47 Facts About Croydon

Croydon is a large town in South London, England that gives its name to the London Borough of Croydon.

At the time of the Norman conquest of England Croydon had a church, a mill, and around 365 inhabitants, as recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086.

Croydon expanded in the Middle Ages as a market town and a centre for charcoal production, leather tanning and brewing.

The Surrey Iron Railway from Croydon to Wandsworth opened in 1803 and was an early public railway.

East Croydon is a major hub of the national railway transport system, with frequent fast services to central London, Brighton and the south coast.

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Croydon appears in Domesday Book as Croindene, held by Archbishop Lanfranc.

Croydon developed into one of the main market towns of north east Surrey.

Nevertheless, many of the buildings of the original Croydon Palace survive, and are in use today as Old Palace School.

Croydon was a leisure destination in the mid 19th century.

Parish Church of St Michael and All Angels by John Loughborough Pearson in West Croydon was built between 1880 and 1885, and is Grade I listed.

At the beginning of the 19th century, Croydon became the terminus of two pioneering commercial transport links with London.

The London and Croydon Railway opened between London Bridge and West Croydon in 1839, using much of the route of the canal .

New stores opened and expanded in central Croydon, including Allders, Kennards and Grade II listed Grants, as well as the first Sainsbury's self-service shop in the country.

Croydon was the location of London's main airport until the Second World War.

In 1960 Croydon celebrated its millennium with a pageant held at Lloyd Park and an exhibition held at the old Croydon Aerodrome.

Croydon developed as an important centre for shopping, with the construction of the Whitgift Centre in 1969.

In November 2017, Croydon Council gave permission for the new Westfield shopping centre to be built and in January 2018, the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, approved the regeneration scheme.

The Westfield plans were delayed and the planning permission elapsed: however, in 2021, Croydon Council confirmed they were committed to see the Westfield Centre proceed.

Croydon has many tall buildings such as the former Nestle Tower .

The London Borough of Croydon's strategic planning committee in February 2013 gave the go-ahead to property fund manager Legal and General Property's plans to convert the empty 24-storey St George's House office building, occupied by Nestle until September 2012, into 288 flats.

In May 2012 it was announced that Croydon had been successful in its bid to become one of twelve "Portas Pilot" towns, and would receive a share of £1.

On 26 November 2013, Croydon Council approved a redevelopment of the Town Centre by The Croydon Partnership, a joint venture by The Westfield Group and Hammerson.

The Croydon Advertiser listed the approval as an "Historic Night for Croydon".

Apart from its large central shopping district, Croydon has a number of smaller shopping areas, especially towards the southern end of the town in which are many restaurants.

In 1965 the County Borough of Croydon was abolished and the area was transferred to Greater London and combined with the Coulsdon and Purley Urban District to form the London Borough of Croydon.

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London Borough of Croydon has a Labour-controlled council with 41 Labour councillors and 29 Conservative councillors elected on 3 May 2018.

The sitting Member of Parliament for Croydon Central is Sarah Jones, a member of the Labour Party.

The sitting Member of Parliament for Croydon South is Chris Philp, a member of the Conservatives.

Statutory fire and rescue service in Croydon is the London Fire Brigade who have a fire station in Old Town, with two pumping appliances.

Town of Croydon includes its neighbourhoods Addiscombe, Addington, Broad Green, Coombe, Forestdale, New Addington, Sanderstead, Selsdon, Shirley, and Waddon.

Croydon is the setting of two poems by British Poet Laureate Sir John Betjeman, "Croydon" and "Love in a Valley".

Croydon is referred to in a rhyme dating back to the 18th century, revised in the Victorian era to:.

Croydon grew up in Croydon and sang in the church choir at St George's and taught at the Crystal Palace School of Music and many other schools of music.

Croydon died from pneumonia after collapsing at West Croydon station.

Croydon has a rock scene producing such local talent as Frankmusik and Noisettes and the bands Saint Etienne and 7 time Grammy considered alternative grime rock band Caine all formed in Croydon.

Croydon has been at the centre of the development of the dubstep genre, a relatively recent musical development that traces its roots from Jamaican dub music, UK Garage and drum and bass.

Independent of such institutions, Croydon is the home of artists like Nosferatu D2, Magic Brother, Bad Sign, Cassettes and Grimecore band Caine.

Croydon plays host to the popular Channel 4 show Peep Show.

The Delta Point building, close to West Croydon station appeared in the film The Dark Knight Rises as Gotham General Hospital.

Croydon has its own fully independent television station: it does not receive any government or local authority grant or funding and is supported by donations, sponsorship and by commercial advertising.

Streatham-Croydon RFC, founded in 1871, is one of Greater London's oldest extant rugby union clubs, playing just north of the town centre at Frant Road in Thornton Heath.

West Croydon is served by London Overground and Southern services.

System was previously known as the "Croydon Tramlink", having been established under the Croydon Tramlink Act 1994.

The name "Croydon Airport" is still used as a landmark and as a bus stop designation.

Croham Hurst School, an independent girls' school in South Croydon, became part of Old Palace in 2007 and its old buildings are now used as the Old Palace junior school.

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Croydon High School for Girls is an independent girls' school in Selsdon, and a member of the Girls' Day School Trust.

Royal Russell School is a co-educational independent boarding and day school in South Croydon and is a member of the Headmasters' Conference.