for several hours every Saturday afternoon.-Early years:Eamonn Andrews was the first...
. It includes the
Ashcroft TheatreThe Ashcroft Theatre is a theatre located within the Fairfield Halls, Croydon, South London. The theatre was named after Croydon-born Dame Peggy Ashcroft and is a proscenium theatre with a stepped auditorium. A variety of productions are held throughout the year such as drama, ballet, opera and...
and the
Arnhem GalleryArnhem is a city and municipality, situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of Gelderland and located near the river Nederrijn as well as near the St. Jansbeek, which was the source of the city's development. Arnhem has 146,095 residents as one of the...
.
Croydon PalaceCroydon Palace, in Croydon, now part of London, was the summer residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury for over 500 years. Regular visitors included Henry III and Queen Elizabeth I...
was the summer residence of the
Archbishop of CanterburyAlso see Leaders of ChristianityThe Archbishop of Canterbury is the chief bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury, the see that churches must be in communion with in order to be...
for over 500 years and included regular visitors such as
Henry IIIHenry III was the son and successor of John as King of England, reigning for fifty-six years from 1216 to his death. His contemporaries knew him as Henry of Winchester. He was the first child king in England since the reign of Æthelred the Unready...
and Queen Elizabeth I. It is thought to have been built around 960.
Croydon CemeteryCroydon Cemetery is a cemetery located next to Mitcham Common near Croydon, which is part of the London Borough of Croydon, London. It is managed by Croydon Cemeteries and Crematoriums. The cemetery is much larger than other ones in London and Croydon Crematorium is located inside the cemetery....
is a large cemetery and crematorium west of Croydon and is most famous for the gravestone of
Derek BentleyDerek William Bentley was a British teenager hanged for the murder of a police officer, committed in the course of a burglary attempt. The murder of the police officer was committed by a friend and accomplice of Bentley's, Christopher Craig, then aged 16. Bentley was convicted as a party to the...
, who was wrongly hanged in 1953.
Mitcham CommonMitcham Common or Seven Islands is 182 hectares of common land situated in South London. It is predominantly in the London borough of Merton, with parts straddling the borders with Sutton and Croydon.- History :...
is an area of
common landCommon land is land owned collectively or by one person, but over which other people have certain traditional rights, such as to allow their livestock to graze upon it, to collect firewood, or to cut turf for fuel. By extension, the term "commons" has come to be applied to other resources which a...
partly shared with the boroughs of
SuttonThe London Borough of Sutton is a London borough in South London, England and forms part of Outer London. It covers an area of and is the 80th largest local authority in England by population. It is one of the southernmost boroughs of London...
and
MertonThe London Borough of Merton is a London borough in south west London.The borough was formed in 1965 by the merger of the former area of the Municipal Borough of Mitcham, the Municipal Borough of Wimbledon and the Merton and Morden Urban District, all formerly within Surrey. The main commercial...
. Almost 500,000 years ago, Mitcham Common formed part of the river bed of the River Thames. The
BRIT SchoolThe BRIT School for Performing Arts & Technology is an independent technology school partly funded by the BRIT awards located in The Crescent, Selhurst, Croydon, in London, England...
is a performing Arts & Technology school, owned by the BRIT Trust (known for the
BRIT Awards Music CeremonyThe Brit Awards, often simply called The Brits and stylized as The BRIT Awards, are the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British" or "Britannia", but has subsequently become a backronym for British Record Industry Trust...
). Famous former students include
Kellie ShirleyKellie Shirley is a British actress. She played the role of Carly Wicks in the popular BBC soap opera EastEnders up until 2008...
,
Amy WinehouseAmy Jade Winehouse is an English singer and songwriter, known for her eclectic mix of various musical genres including R&B, soul, jazz, rock & roll, and ska. Winehouse is best known for her soulful, powerful contralto vocals....
,
Leona LewisLeona Louise Lewis is an English pop/R&B singer and songwriter. Lewis rose to fame in 2006 as the winner of the third series of the British television series The X Factor....
,
Kate NashKate Marie Nash is an English singer and songwriter based in London. She had a UK #2 hit "Foundations" in 2007, followed by the platinum selling UK number 1 album Made of Bricks.-Early life:...
,
Dane BowersDane Bowers is an English pop singer, songwriter and record producer. He has performed on eleven Top 10 singles, seven of them as part of the R&B boyband, Another Level.-Career:...
,
Katie MeluaKetevan "Katie" Melua is a Georgian/British singer, songwriter and musician. She was born in Georgia, but moved to Northern Ireland at the age of eight and then relocated to England at the age of 14. Melua is signed to the small Dramatico record label, under the management of songwriter Mike Batt,...
and Lyndon David-Hall. Grants is an entertainment venue in the centre of Croydon which includes a
Vue cinemaVue is a cinema company in the UK and the Republic of Ireland. The company was formed in May 2003 when SBC International Cinemas bought Warner Village Cinemas. There are now 62 Vue cinemas, with 607 screens totaling 134,413 seats, which includes the rebranded flagship Warner Village Cinema in...
and the
Tiger TigerTiger Tiger is a chain of British nightclubs owned by Novus Leisure. As of mid-2007, the chain has nine branches, located in Aberdeen, Cardiff, Croydon, Glasgow, Leeds, London, Manchester, Newcastle and Portsmouth...
nightclub.
Taberner HouseTaberner House houses the main offices of Croydon Council. It is in Central Croydon, London, close to the old Town Hall .- History :...
houses the main offices of Croydon Council, and was built between 1964 and 1967. It has been compared to the
Pirelli TowerThe Pirelli Tower or Pirelli Building , is a prominent building in Milan, Italy....
in
MilanMilan in Italy, is the capital of the region of Lombardia and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while the urban area is the fifth largest in the E.U. with an estimated population of 4.3 million...
.
Surrey Street MarketSurrey Street Market is a market that sells mainly meat & vegetables as well as a range of other items through the week in Croydon, south London. It has a Royal Charter dating back to 1276 linking it to the Archbishop of Canterbury. The market is regularly used as a location for TV, film and...
has a Royal Charter dating back to 1276 linking it to the
Archbishop of CanterburyAlso see Leaders of ChristianityThe Archbishop of Canterbury is the chief bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury, the see that churches must be in communion with in order to be...
. The market is regularly used as a location for TV, film and advertising.
BeanosBeanos is a British second-hand record shop, once the largest in Europe, located in the South London suburb of Croydon. It was founded by David Lashmar in 1975 and continued to expand through three increasingly larger shops ending up in an old printing works in Middle Street during the 1990s.After...
, a collectors' record store that has been in Croydon for over three decades, was once the largest second-hand record shop in
EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains , and the Black Sea to the southeast...
. The Parish Church of St John the Baptist is a large church dating from the 15th century. It was largely destroyed by fire in 1867 and rebuilt by Sir
George Gilbert ScottSir George Gilbert Scott was an English architect of the Victorian Age, chiefly associated with the design, building and renovation of churches, cathedrals and workhouses....
. It is the burial place of six Archbishops of Canterbury with monuments to Archbishops Sheldon and Whitgift.
BedZEDBeddington Zero Energy Development is an environmentally-friendly-housing development near Wallington, England, in the London Borough of Sutton. It was designed by the architect Bill Dunster, who was looking for a more sustainable way of building housing in urban areas...
, Beddington Zero Energy Development, is on the outskirts of the borough.
Transport
There are two main interchanges for all public transport modes (
nationalInter-city rail services are express train passenger services which cover longer distances than commuter or regional trains.There is no clear definition of Inter-city rail. Most broadly, it includes all rail service except short distance commuter rail within one city area and slow regional rail...
and local rail,
tramTramlink is a tramway system in south London in the United Kingdom which began operation in May 2000...
, and
local busesA bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. A bus seats a maximum of 8 to 300 passengers...
) at
West CroydonWest Croydon is a locality to the north west of central Croydon in South London. It is located inside the London Borough of Croydon.West Croydon is a largely residential area, with little open space. However, the key roads of Purley Way and London Road pass through the area. The former is known...
and
East Croydon stationEast Croydon station is a railway station and tram stop in Croydon, 8.3 miles south of Charing Cross in Travelcard Zone 5. It is the largest and busiest station in Croydon and the busiest in London outside Travelcard Zone 1. It is one of three railway stations in the London Borough of Croydon with...
.
National and international travel
Croydon is linked into the national motorway network via the
M23The M23 motorway is a motorway in England. The motorway runs from south of Hooley in Surrey, where it splits from the A23, to Pease Pottage, south of Crawley in West Sussex where it rejoins the A23. The northern end of the motorway starts at junction 7 on what is effectively a two-mile long spur...
and
M25The M25 motorway is a 117 mile orbital motorway which encircles Greater London, United Kingdom except for the tolled Dartford Crossing where it crosses the River Thames to the east of London...
orbital motorway. The M25 skirts the south of the borough, linking Croydon with other parts
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
and the surrounding counties; the M23 branches from the M25 close to Coulsdon, linking the town with the
South CoastSouthern England, The South and The South of England are imprecise terms used to refer to the southern counties of England bordering the English Midlands and East Anglia. It has a number of different interpretations of its geographic extents. The South is considered by many to be a cultural region...
,
CrawleyCrawley is a town and local government district with Borough status in West Sussex, England. It is south of London, north of Brighton and Hove, and northeast of the county town of Chichester, covers an area of and had a population of 99,744 at the time of the 2001 Census.The area has been...
,
ReigateReigate is a historic market town in Surrey, England at the foot of the North Downs, and in the London commuter belt. It is one of the main constituents of the Borough of Reigate and Banstead. Reigate and the adjacent town of Redhill form a single urban area....
, and
London Gatwick AirportLondon Gatwick Airport is London's second largest international airport and second busiest in the United Kingdom after Heathrow. In 2008, it was the world's 28th-busiest airport in terms of passenger numbers and 9th busiest in terms of international passengers...
. The
A23The A23 road is a major road in the United Kingdom between London and Brighton, East Sussex. It became an arterial route following the construction of Westminster Bridge in 1750 and the consequent improvement of roads leading to the bridge south of the river by the Turnpike Trusts...
connects the borough with the motorways. The A23 is the major trunk road through Croydon, linking it with Central London, East Sussex, Horsham, and Littlehaven. The old London to Brighton road, passes through the west of the borough on
Purley WayPurley Way is a section of the A23 trunk road in the London Borough of Croydon, in the areas of Purley, Waddon and West Croydon, and has given its name to the out-of-town shopping area alongside it with a catchment area covering most of South London. It was designed as a bypass for Croydon and was...
, bypassing the commercial centre of Croydon which it once did.
The
Brighton Main LineThe Brighton Main Line is a major British railway line running from London Victoria and London Bridge to Brighton. The route is approximately 50 miles in length. It is operated by Southern and First Capital Connect and is electrified throughout...
railway routeThe railway system in Great Britain is the oldest in the world, with the world's first locomotive hauled public railway opening in 1825. As of 2006, it consists of of standard gauge lines , of which are electrified. These lines are single, double or quadruple track. In addition, a number of...
south from Croydon links the town to Sussex, Surrey, and Kent and to Central London to the north: providing direct services to Hastings, Southampton, Brighton, Portsmouth, Gatwick Airport, Bedford and Luton. Also running through Croydon is the N/S cross-country line which links Manchester and Reading directly with South London, the Southeast, and the South Coast. The main station for all these services is
East Croydon stationEast Croydon station is a railway station and tram stop in Croydon, 8.3 miles south of Charing Cross in Travelcard Zone 5. It is the largest and busiest station in Croydon and the busiest in London outside Travelcard Zone 1. It is one of three railway stations in the London Borough of Croydon with...
in the centre of the town centre.
East Croydon stationEast Croydon station is a railway station and tram stop in Croydon, 8.3 miles south of Charing Cross in Travelcard Zone 5. It is the largest and busiest station in Croydon and the busiest in London outside Travelcard Zone 1. It is one of three railway stations in the London Borough of Croydon with...
is the largest and busiest station in Croydon, third busiest in London, excluding
Travelcard Zone 1Travelcard Zone 1 is the central zone of Transport for London's zonal fare system used for calculating the price of tickets for travel on the London Underground, London Overground, Docklands Light Railway and, since 2007, on National Rail services. For most tickets travel through the zone is...
. The station at
West CroydonWest Croydon station is a transport interchange for National Rail and Tramlink services, as well as London Buses. It is in the London Borough of Croydon and Travelcard Zone 5...
serves all trains travelling west except the fastest. There are also more regional stations scattered around the borough. Passenger rail services through Croydon are provided by
SouthernSouthern is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. Officially named Southern Railway Ltd., it is a subsidiary of Govia, a joint venture between transport groups Go-Ahead Group and Keolis, and has operated the South Central rail franchise since October 2000 and the Gatwick Express service...
,
SoutheasternSoutheastern is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. It began operations in south-east England on 1 April 2006 as franchisee for the Integrated Kent Franchise , replacing the prior publicly-owned operator South Eastern Trains on the former South East Franchise...
,
First Capital ConnectFirst Capital Connect is a passenger train operating company in England that began operations on the National Rail network on 1 April 2006...
and
CrossCountryCrossCountry is the brand name of XC Trains Ltd., a British train operating company owned by Arriva. The company operates a network of express and long-distance train services between a variety of towns and cities outside London.- Formation :...
. A pilot scheme launched by the
Strategic Rail AuthorityIn existence from 2001 to 2006, the Strategic Rail Authority was a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom set up under the Transport Act 2000 to provide strategic direction for the railway industry....
,
Transport for LondonTransport for London is the local government body responsible for most aspects of the transport system in Greater London in England...
and three train operators is designed to encourage more passengers to travel off-peak. In full partnership with the
South London BoroughsSouth London is the southern part of London, England. The area it covers is defined differently for a range of purposes.-Boundary Commission:...
which includes Croydon, SWELTRAC, SELTRANS and the transport users group, the scheme promotes the advantages of off-peak travel following improvements to safety, travel connections and upgrading of station facilities. The
Thameslink ProgrammeThe Thameslink Programme, formerly known as Thameslink 2000, is a £5.5 billion major project to upgrade and expand the Thameslink rail network in southern England...
(formerly known as Thameslink 2000), is a £3.5 billion major project to expand the
Thameslink networkThameslink is a fifty-station route in the British railway system running north to south from Bedford to Brighton through the Snow Hill tunnel in Central London. It is an important commuter route and serves the airports at London Gatwick and London Luton...
from 51 to 172
stationsA railway station, train station, railroad station, or station yard is a facility at which passengers may board and alight from trains, and/or where rail-transported freight may be loaded or unloaded. Historically, the term depot has also been employed in North America...
spreading northwards to
BedfordBedford is the county town of Bedfordshire, in the East of England. It is a large town and the administrative centre for the wider Borough of Bedford. According to Bedfordshire County Council's estimates, the town had a population of 79,190 in mid 2005, with 19,720 in the adjacent town of Kempston...
,
PeterboroughPeterborough is a cathedral city and unitary authority area in the East of England, with an estimated population of as of June 2006. For ceremonial purposes it is in the county of Cambridgeshire. The Town Hall is north of London at Charing Cross...
,
CambridgeThe city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. It is also at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen....
and
King's LynnKing's Lynn is a town and port in Norfolk, England. The town has been known variously as Bishop's Lynn and Lynn Regis, while it is frequently referred to by locals as simply Lynn, the Celtic word for lake....
and southwards to
GuildfordGuildford is the county town of Surrey, England, as well as the seat for the borough of Guildford and the administrative headquarters of the South East England region...
,
EastbourneEastbourne is a large town and borough of East Sussex, on the south coast of England, with an estimated population of 106,652 as of 2009. The area has seen human activity since the stone age and it remained one of small settlements until the 19th century when its four hamlets gradually merged to...
,
HorshamHorsham is a market town situated on the River Arun in the centre of the Weald, in the county of West Sussex, England with a population of 55,657 . It lies south southwest from London, northwest from Brighton and northeast from the county town of Chichester. Nearby towns include Crawley to the...
,
HoveHove is a town on the south coast of England, immediately to the west of its larger neighbour Brighton, with which it forms the unitary authority Brighton and Hove. It forms a single conurbation together with Brighton and some smaller towns and villages running along the coast...
to
LittlehamptonLittlehampton is a seaside resort town and civil parish in the Arun District of West Sussex, England, located on the east bank at the mouth of the River Arun. It lies south southwest of London, west of Brighton, and east of the county town of Chichester....
,
East GrinsteadEast Grinstead is a town and civil parish in the northeastern corner of Mid Sussex, West Sussex in England near the East Sussex, Surrey, and Kent borders. It lies south of London, north northeast of Brighton, and east northeast of the county town of Chichester...
,
AshfordAshford is a relatively common English placename: it goes back to Old English æscet, indicating a ford near a clump of ash trees. It may refer to:-Places:In Australia:*Ashford, New South Wales*Ashford, South Australia...
and
DartfordDartford is the principal town in the borough of Dartford. It is situated in the northwest corner of Kent, England, 16 miles east south-east of central London....
. The project includes the lengthening of platforms, station remodelling, new railway infrastructure (e.g. viaduct) and additional rolling stock. When implemented, First Capital Connect services would call at other stations in the borough including Purley and Norwood Junction.
The closest international airport to Croydon is
London Gatwick AirportLondon Gatwick Airport is London's second largest international airport and second busiest in the United Kingdom after Heathrow. In 2008, it was the world's 28th-busiest airport in terms of passenger numbers and 9th busiest in terms of international passengers...
, which is located from the town centre. The airport opened on August 1930 as an aerodrome and is a major international operational base for
British AirwaysBritish Airways plc is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom. It is headquartered in Waterside near its main hub at London Heathrow Airport and is the largest airline in the UK based on fleet size, international flights and international destinations. Its second hub is London Gatwick...
,
EasyJetEasyJet Airline Company Limited is a British airline headquartered in Hangar 89 at London Luton Airport, Luton, Bedfordshire, England. It carries more passengers than any other United Kingdom based airline company, operating domestic and international scheduled services on 387 routes between 104...
and
Virgin AtlanticVirgin Atlantic Airways Ltd. is a British airline owned by Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group and Singapore Airlines...
. It currently handles around 35 million passengers a year making it London's second largest airport and the second busiest airport in the United Kingdom after
HeathrowLondon Heathrow Airport or Heathrow , located in the London Borough of Hillingdon, is the world's busiest airport in terms of international passenger traffic. It is the world's second busiest airport in total passenger traffic. It is also the largest and busiest airport in the United Kingdom...
.
Croydon AirportCroydon Airport was an airport in South London which straddled the boundary between what are now the London boroughs of Croydon and Sutton. Croydon was the first airport in the world to introduce air traffic control, in 1921...
opened on 29 March 1920 but, due in part to its short runway and the expanding Gatwick Airport, closed once the final scheduled passenger flight departed on 30 September 1959. It used to be the operating base for
Imperial Airwaysright|thumb|BOAC Speedbird logo, adopted following the merger of UK airlines in 1939, it was commissioned by Imperial Airways who rarely used it on their own planes prior to 1939. According to Adenair who also used it under their BOAC ownership, it was designed by Theyre Lee-Elliot...
and was served by
British AirwaysBritish Airways plc is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom. It is headquartered in Waterside near its main hub at London Heathrow Airport and is the largest airline in the UK based on fleet size, international flights and international destinations. Its second hub is London Gatwick...
.
London Heathrow AirportLondon Heathrow Airport or Heathrow , located in the London Borough of Hillingdon, is the world's busiest airport in terms of international passenger traffic. It is the world's second busiest airport in total passenger traffic. It is also the largest and busiest airport in the United Kingdom...
,
London City AirportLondon City Airport is a single-runway STOLport, an airport for use by STOL airliners, and principally serving the financial district of London. It is located on a former Docklands site, east of the City of London, opposite the London Regatta Centre, in the London Borough of Newham in East...
and
London Luton AirportLondon Luton Airport is an international airport located east of the town centre in the Borough of Luton in Bedfordshire, England and is north of Central London. The airport is from Junction 10a of the M1 motorway...
all lie within a two hours' drive of Croydon. Gatwick and Luton Airports are connected to Croydon by
frequent direct trainsThameslink is a fifty-station route in the British railway system running north to south from Bedford to Brighton through the Snow Hill tunnel in Central London. It is an important commuter route and serves the airports at London Gatwick and London Luton...
.
Local travel
The
A23The A23 road is a major road in the United Kingdom between London and Brighton, East Sussex. It became an arterial route following the construction of Westminster Bridge in 1750 and the consequent improvement of roads leading to the bridge south of the river by the Turnpike Trusts...
and
A22 roadThe A22 is one of the two-digit major roads in the south east of England. It carries traffic from London to Eastbourne on the East Sussex coast...
s are the major trunk roads through Croydon. These both run north-south, connecting to each other in
PurleyPurley is a place in the London Borough of Croydon. It is a suburban development situated 11.7 miles south of Charing Cross.The name derives from "pirlea", which means 'Peartree lea'. Purley has a population of about 72,000.-Local government:...
. The A22 connects Croydon, its starting point, to
East GrinsteadEast Grinstead is a town and civil parish in the northeastern corner of Mid Sussex, West Sussex in England near the East Sussex, Surrey, and Kent borders. It lies south of London, north northeast of Brighton, and east northeast of the county town of Chichester...
, Tunbridge Wells,
UckfieldUckfield is a town in the Wealden district of East Sussex, in southern England. It is located on the southern edge of the Weald and on the River Uck, one of the tributaries of the River Ouse.-Etymology:...
, and
EastbourneEastbourne is a large town and borough of East Sussex, on the south coast of England, with an estimated population of 106,652 as of 2009. The area has seen human activity since the stone age and it remained one of small settlements until the 19th century when its four hamlets gradually merged to...
. Other major roads generally radiate spoke-like from the city centre. Wellesley Road is an urban
dual carriagewayA dual carriageway or divided highway is a road or highway in which the two directions of traffic are separated by a central barrier or strip of land, known as a central reservation or median...
which cuts through the middle of the
central business districtA central business district is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city...
. It was constructed in the 1960s as part of a planned ring road for Croydon and includes an
underpassCroydon Underpass is a underpass located in Central Croydon, London. The road is part of the A212 which stretches from Catford to Forestdale. Construction of the underpass beneath the junction of George Street and Wellesley Road/Park Lane during the early Sixties...
, which allows traffic to avoid going into the town centre.
The hilly topography of Croydon and the lack of underground services in that part of South London is a reason for the extensive suburban and inter-urban railway network. Croydon is in the commuter belt to London as part of suburbia. There are several busy local rail routes running along the borough's towns, connecting it with
London BridgeLondon Bridge station is a National Rail and London Underground station in the London Borough of Southwark, which occupies a large area on two levels immediately south-east of London Bridge and 1.6 miles east of Charing Cross...
and London Victoria. These local routes mainly run on the
Brighton Main LineThe Brighton Main Line is a major British railway line running from London Victoria and London Bridge to Brighton. The route is approximately 50 miles in length. It is operated by Southern and First Capital Connect and is electrified throughout...
and Sutton & Mole Valley Lines. As well as the main stations of East Croydon and West Croydon, there are several suburban stations at
Norwood JunctionNorwood Junction railway station is in South Norwood in the London Borough of Croydon in south London, in Travelcard Zone 4.The station is managed by London Overground and all trains operated by Southern...
,
PurleyPurley railway station is at Purley in the London Borough of Croydon, on the main London to Brighton line, in Travelcard Zone 6. It is a junction, with branches to Caterham and Tattenham Corner. There are sidings used by the Day and Son gravel company, part of whose installation has been given a...
,
Coulsdon SouthCoulsdon South railway station serves Coulsdon in the London Borough of Croydon, and is in Travelcard Zone 6, on the Brighton Main Line. The station is served by Southern.- History :...
and
KenleyKenley railway station is in the London Borough of Croydon in south London. The station and all trains serving it are operated by Southern, and it is in Travelcard Zone 6, on the Caterham Line....
and more.
The light rail system
TramlinkTramlink is a tramway system in south London in the United Kingdom which began operation in May 2000...
(Operated by Tramtrack Croydon, a wholly owned subsidy of Transport for London), opened in 2000, serves the borough and surrounding areas. Its network consists of three lines, from
Elmers EndElmers End is a place in London Borough of Bromley, England. It has a large green space which is the centre of a gyratory. Very close to the combined railway station and Tramlink terminus bearing its name is the old sewage farm. The remains of this industrial site can still be seen...
to West Croydon, from
BeckenhamBeckenham is a town in the London Borough of Bromley, England. It is located 8.4 miles south east of Charing Cross, and 1.75 miles west of Bromley town...
to West Croydon, and from
New AddingtonNew Addington is an area in the London Borough of Croydon. It is a large local authority estate surrounded by open countryside, woodland and golf courses...
to
WimbledonWimbledon is a suburb in south west London, part of the London Borough of Merton and located from Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London...
, with all three lines running via the Croydon loop on which it is centred on. It has been highly successful, environmentally-friendly and a reliable light rail system carrying around 22 million passengers a year. It is also the only tram system in London but there is another light rail system
in the DocklandsThe Docklands Light Railway is a light metro or light rail system opened on 31 August 1987 to serve the redeveloped Docklands area of East London, England...
. It serves
MitchamMitcham is a district in South London, in the London Borough of Merton. The area is located on the border of Inner London and Outer London. It is both residentially and financially developed, well served by Transport for London, and home to Mitcham Town Centre, Mitcham Library, and Mitcham Cricket...
,
WoodsideWoodside is a neighbourhood in the London Borough of Croydon located between Addiscombe and South Norwood.-About the town:Woodside is a suburban district of residential streets based around Woodside Green, a small sized area of green land. At one end of the green is a war memorial. It is surrounded...
,
AddiscombeAddiscombe is a suburb in the London Borough of Croydon, England. It is situated just to the northeast of central Croydon, and is home to a high proportion of people who commute to Central London, owing to its proximity to the busy East Croydon railway station and Tramlink, linking Addiscombe with...
and the
Purley WayPurley Way is a section of the A23 trunk road in the London Borough of Croydon, in the areas of Purley, Waddon and West Croydon, and has given its name to the out-of-town shopping area alongside it with a catchment area covering most of South London. It was designed as a bypass for Croydon and was...
retail and industrial area amongst others. An extension to
Crystal PalaceCrystal Palace is a residential area in South London, England named from the former local landmark, The Crystal Palace, which occupied the area from 1854 to 1936. The area is located approximately 8 miles south east of Charing Cross, and offers impressive views over the capital...
is currently being developed by Transport for London with the support of the council and the South London Partnership. This would improve public transport access to
Upper NorwoodUpper Norwood is an elevated area in south London, England within the postcode SE19. It is a residential district largely in the London Borough of Croydon although some parts extend into the London Borough of Lambeth, London Borough of Southwark and the London Borough of Bromley. Upper Norwood...
and Crystal Palace Park and help to stimulate regeneration across the wider area. The extension could be in service by 2013. Other possible extensions include
SuttonSutton is the principal town in the London Borough of Sutton. It is situated 10.6 miles south-southwest of Charing Cross. It is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. Nearby settlements include Belmont, Carshalton, Cheam, Banstead, St...
, a new park and ride close to the M25,
CoulsdonCoulsdon , known by locals and historically as Coalsden, is a town on the southernmost boundary of the London Borough of Croydon. It is surrounded by the Greater London greenbelt of the Farthing Downs, Coulsdon Common and Kenley Common.-History:...
,
PurleyPurley is a place in the London Borough of Croydon. It is a suburban development situated 11.7 miles south of Charing Cross.The name derives from "pirlea", which means 'Peartree lea'. Purley has a population of about 72,000.-Local government:...
,
Kingston Upon ThamesKingston upon Thames is the principal settlement of the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames in south-west London.It was the ancient market town where Saxon kings were crowned and is now a suburb situated south west of Charing Cross...
,
TolworthTolworth is a mostly residential suburb of London in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, located south west of Charing Cross. Neighbouring places include: Berrylands, Surbiton, Chessington, Ewell and New Malden.-History:...
,
TootingTooting is a suburb in the London Borough of Wandsworth in south London. It is south south-west of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.-History:...
,
BrixtonBrixton is an area of South London, England, in the London Borough of Lambeth. It is predominantly residential with a prominent street market and substantial retail sector...
for an interchange with the proposed
Cross River TramCross River Tram was a Transport for London proposal for a tram system in London, England, to connect Camden Town to King's Cross, Peckham and Brixton...
,
BromleyBromley is a large suburban town in southeast London, England and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Bromley. It is located southeast of Charing Cross and is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. It was historically a market town in the county...
and
LewishamLewisham is a district in south-east London, England and the principal settlement of the London Borough of Lewisham. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.-History:...
for an interchange with the Docklands Light Railway.
A sizeable bus infrastructure which is part of the
London BusesLondon Buses is the subsidiary of Transport for London that manages bus services within Greater London, UK. Buses are required to carry similar red colour schemes and conform to the same fare scheme...
network operates from a main hub at
West Croydon stationWest Croydon station is a transport interchange for National Rail and Tramlink services, as well as London Buses. It is in the London Borough of Croydon and Travelcard Zone 5...
. The bus station at
West CroydonWest Croydon is a locality to the north west of central Croydon in South London. It is located inside the London Borough of Croydon.West Croydon is a largely residential area, with little open space. However, the key roads of Purley Way and London Road pass through the area. The former is known...
is undergoing a major re-development to make it more modern and future-proof. There are also plans to create a new bus terminal at
Park PlacePark Place is a shopping centre which had been expected to open in Croydon, England by 2011, although this date has been pushed back and building has not started. It is part of the Croydon Vision 2020 re-generation scheme...
if the shopping centre is built. Addington Interchange is a regional bus terminal in
Addington VillageAddington is a village in south London, England, in the London Borough of Croydon.-Village history:The village lay within the Anglo-Saxon administrative division of Wallington hundred. Addington is thought to be named after Edda, a Saxon. In the Domesday Book, two manors are mentioned, linked with...
which has an interchange between
route threeTramlink route 3 is one of three tram routes operated as part of the Tramlink network in south London. The route is owned and operated by Transport for London ....
and bus services in the remote area.
Arriva LondonArriva London is a division of Arriva which operates bus services in London, UK. It is made up of many previous bus operators, the main operator being Grey Green from North-West London...
, part of
ArrivaArriva plc is a British-based international public transport operator, headquartered in Sunderland, Tyne & Wear. It has bus and/or rail operations in Denmark, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and the United Kingdom...
, is one of the largest bus operators to serve Croydon along with Metrobus,
SelkentSelkent, or the South East London & Kent Bus Company Ltd, is one of many operators of bus services contracted to Transport for London. It is owned by Australian investment bank Macquarie Bank as part of the East London Bus Group....
, and
National Express LondonTravel London is a operator of buses in London, and is owned by NedRailways.-History:Travel London came into existence in its current guise when National Express bought Connex Bus in 2004...
. Recent developments have seen East London Bus Group taking over Stagecoach bus services in London. Unlike other places in the country, London's transport infrastructure is regulated and therefore is not subject to price wars between different companies with TfL setting a standard price for bus services which is currently set at 90p with an
Oyster cardThe Oyster card is a form of electronic ticketing used on public transport services within the Greater London area of the United Kingdom. It is promoted by Transport for London and is valid on a number of different travel systems including London Underground, buses, the Docklands Light Railway ,...
. Services include buses to Central London, Purley Way, Bromley, Lewisham and a number of other civic centres in the south.
London Buses route X26London Buses route X26 is a Transport for London contracted bus route from Heathrow Airport to West Croydon. The service is currently contracted to Metrobus.The route is the longest London Buses route in London.-History:...
, the longest route in London, provides services to Heathrow Airport via
RichmondRichmond station is a London Underground, London Overground and National Rail station in Richmond in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in south west London....
and Sutton.
Although hilly, Croydon is compact and has few major trunk roads running through it. It is on one of the
Connect2Connect2 is a project run by Sustrans to develop new walking and cycle routes in 79 communities around the UK.- Project :Connect2 is a five year profect run by Sustrans. It involves the creation of new cycle and walking routes, bridges and other facilities in 79 locations around the UK...
schemes which are part of the
National Cycle NetworkThe National Cycle Network is a network of cycle routes in the United Kingdom.The National Cycle Network was created by the charity Sustrans , and aided by a £42.5 million National Lottery grant. In 2005 it was used for over 230 million trips.Many routes hope to minimise contact with motor...
route running around
CroydonCroydon is a major commercial centre in Greater London and the principal settlement of the London Borough of Croydon. It is south of Charing Cross, and is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan...
. The
North DownsThe North Downs are a ridge of chalk hills in south east England that stretch for 120 miles from Farnham in Surrey to the White Cliffs of Dover in Kent. The North Downs lie within two Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty , the Surrey Hills and the Kent Downs...
, an area of outstanding natural beauty popular with both on- and off-road cyclists, is so close to Croydon that part of the park lies within the borough boundary, and there are routes into the park almost from the civic centre.
Construction of the first phase of the
East London LineThe East London line was a line of the London Underground, coloured orange on the Tube map. It ran north to south through the East End and Docklands areas of London, entirely in Travelcard Zone 2...
Extension to West Croydon is now under way north of the Thames. This project will improve Croydon's public transport connections to central and inner
East London. It will also provide the main impetus for building a modern public transport interchange at West Croydon station linking
tramA tram, tramcar, trolley, trolleycar, or streetcar is a railborne vehicle, of lighter weight and construction than a conventional train, designed for the transport of passengers within, close to, or between villages, towns and/or cities, on tracks running primarily on streets...
,
busA bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. A bus seats a maximum of 8 to 300 passengers...
and
railRail transport is the conveyance of passengers and goods by means of wheeled vehicles running along railways or railroads. Rail transport is part of the logistics chain, which facilitates international trade and economic growth...
. The East London Line Extension will be a major contribution to London's transport infrastructure in time for the
Olympic and Paralympic GamesThe 2012 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXX Olympiad, are due to take place in London, United Kingdom from 27 July to 12 August 2012...
to be held in the capital in 2012. Two stations in Croydon, Norwood Junction and
West CroydonWest Croydon station is a transport interchange for National Rail and Tramlink services, as well as London Buses. It is in the London Borough of Croydon and Travelcard Zone 5...
, will be connected to London Underground services. Currently Croydon is one of only five London Boroughs not to have at least one
London UndergroundThe London Underground, Underground or Tube is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and neighbouring areas of Essex, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire in the UK. The first section opened in 1863, and was the first underground railway system in the world, and, starting in...
station within its boundaries, and the closest tube station is apparently
Morden tube stationMorden station is a London Underground station in Morden in the London Borough of Merton. The station is the southern terminus for the Northern Line, is the most southerly station on the Underground and is in Travelcard Zone 4. The next station north is South Wimbledon...
, 139 minutes away to the west.
Public services
Home OfficeThe Home Office is the United Kingdom government department responsible for immigration control, security and order. As such it is responsible for the police, United Kingdom Borders Agency and MI5. It is also in charge of government policy on security-related issues such as drugs, counter-terrorism...
policing in Croydon is provided by the
Metropolitan PoliceMetropolitan police is a generic title for the municipal police force for a major metropolitan area, and it may be part of the official title of the force...
. The force's Croydon arm have their head offices for policing on
Park LanePark Lane may refer to:*Park Lane , a road in London, UK*Park Lane , a shopping mall in Halifax, Nova Scotia*Park Lane , a rugby stadium in Greater Manchester, UK*Park Lane Interchange, a transport interchange in Sunderland, UK...
next to the
Fairfield HallsFairfield Hall is an arts centre in Croydon, London, England and opened in 1962. It contains a concert hall, the Ashcroft Theatre , the Arnhem Gallery civic hall and an art gallery....
and
Croydon CollegeCroydon College is a further education college in the London Borough of Croydon. the college has restructured to form three separate colleges, which include the Croydon Sixth Form College , Croydon Skills and Enterprise College and Croydon Higher Education College.Croydon Skills and Enterprise...
in central Croydon.
Public transportPublic transport comprises passenger transportation services which are available for use by the general public, as opposed to modes for private use such as automobiles or vehicles for hire.Public transport services are usually funded by fares charged to each passenger, with varying levels of subsidy...
is co-ordinated by
Transport for LondonTransport for London is the local government body responsible for most aspects of the transport system in Greater London in England...
.
Statutory emergency fire and rescue serviceThe fire service in the United Kingdom operates under separate legislative and administrative arrangements in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales...
is provided by the
London Fire BrigadeThe London Fire Brigade is the statutory fire and rescue service for London, England. It is run by the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority and is the third-largest fire service in the world with nearly 7,000 staff, of which 5,800 are operational firefighters and officers...
, which has five stations in Croydon.
The
Mayday University HospitalMayday University Hospital is a large NHS hospital in the borough of Croydon in south London, England. It is administratively a part of Mayday Healthcare NHS Trust. It is a teaching hospital....
, built on a site in Thornton Heath at the west of Croydon's boundaries with
MertonThe London Borough of Merton is a London borough in south west London.The borough was formed in 1965 by the merger of the former area of the Municipal Borough of Mitcham, the Municipal Borough of Wimbledon and the Merton and Morden Urban District, all formerly within Surrey. The main commercial...
, is a large
NHSThe National Health Service or NHS is the publicly-funded healthcare system in England...
hospital administrated by
Mayday Healthcare NHS TrustA National Health Service trust provides services on behalf of the National Health Service in England and NHS Wales.The trusts are not trusts in the legal sense but are in effect public sector corporations. Each trust is headed by a board consisting of executive and non-executive directors, and is...
. Former names of the hospital include the Croydon Union Infirmary from 1885 to 1923 and the Mayday Road Hospital from 1923 to around 1930. It is a District General Hospital with a 24-hour
accident and emergencyThe emergency department , sometimes termed the emergency room , emergency ward , accident & emergency department or casualty department is a hospital or primary care department that provides initial treatment to patients with a broad spectrum of illnesses and injuries, some of which may be...
department.
NHS DirectNHS Direct is a 24 hour health advice and information service provided by the National Health Service in England.NHS Direct provides confidential access to medical information, guidance and reassurance through a range of interactive services...
has a regional centre based at the hospital. The
NHS TrustA National Health Service trust provides services on behalf of the National Health Service in England and NHS Wales.The trusts are not trusts in the legal sense but are in effect public sector corporations. Each trust is headed by a board consisting of executive and non-executive directors, and is...
also provides services at Purley War Memorial Hospital, in
PurleyPurley is a place in the London Borough of Croydon. It is a suburban development situated 11.7 miles south of Charing Cross.The name derives from "pirlea", which means 'Peartree lea'. Purley has a population of about 72,000.-Local government:...
. Croydon General Hospital was on London Road but services transferred to Mayday, as the size of this hospital was insufficient to cope with the growing population of the borough. Sickle Cell and Thalassaemia Centre and the Emergency Minor Treatment Centre are other smaller hospitals operated by the Mayday in the borough.
Cane HillCane Hill was a psychiatric hospital in Coulsdon in the London Borough of Croydon. Built to handle patients unable to attend the Springfield and Brookwood Asylums, both of which were filled to capacity, it opened in 1882 as the Third Surrey County Lunatic Asylum. Following a gradual winding down...
was a
psychiatric hospitalA psychiatric hospital, sometimes known as an asylum, is a hospital specializing in the treatment of serious mental illness, usually for relatively long-term inpatients....
in Coulsdon.
Waste managementWaste management is the collection, transport, processing, recycling or disposal, and monitoring of waste materials. The term usually relates to materials produced by human activity, and is generally undertaken to reduce their effect on health, the environment or aesthetics. Waste management is...
is co-ordinated by the local authority. Unlike other waste disposal authorities in Greater London, Croydon's rubbish is collected independently and isn't part of a waste authority unit. Locally produced
inert wasteInert waste is waste which is neither chemically or biologically reactive and will not decompose. Examples of this are sand, drywall, and concrete. This has particular relevance to landfills as inert waste typically requires lower disposal fees than biodegradable waste or hazardous waste....
for disposal is sent to
landfillA landfill, also known as a dump , is a site for the disposal of waste materials by burial and is the oldest form of waste treatment...
in the south of Croydon. There have recently been calls by the ODPM to bring waste management powers to the
Greater London AuthorityThe Greater London Authority is the city-wide governing body for London, England. It consists of a directly-elected executive Mayor of London, currently Boris Johnson, and an elected 25-member London Assembly with scrutiny powers.-Purpose:...
, giving it a waste function. The Mayor of London has made repeated attempts to bring the different waste authorities together, to form a single waste authority in London. This has faced significant opposition from existing authorities. However, it has had significant support from all other sectors and the surrounding regions managing most of London's waste. Croydon has the joint best recycling rate in London, at 36%. Croydon's
Distribution Network OperatorDistribution network operators are companies licensed to distribute electricity in Great Britain by the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets....
for electricity is
EDF Energy NetworksEDF Energy is a vertically integrated energy company in the United Kingdom, with operations spanning electricity generation, electricity distribution and the sale of gas and electricity to homes and businesses throughout the United Kingdom...
; there are no
power stationA power station is an industrial facility for the generation of electric power....
s in the borough.
Thames WaterThames Water, known originally as the Thames Water Authority and after privatisation as Thames Water Utilities Limited, is the utility responsible for water supply and waste water treatment in parts of Greater London, Surrey, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, and the Thames Valley in the United Kingdom...
manages Croydon's
drinkingDrinking water or potable water is water of sufficiently high quality that it can be consumed or used without risk of immediate or long term harm...
and waste water; water supplies being sourced from several local reservoirs, including
BecktonBeckton is also the code name for a forthcoming Xeon processor.Beckton is a place in the London Borough of Newham, England, located east of Charing Cross....
and
King George VIThe King George VI Reservoir in England lies to the south of Stanwellmoor near Stanwell and Heathrow. The reservoir was opened in November 1947 and named after the then reigning monarch King George VI. It is owned by Thames Water....
. Before 1971, Croydon Corporation was responsible for water treatment in the borough.
London Fire Brigade
The borough of Croydon is 86.52 km
sq, populating approximately 340,000 people. There are five fire stations within the borough; Addington (two pumping appliances), Croydon (two pumping appliances, incident response unit, fire rescue unit and a USAR appliance), Norbury (two pumping appliances), Purley (one pumping appliance) and Woodside (one pumping appliance). Purley has the largest station ground, but dealt with the fewest incidents during 2006/07.
The borough of Croydon has the most schools in London; 156. The fire stations, as part of the Community Fire Safety scheme, visited 49 schools in 2006/2007.
Education
Overall, Croydon was ranked 92nd out of the all the
Local Education AuthoritiesA Local Education Authority was the part of a local council, or local authority , in England and Wales that was responsible for education within that council's jurisdiction...
– and 21st in Greater London – in
National Curriculum assessmentNational Curriculum assessments are a series of educational assessments, colloquially known as Sats or SATs, used to assess the attainment of children attending maintained schools in England...
performance in 2007. In 2007, the Croydon LEA was ranked 81st out of 149 in the country – and 21st in Greater London – based on the percentage of pupils attaining at least 5 A*–C grades at GCSE including maths and English (37.8% compared with the national average of 46.7%). In 2007, Old Palace School of John Whitgift was the most successful school in Croydon at GCSE with 100% of the pupils gaining five or more GCSEs at A*–C grade including maths and English. The most successful public sector school was Coloma Convent Girls' School.
The borough compared with the other London boroughs has the highest amount of schools in it, due to the fact that 26% of its population are under 20 years old. They include primary schools (95), secondary schools (21) and four further education establishments.
Croydon CollegeCroydon College is a further education college in the London Borough of Croydon. the college has restructured to form three separate colleges, which include the Croydon Sixth Form College , Croydon Skills and Enterprise College and Croydon Higher Education College.Croydon Skills and Enterprise...
has its main building in Central Croydon, it is a high rise building.
John Ruskin CollegeJohn Ruskin College is a further education college and former school in the London Borough of Croydon, which started life in 1920 as the John Ruskin Boys' Central School. It is situated in Forestdale on the A2022 , close to the A212 roundabout, on the southern edge of London's conurbation...
is one of the other colleges in the borough, located in Addington and Coulsdon College in Coulsdon. South Norwood has been the home of
Spurgeon's CollegeSpurgeon's College is a theological institute of higher learning located in South Norwood Hill, London. It was founded by Charles Haddon Spurgeon, known as "the Prince of Preachers."-History:...
, a world-famous Baptist theological college, since 1923; Spurgeon's is located on South Norwood Hill and currently has some 1000 students. The London Borough of Croydon is the
local education authorityA Local Education Authority was the part of a local council, or local authority , in England and Wales that was responsible for education within that council's jurisdiction...
for the borough.
Below is a table which shows the results of the GCSE Examination Performance in Croydon schools in 2007.
| School | A*-C Pass Rate |
|---|
| Coloma Convent Girls' School |
86% |
| Harris City Technology College |
80% |
| Tenison's School |
69% |
Riddlesdown High SchoolRiddlesdown Collegiate is a secondary school located in the Riddlesdown area of the London Borough of Croydon, England. Riddlesdown is a mixed school, of 1902 students . The School takes its pupils mainly from the Sanderstead, Selsdon, Purley, New Addington and South Croydon areas, and recently...
|
63% |
| St. Joseph's College St Joseph's College is a Secondary School for Boys in Upper Norwood in the London Borough of Croydon. It is a Mathematics and Computing Specialist School and a Cisco Academy. It includes a sixth form operated in cooperation with Norbury Manor High School for Girls, a nearby girls school.- External...
|
63% |
| St. Andrews C of E High School St. Andrews C of E High School is a school in Central Croydon, Greater London....
|
57% |
| BRIT School The BRIT School for Performing Arts & Technology is an independent technology school partly funded by the BRIT awards located in The Crescent, Selhurst, Croydon, in London, England...
|
53% |
| Shirley High School Shirley High School Performing Arts College is a co-educational comprehensive Foundation school in the London Borough of Croydon, which first opened in 1954. The school has around 900 pupils aged 11–16. It is the only foundation school in South London that has been able to achieve a Performing Arts...
|
53% |
| Virgo Fidelis Convent Senior School Virgo Fidelis Convent Senior School, is a Voluntary Aided, Mathematics & Computing Specialist College, in the London Borough of Croydon, England. The school is for girls aged 11-18....
|
53% |
| Woodcote High School |
52% |
| Norbury Manor High School for Girls Norbury Manor High School for Girls, also known as Norbury Manor Business & Enterprise College for Girls is a secondary foundation school for girls in Norbury in the London Borough of Croydon, England. It includes a sixth form operated in cooperation with St. Joseph's College, a nearby boys school,...
|
52% |
| Edenham High School |
41% |
| St. Mary's R C High School St. Mary's Roman Catholic High School is a coeducational, 11-16 secondary school in Croydon, England. The school is one of the longest established schools in Croydon, originally founded over 140 years ago...
|
39% |
| Westwood Language College for Girls |
36% |
| Thomas More Catholic School |
35% |
| The Archbishop Lanfranc School |
35% |
| Coulsdon High School |
32% |
| Addington High School Addington High School is a secondary school located in the New Addington area of the London Borough of Croydon, England. Addington is a mixed gender school. The School takes its pupils mainly from the Addington, New Addington, Forestdale, Selsdon and Shirley areas, and recently gained Specialist...
|
27% |
| Selhurst High School for Boys |
27% |
| Selsdon High School |
23% |
| Ashburton Community School |
21% |
| Haling Manor High School The Harris Academy Purley is an Academy secondary school in South Croydon, England. The school is one of only fifteen schools in the country to be awarded specialist status as a music school.-General information:...
|
18% |
| Average for London Borough of Croydon |
44.4% |
| Average for England |
46.8% |
- The table shows the percentage of students gaining five A* to C grades, including English and Maths, for state schools in the London Borough of Croydon.
- The table does not include independent schools which are located in the borough.
- Source: Department for Children, Schools and Families
The Department for Children, Schools and Families is a British government department responsible for all issues affecting people up to the age of 19 including child protection and education.-History and Responsibilities:...
Libraries
The borough of Croydon has 14 libraries, a joint library and a mobile library. Many of the libraries where built a long time ago and therefore have become outdated, so the council started updating a few including Ashburton Library which moved from its former spot into the state-of-the-art
Ashburton Learning VillageAshburton Learning Village is a learning complex in Woodside, London. It stands in the London Borough of Croydon, and is located near Ashburton Park. The learning village includes the new Ashburton Library, Ashburton Community School, Croydon Music Service and a training centre. The complex was...
complex which is on the former site of the old 'A Block' of Ashburton Community School which is now situated inside the centre. The library is now on 1 floor. This is what the council wanted to roll out around the borough but due to the cost of this one, it was decided that doing this would cost too much.
South Norwood LibrarySouth Norwood Library is a Public Library in South Norwood, South London. It stands in the London Borough of Croydon and is part of the Croydon Libraries arm of the council. It's next to the High street on Selhurst Road / Lawrence Road it's also located next to South Norwood Recreation Ground. ...
,
New Addington LibraryNew Addington Library is a public library in New Addington, South London. It stands in the London Borough of Croydon and is part of the Croydon Libraries arm of the council. The park is located on Central Parade next to New Addington Leisure Centre...
, Shirley Library, Thornton Heath Library, Selsdon Library, Sanderstead Library, Purley Library, Coulsdon Library and Bradmore Green Library are examples of older council libraries. The main library is
Croydon Central LibraryCroydon Central Library is Croydon's main public library located inside the Croydon Clocktower in Central Croydon. It is owned by the London Borough of Croydon on behalf of Croydon Council...
which holds many references, newspaper archives and a tourist information point (one of three in
South East LondonSouth East London could refer to:*SE postcode area*South East - a sub region of the London Plan created in 2004 and corresponding to Southwark, Lewisham, Greenwich, Bexley and Bromley*eastern part of South London...
).
Upper Norwood LibraryUpper Norwood Joint Library is a Public Library located in Upper Norwood, South London. It stands in Lambeth on the edge of the borough boundary between both the London Borough of Croydon and the London Borough of Lambeth. It is located on Westow Hill, in Crystal Palace town centre.Upper Norwood...
is a joint library with the
London Borough of LambethThe London Borough of Lambeth is a London borough in South London, England and forms part of Inner London.-History:The London Borough of Lambeth was formed in 1965 from the former area of the Metropolitan Borough of Lambeth and part of the former area of the Metropolitan Borough of Wandsworth...
. This means that both councils fund the library and its resources, but even though Lambeth have nearly doubled their funding for the library in the past several years Croydon has kept it the same, doubting the future of the library.
Religion
| 2001 Census A nationwide census, commonly known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census....
|
| |
Croydon |
London |
| Christian |
215,124 |
4,176,175 |
| Buddhist |
1,579 |
54,297 |
| Hindu |
16,781 |
291,977 |
| Muslim |
17,642 |
607,083 |
| Sikh |
1,310 |
104,230 |
| Atheist (No Religion) |
48,615 |
1,130,616 |
| Other Religions |
2,830 |
186,347 |
The predominant religion of the borough is
ChristianityChristianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as presented by the revelations in the New Testament....
. According to the
United Kingdom Census 2001A nationwide census, commonly known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census....
, the borough has over 215,124 Christians, mainly Protestants. This is the largest religious following in the borough followed by Islam with 17,642 Muslims resident. This is a small portion of the more than 600,000 Muslims in London as a whole. Over 48,615 Croydon residents are atheists or non-religious.
There are more than 35 churches in the borough, with
Croydon Parish ChurchCroydon Parish Church is the main church in the London Borough of Croydon. There are currently more than 35 churches in the borough, with Croydon Parish Church being the main one.-History:...
being the main one. This church was founded in Saxon times, since there is a record of "a priest of Croydon" in 960, although the first record of a church building is in the
Domesday BookThe Domesday Book is the record of the great survey of England completed in 1086, executed for William I of England, or William the Conqueror...
(1086). In its final medieval form, the church was mainly a Perpendicular-style structure, but this was severely damaged by fire in 1867, following which only the tower, south porch and outer walls remained. Under the direction of Sir George Gilbert Scott the church was rebuilt, incorporating the remains and essentially following the design of the medieval building, and was reconsecrated in 1870. It still contains several important monuments and fittings saved from the old church.
Croydon is going through a large re-generation plan and part of that plan is to add a Cultural Quarter to the centre of Croydon. This includes the Bridge House and The Exchange developments which are plans for loft style urban living to the centre of town.
Croydon has strong religious links, from a royal charter for
Surrey Street MarketSurrey Street Market is a market that sells mainly meat & vegetables as well as a range of other items through the week in Croydon, south London. It has a Royal Charter dating back to 1276 linking it to the Archbishop of Canterbury. The market is regularly used as a location for TV, film and...
dating back to 1276, to
Croydon PalaceCroydon Palace, in Croydon, now part of London, was the summer residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury for over 500 years. Regular visitors included Henry III and Queen Elizabeth I...
which was the summer residence of the
Archbishop of CanterburyAlso see Leaders of ChristianityThe Archbishop of Canterbury is the chief bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury, the see that churches must be in communion with in order to be...
for over 500 years. With visitors such as
Henry IIIHenry III was the son and successor of John as King of England, reigning for fifty-six years from 1216 to his death. His contemporaries knew him as Henry of Winchester. He was the first child king in England since the reign of Æthelred the Unready...
and Queen Elizabeth I. The
Bishop of CroydonThe Bishop of Croydon is an episcopal title used by a suffragan bishop of the Church of England Diocese of Southwark, in the Province of Canterbury, England....
is a position as a suffragan
BishopA bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
in the Anglican
Diocese of SouthwarkThe Diocese of Southwark forms part of the Province of Canterbury in England. It was formed on May 1, 1905 from part of the Diocese of Rochester...
. The current bishop is Rt Rev
Nicholas (Nick) BainesNicholas 'Nick' Baines is the current Bishop of Croydon, a suffragan Anglican bishop in the Diocese of Southwark....
. A list of the Bishops of the Episcopal Area of Croydon include:
| Tenure |
Incumbent |
Notes |
| 1937 to 1942 |
William Louis Anderson William Louis Anderson was the Anglican Bishop of firstly, Portsmouth and then, Salisbury. He also held what is believed to be the unique distinction of being the only Bishop to serve in all three armed services.-Early life:...
|
(1892-1972) |
| 1942 to 1947 |
Maurice Harland Maurice Harland was a 20th century Anglican Bishop, his most prestigious appointment being Bishop of Durham from 1956–1966.-Early life:He was born on 17 April 1896, the son of William and Elizabeth Harland and educated at St Peter's School, York...
|
(1896-1986) |
| 1947 to 1956 |
Cuthbert Killick Norman Bardsley |
(1907-1991) |
| 1956 to 1977 |
John Taylor Hughes John Taylor Hughes was an Anglican Suffragan bishop in the mid 20th century. Born on the 12th of April 1908 he was educated firstly in Uxbridge and subsequently at Bede College,University of Durham. He took Holy Orders in 1931 and was successively an assistant chaplain and tutor at his alma mater,...
|
(1908-2001) |
| 1977 to 1985 |
Stuart Snell Stuart Snell was a British Anglican bishop. He was born in Devon on the 25 October 1920 and educated at Exeter School and St Peter's College, Oxford. Snell entered the Anglican ministry from the parish of Emmanuel, Northwood, London where he was a member of the laity...
|
(died 1988) |
| 1985 to 2002 |
Wilfred Wood Wilfred Denniston Wood, KA was Bishop of Croydon from 1985 to 2003, the first black bishop in the Church of England. He came second in the 100 Great Black Britons list in 2004.-Life:...
|
(b. 1936) |
| 2003 to present |
Nicholas Baines Nicholas 'Nick' Baines is the current Bishop of Croydon, a suffragan Anglican bishop in the Diocese of Southwark....
|
(b. 1957) |
Sport and leisure
The borough has been criticized in the past for not having enough leisure facilities, maintaining the position of Croydon as a three star borough. At the moment only three leisure centres are open for public use and two of these are expected to be closed down in the near future, with plans for only one of them to be re-built. Thornton Heath's ageing sports centre was recently knocked down, and replaced by a newer more modern leisure centre.
South Norwood Leisure CentreSouth Norwood Leisure Centre is a leisure centre located on Portland Road in South Norwood, Croydon, London. The centre has recently gone through a refurbishment process which has seen it closed for more than a year and a half. It contains a 25m sized swimming pool with seating for spectators...
was closed down in early 2006 so that it could be knocked completely down and re-designed from scratch like Thornton Heath, which would cost around £10 million.
In May 2006 the
Conservative PartyThe Conservative and Unionist Party, more commonly known as the Conservatives, the Conservative Party, or Tory Party is a conservative political party in the United Kingdom...
became in charge of Croydon and decided that doing this would cost too much money, so they came up with another idea of just re-furbishing the centre, although this decision did not come without controversy.
Purley Pool is to close soon, but a new "super-pool" is planned in Coulsdon. The aging New Addington Leisure Centre is also set to close but is to be re-built. A new leisure centre is also going to be built on the
A23The A23 road is a major road in the United Kingdom between London and Brighton, East Sussex. It became an arterial route following the construction of Westminster Bridge in 1750 and the consequent improvement of roads leading to the bridge south of the river by the Turnpike Trusts...
, southern end of
Purley WayPurley Way is a section of the A23 trunk road in the London Borough of Croydon, in the areas of Purley, Waddon and West Croydon, and has given its name to the out-of-town shopping area alongside it with a catchment area covering most of South London. It was designed as a bypass for Croydon and was...
in
WaddonWaddon is a place in the London Borough of Croydon, to the south west of central Croydon on the borders of the London Borough of Sutton. Waddon has an older area with 19th century properties, some even older, close to central Croydon. Further south is a large estate of Council-owned homes and a...
.
Sport Croydon, currently is the commercial arm for leisure in the borough and the logo is seen somewhere in each of the centres. Fusion currently provides leisure services for the council which previously used Parkwood Leisure which itself provides services for nearby
LewishamThe London Borough of Lewisham is a London borough in south-east London, England and forms part of Inner London. The principal settlement of the borough is Lewisham and its council is based at Catford.The Prime Meridian passes through Lewisham....
.
Football teams include
Crystal Palace F.C.Crystal Palace Football Club is an English professional football club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where it has been based since 1924. The club is competing in the second tier of English Football, The Championship for the 2009-2010...
, which plays at
Selhurst ParkSelhurst Park is a British football stadium located in the London suburb of South Norwood in the Borough of Croydon. It is the current home ground of Crystal Palace Football Club, of which Simon Jordan is chairman...
, in the Coca-Cola Championship.
Coulsdon United F.C.Coulsdon United Football Club is a football club based in Coulsdon, Surrey, England. The club plays its football in the Combined Counties League Division One. The club is sponsored by Sainsbury's and Walter & Mair Estate Agents.-History:...
(formerly
Coulsdon Town F.C.Coulsdon Town F.C. was a football club based in Coulsdon, Greater London, England.-History:They were established in 1968 as Reedham Park F.C. and played in the Croydon League. In 1975, the club moved to the Surrey Eastern Intermediate League, which became the Surrey South Eastern Combination...
before the merge with
Salfords F.C.Salfords F.C. were a football club based in Coulsdon, Greater London, England. They were among the founding members of the Surrey Premier League in 1982.In 2007 they merged with Coulsdon Town to form Coulsdon United....
) are a team that currently play in the
Combined Counties LeagueThe Combined Counties Football League is a regional English football league currently comprising teams from Berkshire, Greater London, Hampshire, and Surrey...
Division One.
Croydon Athletic F.C.Croydon Athletic F.C. are an English football club based in Thornton Heath in the London Borough of Croydon, London, England. They currently play in the Isthmian League First Division South...
, whose local nickname is The Rams, is a football club based in
Thornton Heath'sThornton Heath is a district in the London Borough of Croydon, 7.2 miles south of Charing Cross.Thornton Heath High Street is the centre of a large area of north Croydon known as Thornton Heath between West Croydon and South Norwood.-History:...
Keith Tuckey Stadium and play in the
Isthmian LeagueThe Isthmian League is a regional football league covering London and South East England. It is sponsored by Ryman, and therefore officially known as the Ryman League.-History:...
Division One South, with
Croydon F.C.Croydon F.C. is an English semi-professional football club based in Croydon, London, England. Until 2006, they played in the Isthmian League, but lost their place in that league as part of the 2006 re-structuring of non-league football, and now play in the Combined Counties League. They play at...
who play at Croydon Sports Arena and
HolmesdaleHolmesdale F.C. is an English association football club founded in South Norwood, London, but are currently based in Bromley.-History:The club was established in 1956 as Holmesdale Baptist by the 3rd East Surrey Boys Brigade Company. The word Baptist was dropped from the club's name the following...
, who were founded in
South NorwoodSouth Norwood is an urban town and ward in South London, England, in the London Borough of Croydon. It is a suburban development 7.8 miles south-east of Charing Cross. South Norwood is a town comprising a resident population of just over 14,000...
but currently playing on Oakley Road in
BromleyBromley is a large suburban town in southeast London, England and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Bromley. It is located southeast of Charing Cross and is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. It was historically a market town in the county...
, currently in the
Kent LeagueThe Kent League is an English football league for teams based in Kent and south east London, which was established in 1966. It was also the name of a similar league which existed from 1894 until 1959.-History:...
. Non-football teams that play in Croydon are
Streatham-Croydon RFCThe Streatham-Croydon Rugby Football Club, is an historic Rugby Union club, founded in 1871, based at Frant Road, Thornton Heath, in the London Borough of Croydon, South London....
, a historic
rugby unionRugby union is a full contact team sport, a form of football which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. It is played with an oval-shaped ball, outdoors on a level field, usually with a grass surface, 100 m...
club in
Thornton HeathThornton Heath is a district in the London Borough of Croydon, 7.2 miles south of Charing Cross.Thornton Heath High Street is the centre of a large area of north Croydon known as Thornton Heath between West Croydon and South Norwood.-History:...
who play at Frant Road, as well as
South London Storm Rugby League ClubSee also South London Storm - Season 2009.South London Storm is a rugby league club who play and train at Streatham-Croydon RFC in Thornton Heath, in the London Borough of Croydon, they currently compete in the Rugby League Conference South Premier division of the Rugby League Conference...
, based at
Streatham'sThe Streatham-Croydon Rugby Football Club, is an historic Rugby Union club, founded in 1871, based at Frant Road, Thornton Heath, in the London Borough of Croydon, South London....
ground, who compete in the
Rugby League ConferenceThe Rugby League Conference , is a series of regionally based divisions of amateur rugby league teams spread throughout England, Scotland and Wales...
. The
London OlympiansThe London Olympians are the United Kingdom's most successful amateur American Football club. The team plays in the Premier League of the British American Football League....
are an
American FootballAmerican football, known in the United States and Canada simply as football, and often as Gridiron or Tackle football outside North America, is a competitive team sport known for combining strategy with physical play. The objective of the game is to score points by advancing the ball into the...
team that play in Division 1 South in the
British American Football LeagueThe British American Football League is the United Kingdom's primary American Football league. It was formerly known as the British Senior League until 2005....
. The
Croydon PiratesCroydon Pirates are a baseball club based in South London, England, who run three teams in various national leagues. The play at Roundshaw, which is one the best baseball diamonds in the U.K., meaning Croydon are often the hosts of the London Tournament and National Finals.The first team competes...
are one of the most successful teams in the
British Baseball FederationThe British Baseball Federation is the national governing body of baseball within the United Kingdom, founded in .BBF is a federated member of both the Confederation of European Baseball and the International Baseball Federation...
, though their ground is actually just located outside the borough in
Sutton-Places:Sutton, meaning 'south settlement' in Old English, is a very common place name. Places named Sutton include:-United Kingdom:In London:* London Borough of Sutton** which includes Sutton, London** historically Sutton Urban District...
.
Croydon has over 120 parks and open spaces, ranging from the
Selsdon Wood Nature ReserveSelsdon Wood is a woodland area located in the London Borough of Croydon. The park is owned by the National Trust but managed by the London Borough of Croydon....
to many recreation grounds and sports fields scattered throughout the Borough.
Culture
Croydon aims to become one of the hearts of culture in London and the South East of England. This has been proved with the dedication the council has shown to projects such as the proposed Croydon Arena. Although, despite the aim, it has also cut funding to the
Warehouse TheatreThe Warehouse Theatre is a professional producing theatre with one hundred seats in the centre of the London Borough of Croydon, based in an oak-beamed former cement Victorian warehouse. It is acclaimed for its commitment to new writing, including its annual International Playwriting Festival, in...
.
In 2005, Croydon Council drew up a
Public Art Strategy, with a vision that is accessible and enhances people's enjoyment of their surroundings. The public art strategy delivered a new event called
Croydon's Summer Festival hosted in
Lloyd ParkThe London Borough of Croydon has over 120 parks and open spaces within its boundaries, ranging from the 200 acre Selsdon Wood Nature Reserve to many recreation grounds and sports fields scattered throughout the Borough. Croydon covers an area of 86.52 km², the 256th largest district in England...
. The festival consits of two days of events. The first is called
Croydon's World Party which is a free one day event with three stages featuring world, jazz and dance music from the UK and internationally. The final days event is the
Croydon Mela, a day of music with a mix of traditional Asian culture and east meets western club beats across four stages as well as dozens of food stalls and a funfair. It has attracted crowds of over 50,000 people. The stratergy also created a creative industries hub in
Old TownOld Town is a small neighbourhood and main road next to Croydon in the London Borough of Croydon. The road is a dual-carriageway and forms part of the A236 which is a major A Road connecting both Mitcham and South Croydon...
, ensure public art is included in developments such as
College GreenCroydon College is a further education college in the London Borough of Croydon. the college has restructured to form three separate colleges, which include the Croydon Sixth Form College , Croydon Skills and Enterprise College and Croydon Higher Education College.Croydon Skills and Enterprise...
and
Croydon GatewayRuskin Square is the name given to a project to redevelop a block of land between East Croydon railway station and the existing town centre of Croydon in South London. It is part of the major Croydon Vision 2020 regeneration scheme...
and investigate the possibility of gallery space in the Cultural Quarter.
The Warehouse Theare is a professional producing theatre opened in 1977 with one hundred seats based in an oak-beamed former cement Victorian warehouse. It has been acclaimed for its commitment to new writing, including its annual
International Playwriting FestivalWriter's Handbook 2008 The International Playwriting Festival was founded in 1986 by Steve Gooch and Ted Craig and is hosted by the new playwriting theatre, Warehouse Theatre, South London. It is held in two parts: the first is a competition with entries accepted from all over the world, which are...
, in partnership with the Extra Candoni Festival of
UdineUdine is a city in northeastern Italy, in the middle of Friuli-Venezia Giulia region, between the Adriatic sea and the Alps , less than 40 km from the Slovenian border. Its population was 99,030 in 2008, and that of its urban area was 174,000.- History :Udine is the historical capital of Friuli...
in Italy and Theatro Ena in Cyprus. Youth theatre is also important, with the resident Croydon Young Peoples' Theatre and including an annual collaboration with the Croydon-based
Brit SchoolThe BRIT School for Performing Arts & Technology is an independent technology school partly funded by the BRIT awards located in The Crescent, Selhurst, Croydon, in London, England...
. It is on the Gateway site which is going through a regeneration project. Stanhope's plan for the site is to include a 200 seat theatre custom-designed by Foster + Partners in their Ruskin Square development surrounded by a large new park. This will be paid for in full by Stanhope at a cost approaching £5 million. The Board of the Warehouse Theatre believes that this is the best option for securing a fully funded, workable and unique building. Arrowcroft's proposal is for an Arena-led scheme which initially didn't include the theatre. But this was changed to incorporate a replacement theatre as part of a condition of planning. It is proposed that it occupies one of the leisure units behind the Arena facing onto the plaza with a children's playground in front. The plan is to build a 200 seat theatre inside the leisure unit. The biggest problem with this scheme is that it would be built in one phase and requires the theatre to vacate the current theatre before the development begins. The theatre would then be without a home for a period of three years or more and would need a temporary location and additional funding to make this possible. The theatre will be launching its largest fundraising appeal in its 30 year history over the Autumn of 2008 to help it launch itself into the new building. Fundraising will be required for finishing touches to the new building, technical equipment, launch programme and a host of other vital expenditure to ensure the Warehouse Theatre is launched into its new future on a firm footing.
Fairfield HallsFairfield Hall is an arts centre in Croydon, London, England and opened in 1962. It contains a concert hall, the Ashcroft Theatre , the Arnhem Gallery civic hall and an art gallery....
, Arnhem Gallery and the
Ashcroft TheatreThe Ashcroft Theatre is a theatre located within the Fairfield Halls, Croydon, South London. The theatre was named after Croydon-born Dame Peggy Ashcroft and is a proscenium theatre with a stepped auditorium. A variety of productions are held throughout the year such as drama, ballet, opera and...
show productions that are held throughout the year such as drama, ballet, opera and pantomimes and can be converted to show films. It also contains the Arnhem Gallery civic hall and an
art galleryAn art gallery or art museum is a space for the exhibition of art, usually visual art.Museum can be public or private but what distinguishes a Museum is the ownership of a collection. Paintings are the most commonly displayed art objects; however, sculpture, photographs, illustrations,...
. Other cultural activities, including shopping and exhibitions, are
Surrey Street MarketSurrey Street Market is a market that sells mainly meat & vegetables as well as a range of other items through the week in Croydon, south London. It has a Royal Charter dating back to 1276 linking it to the Archbishop of Canterbury. The market is regularly used as a location for TV, film and...
which is mainly a meat and vegetables market near the main shopping environment of Croydon. The market has a Royal Charter dating back to 1276.
Airport HouseCroydon Airport was an airport in South London which straddled the boundary between what are now the London boroughs of Croydon and Sutton. Croydon was the first airport in the world to introduce air traffic control, in 1921...
is a newly refurbished conference and exhibition centre inside part of
Croydon AirportCroydon Airport was an airport in South London which straddled the boundary between what are now the London boroughs of Croydon and Sutton. Croydon was the first airport in the world to introduce air traffic control, in 1921...
. The
Whitgift CentreThe Whitgift Centre is a large shopping centre and office development in the centre of Croydon, London, opened in stages between 1968 and 1970. The centre currently comprises of retail space and was the largest covered shopping development in Greater London until the opening of Westfield London at...
, the current main shopping centre in the borough is also one of the largest in-town shopping centres in the whole of
EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains , and the Black Sea to the southeast...
.
CentraleCentrale is a shopping centre in Croydon, South London, one of the largest covered retail developments in London. It is owned and managed by the St Martins Property Group and was opened in 2004....
, a new shopping centre that houses many more familiar names, as well as Croydon's
House of FraserHouse of Fraser is a British department store group with 62 stores across the United Kingdom and Ireland. The flagship London store is House of Fraser on Oxford Street in London whilst the retailer has recently undertaken its largest new store opening in Belfast.Over the years House of Fraser has...
.
North EndNorth End is a pedestrianized road in Central Croydon which is the main equivalent to a high street in Croydon. The road holds both of the main shopping centres, Centrale and Whitgift Centre plus a forthcoming one called Park Place. The road offers many well-known shops such as WHSmith, Next, Zara...
, the main shopping street, which holds both centres.
Park PlacePark Place is a shopping centre which had been expected to open in Croydon, England by 2011, although this date has been pushed back and building has not started. It is part of the Croydon Vision 2020 re-generation scheme...
, a shopping centre that is planned to be built in Central Croydon by Minerva. Croydon Arena is a proposed arena for the Gateway site which if built will feature more commercial exhibitions and sport events next to
East Croydon stationEast Croydon station is a railway station and tram stop in Croydon, 8.3 miles south of Charing Cross in Travelcard Zone 5. It is the largest and busiest station in Croydon and the busiest in London outside Travelcard Zone 1. It is one of three railway stations in the London Borough of Croydon with...
.
Media
There are three local newspapers which operate within the borough, each with considerable history in the area. The
Croydon AdvertiserThe Croydon Advertiser is a weekly newspaper covering the London Borough of Croydon, South London, and surrounding areas. It is the third-highest selling paid-for weekly paper in London...
began life in 1869, and is the third-highest selling paid-for weekly newspaper in London. The Advertiser is also Croydon's major paid-for weekly paper and is on sale every Friday in five geographical editions: Croydon; Sutton &
EpsomEpsom is a town in the borough of Epsom and Ewell in Surrey, England. The town is located south-south-west of Charing Cross, within the Greater London Urban Area. The town lies on the chalk downland of Epsom Downs.-History:...
; Coulsdon & Purley; New Addington; and
CaterhamCaterham is a town in the Tandridge District of Surrey, England. It lies on the A22 Eastbourne road south of Croydon in a valley cut into the dip slope of the North Downs.The town is served by Caterham railway station.- History :...
. The paper converted from a broadsheet to a compact (tabloid) format on 31 March 2006. It was bought by
Northcliffe MediaNorthcliffe Media is a large regional newspaper publisher in the UK and Central and Eastern Europe, owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. The company's name was changed to Northcliffe Media from Northcliffe Newspaper Group in 2007.It operates from over 30 publishing centres, and also has 18...
which is part of the
Daily Mail and General TrustDaily Mail and General Trust plc is one of the Europe's largest media companies and has interests in national and regional newspapers, television and radio. The company has extensive activities based outside the UK, through Northcliffe Media, DMG Radio Australia, DMG World Media, DMG Information...
group on 6 July 2007. In 2008 it was given a new website as part of the
This is network of brands across the United Kingdom. The Croydon Post is a free newspaper available across the borough and is operated by the Advertiser group. The circulation of the newspaper is notably more than the main title published by the Advertiser Group.
The
Croydon GuardianThe Croydon Guardian is a weekly free local newspaper covering the London Borough of Croydon, South London, and surrounding areas. The newspaper is published once a week, every Wednesday, and is distributed free of charge in the borough of Croydon. It is sold for 40p at newsagents and other shops...
is another local weekly paper, which is paid for at newsagents but free at Croydon Council libraries and via deliveries. The newspaper is published every Wednesday. The paper is owned by regional newspaper publisher Newsquest Media Group and is inside the South London arm. It is one of the best circulated local newspapers in London and has the highest circulation in Croydon with around one thousand more copies distributed than The Post.
The borough is served by the London regional versions of
BBCBBC London is the BBC English Region producing local radio, television, teletext and online services in London and parts of the surrounding area. Its output includes the daily BBC London News and the weekly Politics Show on television, the BBC London 94.9 radio station and local coverage of the...
and
ITVCarlton Television was the ITV franchisee for London and parts of the surrounding counties from 9:25am every Monday to 5:15pm every Friday . The company is now managed with London Weekend Television as a single entity , but the two companies are still separately licensed...
coverage, from either the Crystal Palace or Croydon transmitters.
Capital Radio95.8 Capital FM is a popular London local radio station owned by the Global Radio group.-Early years:This local radio station for London, which was based on the first two floors of the Euston Tower, was originally named Capital Radio, and was launched by then-chairman Richard Attenborough at 5:00...
began broadcasting on October 1973 from
Euston TowerEuston Tower is a skyscraper located in the London Borough of Camden. It is a good example of an International style skyscraper with glass curtain walls. It is situated at the intersection of Tottenham Court Road/Hampstead Road and Euston Road. It stands across the Euston Road from Warren Street...
,
North LondonNorth London is the northern part of London, England. The area it covers is defined differently for a range of purposes.-Boundary Commission:At its widest extent, North London is the part of Greater London that is north of the River Thames...
. The station, now owned by
Global RadioGlobal Radio is a British commercial radio company, the largest in the country following acquisitions of Chrysalis Radio in July 2007 and GCap Media in June 2008....
, broadcasts as 95.8 Capital FM from
Leicester SquareLeicester Square is a pedestrianised square in the West End of London, England. The Square lies within an area bound by Lisle Street, to the north; Charing Cross Road, to the east; Orange Street, to the south; and Whitcomb Street, to the west...
in Central London. The group also has a sister station on the medium wave frequency, known as
Classic Gold Digital 1521Classic Gold Digital Network was one of the biggest 'gold' formatted radio networks in the United Kingdom, with a potential audience of 47 million. Classic Gold was broadcast on analogue and DAB digital platforms, as well as Sky channel 0189.-History:...
. Local BBC radio is provided by
BBC London 94.9BBC London 94.9 is London's BBC Local Radio station, and part of BBC London. Broadcasting across Greater London and beyond on 94.9 FM, DAB, Virgin Media Channel 930, Sky Digital Channel 0152 and also online. Previously known as BBC London Live, GLR and Radio London...
. Large radio stations picked up by transmitters around Croydon are
Kiss 100Kiss 100 is a radio station broadcasting to London on 100.0 MHz FM specialising in hip hop, R&B, urban and dance music. It also broadcasts on digital radio in other parts of the UK on DAB and nationally on Freeview, Sky Digital and Tiscali TV...
and
Magic 105.4 FMMagic 105.4 FM is an adult contemporary Independent Local Radio station based in London, purchased by media group Emap in mid-1998, who subsequently rebranded the then-titled Melody 105.4 FM. It is part of the Magic radio network, now owned by Bauer Radio...
from Bauer Radio, Choice FM and Heart 106.2 from
Global RadioGlobal Radio is a British commercial radio company, the largest in the country following acquisitions of Chrysalis Radio in July 2007 and GCap Media in June 2008....
,
Virgin RadioAbsolute Radio is one of the UK's three Independent National Radio stations. The station rebranded to its current name at 7.45am on 29 September 2008.The station is based in London and plays popular rock music...
from
SMGSTV Group plc is a Scottish media company. Originally formed as Scottish Television, it changed its name to Scottish Media Group in 1996 when it acquired Caledonian Publishing, owners of Glasgow-based newspapers The Herald and Evening Times . It then went on to acquire the ITV license holder for...
and
102.2 Smooth Radio102.2 Smooth Radio is an Independent Local Radio station for the Greater London area, which replaced 102.2 Smooth FM on 26 March 2007, launched by Gavin McCoy and Barbra Streisand's A Star Is Born...
from
Guardian Media GroupGuardian Media Group plc is a company of the United Kingdom owning various mass media operations including The Guardian, The Observer and the Manchester Evening News. The Group is owned by the Scott Trust. It was founded as the Manchester Guardian Ltd in 1907 when C. P...
.
Town twinning
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| NED |
NetherlandsThe Netherlands is a country in Northwestern Europe, constituting the major portion of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is a parliamentary democratic constitutional monarchy. The Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east...
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ArnhemArnhem is a city and municipality, situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of Gelderland and located near the river Nederrijn as well as near the St. Jansbeek, which was the source of the city's development. Arnhem has 146,095 residents as one of the...
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GelderlandGelderland is a province of the Netherlands, located in the central eastern part of the country. The capital city is Arnhem. The two other major cities, Nijmegen and Apeldoorn have more inhabitants. Other major regional centers in Gelderland are Wageningen, Ede, Zutphen, Doetinchem, Harderwijk,...
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| Guyana |
GuyanaGuyana officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana and previously known as British Guiana, is a state on the northern coast of South America that is culturally part of the Anglophone Caribbean.Guyana was discovered in 1498 by the Europeans,Guyana's past is punctuated by battles fought and won,...
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South AmericaSouth America is the southern continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere...
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| Ukraine |
UkraineUkraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east; Belarus to the north; Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary to the west; Romania and Moldova to the southwest; and the Black Sea and Sea of Azov to the south. The city of Kiev is both the capital and the largest city of...
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Prypiat |
Kiev OblastKiev Oblast, also written as Kyiv Oblast is an oblast in central Ukraine....
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The London Borough of Croydon is twinned with the
municipalityA municipality is an administrative entity composed of a clearly defined territory and its population and commonly denotes a city, town, or village, or a small grouping of them. A municipality is typically governed by a mayor and a city council or municipal council.The notion of municipality...
of Arnhem which is located in the east of the Netherlands. The city of
ArnhemArnhem is a city and municipality, situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of Gelderland and located near the river Nederrijn as well as near the St. Jansbeek, which was the source of the city's development. Arnhem has 146,095 residents as one of the...
is one of the
10 largest cities in the Netherlands. They have been twinned since 1946 after both towns had suffered extensive bomb damage during the recently ended war. There is also a
GuyaneseGuyana officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana and previously known as British Guiana, is a state on the northern coast of South America that is culturally part of the Anglophone Caribbean.Guyana was discovered in 1498 by the Europeans,Guyana's past is punctuated by battles fought and won,...
link supported by the council.
See also
- List of people associated with the London Borough of Croydon
- UK postcodes — a note of why and how postcodes CR0 and CR9 differ from the others.
- Greater London
Greater London is the top-level administrative subdivision covering London, England. The administrative area was officially created in 1965 and covers the City of London, including Middle Temple and Inner Temple, and thirty two London boroughs...
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