Crawley

For other uses, seeCrawley (disambiguation).

Crawley() is a town andboroughinWest Sussex,England.It is 28 miles (45 km) south ofLondon,18 miles (29 km) north ofBrighton and Hove,and 32 miles (51 km) north-east of the county town ofChichester.Crawley covers an area of 17.36 square miles (44.96 km²) and had a population of 118,493 at the time of the2021 Census.

Crawley
Townandnon-metropolitanborough
Borough of Crawley
The High Street, Queen's Square, Goff's Park House and the Memorial Gardens with the centre in the background
Coat of Arms of the Borough Council
Motto(s): "I Grow and I Rejoice"
Location of Crawley within West Sussex
Coordinates:51°6′33″N0°11′14″W
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Constituent country	England
Region	South East England
Ceremonial county	West Sussex
Historic county	Sussex (Town centre and outlying areas) Surrey (Gatwick Airport)
Admin HQ	Crawley Town Hall
Founded	5th century
Borough status	1974
Government
• Type	Borough
• Body	Crawley Borough Council
•Leadership	Leader and cabinet
• Council Leader	Cllr Michael Jones(L)
• Mayor	Cllr Sharmila Sivarajah (L)
•MPs	Peter Lamb(L)
Area
• Borough	17.36 sq mi (44.96 km2)
Population (2022)
• Borough	119,509 (ranked 200th)
• Density	5,750/sq mi (2,221/km2)
Ethnicity(2021)
•Ethnic groups	List 73.4%White 15.4%Asian 4.5%Black 4.1%Mixed 2.7%other
Religion(2021)
•Religion	List 42.6%Christianity 35.1%no religion 9.7%Islam 5.7% not stated 5.1%Hinduism 0.7%Sikhism 0.5%other 0.4%Buddhism 0.1%Judaism
Time zone	UTC+0(Greenwich Mean Time)
Postcode	RH6 andRH10–11
Area code	01293
ISO 3166-2	GB-WSX (West Sussex)
ONS code	45UE (ONS) E07000226 (GSS)
OS grid reference	TQ268360
NUTS3	UKJ24
Website	crawley.gov.uk

The area has been inhabited sincethe Stone Age,and was a centre ofironworkinginRomantimes. Crawley developed slowly as amarket townfrom the 13th century, serving the surrounding villages in theWeald.Its location on the main road fromLondontoBrightonbrought passing trade, which encouraged the development ofcoaching inns.A rail link toLondonopened in 1841.

Gatwick Airport,one of Britain's busiest international airports, opened for commercial flights on the edge of the town in 1933, encouraging commercial and industrial growth. After theSecond World War,the British Government planned to move large numbers of people and jobs out ofLondonand intonew townsaroundSouth East England.TheNew Towns Act 1946(9 & 10 Geo. 6.c. 68) designated Crawley as the site of one of these.A master plan was developed for the establishment of new residential, commercial, industrial and civic areas, and rapid development greatly increased the size and population of the town over a few decades.

The town contains 14 residential neighbourhoods radiating out from the core of the old market town, and separated by main roads and railway lines. The nearby communities ofIfield,Pound HillandThree Bridgeswere absorbed into the new town at various stages in its development. In 2009, expansion was being planned in the west and north-west of the town, in cooperation withHorsham District Council,which has now become a new neighbourhood namedKilnwood Vale,but it is not in Crawley.Economically, the town has developed into the main centre of industry and employment betweenLondonand the south coast. Its large industrial area supports manufacturing and service companies, many of them connected with the airport. The commercial and retail sectors continue to expand.

History

Origins

The area may have been settled during theMesolithicperiod: locally manufacturedflintsof the Horsham Culture type have been found to the southwest of the town.Tools andburial moundsfrom theNeolithic period,and burial mounds and a sword from theBronze Age,have also been discovered.Crawley is on the western edge of theHigh Weald,which produced iron for more than 2,000 years from theIron Ageonwards.Goffs Park—now a recreational area in the south of the town—was the site of two late Iron Age furnaces.Ironworking and mineral extraction continued throughoutRoman times,particularly in theBroadfieldarea where many furnaces were built.

St John the Baptist's Churchfrom the southeast

In the 5th century,Saxonsettlers named the area Crow's Leah—meaning a crow-infested clearing, or Crow's Wood.This name evolved over time, and the present spelling appeared by the early 14th century.By this time, nearby settlements were more established: the Saxon church atWorth,for example, dates from between 950 and 1050 AD.

Although Crawley itself is not mentioned in theDomesday Bookof 1086,the nearby settlements ofIfieldandWorthare recorded.The first written record of Crawley dates from 1202, when a licence was issued by KingJohnfor a weekly market on Wednesdays.Crawley grew slowly in importance over the next few centuries, but was boosted in the 18th century by the construction of theturnpikeroad betweenLondonandBrighton.When this was completed in 1770, travel between the newly fashionable seaside resort andLondonbecame safer and quicker, and Crawley (located approximately halfway between the two) prospered as a coaching halt.By 1839 it offered almost an hourly service to both destinations.The George, atimber-framedhouse dating from the 15th century, expanded to become a large coaching inn, taking over adjacent buildings. Eventually an annexe had to be built in the middle of the wide High Street; this survived until the 1930s.The original building has become theGeorge Hotel,with conference facilities and 84 bedrooms; it retains many period features including an ironfireback.

Crawley's oldest church isSt John the Baptist's,between the High Street and the Broadway. It is said to have 13th-century origins,but there has been much rebuilding (especially in the 19th century) and the oldest part remaining is the south wall of thenave,which is believed to be 14th century. The church has a 15th-centurytower(rebuilt in 1804) which originally contained four bells cast in 1724. Two were replaced by Thomas Lester of London in 1742; but in 1880 a new set of eight bells were cast and installed by the Croydon-based firm Gillett, Bland & Company.

Railway age and Victorian era

Crawley signal box in 2008

TheBrighton Main Linewas the first railway line to serve the Crawley area. A station was opened atThree Bridges(originally known as East Crawley)in the summer of 1841.Crawley railway station,at the southern end of the High Street, was built in 1848 when theHorsham branchwas opened from Three Bridges to Horsham. A line was built eastwards fromThree Bridges to East Grinsteadin 1855.Three Bridgeshad become the hub of transport in the area by this stage: one-quarter of its population was employed in railway jobs by 1861 (mainly at theLondon, Brighton and South Coast Railway's railway works near the station).The Longley company—one ofSouth East England's largest building firms in the late 19th century, responsible for buildings includingChrist's Hospitalschool andKing Edward VIISanatoriuminMidhurst—moved to a site next to Crawley station in 1881.In 1898 more than 700 people were employed at the site.

There was a major expansion in house building in the late 19th century. An area known as "New Town" (unrelated to the postwar developments) was created around the railwaylevel crossingand down the Brighton Road;theWest Greenarea, west of the High Street on the way to Ifield, was built up; and housing spread south of the Horsham line for the first time, into what is nowSouthgate.The population reached 4,433 in 1901, compared to 1,357 a century earlier.In 1891, a racecourse was opened on farmland at Gatwick. Built to replace asteeplechasecourse atWaddonnearCroydoninSurrey,it was used for both steeplechase andflat racing,and held theGrand Nationalduring the years of theFirst World War.The course had its own railway station on the Brighton Main Line.

In the early 20th century, many of the largecountry estatesin the area, with theirmansionsand associated grounds and outbuildings, were split up into smaller plots of land, attracting haphazard housing development and small farms.By the outbreak of the First World War in 1914 Crawley had grown into a small but prosperous town, serving a wide rural area and those passing through on theA23London–Brighton road. Three-quarters of the population had piped water supplies, all businesses and homes had electricity, and piped gas and street lighting had been in place for 50 years.An airfield was opened in 1930 on land near the racecourse. This was a private concern until theSecond World Warwhen it was claimed by theRoyal Air Force.

New Town

In May 1946, the New Towns Act of 1946 identified Crawley as a suitable location for aNew Town;but it was not officially designated as such until9 January 1947.The 5,920 acres (2,396 ha) of land set aside for the new town were split across the county borders betweenEast Sussex,West SussexandSurrey.ArchitectThomas Bennettwas appointed chairman ofCrawley Development Corporation.Members of the working group developing a master Plan included Lawrence Neal,Alwyn Sheppard Fidler,Caroline Haslett,Molly Bolton,SirEdward Gillett,Eric Walter Pasold and Alderman James Marshall.A court challenge to the designation order meant that plans were not officially confirmed until December 1947. By this time, an initial plan for the development of the area had been drawn up byAnthony Minoprio.This proposed filling in the gaps between the villages of Crawley,IfieldandThree Bridges.Bennett estimated that planning, designing and building the town, and increasing its population from the existing 9,500 to 40,000, would take 15 years.

Work began almost immediately to prepare for the expansion of the town. A full master plan was in place by 1949. This envisaged an increase in the population of the town to 50,000, residential properties in nine neighbourhoods radiating from the town centre, and a separate industrial area to the north.The neighbourhoods would consist mainly of three-bedroom family homes, with a number of smaller and larger properties. Each would be built around a centre with shops, a church, apublic house,a primary school and acommunity centre.Secondary education was to be provided at campuses atIfield Green,Three BridgesandTilgate.Later, a fourth campus, inSouthgate,was added to the plans.

At first, little development took place in the town centre, and residents relied on the shops and services in the existing high street. The earliest progress was inWest Green,where new residents moved in during the late 1940s. In 1950 the town was visited by the then heir to the throne,Princess Elizabeth,when she officially opened theManor Royalindustrial area. Building work continued throughout the 1950s inWest Green,NorthgateandThree Bridges,and later inLangley Green,Pound Hilland Ifield. In 1956, land at "Tilgate East" was allocated for housing use, eventually becoming the new neighbourhood ofFurnace Green.

Expectations of the eventual population of the town were revised upwards several times. The 1949 master plan had allowed for 50,000 people, but this was amended to 55,000 in 1956 after the Development Corporation had successfully resisted pressure from the Minister for Town and Country Planning to accommodate 60,000. Nevertheless, plans dated 1961 anticipated growth to 70,000 by 1980, and by 1969 consideration was given to an eventual expansion of up to 120,000.

Queen's Square in the central shopping area, looking towards the bandstand,The Body Shop,Marks & Spencerand the formerWoolworthsstore

Extended shopping facilities to the east of the existing high street were provided. The first stage to open was The Broadwalk in 1954, following by the opening of the Queen's Square development byHer Majesty The Queenin 1958. Crawley railway station was moved eastwards towards the new development.

One of the neighbourhood churches: St Mary's in Southgate (now alocally listed building)

By April 1960, when Thomas Bennett made his last presentation as chairman of the Development Corporation, the town's population had reached 51,700; 2,289,000 square feet (212,700 m²) of the factory and other industrial space had been provided; 21,800 people were employed, nearly 60% of whom worked in manufacturing industries, and only seventy people were registered as unemployed. The corporation had built 10,254 houses, and private builders provided around 1,500 more. Tenants were by then permitted to buy their houses and 440 householders had chosen to do so by April 1960.

A new plan was put forward byWest Sussex County Councilin 1961. This proposed new neighbourhoods atBroadfieldandBewbush,both of which extended outside the administrative area of the thenUrban District Council.Detailed plans were made forBroadfieldin the late 1960s; by the early 1970s building work had begun. Further expansion atBewbushwas begun in 1974, although development there was slow. The two neighbourhoods were both larger than the original nine: together, their proposed population was 23,000. Work also took place in the area now known asIfield Weston the western fringes of the town.

By 1980, the council identified land atMaidenbower,south of thePound Hillneighbourhood, as being suitable for another new neighbourhood, and work began in 1986. However, all of this development was undertaken privately, unlike the earlier neighbourhoods in which most of the housing was owned by the council.

In 1999, plans were announced to develop the 14th neighbourhood on land atTinsley Greento the northeast of the town; this was given the go ahead in 2011 and is officially the town's 14th neighbourhood, namedForge Woodafter theancient woodlandthat is enclosed within the development. After a temporary halt to the proposals when a possible expansion atGatwick Airportwas announced,construction started in 2015.Forge Woodis to have a maximum of 1900 homes.Development of another neighbourhood began in 2012 on the western side of Crawley in theHorsham district,namedKilnwood Vale.A plan for a new railway station fell through.

Governance

Local government

Main article:Crawley Borough Council

See also:Crawley Borough Council elections

Borough of Crawley shown withinWest Sussex

Crawley Town Hall,on The Boulevard in the town centre

Ordnance Survey map of the Crawley area, 1932

Crawley became aparishin the sixteenth century, having previously been achapelryin theparishofSlaugham.Whendistrictandparish councilswere established under theLocal Government Act 1894,Crawley was given aparish counciland included in theHorshamRural District.Theparishwas significantly enlarged in 1933, when it absorbed the neighbouringparishofIfield.

Following the designation as a New Town in 1947, theparishof Crawley was enlarged in 1953 to take in territory from the parishes ofSlaughamandWorth.Three years later, on 1 April 1956, the parish of Crawley was made anurban district,making it independent from Horsham Rural District.TheLocal Government Act 1972led to thedistrictbeing reformed as aboroughin April 1974,gaining a mayor for the first time.The newboroughin 1974 also saw its boundaries enlarged, gaining other areas which had been included in the designated area of the New Town as well as the area north of the town includingGatwick Airport,which had previously been inSurrey.

TheUrban District Councilreceived itscoat of armsfrom theCollege of Heraldsin 1957. After the change toboroughstatus a modified coat of arms, based on the original, was awarded in 1976 and presented to the council on 24 March 1977. It features a central cross on a shield, representing the town's location at the meeting point of north–south and east–west roads. The shield bears ninemartletsrepresenting both the county ofSussexand the new town's original nine neighbourhoods. Supporters, of an eagle and a winged lion, relate to the significance of the airport to the locality. The motto featured isI Grow and I Rejoice—a translation of a phrase from theEpistulaeofSeneca the Younger.Despite a petition to save it,the old Crawley Town Hall, which was built in 1964, was demolished in 2020and a newCrawley Town Hallwas completed in 2023.

Initially, thedistrict(and thenborough) council worked with theCommission for New Townson many aspects of development; but in 1978 many of the commission's assets, such as housing and parks, were surrendered to the council. The authority's boundaries were extended in 1983 to accommodate theBewbushandBroadfieldneighbourhoods.

Theboroughremains part of the local two-tier arrangements, with services shared withWest Sussex County Council.The authority is divided into 13 wards, each of which is represented by two or three local councillors, forming a total council of 36 members. Most wards are coterminous with the borough's neighbourhoods, but three neighbourhoods are divided:Broadfield,Northgate,andPound Hillinto "Pound Hill North andForge Wood"and" Pound Hill South and Worth ". The council is elected in thirds.

As of the2021 local elections,thecouncilis run byLabourin coalition with the sole independent councillor,with seats held as follows:

Political party	Seats held
Labour	17
Conservative	18
Independent	1

United Kingdom government

CrawleyBoroughis coterminous with theparliamentary constituency of Crawley.Henry Smithwon the seat at the2010 general electionand was re-elected at the 2015, 2017 and 2019 general elections.Laura Moffatt,a member of theLabour Party,was the MP for Crawley from 1997 to 2010; she was theParliamentary Private Secretaryto theSecretary of State for Health,Alan Johnson.In the2005 general election,the winning margin was the slimmest of anyUK constituency:Moffatt won by just 37 votes.

Brook HouseandTinsley HouseImmigration Removal Centres,operated byUK Visas and Immigration,are within the grounds ofGatwick Airportin Crawley.

Data from theHome Office's national identity database atDoncaster,South Yorkshire,was backed up to servers in Crawley fordisaster recoveryandbusiness continuitypurposes. TheIdentity Documents Bill 2010,proposed in May 2010 and passed in September 2010, authorised the destruction of all data stored for the identity card scheme brought about by theIdentity Cards Act 2006.

Geography

At51°6′33″N0°11′14″W(51.1092, −0.1872), Crawley is in the northeastern corner ofWest SussexinSouth East England,28 miles (45 km) south of London and 18 miles (29 km) north ofBrighton and Hove.It is surrounded by towns includingHorley,Redhill,Reigate,Oxted,Dorking,Horsham,Haywards Heath,Burgess HillandEast Grinstead.Theboroughof Crawley is bordered by thedistrictsofMid SussexandHorshaminWest Sussexas well as thedistrictsofMole ValleyandTandridgeand theboroughofReigate and BansteadinSurrey.

Crawley lies in theWealdbetween theNorthandSouth Downs.Two beds ofsedimentary rockmeet beneath the town: the eastern neighbourhoods and the town centre lie largely on thesandstoneHastings Beds, while the rest of the town is based onWeald Clay.Ageological faultrunning from east to west has left an area of Weald Clay (with a ridge oflimestone) jutting into the Hastings Beds aroundTilgate.The highest point in the borough is 486 feet (148 m) above sea level.The town has no major waterways, although a number of smaller brooks and streams are tributaries for theRiver Molewhich rises nearGatwick Airportand flows northwards to theRiver ThamesnearHampton Court Palace.There are several lakes atTilgate Parkand a mill pond atIfieldwhich was stopped to feed theIfield Water Mill.

In 1822Gideon Mantell,an amateur fossil collector andpalaeontologist,discovered teeth, bones and other remains of what he described as "an animal of the lizard tribe of enormous magnitude", inTilgate Foreston the edge of Crawley. He announced his discovery in an 1825 scientific paper, giving the creature the nameIguanodon.In 1832 he discovered and named theHylaeosaurusgenus ofdinosaursafter finding a fossil in the same forest.

Climate

Crawley lies within theSussex Weald,an area of highly variable terrain so that many microclimates of frost hollows, sun traps and windswept hilltops will be encountered over a short distance. During calm, clear periods of weather this allows for some interesting temperature variations, although most of the time, when mobile westerly airstreams persist, the weather is typicallyOceaniclike the rest of the British Isles. Gatwick is the nearest weather station that publishes long-term averages that give an accurate description of the climate of the Crawley area, although more recently theMet Officehas also published data for its nearby weather station atCharlwood.Both weather stations are about 3 miles north of Crawley town centre and at similar altitudes.

Generally, Crawley's inland and southerly position within the UK means temperatures in summer are amongst the highest in the British Isles,Charlwoodrecording 36.3C (97.3F)and Gatwick recording 36.4C (97.5F)on 19 July 2006, just 0.2C and 0.1C lower, respectively, than the UK monthly record for that day set atWisley,20 miles to the west. The overall maximum stands at 36.5C (97.7F)atCharlwood,set on 10 August 2003. The absolute record for Gatwick is the aforementioned 36.4C. Before this, the highest temperature recorded at Gatwick was 35.6C (96.1F), also in August 2003.The maximum temperature was 25.1C (77.2F) or higher on 15.9 days of the yearon average (1971–00) and the warmest day will typically rise to 29.4C (84.9F).

The overall minimum forGatwick Airportfor the period from 1960 is −16.7C (1.9F), set in January 1963. More recently,Charlwoodfell to −11.2C (11.8F)and Gatwick −11.1C (12.0F)on 20 December 2010. Typically the coldest night at Gatwick will fall to −8.9C (16.0F).Air frost is recorded on 58.2 nights at Gatwick(1971–00)

Sunshine totals in Crawley are higher than many inland areas due to its southerly location: Gatwick averaged 1,574 hours per year over 1961–90. No data is available for 1971 to 2000, but given increases at comparable sites nearby, annual averages are likely to be over 1,600 hours.

Snowfall is often heavier in theSussex Wealdthan in many other low-lying parts of central andsouthern Englanddue to the proximity of moisture-laden southerly tracking low-pressure systems bringing easterly winds and snow to areas fromSouth Londonsouthwards. However, again due to the southerly location of the area, with warmer air from the nearbyEnglish Channel,the snow is often temporary as low-pressure systems track north bringing in milder air; areas immediately north ofLondontend to have less accumulation, but lying for a longer duration.

Rainfall is lower than the English average, but higher than many other areas of the South East. 1mm of rain or more falls on 116.7 days of the year.

Climate data for Gatwick, elevation 62m,1971–2000, Sunshine 1961–90, extremes 1960–
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	14.0 (57.2)	17.0 (62.6)	22.2 (72.0)	24.5 (76.1)	30.0 (86.0)	33.8 (92.8)	36.4 (97.5)	35.6 (96.1)	31.6 (88.9)	24.7 (76.5)	18.3 (64.9)	15.2 (59.4)	36.4 (97.5)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	7.3 (45.1)	7.6 (45.7)	10.4 (50.7)	12.8 (55.0)	16.7 (62.1)	19.5 (67.1)	22.2 (72.0)	22.1 (71.8)	18.9 (66.0)	14.8 (58.6)	10.5 (50.9)	8.2 (46.8)	14.3 (57.7)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	1.1 (34.0)	0.8 (33.4)	2.3 (36.1)	3.7 (38.7)	6.8 (44.2)	9.6 (49.3)	11.9 (53.4)	11.5 (52.7)	9.2 (48.6)	6.5 (43.7)	3.2 (37.8)	2.0 (35.6)	5.8 (42.4)
Record low °C (°F)	−16.7 (1.9)	−14.5 (5.9)	−11.3 (11.7)	−5.7 (21.7)	−4 (25)	−1.6 (29.1)	2.8 (37.0)	1.6 (34.9)	−0.7 (30.7)	−4.7 (23.5)	−8.6 (16.5)	−12 (10)	−16.7 (1.9)
Averageprecipitationmm (inches)	83.85 (3.30)	51.84 (2.04)	59.89 (2.36)	50.84 (2.00)	49.30 (1.94)	58.80 (2.31)	42.36 (1.67)	52.66 (2.07)	65.29 (2.57)	82.14 (3.23)	78.86 (3.10)	84.36 (3.32)	746.97 (29.41)
Mean monthlysunshine hours	52.4	71.3	113.4	153.0	204.3	204.3	204.5	195.3	148.1	110.5	69.3	47.8	1,574.2
Source 1: YR.NO
Source 2: NOAA

Neighbourhoods and areas

The Southgate neighbourhood's parade of shops

Each neighbourhood has colour-coded street name signs(Southgate example pictured).

Neighbourhoods of Crawley, identified in the table

Church Road inLowfield Heathvillage, looking east towardsSt Michael and All Angels Church.No houses remain here; a hotel, depots and light industrial units have replaced the earlier development.

There are 14 residential neighbourhoods,each with a variety of housing types: terraced, semi-detached and detached houses, low-rise flats and bungalows. There are no residential tower blocks, apart from the 8-storeyMilton Mount Flatsat the North end ofPound Hill.Many houses have their own gardens and are set back from roads. The hub of each neighbourhood is a shopping parade, community centre and church, and each has a school and recreational open spaces as well.Crawley Development Corporation's intention was for neighbourhood shops to cater only to basic needs, and for the town centre to be used for most shopping requirements. The number of shop units provided in the neighbourhood parades reflected this: despite the master plan making provision for at least 20 shops in each neighbourhood,the number actually built ranged from 19 in the outlyingLangley Greenneighbourhood to just seven inWest Green,close to the town centre.

Each of the 14 residential neighbourhoods is identified by a colour, which is shown on street name signs in a standard format throughout the town: below the street name, the neighbourhood name is shown in white text on a coloured background.

Number on map	Name	Colour	Construction commenced	Population
1	Langley Green	Grey	1952	7,286
2	Northgate	Dark green	1951	4,407
3	Pound Hill	Orange	1953	14,716
4	Maidenbower	Blue	1987	8,070
5	Furnace Green	Light green	1960	5,734
6	Tilgate	Red	1955	6,198
7	Broadfield	Sky blue	1969	12,666
8	Bewbush	Light brown	1975	9,081
9	Ifield	Purple	1953	8,414
10	West Green	Dark blue	1949	4,404
11	Gossops Green	Maroon	1956	5,014
12	Southgate	Brown	1955	8,106
13	Three Bridges	Yellow	1952	5,648
14	Forge Wood	Pink	2014

There are areas which are not defined as neighbourhoods but which are closely associated with Crawley:

• TheManor Royalindustrial estate is in the north of the town. Although it is part of theNorthgate ward,it is allocated a colour: its street name signs feature the word "Industrial" on a black background.
• Crawley's town centre is in the southernmost part of Northgate. Its street name signs do not follow the standard format of the neighbourhood signs but display only the street name.
• Gatwick Airportwas built on the site of a manor house, Gatwick Manor, close to the village ofLowfield Heath.Most of the village was demolished when the airport expanded, but theGrade II*-listedSt Michael and All Angels Church,remains. The site ofLowfield Heath village,now occupied by warehouses and light industrial units,is on the airport's southern boundary, between the perimeter road and the A23 close toManor Royal.
• Worthwas originally a village with its owncivil parish,lying just beyond the eastern edge of the Crawley urban area and borough boundary;but the development of thePound HillandMaidenbowerneighbourhoods has filled in the gaps, and theboroughboundary has been extended to include the whole of the village. Thecivil parishofWorthremains, albeit reduced in size, as part of theMid Sussexdistrict.
• Tinsley Green,ahamletinWorth parish,is now within theForge Woodneighbourhood. Its houses, farms and public house, theGreyhound(at which theBritish and World Marbles Championshiphas been held annually since 1932),lie on or around an east–west minor road running from the mainBalcombe–Horleyroad to theManor Royal estate.
• ThehamletofFernhillis1+1⁄2miles (2.4 km) east of Gatwick Airportand the same distance south ofHorley.It has been wholly within theboroughsince 1990, when theboroughand county boundary was moved eastwards to align exactly with theM23motorway.Until then, its houses and farms straddled the boundary.Fernhillwas the site of a fatal aeroplane crash in 1969: 50 people (including two residents) died whenAriana Afghan Airlines Flight 701crashed into a house onFernhill Road.

Demography

Year	Population
1901	4,433
1921	5,437
1941	7,090
1961	25,550
1981	87,865
2001	99,744
2011	106,597
2021	118,493

At thecensusin 2011 the population of Crawley was recorded as 106,597.The 2001 census data showed that population then accounted for 13.2% of the population of the county ofWest Sussex.The growth in population of the new town (around 1,000% between 1951 and 2001) has outstripped that of most similar-sized settlements. For example, in the same period, the population of the neighbouring district ofHorshamgrew by just 99%.

According to the2021 census,Crawley's population had grown to 118,493.White people made up 73.4% of the population, of those 61.8% identified asWhite British,a decrease from 84.5% in 2001,while those who identified as "Other White"were 10.5%. Asians made up 15.4% of the population, withIndiansandPakistanismaking up 6.2% and 5.2% of the population respectively, whileSri Lankans(mostly ofTamildescent/background) make up the majority of "Other Asian"write-ins.Those ofBlackdescent made up 4.5% of the population. Crawley also has a noticeableMauritianminority, made up of people from a variety of ethnic backgrounds.

The largest religious affiliation wasChristianityat 42.6%, followed by those with no religion at 35.1%,Islamat 9.7%,Hinduismat 5.1%,Sikhismat 0.7%,Buddhismat 0.4%,Judaismat 0.1% and any other religion at 0.5%.

Those who recorded their main language asEnglishmade up 84.3% of the population.Other languages wereRomanian(2.1%),Polish(1.7%),Portuguese(1.4%),Tamil(1.3),Gujarati(1.1%) andHindustani(Hindi/Urdu) (1.1%). There is also a Tamil learning centre.

ManyChagossiansexpelled from theChagos Archipelagoin theIndian Oceansettled in Crawley in the 1960s and 1970s, and it was reported in 2016 that the town'sChagossiancommunity numbered approximately 3,000 people.Crawley MPHenry Smithstated that Crawley "is home to perhaps the largestChagossianpopulation in the world ".

The town has a population density of around 2,635 persons per square kilometre,making it the second most densely populated district inWest Sussex,afterWorthing.In 2021, around 28.6% were in managerial, administrative or professional occupations,although this varied by ward, with just 19.5% inBroadfield West,compared to 45.7% inMaidenbower.

The proportion of people in the town with higher education qualifications is lower than the national average. Around 27.5% have a qualification atlevel 4or above, compared to 33.9% nationally.

Economy

Labour Profile
Total employee jobs	79,700
Full-time	58,100	72.9%
Part-time	21,600	27.1%
Manufacturing	7,500	9.4%
Construction	1,800	2.2%
Services	70,100	87.9%
Distribution, hotels & restaurants	19,600	24.6%
Transport & communications	23,900	30.0%
Finance, IT, other business activities	15,400	19.3%
Public admin, education & health	9,600	12.1%
Other services	1,600	2.0%
Tourism-related	6,600	8.3%

Crawley traded as a market town. TheDevelopment Corporationintended to develop it as a centre for manufacturing and light engineering, with an industrial zone.The rapid growth of Gatwick Airport provided opportunities for businesses in the aviation, transport, warehousing and distribution industries. The significance of the airport to local employment and enterprise was reflected by the formation of the Gatwick Diamond partnership. This venture, supported by local businesses, local government andSEEDA,South East England'sRegional Development Agency,aims to maintain and improve the Crawley and Gatwick area's status as a region of national and international economic importance.

Since the Second World War, unemployment in Crawley has been low: the rate was 1.47% of the working-age population in 2003.During the boom of the 1980s the town boasted the lowest level of unemployment in the UK.Continuous growth and investment have made Crawley one of the most important business and employment centres in theSouth East Englandregion.

In April 2020, theCentre for Citiesthinktankidentified Crawley as the place inBritainat the highest risk of widespread job losses due to thecoronavirus'effect on the economy; classing 56% of jobs in the town as either vulnerable or very vulnerable of beingfurloughedor lost.

Manufacturing industry

Crawley was already a modest industrial centre by the end of the Second World War. Building was an important trade: 800 people were employed by building and joinery firms, and two—Longley's and Cook's—were large enough to have their own factories.In 1949, 1,529 people worked in manufacturing: the main industries were light andprecision engineeringand aircraft repair. Many of the jobs in these industries were highly skilled.

Industrial development had to take place relatively soon after the new town was established because part of the corporation's remit was to move people and jobs out of an overcrowded and war-damaged London. Industrial jobs were needed as well as houses and shops to create a balanced community where people could settle.The Development Corporation wanted the new town to support a large and mixed industrial base, with factories and other buildings based in a single zone rather than spread throughout the town. A 267-acre (108 ha)site in the northeastern part of the development area was chosen. Its advantages included flat land with no existing development; proximity to the London–Brighton railway line, the A23 and the planned M23; space for railway sidings (which were eventually built on a much smaller scale than envisaged); and an adjacent 44-acre (18 ha) site reserved for future expansion, on the other side of the railway line (again, not used for this purpose in the end).Princess Elizabeth(later Queen Elizabeth II) opened the first part of the industrial area on 25 January 1950;its main road was named Manor Royal, and this name eventually came to refer to the whole estate.

The Corporation stipulated that severalmanufacturing industriesshould be developed, rather than allowing one sector or firm to dominate. It did not seek to attract companies by offering financial or other incentives; instead, it set out to create the ideal conditions for industrial development to arise naturally, by providing large plots of land with room for expansion, allowing firms to build their own premises or rent ready-made buildings, and constructing a wide range of building types and sizes.

Despite the lack of direct incentives, many firms applied to move to the Manor Royal estate: it was considered such an attractive place to relocate to that the Development Corporation was able to choose between applicants to achieve the ideal mix of firms, and little advertising or promotion had to be undertaken.One year after Manor Royal was opened, eighteen firms were trading there, including four with more than 100 employees and one with more than 1,000.By 1964, businesses which had moved to the town since 1950 employed 16,000 people; the master plan had anticipated between 8,000 and 8,500. In 1978 there were 105 such firms, employing nearly 20,000 people.

Thales Groupopened a new manufacturing and office complex in Crawley in 2009. The site consolidated manufacturing and offices in the Crawley area and the south-east of England.

Service industry and commerce

FormerVirgin Atlantichead office.

While most of the jobs created in the new town's early years were in manufacturing, thetertiary sectordeveloped strongly from the 1960s. TheManor Royalestate, with its space, proximity to Gatwick Airport and good transport links, attracted airport-related services such as logistics, catering, distribution and warehousing; and the corporation and private companies built offices throughout the town. Office floorspace in the town increased from 55,000 square feet (5,100 m²) in 1965 to a conservative estimate of 453,000 square feet (42,100 m²) in 1984.Major schemes during that period included premises for theWestminster BankBritish CaledonianandThe Office of the Paymaster-General.The five-storey Overline House above the railway station, completed in 1968, is used by Crawley's NHSprimary care trustand various other companies.

SchlumbergerHouse, the head office ofWesternGecoat Gatwick Airport

Companies headquartered in Crawley includeDoosan Babcock Energy,WesternGeco,Virgin Atlantic,Virgin Atlantic's associated travel agencyVirgin Holidays,William Reed Business Media,Dualitand the Office of the Paymaster-General.Danish companyNovo Nordisk,which manufactures much of the world'sinsulinsupply, has its UK headquarters at the Broadfield Business Park,andBDO Globalhas an office in Crawley.The UK headquarters ofNestléis in the Manor Royal area of Crawley.In addition the registered offices of TUI UK andThomson Airwaysare located in Crawley.

British Airwaystook overBritish Caledonian's former headquarters near the Manor Royal estate, renamed it "Astral Towers" and based its British Airways Holidays andAir Milesdivisions there.Other companies formerly headquartered in Crawley includeAstraeus Airlines,British United Airways,CityFlyer Express,CP Ships,First Choice Airways,GB Airways,Laker Airways,Tradewinds Airways,andAir Europe.

Crawley has numerous hotels, includingThe George Hotel,dated to 1615. It is reputedly haunted.

Shopping and retail

34 and 36 High Street - Grade II late 18th-century brick building with sash windows, two chimneys and a tiled roof.

The Friary Way entrance to County Mall

Even before the new town was planned, Crawley was a retail centre for the surrounding area: there were 177 shops in the town in 1948,99 of which were on the High Street.Early new town residents relied on these shopping facilities until the Corporation implemented the master plan's designs for a new shopping area on the mostly undeveloped land east of the High Street and north of the railway line.The Broadwalk and its 23 shops were built in 1954, followed by the Queen's Square complex and surrounding streets in the mid-1950s.Queen's Square, a pedestrianised plaza surrounded by large shops and linked to the High Street by The Broadwalk, was officially opened in 1958 by Queen Elizabeth II.The town centre was completed by 1960, by which time Crawley was already recognised as an important regional, rather than merely local, shopping centre.

In the 1960s and 1970s, large branches ofTesco,Sainsbury'sandMarks & Spencerwere opened (the Tesco superstore was the largest in Britain at the time). The shopping area was also expanded southeastwards from Queen's Square: although the original plans of 1975 were not implemented fully, several large shop units were built and a new pedestrianised link—The Martlets—was provided between Queen's Square and Haslett Avenue, the main road to Three Bridges.The remaining land between this area and the railway line was sold for private development by 1982;in 1992 a 450,000 square feet (41,800 m²)shopping centre named County Mall and anchored by anOwen Owendepartment store was opened there.Its stores includes major retailers such asThe Entertainer,Boots,WHSmithandSuperdryas well as over 80 smaller outlets.The town's main bus station was redesigned, roads including the main A2220 Haslett Avenue were rerouted, and some buildings at the south end of The Martlets were demolished to accommodate the mall.

A regeneration strategy for the town centre, "Centre Vision 2000", was produced in 1993.Changes brought about by the scheme have included 50,000 square feet (4,600 m²) of additional retail space in Queen's Square and The Martlets, and a mixed-use development at the southern end of the High Street on land formerly occupied by Robinson Road (which was demolished) and Spencers Road (shortened and severed at one end). An ASDA superstore, opened in September 2003, forms the centrepiece.Robinson Road, previously named Church Road, had been at the heart of the old Crawley: a century before its demolition, its buildings included two chapels, a school, a hospital and a post office.

Public services

Main article:Public services in Crawley

Crawley police station

Crawley library, opened in December 2008

Policing in Crawley is provided bySussex Police;theBritish Transport Policeare responsible for the rail network. The borough is the police headquarters for the West Sussex division,and is itself divided into three areas for the purposes of neighbourhood policing: Crawley East, Crawley West, and Crawley Town Centre.A separate division covers Gatwick Airport.There is a police station in the town centre; it is open 24 hours a day, and the front desk is staffed for 16 hours each day except Christmas Day.Statutory emergency fire and rescue servicesare provided by theWest Sussex Fire and Rescue Servicewhich operates a fire station in the town centre.TheSouth East Coast Ambulance Serviceis responsible for ambulance and paramedic services.

Crawley Hospitalin West Green is operated by West SussexPrimary Care Trust.Some services are provided by the Surrey and Sussex HealthcareNHS Trust,including a 24-hour Urgent Treatment Centre for semi-life-threatening injuries.The Surrey and Sussex was judged as "weak" by theHealthcare Commissionin 2008,however in 2015 both the hospitaland the Surrey and Sussex Trustwere rated good by theCare Quality Commission.

Thames Wateris responsible for all waste water and sewerage provision. Residents in most parts of Crawley receive their drinking water fromSouthern Water;areas in the north of the town around Gatwick Airport are provided by Sutton & East Surrey Water; and South East Water supplies Maidenbower.

UK Power Networksis thedistribution network operatorresponsible for electricity.Gas is supplied bySouthern Gas Networkswho own and manage the South East Local Distribution Zone.

The provision of public services was made in co-operation with the local authorities as the town grew in the 1950s and 1960s. They oversaw the opening of a fire station in 1958, the telephone exchange, police station and town centre health clinic in 1961 and an ambulance station in 1963. Plans for a new hospital on land at The Hawth were abandoned, however, and the existing hospital in West Green was redeveloped instead.Gas was piped from Croydon, 20 miles (32 km) away, and a gasworks at Redhill, while the town's water supply came from theWeir Woodreservoir south of East Grinstead and another atPease Pottage.

In December 2008, a new three-storey library was opened in new buildings at Southgate Avenue, replacing the considerably undersized establishment formerly at County Buildings.

TheCivil Aviation AuthorityRegulation Safety Group is in the Aviation House inGatwick Airportin Crawley.

Transport

Crawley's development as a market town was helped by its location on the London–Brighton turnpike. The area was joined to therailway networkin the mid-19th century; and since the creation of the new town, there have been major road upgrades (including a motorway link), aguided bustransit system and the establishment of an airport which has become one of Britain's largest and busiest.

Road

The London–Brighton turnpike ran through the centre of Crawley, forming the High Street and Station Road. When Britain's major roads were classified by the British government's Ministry of Transport between 1919 and 1923,it was given the numberA23.It was bypassed by a new dual carriageway in 1938(which forms the A23's current route through the town), and then later to the east side of the town by theM23 motorway,which was opened in 1975. This connects London's orbital motorway, theM25,to the A23 atPease Pottage,at the southern edge of Crawley's built-up area. The original single-carriageway A23 became the A2219.

The M23 has junctions in the Crawley area at the A2011/A264(Junction 10) and Maidenbower (area of Crawley) (Junction 10A). The end of the motorway at Pease Pottage is Junction 11. The A2011, another dual-carriageway, joins the A23 in West Green and provides a link, via the A2004, to the town centre. The A2220 follows the former route of the A264 through the town, linking the A23 directly to the A264 atCopthorne,from where it then runs toEast Grinstead.

Rail

Crawley station,with five storeys of offices above the ticket office and concourse area

The first railway line in the area was theBrighton Main Line,which opened as far asHaywards Heathon 12 July 1841 and reached Brighton on 21 September 1841. It ran through Three Bridges, which was then a small village east of Crawley, anda stationwas built to serve it.

A line toHorsham,now part of theArun Valley Line,was opened on 14 February 1848.A stationwas provided next to Crawley High Street from that date.A new station was constructed slightly to the east, in conjunction with the Overline House commercial development, and replaced the original station which closed on 28 July 1968. The ticket office and Up (London-bound) platform waiting areas form the ground floor of the office building.

The urban area of Crawley is served by a total of three rail stations includingIfield railway station.Due to Crawley's expansion this station is now surrounded by the town's western areas. Opened asLyons Crossing Halton 1 June 1907 to serve the village of Ifield, it was soon renamedIfield Halt,dropping the "Halt" suffix in 1930.

Regular train services run from Crawley, and also Ifield, toLondon VictoriaandLondon Bridgestations,Gatwick Airport,East Croydon,Horsham,Bognor Regis,Chichester,PortsmouthandSouthampton.Three Bridges has directThameslinktrains toBedfordandBrighton.

Bus and Fastway

AMetrobusdouble-decker busat Crawley bus station

Crawley was one of several towns where the boundaries ofSouthdown Motor ServicesandLondon Transportbus services met. In 1958 the companies reached an agreement which allowed them both to provide services in all parts of the town.When theNational Bus Companywas formed in 1969, itsLondon Country Bus Servicessubsidiary took responsibility for many routes, includingGreen Line Coachescross-London services which operated to distant destinations such asWatford,LutonandAmersham.A coach station was opened by Southdown in 1931 on the A23 at County Oak, near Lowfield Heath: it was a regular stopping point for express coaches between London and towns on the Sussex coast. This traffic started to serve Gatwick when the airport began to grow, however.When the National Bus Company was broken up, local services were provided by the newSouth West divisionof London Country Bus Services, which later became part of theArrivagroup.Metrobusacquired these routes from Arriva in March 2001, and is now Crawley's main operator.It provides local services between the neighbourhoods and town centre, and longer-distance routes toHorsham,Redhill,Tunbridge Wells,WorthingandBrighton.

In September 2003 aguided busservice,Fastway,began operating betweenBewbushandGatwick Airport.A second route, from Broadfield to the Langshott area ofHorley,north of Gatwick Airport, was added on 27 August 2005.

Gatwick Airport

Gatwick is the world's second busiest single-runway international airport.

Main article:Gatwick Airport

Gatwick Airport was licensed as a private airfield in August 1930.It was used during the Second World War as anRAFbase, and returned to civil use in 1946. There were proposals to close the airport in the late 1940s, but in 1950 the government announced that it was to be developed as London's second airport.It was closed between 1956 and 1958 for rebuilding.Her Majesty The Queenreopened it on 9 June 1958. A second terminal, the North Terminal, was built in 1988. An agreement existed betweenBAAand West Sussex County Council preventing the building of a second runway before 2019. Nevertheless, consultations were launched in 2002 by theDepartment for Transport,at which proposals for additional facilities and runways were considered. It was agreed that there would be no further expansion at Gatwick unless it became impossible to meet growth targets atLondon Heathrow Airportwithin existing pollution limits.

Sport and leisure

Entrance to the K2 Leisure Centre

Bewbush Leisure Centre

The Memorial Gardens

Crawley Town F.C.is Crawley's mainfootballteam. Formed in 1896, it moved in 1949 to a ground at Town Mead adjacent to theWest Greenplaying fields. Demand for land near the town centre led to the club moving in 1997 to the newBroadfield Stadium,now owned by the borough council.As of the 2024/25 season, Crawley Town F.C. are playing inLeague One,the third tier of English football.

The women's football club,Crawley Wasps F.C.,plays in theFA Women's National League South,the third tier of women's football. It formed a partnership with Crawley Town in 2021.Three other local men's teams play in theSussex County Football League:Three Bridges F.C.,Oakwood F.C.and Ifield Galaxy F.C..Crawley Rugby Clubis based in Ifield,and a golf course was constructed in 1982 atTilgate Park.Crawley Hockey Club plays their home matches atHazelwick School,Three Bridges.Three Bridges Cricket Club is a founding member of theSussex Cricket Leagueand in 2018 were promoted back to the Premier Division.

The new town's original leisure centre was in Haslett Avenue in the Three Bridges neighbourhood. Building work started in the early 1960s, and a large swimming pool opened in 1964. The site was extended to include an athletics arena by 1967, and an additional large sports hall was opened by the town mayor, Councillor Ben Clay and Prime MinisterHarold Wilsonin 1974.However, the facilities became insufficient for the growing town, even though an annexe was opened in Bewbush in 1984.AthleteZola Buddhad been asked to take part in a 1,500-metre race as part of the opening celebrations, but her invitation was withdrawn at short notice because of concerns raised by council members about possible "political connotations and anti-apartheid demonstrators".

In 2005, Crawley Leisure Centre was closed and replaced by a new facility, theK2 Leisure Centre,on the campus ofThomas Bennett Community Collegenear the Broadfield Stadium.Opened to the public on 14 November 2005,and officially byLord Coeon 24 January 2006, the centre includes the only Olympic-sized swimming pool inSouth East England.In March 2008 the centre was named as a training site for the2012 Olympicsin London.

Crawley Development Corporationmade little provision for the arts in the plans for the new town, and a proposed arts venue in the town centre was never built. Neighbourhood community centres and the Tilgate Forest Recreational Centre were used for some cultural activities,but it was not until 1988 that the town had a dedicated theatre and arts venue, at theHawth Theatre.Crawley's earliest cinema, the Imperial Picture House on Brighton Road, lasted from 1909 until the 1940s; the Embassy Cinema on the High Street (opened in 1938) replaced it.A largeCineworldcinema has since opened in the Crawley Leisure Park, which itself also includesten-pin bowling,various restaurants and bars and a fitness centre.The Moka nightclub on Station Way opened in October 2012.

Each neighbourhood has self-contained recreational areas, and there are other larger parks throughout the town. The Memorial Gardens, on the eastern side of Queen's Square, feature art displays, children's play areas and lawns, and a plaque commemorating those who died in two Second World War bombing incidents in 1943 and 1944.Goffs Park in Southgate covers 50 acres (20 ha), and has lakes, boating ponds, a model railway and many other features.Tilgate Park and Nature Centrehas walled gardens, lakes, large areas of woodland with footpaths andbridleways,a golfing area and a collection of animals and birds.

Heritage

The Grade II listed Worth Training Centre, Turners Hill Road, Pound Hill, Crawley

See also:Listed buildings in CrawleyandLocally listed buildings in Crawley

Crawley Museumis based in the town centre. Stone Age and Bronze Age remains discovered in the area are on display, as well as more recent artefacts including parts of Vine Cottage, an old timber-framed building on the High Street which was once home to formerPuncheditorMark Lemonand which was demolished when the ASDA development was built.

Crawley has threeGrade I listed buildings(the parish church of St Margaret in Ifield,the parish church of St Nicholas, Worth,and theFriends Meeting Housein Langley Lane, Ifield), 12Grade II* listed buildingsand 85Grade II listed buildings.The borough council has also awardedlocally listed buildingstatus to 58 buildings.

1902 Autocar in the 2018 London to Brighton Veteran Car Run, High Street, Crawley.

The high street becomes an annual focus of motoring heritage in November as one of the official stops on theLondon to Brighton Veteran Car Run.

Education

See also:Schools in Crawley, West Sussex

The main building of Central Sussex College

Broadfield House, which now houses the Atelier 21 Future School

Maintained primary and secondary schools were reorganised in 2004 following theLocal Education Authority's decision to change the town'sthree-tiersystem offirst,middleand secondary schools to a more standard primary/secondary divide.Since the restructuring, Crawley has had 17 primary schools (including twoChurch of Englandand two Roman Catholic) and four pairs ofinfantandjunior Schools.Most of these were opened in 2004; others changed their status at this date (for example, from a middle to a junior school). Secondary education is provided at one of six secondary schools:

• Ifield Community College
• Hazelwick School
• Holy Trinity Church of England School
• Oriel High School
• St Wilfrid's Catholic School
• Thomas Bennett Community College

All six of these have asixth form,the newest opening at Oriel High in September 2008.

There is also a primary / secondary School called The Gatwick School, which is a Free School that opened in 2014. It currently has 4 years, R, 1, 7 and 8.The schools at Ifield and Thomas Bennett are also bases for theLocal Authority'sadult educationprogrammes. Pupils withspecial needsare educated at the twospecial schoolsin the town, each of which covers the full spectrum of needs: Manor Green Primary School and Manor Green College.

Desmond Anderson, based inTilgateconverted to Academy status in February 2017 and is now part of the University of Brighton Academies Trust.The Atelier 21 Future School for up to 120 pupils aged 4 to 14 years, based inBroadfield House,opened on 24 August 2020.

Further educationis provided byCentral Sussex College.Opened in 1958 as Crawley Technical College,it merged with other local colleges to form the new institute in August 2005.The college also provides higher education courses in partnership with the universities atChichesterandSussex.In 2004, a proposal was made for an additional campus of theUniversity of Sussexto be created in Crawley, but as of 2008 no conclusion has been reached.

Media

Crawley has three local newspapers, of which two have a long history in the area. TheCrawley Observerbegan life in 1881 asSimmins Weekly Advertiser,became theSussex & Surrey Courierand then theCrawley and District Observer,and took its current name in 1983.The newspaper is now owned byJohnston Press.TheCrawley Newswas first published in 1979, and later took over the operations of the olderCrawley Advertiserwhich closed in 1982.The newspaper was taken over by theTrinity Mirrorgroup in 2015 as part of the purchase ofLocal Worldbut its last edition was published on 26 October 2016.In September 2008 Johnston Press launched a new weekly broadsheet newspaper called theCrawley Timesbased on the companies paper produced in Horsham, theWest Sussex County Times.

Crawley is served by the London regional versions ofBBCandITVtelevision from the Crystal Palace or Reigate transmitters. Alternatively the town is also well served byBBC South EastandITV Meridianon the Heathfield transmitter andFreesat.This means the town is served by news and television programmes from both London and Tunbridge Wells (where the BBC South East Today studios are situated).

Radio Mercurybegan broadcasting on 20 October 1984 fromBroadfield Housein Broadfield.The station, now owned byGlobal Radio,broadcasts asHeart Southfrom Brighton, with the studios in Kelvin Way in Crawley closed in August 2010.On 1 February 2011, the localGoldtransmitter on 1521 AM closed and listeners were advised to retune to 1548 AM (Gold London) or 1323 AM (Gold Sussex).Local BBC radio was provided by BBC Radio Sussex from 1983; this became part ofBBC Southern Counties Radiofollowing a merger withBBC Radio Surreyin 1994.From March 2009, BBC Southern Counties Radio becameBBC Sussexon 104.5FM andBBC Surreyon 104FM. Due to the positioning of their transmitters, when broadcasting separately both stations cover Crawley stories.

Twin town

Crawley is [[sister city|twinned}} with:

• Eisenhüttenstadt,German Democratic Republic,1963–1968
• Dorsten,Germany, since 1973
• Alytus,Lithuania

Notable people and music groups

• Notable people from Crawley
• 
  Erin Doherty
• 
  Robert Smith
• 
  RomeshRanganathan
• 
  Dan Walker
• 
  Gareth Southgate
• 
  Daley Thompson
• 
  Alan Minter
• 
  Laura Moffatt

• Albert Cordingley(1871–1939), first-class cricketer for Sussex (1901–1905) and groundskeeper of the Crawling Bowling and Tennis Clubs (1924–1934), lived inWest Green,Crawley from 1921 until his death in 1939.
• SirCharles Court,the 21stPremier of Western Australia,born in Crawley, migrated to Australia with family before his first birthday
• Erin Doherty,actress, known for beingPrincess AnneinThe Crown(2019),Chloe(2022),Reawakening(2024)
• John George Haigh,the "Acid Bath Murderer", carried out some of his murders at a workshop in the West Green area.
• Caroline Haslett,electrical pioneer, engineer and champion of women's rights. Crawley New Town Development Corp' Vice-president (1948)
• Leadley(Bethan Mary Leadley), singer-songwriter, music television presenter for4Musicand YouTuber.
• Mark Lemon,first editor ofPunch,High Street resident from 1858 until death in 1870. Commemorated by ablue plaqueat theGeorge Hotel.
• Jordan Maguire-Drew,professional footballer forGrimsby Town,born in Crawley, played forOakwood F.C.,thenBrighton and Hove Albion.
• Alan Minter,boxer won bronze at1972 Munich Olympicsatlight middleweight,1980 was undisputed worldmiddleweightchampion.
• Ross Minter,boxer, (son of Alan), was British Bo xing Board of Control English Welterweight bo xing champion 2005.
• Laura Moffatt,British Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Crawley from 1997 until 2010.
• Kevin Muscat,Crawley born footballer, played forAustralia(1994–2006), had nine-year spell in UK, playing for four different clubs
• Natasha Pyne,actress, known forThe Taming of the Shrew(1967),The Breaking of Bumbo(1970) andFather, Dear Father(1973).

Rishi Sunak at St George's Park with Gareth Southgate and Harry Kane on October 10, 2023

• Romesh Ranganathan,comedian and television personality, was a maths teacher atHazelwick Schooland lives in the town.
• Grace Saif,actress, known forDoctors(2000) and theNetflixshow13 Reasons Why.
• Gareth Southgate,formerEngland football player,formerEngland manager(2016-2024), reached2018 FIFA World Cupsemi-final and twoEurofinals, losing both.
• Daley Thompson,athlete, winner of two Decathlon Olympic gold medals, trained in Crawley for the Olympics in1980and1984.
• Theresa Tomlinson(born 1946), writer for children and young adults, was born in Crawley.
• Peter Vaughan,actor,Straw Dogs(1971), Grouty inPorridge(1979) and Maester Aemon Targaryen inGame of Thrones(2011–2015).
• Dan Walker,BBC breakfast presenter, former sports presenter, born and raised in Crawley.
• The Curewere formed in Crawley in 1976 byRobert Smith,Michael DempseyandLol Tolhurst,all of whom attended St Wilfrid's RC School.
• The Feeling's drummerPaul Stewart,guitaristKevin Jeremiahand keyboard playerCiaran Jeremiahwere also at St Wilfrid's.
• Brett Marvin and the Thunderboltswere formed in Crawley in 1968 at the Thomas Bennett School.
• Simon Calder,travel correspondent forThe Independentand freelance contributor to many media channels, including BBC News, was born and raised in Crawley and attendedThomas Bennett Community College.

See also

• List of places of worship in Crawley
• Urban planning
• West Sussex
• Worth Church
• City Place Gatwick

Bibliography

• Bastable, Roger (2004).Crawley.Then & Now. Stroud: Tempus Publishing.ISBN978-0-7524-3063-8.OCLC53242919.
• Bennett, Thomas P.(1949). New Towns Act 1946: Reports of the Aycliffe, Crawley, Harlow, Hatfield, Hemel Hempstead, Peterlee, Stevenage and Welwyn Garden City Development Corporations for period ending 31 March 1949.Crawley Development Corporation:Second Annual Report (Report).Her Majesty's Stationery Office.OCLC52186166.
• Body, Geoffrey (1984).Railways of the Southern Region.PSL Field Guide. Cambridge: Patrick Stephens.ISBN978-0-85059-664-9.OCLC11496293.
• Cole, Belinda (2004a).Crawley: A History and Celebration of the Town.Salisbury: Frith Book Company.ISBN978-1-904938-19-4.OCLC59137480.
• Cole, Belinda (2004b).Crawley: An Illustrated Miscellany.Salisbury: Frith Book Company.ISBN978-1-904938-74-3.OCLC59137646.
• Crawley Borough Council (1997).Crawley: Official Guide.Wallington: Local Authority Publishing Co Ltd.
• Gray, Fred, ed. (1983).Crawley: Old Town, New Town.Occasional Papers (University of Sussex, Centre for Continuing Education), no. 18. Falmer:University of Sussex.ISBN978-0-904242-21-8.OCLC16599642.
• Green, Jeffrey; Allen, Peter (1993).Crawley New Town in old photographs.Stroud: Alan Sutton Publishing.ISBN978-0-7509-0472-8.OCLC30026985.
• Gwynne, Peter (1990).A History of Crawley.Chichester: Phillimore & Company.ISBN978-0-85033-718-1.OCLC59815249.
• Kraemer-Johnson, Glyn; Bishop, John (2005).Southdown Days.Hersham: Ian Allan Publishing.ISBN978-0-7110-3077-0.OCLC60837945.
• Lowerson, John, ed. (1980).Crawley: Victorian New Town.Occasional Papers (University of Sussex, Centre for Continuing Education), no. 12. Falmer:University of Sussex.ISBN978-0-904242-14-0.OCLC16563480.
• Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith (1986a).Three Bridges to Brighton.Southern Main Lines. Midhurst: Middleton Press.ISBN978-0-906520-35-2.OCLC60024136.
• Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith (1986b).Crawley to Littlehampton.Southern Main Lines. Midhurst: Middleton Press.ISBN978-0-906520-34-5.OCLC60024134.
• s.n.(1839).Pigot's Directory of Sussex.London and Manchester: Pigot & Co. WSC13002.Archivedfrom the original on 11 June 2011.Retrieved31 March2008.

External links

• Crawley Borough Council