London Borough of Croydon

For the historic town located within the London Borough which gives the name, seeCroydon.For other places called Croydon, seeCroydon (disambiguation).

London Borough of Croydon
London borough
Coat of arms Council logo
Motto(s): Ad summa nitamur (Let us strive for perfection)
Croydon shown withinGreater London
Coordinates:51°20′N0°05′W
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Constituent country	England
Region	London
Ceremonial county	Greater London
Created	1 April 1965
Admin HQ	Bernard Weatherill House,8 Mint Walk, Croydon
Government
• Type	London borough council
• Body	Croydon London Borough Council
• London Assembly	Neil Garratt(Con) AM forCroydon and Sutton
•MPs	Chris Philp(Conservative) Sarah Jones(Labour) Steve Reed(Labour)
Area
• Total	34 sq mi (87 km2)
• Rank	209th(of 296)
Population (2022)
• Total	392,224
• Rank	18th(of 296)
• Density	12,000/sq mi (4,500/km2)
Time zone	UTC(GMT)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+1(BST)
Postcodes	BR,CR,SE,SW
Area codes	01689, 01737, 020
ONS code	00AH
GSS code	E09000008
Police	Metropolitan Police
Website	http://www.croydon.gov.uk/

TheLondon Borough of Croydon() is aLondon boroughinsouth London,part ofOuter London.It covers an area of 87 km²(33.6 sq mi). It is the southernmost borough of London.At its centre is the historic town ofCroydonfrom which the borough takes its name; while other urban centres includeCoulsdon,Purley,South Norwood,Norbury,New Addington,SelsdonandThornton Heath.Croydon is mentioned inDomesday Book,and from a small market town has expanded into one of the most populous areas on the fringe of London. The borough is now one of London's leading business, financial and cultural centres, and its influence in entertainment and theartscontribute to its status as a major metropolitan centre. Its population is 390,719, making it the most populous London borough and sixteenth largestEnglish district.

The borough was formed in 1965 from the merger of theCounty Borough of CroydonwithCoulsdon and Purley Urban District,both of which had been withinSurrey.The local authority,Croydon London Borough Council,is now part ofLondon Councils,the local government association for Greater London.Theeconomic strengthof Croydon dates back mainly toCroydon Airportwhich was a major factor in the development of Croydon as a business centre. Once London's main airport for all international flights to and from the capital, it was closed on 30 September 1959 due to the lack of expansion space needed for an airport to serve the growing city. It is now a Grade IIlisted buildingand tourist attraction.Croydon Council and its predecessorCroydon Corporationunsuccessfully applied forcity statusin 1954, 2000, 2002 and 2012. The area is currently going through a large regeneration project calledCroydon Vision 2020which is predicted to attract more businesses and tourists to the area as well as backing Croydon's bid to become "London's Third City" (after theCity of LondonandWestminster).Croydon is mostly urban, though there are large suburban and rural uplands towards the south of the borough. Since 2003, Croydon has been certified as aFairtrade boroughby theFairtrade Foundation.It was the first London borough to have Fairtrade status which is awarded oncertain criteria.

The area is one of the hearts of culture in London and theSouth East of England.Institutions such as the major arts and entertainment centreFairfield Hallsadd to the vibrancy of the borough. However, its famous fringe theatre, theWarehouse Theatre,went into administration in 2012 when the council withdrew funding, and the building itself was demolished in 2013. TheCroydon Clocktowerwas opened by QueenElizabeth IIin 1994 as an arts venue featuring a library, the independentDavid Lean Cinema(closed by the council in 2011 after sixteen years of operating, but now partially reopened on a part-time and volunteer basis) andmuseum.From 2000 to 2010, Croydon staged an annual summer festival celebrating the area's black and Indian cultural diversity, with audiences reaching over 50,000 people.

Premier Leaguefootball clubCrystal Palace F.C.play atSelhurst ParkinSelhurst,a stadium they have been based in since 1924. Other landmarks in the borough include what remains ofCroydon Palace,an important residence of the Archbishops of Canterbury since around the ninth century CE, and known as 'The Old Palace' during its time as a school. It served as the Manor House of the manor of Croydon since it had been held as a manor by the Archbishops since the Anglo-Saxon period. It's local successor isAddington Palace,an eighteenth-century mansion which became the official second residence of sixArchbishops of Canterbury,Shirley Windmill,one of the few surviving large windmills inGreater Londonbuilt in the 1850s, and theBRIT School,a creative arts institute run by theBRIT Trustwhich has produced artists such asAdele,Amy WinehouseandLeona Lewis.

History

For the history of the original town seeHistory of Croydon

The name Croydon comes from Crogdene or Croindone, named by theSaxonsin the 8th century when they settled here, although the area had been inhabited since prehistoric times.It is thought to derive from theAnglo-Saxoncroeas deanas,meaning "the valley of thecrocuses",indicating that, likeSaffron Waldenin Essex, it was a centre for the collection ofsaffron.

By the time of the Norman invasion Croydon had a church, a mill and around 365 inhabitants as recorded in the Domesday Book.TheArchbishop of Canterbury,Archbishop Lanfranclived atCroydon Palacewhich still stands. Visitors includedThomas Becket(another Archbishop), and royal figures such asHenry VIIIof England andElizabeth I.The royal charter forSurrey Street Marketdates back to 1276,

Croydon carried on through the ages as a prosperous market town, they produced charcoal, tanned leather, and ventured into brewing. Croydon was served by theSurrey Iron Railway,the first public railway (horse drawn) in the world, in 1803, and by theLondon to Brightonrail link in the mid-19th century, helping it to become the largest town in what was thenSurrey.

In the 20th century Croydon became known for industries such as metal working, car manufacture and its aerodrome,Croydon Airport.Starting out during World War I as an airfield for protection againstZeppelins,an adjacent airfield was combined, and the new aerodrome opened on 29 March 1920. It became the largest in London, and was the main terminal for international air freight into the capital. It developed into one of the great airports of the world during the 1920s and 1930s, and welcomed the world's pioneer aviators in its heyday.British Airways Ltdused the airport for a short period after redirecting fromNortholt Aerodrome,and Croydon was the operating base forImperial Airways.It was partly due to the airport that Croydon suffered heavy bomb damage during World War II. As aviation technology progressed, however, and aircraft became larger and more numerous, it was recognised 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 bothLondon HeathrowandLondon Gatwick Airport(see below). The air terminal, now known as Airport House, has been restored, and has a hotel and museum in it.

In the late 1950s and through the 1960s the council commercialised the centre of Croydon with massive development of office blocks and theWhitgift Centrewhich was formerly the biggest in-town shopping centre in Europe.The centre was officially opened in October 1970 by theDuchess of Kent.The originalWhitgift Schoolthere had moved to Haling Park, South Croydon in the 1930s; the replacement school on the site, Whitgift Middle School, now theTrinity School of John Whitgift,moved to Shirley Park in the 1960s, when the buildings were demolished.

Croydon,in common with many other areas,was hit by extensive rioting in August 2011.Reeves,an historic furniture store established in 1867, that gave its name to a junction andtram stopin the town centre, was destroyed by arson.

Croydon is currentlythe subject of a series of £3.5bn of development projects, calledCroydon Vision 2020.This aims to change theurban planningof central Croydon. It aims to make CroydonLondon's Third Cityand the hub of retail, business, culture and living in south London and South East England.The plan was showcased in a series of events calledCroydon Expo.

Administrative history

The area of the modern borough broadly corresponds to the fourancient parishesofCroydon,Addington,CoulsdonandSanderstead.

The parish of Croydon was governed byimprovement commissionersfrom 1829 until 1849 when it was made alocal board district.Croydon was incorporated as amunicipal boroughin 1883.When elected county councils were established in 1889, Croydon was considered large enough to provide its own county-level services. It was therefore made acounty borough,independent from the newSurrey County Council,whilst remaining part ofSurreyfor judicial andlieutenancypurposes.The borough was enlarged in 1928 to absorb the neighbouring parish of Addington.

Coulsdon and Sanderstead were governed asrural parisheswithin theCroydon Rural Districtuntil 1915 when theCoulsdon and Purley Urban Districtwas created covering the two parishes.Purleyitself was not a civil parish, being in the parish of Coulsdon, but its name was included in the urban district's name on account of it being one of the main built-up settlements in the district. There were subsequent adjustments to the boundaries with neighbouring areas, notably including in 1933 when the urban district absorbed the parish ofFarleigh,after which there were threeurban parishesin the district, being Cousldon, Farleigh and Sanderstead.

The London Borough of Croydon was created on 1 April 1965 under theLondon Government Act 1963,covering the combined area of the former Coulsdon and Purley Urban District and theCounty Borough of Croydon,both of which were abolished at the same time. The area was transferred from Surrey to Greater London to become one of the 32 London boroughs.The Farleigh area was removed from the borough in 1969 and transferred back to Surrey, becoming part of the parish ofChelsham and Farleigh.

The borough council has unsuccessfully applied forcity statuson several occasions: in 1965, 1977, 1992, 2000, 2002, and 2012. If it had been successful, it would have been the third local authority inGreater Londonto hold that status, along with theCity of Londonand theCity of Westminster.At present the London Borough of Croydon is the second most populouslocal government districtof England without city status. Croydon's applications were refused as it was felt not to have an identity separate from the rest of Greater London. In 1965 it was described as "...now just part of the London conurbation and almost indistinguishable from many of the other Greater London boroughs" and in 2000 as having "no particular identity of its own".

Governance

Main article:Croydon London Borough Council

The local authority is Croydon Council, which meets atCroydon Town Hallon Katherine Street in the centre of Croydon, and has its main offices at the adjoiningBernard Weatherill House.Since 2022 the council has been led by the directly electedMayor of Croydon.

Greater London representation

Since 2000, for elections to theLondon Assembly,the borough forms part of theCroydon and Suttonconstituency.

Westminster representation

The 3 constituencies of the London Borough of Croydon,Croydon North,Croydon CentralandCroydon South

The borough is covered by three parliamentary constituencies: these areCroydon North,Croydon CentralandCroydon South.Sarah Jones (politician)won the Croydon Central seat for Labour in 2017. Croydon North has a Labour MP,Steve Reed (politician),and Croydon South has a Conservative MP,Chris Philp.

Government buildings

Croydon Town Hall

Croydon Town Hallon Katharine Street in central Croydon 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 1808 building cost £8,000, which was regarded as an enormous sum for those days and was perhaps as controversial as the administrative building Bernard Weatherill House opened for occupation in 2013 and reputed to have cost £220,000,000. The early 19th century building was known initially as "Courthouse" as, like its predecessor and successor, the local court met there. The building stood on the western side of the High Street near to the junction with Surrey Street, the location of the town's market. The building became inadequate for the growing local administrative responsibilities and stood at a narrow point of a High Street in need of widening.

The present town hall was designed by local architect Charles Henmanand was officially opened by the Prince andPrincess of Waleson 19 May 1896. It was constructed in red brick, sourced fromWrothamin Kent, withPortland stonedressings and greenWestmorelandslatesfor the roof. It also housed the court and most central council employees.

The Borough's incorporation in 1883 and a desire to improve central Croydon with improvements to traffic flows and the removal of social deprivation in Middle Row prompted the move to a new configuration of town hall provision. The second closure of the Central Railway Station provided the corporation with the opportunity to buy the station land from the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway Company for £11,500 to provide the site for the new town hall. Indeed, the council hoped to be able to sell on some of the land purchased with enough for municipal needs and still "leave a considerable margin of land which might be disposed of". The purchase of the failed railway station came despite local leaders having successfully urged the re-opening of the poorly patronised railway station. The railway station re-opening had failed to be a success so freeing up the land for alternative use.

Parts, including the former court rooms, have been converted into theMuseum of Croydonand exhibition galleries. The original public library was converted into theDavid Lean Cinema,part of theCroydon Clocktower.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.

Croydon Council's offices were inTaberner Houseuntil September 2013

Ruskin Houseis the headquarters of Croydon'sLabour,Trade Union andCo-operativemovements and is itself a co-operative with shareholders from organisations across the three movements. In the 19th century, Croydon was a bustling commercial centre of London. It was said that, at the turn of the 20th 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, andGeorgina King Lewis,a keen member of theCroydon United Temperance Council,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 Minister,Harold Wilson.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 theCommunist Party of Britainand Croydon Labour Party.Geraint Davies,the MP forCroydon Central,had offices in the building, until he was defeated byAndrew Pellingand is now the Labour representative standing forSwansea Westin Wales.

Bernard Weatherill House, home to Croydon Council from September 2013

Taberner Housewas 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, being demolished in 2014, was 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 famousPirelli Towerin Milan. It was named after Ernest Taberner OBE, Town Clerk from 1937 to 1963.Until September 2013, Taberner House housed most of the council's central employees and was the main location for the public to access information and services, particularly with respect to housing.

In September 2013, Council staff moved into Bernard Weatherill House in Fell Road, (named after the former Speaker of the House and Member of Parliament for Croydon North-East). Staff from the Met Police, NHS, Jobcentre Plus, Croydon Credit Union, Citizens Advice Bureau as well as 75 services from the council all moved to the new building.

Geography and climate

The borough is in the far south of London, with theM25 orbital motorwaystretching to the south of it, between Croydon andTandridge.To the north and east, the borough mainly borders theLondon Borough of Bromley,and in the north west the boroughs ofLambethandSouthwark.The boroughs ofSuttonandMertonare located directly to the west. Itis at the head of theRiver Wandle,just to the north of a significant gap in theNorth Downs.It lies 10 miles (16 km) south of Central 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 onNorth Endand two shopping centres. It was pedestrianised in 1989 to attract people back to the town centre. Another shopping centre calledPark Placewas due to open in 2012 but has since been scrapped.

Townscape description

See also:List of districts in Croydon

North Endshopping street photographed in 2005, after pedestrianisation

TheCR postcode areacovers most of the south and centre of the borough while theSEandSWpostcodes cover the northern parts, including Crystal Palace, Upper Norwood, South Norwood, Selhurst (part), Thornton Heath (part), Norbury and Pollards Hill (part).

Districts in the London Borough of Croydon includeAddington,a 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.Addiscombeis a district just northeast of the centre of Croydon, and is popular with commuters to central London as it is close to the busyEast Croydon station.Ashburton,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 Greenis a small district, centred on a large green with many homes and local shops in West Croydon.Coombeis an area, just east of Croydon, which has barely been urbanised and has retained its collection of large houses fairly intact.Coulsdon,south west 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.Croydonis the principal area of the borough,Crystal Palaceis an area north of Croydon, which is shared with theLondon Boroughs of Lambeth,Southwark,LewishamandBromley.Fairfield,just northeast of Croydon, holds theFairfield Hallsand the village ofForestdale,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 Greenis a place on the plateau of theNorth Downs,south of Croydon.Kenley,again south of the centre, lie within the LondonGreen Beltand features a landscape dominated by green space.New Addington,to the east, is a large local council estate surrounded by open countryside and golf courses.Norbury,to the northwest, is a suburb with a large ethnic population.Norwood New Townis a part of the Norwood triangle, to the north of Croydon.Monks Orchardis a small district made up of large houses and open space in the northeast of the borough.Pollards Hillis a residential district with houses on roads, which are lined with pollarded lime trees, stretching to Norbury.Purley,to the south, is a main town whose name derives from "pirlea", which means 'Peartree lea'.Sanderstead,to the south, is a village mainly on high ground at the edge of suburban development inGreater London.Selhurstis a town, to the north of Croydon, which holds the nationally known school, TheBRIT School.Selsdonis 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 southeast of Croydon Centre.Shirley,is to the east of Croydon, and holdsShirley Windmill.South Croydon,to the south of Croydon, is a locality which holds local landmarks such as The Swan and Sugarloaf public house and independentWhitgift Schoolpart of theWhitgift Foundation.South Norwood,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 Heathis a town, to the northwest of Croydon, which holds Croydon's principal hospitalMayday.Upper Norwoodis north of Croydon, on a mainly elevated area of the borough.Waddonis a residential area, mainly based on thePurley Wayretail area, to the west of the borough.Woodsideis located to the northeast of the borough, with streets based onWoodside Green,a small sized area of green land.And finallyWhyteleafeis 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, with some major roads running through it.Purley Way,part of theA23,was built to by-pass Croydon town centre. It is one of the busiest roads in the borough, and is the site of several major retail developments including one of only 18IKEAstores in the country, built on the site of the former power station.The A23 continues southward as Brighton Road, which is the main route running towards the south fromCroydontoPurley.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 Roadis a north–southdual carriagewaythat cuts through the centre of the town, and makes it hard to walk between the town centre's two railway stations.Croydon Vision 2020includes 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 theCroydon Underpassbeneath the junction of George Street andWellesley Road/Park Lane started in the early 1960s, mainly to alleviate traffic congestion on Park Lane, above the underpass. TheCroydon Flyoveris also near the underpass, and next toTaberner House.It mainly leads traffic on toDuppas Hill,towards Purley Way with links toSuttonandKingston upon Thames.The major junction on the flyover is forOld Town,which is also a large three-lane road.

Topography and climate

Croydon
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D 52 8 2 34 8 2 42 11 4 45 13 5 47 17 8 53 20 11 38 23 14 47 23 13 57 19 11 62 15 8 52 11 5 54 9 3 █Average max. and min. temperatures in °C █Precipitation totals in mm Source: Met Office
Imperial conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D 2 46 36 1.3 46 36 1.7 52 39 1.8 55 41 1.9 63 46 2.1 68 52 1.5 73 57 1.9 73 55 2.2 66 52 2.4 59 46 2 52 41 2.1 48 37 █Average max. and min. temperatures in °F █Precipitation totals in inches

Croydon covers an area of 86.52 km².Croydon's physical features consist of many hills and rivers that are spread out across the borough and into theNorth Downs,Surrey and the rest of south London.Addington Hillsis a major hilly area to the south of 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. TheGreat North Woodis a former natural oak forest that covered theSydenham Ridgeand the southern reaches of theRiver Effraand its tributaries.

The most notable tree, called Vicar's Oak, marked the boundary of four ancient parishes;Lambeth,Camberwell,Croydon andBromley.John Aubreyreferred 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. TheRiver Wandle,achalk stream,is also a major tributary of theRiver Thames,where it stretches toWandsworthandPutneyfor 9 miles (14 km) from its main source inWaddon.

Croydon has atemperateclimate in common with most areas of Great Britain: itsKöppen climate classificationisCfb.Its mean annual temperature of 9.6 °C 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

Further information:Architecture of CroydonandList of tallest buildings and structures in Croydon

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 headquartersTaberner House,which has been compared to the famousPirelli TowerofMilan,and theNestlé Tower,the former UK headquarters ofNestlé.

In recent years, the development oftall buildings,such as the approved Croydon Vocational Tower andWellesley Square,has been encouraged in theLondon Plan,and will lead to the erection of new skyscrapers in the coming years as part of London's high-rise boom.

No. 1 Croydon,formerly the NLA Tower, Britain's 88th tallest tower,close toEast Croydon station,is an example of 1970s architecture. The tower was originally nicknamed theThreepenny bit building,as it resembles a stack of pre-decimalisationThreepencecoins, which were 12-sided. It is now most commonly called The Octagon, being 8-sided.

Lunar Houseis another high-rise building. Like other government office buildings on Wellesley Road, such asApollo House,the name of the building was inspired by theUS Moon landings(In the Croydon suburb of New Addington there is apublic house,built during the same period, calledThe Manonthe Moon). Lunar House houses the Home Office building for Visas and Immigration. Apollo House houses The Border Patrol Agency.

A new generation of buildings are being considered by the council as part ofCroydon Vision 2020,so that the borough doesn't lose its title of having the "largest office space in the south east", excluding central London.Projects such asWellesley Square,which will be a mix of residential and retail with an eye-catching colour design and100 George Streeta 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. The project provided new lighting for the buildings, and provided an opportunity to project images and words onto them, 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.

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.

Shirley Windmill

Croydon Airportwas once London's main airport, but closed on 30 September 1959 due to the expansion of London and because it didn't have room to grow; soHeathrow International Airporttook over as London's main airport. It has now been mostly converted to offices, although some important elements of the airport remain. It is a tourist attraction.

TheCroydon Clocktowerarts venue was opened byElizabeth IIin 1994.It includes the Braithwaite Hall (the former reference library – named after the Rev. Braithwaite who donated it to the town) for live events,David Lean Cinema(built in memory ofDavid Lean), theMuseum of CroydonandCroydon Central Library.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 Windmillis a working windmill and one of the few surviving large windmills inSurrey,built in 1854. It isGrade II listedand received a £218,100 grant from theHeritage Lottery Fund.Addington Palaceis an 18th-century mansion inAddingtonwhich 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 Endis the main pedestrianised shopping road in Croydon, havingCentraleto one side and theWhitgift Centreto the other. TheWarehouse Theatreis a popular theatre for mostly young performers and is due to get a face-lift on theCroydon Gatewaysite.

TheNestlé Towerwas the UK headquarters ofNestléand is one of the tallest towers in England, which is due to be re-fitted during the Park Place development. TheFairfield Hallsis a well known concert hall and exhibition centre, opened in 1962. It is frequently used forBBCrecordings and was formerly the home ofITV'sWorld of Sport.It includes theAshcroft Theatreand theArnhem Gallery.

Croydon Palacewas the summer residence of theArchbishop of Canterburyfor over 500 years and included regular visitors such asHenry IIIand QueenElizabeth I.It is thought to have been built around 960.Croydon Cemeteryis a large cemetery and crematorium west of Croydon and is most famous for the gravestone ofDerek Bentley,who was wrongly hanged in 1953.Mitcham Commonis an area ofcommon landpartly shared with the boroughs ofSuttonandMerton.Almost 500,000 years ago, Mitcham Common formed part of the river bed of the River Thames.

TheBRIT Schoolis a performing Arts & Technology school, owned by the BRIT Trust (known for theBRIT Awards Music Ceremony). Famous former students includeKellie Shirley,Amy Winehouse,Leona Lewis,Adele,Kate Nash,Dane Bowers,Katie MeluaandLyndon David-Hall.Grantsis an entertainment venue in the centre of Croydon which includes aVue cinema.

Surrey Street Markethas roots in the 13th century, or earlier, and was chartered by theArchbishop of Canterburyin 1276. The market is regularly used as a location for TV, film and advertising.Croydon Minster,formerly the parish church, was established in theAnglo-Saxonperiod, and parts of the surviving building (notably the tower) date from the 14th and 15th centuries. However, the church was largely destroyed by fire in 1867, so the present structure is a rebuild of 1867–69 to the designs ofGeorge Gilbert Scott.It is the burial place of six archbishops, and contains monuments to ArchbishopsSheldonandWhitgift.

Demography

Population pyramid of the Borough of Croydon

Population change

The table shows population change since 1801, including the percentage change since previous census. Although the London Borough of Croydon has existed only since 1965, earlier figures have been generated by combining data from the towns, villages, andcivil parishesthat would later be absorbed into the authority.

Population

Year	Pop.	±%
1801	6,742	—
1811	8,911	+32.2%
1821	10,567	+18.6%
1831	14,031	+32.8%
1841	18,638	+32.8%
1851	21,849	+17.2%
1861	42,197	+93.1%
1871	62,545	+48.2%
1881	82,893	+32.5%
1891	108,339	+30.7%
1901	141,918	+31.0%
1911	185,914	+31.0%
1921	221,692	+19.2%
1931	264,358	+19.2%
1941	281,273	+6.4%
1951	299,271	+6.4%
1961	316,084	+5.6%
1971	333,942	+5.6%
1981	316,296	−5.3%
1991	319,218	+0.9%
2001	330,688	+3.6%
2011	363,378	+9.9%
2013	372,759	+2.6%
Source:A Vision of Britain through time

Ethnicity

Ethnic Group	Year
	1971 estimations		1981 estimations		1991 census		2001 census		2011 census		2021 census
	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%
White:Total	–	93.9%	286,146	89.3%	262,342	82.2%	231,945	70.2%	200,195	55.1%	188,985	48.4%
White:British	–	–	–	–	–	–	210,573	63.7%	171,740	47.3%	146,268	37.4%
White:Irish	–	–	–	–	–	–	7,130	2.2%	5,369	1.5%	4,935	1.3%
White:Gypsy or Irish Traveller	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	234	0.1%	212	0.1%
White: Roma	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	1,120	0.3%
White:Other	–	–	–	–	–	–	14,242	4.3%	22,852	6.3%	36,450	9.3%
Black or Black British:Total	–	–	15,352	4.8%	24,443	7.7%	44,076	13.3%	73,256	20.2%	88,441	22.6%
Black or Black British:African	–	–	2,933		5,099		14,627	4.4%	28,981	8.0%	40,219	10.3%
Black or Black British:Caribbean	–	–	10,030		15,801		26,065	7.9%	31,320	8.6%	36,108	9.2%
Black or Black British:Other Black	–	–	2,389		3,543		3,384	1.0%	12,955	3.6%	12,114	3.1%
Asian or Asian British:Total	–	–	14,874	4.6%	26,188	8.2%	37,380	11.3%	59,627	16.4%	68,487	17.5%
Asian or Asian British:Indian	–	–	9,080		15,191		21,246	6.4%	24,660	6.8%	29,563	7.6%
Asian or Asian British:Pakistani	–	–	2,156		3,518		7,429	2.2%	10,865	3.0%	15,345	3.9%
Asian or Asian British:Bangladeshi	–	–	394		817		1,765	0.5%	2,570	0.7%	3,549	0.9%
Asian or Asian British:Chinese	–	–	997		1,748		2,212	0.7%	3,925	1.1%	3,950	1.0%
Asian or Asian British: Other Asian	–	–	2,247		4,914		6,940	2.1%	17,607	4.8%	16,080	4.1%
Mixed or British Mixed:Total	–	–	–	–	–	–	12,296	3.7%	23,895	6.6%	29,745	7.6%
Mixed: White and Black Caribbean	–	–	–	–	–	–	4,721	1.4%	9,650	2.7%	10,380	2.7%
Mixed: White and Black African	–	–	–	–	–	–	1,352	0.4%	3,279	0.9%	4,453	1.1%
Mixed: White and Asian	–	–	–	–	–	–	3,480	1.1%	5,140	1.4%	5,740	1.5%
Mixed: Other Mixed	–	–	–	–	–	–	2,743	0.8%	5,826	1.6%	9,172	2.3%
Other: Total	–	–	3,935		6,227		2,678	0.8%	6,405	1.8%	15,066	3.9%
Other: Arab	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	1,701	0.5%	2,259	0.6%
Other: Any other ethnic group	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	4,704	1.3%	12,807	3.3%
Ethnic minority: Total	–	6.1%	34,161	10.7%	56,858	17.8%	98,642	29.8%	163,183	44.9%	201,739	51.6%
Total	–	100%	320,307	100%	319,200	100%	330,587	100.00%	363,378	100.00%	390,724	100%

According to the2011 census,Croydon had a population of 363,378, making Croydon the most populated borough inGreater London.The estimated population in 2017 was around 384,800. 186,900 were males, with 197,900 females. The density was 4,448 inhabitants per km².248,200 residents of Croydon were between the age of 16 and 64.

In 2011, white was the majority ethnicity with 55.1%. Black was the second-largest ethnicity with 20.2%; 16.4% were Asian and 8.3% stated to be something other.

The most common householder type wereowner occupiedwith only a small percentage rented. Many new housing schemes and developments are currently taking place in Croydon, such asThe ExchangeandBridge House,IYLO,Wellesley Square(now known as Saffron Square) andAltitude 25.In 2006, TheMetropolitan Policerecorded a 10% fall in the number of crimes committed in Croydon, better than the rate which crime in London as a whole is falling.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 toYour 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.However, in the year ending April 2012, The Metropolitan Police recorded the highest rates for murder and rape throughout London in Croydon, accounting for almost 10% of all murders, and 7% of all rapes. Croydon has five police stations. Croydon police station is on Park Lane in the centre of the town near theFairfield Halls;South Norwood police station is a newly refurbished building just off 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.

Religion

2021 Census
	Croydon	London
No Religion	101,119	2,380,404
Buddhist	2,371	77,425
Christian	190,880	3,577,681
Hindu	23,145	453,034
Muslim	40,717	1,318,754
Sikh	1,654	144,543
Other Religions	3,798	232,225

The predominant religion of the borough is Christianity. According to the2021 United Kingdom census,the borough has over 190,880 Christians, mainly Protestants. This is the largest religious following in the borough followed by Islam with 40,717 Muslims resident.

101,119 Croydon residents stated that they areatheistornon-religiousin the 2021 Census.

Croydon Minsteris the most notable of the borough's 35 churches.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 theDomesday Book(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.

The AreaBishop of Croydonis a position as asuffraganBishop in theAnglican Diocese of Southwark.The present bishop is the Right Reverend Jonathan Clark.

Economy

Further information:Economy of Croydon

Labour Profile
	2007	2008
Total employee jobs	128,800	130,000
Full-time	91,100	89,500
Part-time	37,000	41,000
Manufacturing	6,300	4,200
Construction	6,300	6,400
Services	117,000	119,700
Distribution, hotels & restaurants	30,500	29,200
Transport & communications	6,900	7,200
Finance, IT, other business activities	33,800	37,300
Public admin, education & health	38,900	39,000
Other services	6,900	7,000
Tourism-related	9,100	8,500

The main employment sectors of the Borough is retail and enterprise which is mainly based in Central Croydon. Major employers are well-known companies, who hold stores or offices in the town.Purley Wayis 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 include the large Tesco Extra store in the town centre, along with other stores in Purley Way including Sainsbury's, B&Q and Vue. Croydon town centre is also a major retail centre, and home to manyhigh streetanddepartment storesas well as designer boutiques. The main town centre shopping areas are on theNorth Endprecinct, in theWhitgift Centre,CentraleandSt George's Walk.Department stores in Croydon town centre includeHouse of Fraser,Marks and Spencer,Allders,DebenhamsandT.K. Maxx.Croydon's mainmarketisSurrey Street Market,which has a royal charter dating back to 1276. Shopping areas outside the town centre include theValley Parkretail complex,Croydon Colonnades,Croydon Fiveways, and the Waddon Goods Park.

In research from 2010 on retail footprint, Croydon came out as 29th in terms of retail expenditure at £770 million. This puts it 6th in the Greater London area, falling behindKingston upon ThamesandWestfield London.In 2005, Croydon came 21st, second in London behind theWest End,with £909 million, whilst Kingston was 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.

Croydon is home to a variety of international business communities, each with dynamic business networks, so businesses located in Croydon are in a good position to make the most of international trade and recruit from a labour force fluent in 130 languages.

— Malcolm Brabon, Business Link London,Croydon Guardian

Tramlinkcreated 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 bothCentraleand theWhitgift Centreas well as onNorth Endemployee people regularly and create many jobs, especially at Christmas. As well as the new building ofPark Place,which will create yet more jobs, so will the regeneration of Croydon, calledCroydon Vision 2020,highlighted in theCroydon Expowhich includes theCroydon Gateway,Wellesley Square,Central Oneplus much more.

Croydon is a major office area in the south east of England, being the largest outside of central London. Many powerful companies based in Europe and worldwide have European or British headquarters in the town.American International Group(AIG) have offices inNo. 1 Croydon,formerly the NLA Tower, shared with Liberata, Pegasus and theInstitute of Public Finance.AIG is the sixth-largest company in the world according to the 2007Forbes Global 2000list. The Swiss companyNestléhas its UK headquarters in theNestlé Tower,on the site of the formerly proposedPark Placeshopping centre. Real Digital International has developed a purpose built 70,000 sq ft (6,500 m²) factory on Purley Way equipped with "the most sophisticated production equipment and technical solutions".ntl:Telewest,nowVirgin Media,have offices at Communications House, from the Telewest side when it was known as Croydon Cable.

TheHome OfficeUK Visas and Immigrationdepartment has its headquarters inLunar Housein Central Croydon. In 1981, Superdrug opened a 11,148 m²(120,000 sq ft) distribution centre and office complex at Beddington Lane. The head office of international engineering and management consultantMott MacDonaldis located in Mott MacDonald House on Sydenham Road, one of four offices they occupy in the town centre.BThas large offices in Prospect East in Central Croydon.TheRoyal Bank of Scotlandalso has large offices in Purley, south of Croydon.Direct Linealso has an office oppositeTaberner House.Other companies with offices in Croydon includeLloyds TSB,Merrill LynchandBalfour Beatty.Ann Summersused to have its headquarters in the borough but has moved to the Wapses Lodge Roundabout inTandridge.

The Council declared bankruptcy via asection 114 noticein December 2020.

Transport

Rail

East Croydon railway station

East CroydonandWest Croydonare the main stations in the borough. South Croydon railway stationis also a railway station inCroydon,but it is lesser known.

East Croydon is served byGovia Thameslink Railway,operating under theSouthernand Thameslink brands. Services travel via theBrighton Main Linenorth toLondon Victoria,London Bridge,London St Pancras,Luton Airport,Bedford,CambridgeandPeterboroughand south toGatwick Airport,Ore,Brighton,Littlehampton,Bognor Regis,SouthamptonandPortsmouth.East Croydon is the largest and busiest station in Croydon and the third busiest in London, excludingTravelcard Zone 1.

East Croydon was served by long distanceArriva CrossCountryservices toBirminghamand the North of England until they were withdrawn in December 2008.

West Croydon is served byLondon Overgroundand Southern services north toHighbury & Islington,London Bridge and London Victoria, and south toSuttonandEpsom Downs.

South Croydon is mainly served byNetwork Railservices operated bySouthernfor suburban lines to and from London Bridge, London Victoria and the eastern part ofSurrey.

Croydon is one of only five London Boroughs not to have at least oneLondon Undergroundstation within its boundaries, with the closest tube station beingMorden.

Bus

The now demolishedWest Croydon bus stationin June 2007

A sizeable bus infrastructure which is part of theLondon Busesnetwork operates from a hub atWest Croydon bus station.The original bus station opened in May 1985, closing in October 2014. A new bus station opened in October 2016.

Addington Village Interchangeis a regional bus terminal inAddington Villagewhich has an interchange between Tramlink and bus services in the remote area. Services are operated under contract byArriva London,London Central,Metrobus,Quality Line,SelkentandTransport UK London Bus.

Tram

A tram atWellesley Road tram stop

TheTramlinklight rail system opened in 2000, serving the borough and surrounding areas. Its network consists of three lines, fromElmers Endto West Croydon, fromBeckenhamto West Croydon, and fromNew AddingtontoWimbledon,with all three lines running via the Croydon loop on which it is centred.It is also the only tram system in London but there is another light rail system, theDocklands Light Railway.It servesMitcham,Woodside,Addiscombeand thePurley Wayretail and industrial area amongst others.

Road

Croydon is linked into the national motorway network via theM23andM25orbital motorway. The M25 skirts the south of the borough, linking Croydon with other parts of London and the surrounding counties; the M23 branches from the M25 close to Coulsdon, linking the town with the south coast,Crawley,Reigate,andGatwick Airport.TheA23connects 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 onPurley Way,bypassing the commercial centre of Croydon which it once did.

TheA22and A23 are the major trunk roads through Croydon. These both run north–south, connecting to each other inPurley.The A22 connects Croydon, its starting point, toEast Grinstead,Tunbridge Wells,Uckfield,andEastbourne.Other major roads generally radiate spoke-like from the town centre. TheA23 road,cuts right through Croydon, and it starts fromLondonand links toBrightonandGatwick Airport.Wellesley Roadis an urbandual carriagewaywhich cuts through the middle of the central business district. It was constructed in the 1960s as part of a planned ring road for Croydonand includes anunderpass,which allows traffic to avoid going into the town centre.

Air

The closest international airport to Croydon isGatwick Airport,which is located 19 miles (31 km) from the town centre. Gatwick Airport opened in August 1930 as an aerodrome and is a major international operational base forBritish Airways,EasyJetandVirgin Atlantic.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 afterHeathrow.Heathrow,London CityandLutonairports all lie within a two hours' drive of Croydon. Gatwick and Luton Airports are connected to Croydon byfrequent direct trains,while Heathrow is accessible by theroute SL7bus.

Cycling

Although hilly, Croydon is compact and has few major trunk roads running through it. It is on one of theConnect2schemes which are part of theNational Cycle Networkroute running around Croydon.TheNorth 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.

Travel to work

In March 2011, the main forms of transport that residents used to travel to work were: driving a car or van, 20.2% of all residents aged 16–74; train, 59.5%; bus, minibus or coach, 7.5%; on foot, 5.1%; underground, metro, light rail, tram, 4.3%; work mainly at or from home, 2.9%; passenger in a car or van, 1.5%.

Public services

Cane Hill

Home Officepolicing in Croydon is provided by theMetropolitan Police.The force's Croydon arm have their head offices for policing onPark Lanenext to theFairfield HallsandCroydon Collegein central Croydon. Public transport is co-ordinated byTransport for London.Statutory emergency fire and rescue serviceis provided by theLondon Fire Brigade,which has five stations in Croydon.

Health services

NHS South West London Clinical Commissioning Group (A merger of the previous NHS Croydon CCG and others in South West London) is the body responsible forpublic healthand for planning and funding health services in the borough. Croydon has 227 GPs in 64 practices, 156 dentists in 51 practices, 166 pharmacists and 70 optometrists in 28 practices.

Croydon University Hospital,formerly known as Mayday Hospital, built on a 19-acre (7.7 ha) site in Thornton Heath at the west of Croydon's boundaries withMerton,is a largeNHShospital administered byCroydon Health Services NHS Trust.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-houraccident and emergencydepartment.NHS Directhas a regional centre based at the hospital. TheNHS Trustalso provides services at Purley War Memorial Hospital, inPurley.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 Hillwas apsychiatric hospitalin Coulsdon.

Waste management

Waste managementis co-ordinated by the local authority.Unlike otherwaste disposal authorities in Greater London,Croydon's rubbish is collected independently and isn't part of a waste authority unit. Locally producedinert wastefor disposal is sent tolandfillin the south of Croydon.There have recently been calls by the ODPM to bring waste management powers to theGreater London Authority,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%, but the refuse collectors have been criticised for their rushed performance lacking quality.Croydon'sdistribution network operatorfor electricity isEDF Energy Networks;there are nopower stationsin the borough.Thames Watermanages Croydon'sdrinkingandwaste water;water supplies being sourced from several local reservoirs, includingBecktonandKing George VI.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 fire stations, as part of the Community Fire Safety scheme, visited 49 schools in 2006/2007.

Education

Main article:List of schools in Croydon

Croydon College's main buildings in Central Croydon

The borough compared with the other London boroughs has the highest number of schools in it, with 26% of its population under 20 years old.They include primary schools (95), secondary schools (21) and four further education establishments.Croydon Collegehas its main building in Central Croydon, it is a high rise building.John Ruskin Collegeis one of the other colleges in the borough, located in Addington and Coulsdon Collegein Coulsdon. South Norwood has been the home ofSpurgeon's College,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 thelocal education authorityfor the borough.

Overall, Croydon was ranked 77th out of all the local education authorities in the UK, up from 92nd 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%).The most successful public sector schools in 2010 were Harris City Academy Crystal Palace and Coloma Convent Girls' School.The percentage of pupils achieving 5 A*-C GCSEs including maths and English was above the national average in 2010.

Libraries

The borough of Croydon has 14 libraries, a joint library and a mobile library.Many of the libraries were built a long time ago and therefore have become outdated, so the council started updating a few includingAshburton Librarywhich moved from its former spot into the state-of-the-artAshburton Learning Villagecomplex which is on the former site of the old 'A Block' ofAshburton Community Schoolwhich is now situated inside the centre. The library is now on one floor. This format was planned to be rolled out across all of the council's libraries but what was seen as costing too much.

South Norwood Library,New Addington Library,Shirley Library, Selsdon Library, Sanderstead Library, Broad Green, Purley Library, Coulsdon Library and Bradmore Green Library are examples of older council libraries. The main library isCroydon Central Librarywhich holds many references, newspaper archives and a tourist information point (one of three in southeast London).Upper Norwood Libraryis a joint library with theLondon Borough of Lambeth.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.

Sport and leisure

Further information:Croydon parks and open spaces

The borough has been criticised in the past for not having enough leisure facilities, maintaining the position of Croydon as a three star borough.Thornton Heath's ageing sports centre has been demolished and replaced by a newer more modern leisure centre.South Norwood Leisure Centrewas closed down in 2006 so that it could be demolished and re-designed from scratch like Thornton Heath, at an estimated cost of around £10 million.

South Norwood Country Park

In May 2006 theConservative Partytook control of Croydon Council and decided a refurbishment would be more economical than rebuilding, this decision caused some controversy.

Sport Croydon,is the commercial arm for leisure in the borough. Fusion currently provides leisure services for the council, a contract previously held by Parkwood Leisure.

Football teams includeCrystal Palace F.C.,which play atSelhurst Park,and in thePremier League.AFC Croydon Athletic,whose nickname is The Rams, is a football club who play atCroydon Sports Arenaalong withCroydon F.C.,both in theCombined Counties LeagueandHolmesdale,who were founded inSouth Norwoodbut currently playing on Oakley Road inBromley,currently in theSouthern Counties East Football League.

Non-football teams that play in Croydon areStreatham-Croydon RFC,arugby unionclub inThornton Heathwho play at Frant Road, as well asSouth London Storm Rugby League Club,based atStreatham'sground, who compete in theRugby League Conference.TheLondon Olympiansare anAmerican Footballteam that play in Division 1 South in theBritish American Football League.TheCroydon Piratesare one of the most successful teams in theBritish Baseball Federation,though their ground is actually just located outside the borough inSutton.

Croydon Amphibians SC plays in the Division 2 British Water Polo League. The team won the National League Division 2 in 2008.

Croydon has over 120 parks and open spaces,ranging from the 200-acre (0.81 km²)Selsdon Wood Nature Reserveto many recreation grounds and sports fields scattered throughout the Borough. This provides many places forrambling.TheWandle Traillinks central London to Croydon and then TheVanguard Waylinks East Croydon to the South Coast and bysecting TheLondon Loop,theNorth Downs Wayand thePilgrims' Way.

Culture

Fairfield Halls in Central Croydon is the main entertainment venue in the borough

Croydon has cut funding to theWarehouse Theatre.

In 2005, Croydon Council drew up aPublic Art Strategy,with a vision intended to be accessible and to enhance people's enjoyment of their surroundings.The public art strategy delivered a new event calledCroydon's Summer Festivalhosted inLloyd Park.The festival consists of two days of events.The first is calledCroydon's World Partywhich 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 theCroydon 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 strategy also created a creative industries hub inOld Town,ensured that public art is included in developments such asCollege GreenandRuskin Squareand investigated the possibility of gallery space in the Cultural Quarter.

Fairfield Halls,Arnhem Gallery and theAshcroft Theatreshow 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 anart gallery.Other cultural activities, including shopping and exhibitions, areSurrey Street Marketwhich 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 Houseis a newly refurbished conference and exhibition centre inside part ofCroydon Airport.TheWhitgift Centreis the current main shopping centre in the borough.Centraleis a new shopping centre that houses many more familiar names, as well as Croydon'sHouse of Fraser.

Media

There are three local newspapers which operate within the borough. TheCroydon Advertiserbegan life in 1869,and was in 2005 the third-best selling paid-for weekly newspaper in London.The Advertiser is Croydon's major paid-for weekly paper and is on sale every Friday in five geographical editions: Croydon; Sutton &Epsom;Coulsdon & Purley; New Addington; andCaterham.The paper converted from a broadsheet to a compact (tabloid) format on 31 March 2006. It was bought byNorthcliffe Mediawhich is part of theDaily Mail and General Trustgroup on 6 July 2007. TheCroydon Postis a free newspaper available across the borough and is operated by the Advertiser group. The circulation of the newspaper was in 2008 more than the main title published by the Advertiser Group.

TheCroydon Guardianis another local weekly paper, which is paid for at newsagents but free at Croydon Council libraries and via deliveries.It is one of the best circulated local newspapers in London and once had the highest circulation in Croydon with around one thousand more copies distributed than The Post.

The borough is served by the London regional versions ofBBCandITVcoverage, from either theCrystal PalaceorCroydon transmitters.

Croydon Television is owned by Croydon broadcasting corporation. Broadcasting from studios in Croydon, the CBC is fully independent. It does not receive any government or local council grants or funding and is supported by donations, sponsorship and by commercial advertising.

Capital RadioandGoldserve the borough. Local BBC radio is provided byBBC London 94.9.Other stations includeKiss 100,Absolute RadioandMagic 105.4 FMfromBauer RadioandCapital Xtra,Heart 106.2andSmooth RadiofromGlobal Radio.In 2012, Croydon Radio, an online and FM radio station, and the first official FM radio station for the London Borough of Croydon, began serving the area.The borough is also home to its own local TV station,Croydon TV.

Twinning

The London Borough of Croydon is twinned with the municipality ofArnhemwhich is located in the east of the Netherlands.The city of Arnhem is one of the20 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 aGuyaneselink supported by the council.

Investment in the tobacco industry

In September 2009 it was revealed that Croydon Council had around £20mof its pension fund for employees invested in shares inImperial TobaccoandBritish American Tobacco.Members of the opposition Labour group on the council, who had banned such shareholdings when in control, described this as "dealing in death" and inconsistent with the council's tobacco control strategy.

Freedom of the Borough

The following people and military units have received theFreedom of the Boroughof Croydon.

Individuals

• Michael Owuo Jr.:19 May 2023.
• Merah Louise Smith: 19 May 2023.

Military units

• 41 (Princess Louise's Kensington) Signal SquadronRoyal Corps of Signals(Volunteers): 1993.
• 151 RegimentRLC(Volunteers): 1993.
• 2 Company10th BattalionTheParachute Regiment(Volunteers): 1993.
• "C" SquadronKent and Sharpshooters YeomanryTheRoyal Yeomanry:1993.
• 2nd BattalionThe Rifles:2010.

See also

• List of people from Croydon
• UK postcodes– a note of why and how postcodes CR0 and CR9 differ from the others

External links

• London Borough of Croydon
• Croydon TelevisionArchived18 May 2012 at theWayback Machine
• Visit Croydon
• map of croydon districts superimposed on google