120-503: South Norwood is a district of South London, England, within the London Borough of Croydon , Greater London and formerly in the historic county of Surrey . It is located 7.8 miles (12.5 km) south-east of Charing Cross , north of Woodside and Addiscombe , east of Selhurst and Thornton Heath , south of Crystal Palace / Upper Norwood and Anerley , and south-west of Penge . Together with Norwood New Town , it forms
240-700: A Fairtrade borough by the Fairtrade Foundation . It was the first London borough to have Fairtrade status which is awarded on certain criteria . The area is one of the hearts of culture in London and the South East of England . Institutions such as the major arts and entertainment centre Fairfield Halls add to the vibrancy of the borough. However, its famous fringe theatre, the Warehouse Theatre , went into administration in 2012 when
360-540: A 25m swimming pool and a gym. South Norwood is also home to South Norwood Country Park , 116 acres of nature reserve. After previously being home to a sewage works (closed in 1966) and fireworks factory; the habitat has been cultivated over time to nurture an abundance of species and wildlife. Other parks in the local area are South Norwood Recreation Ground , Heavers Meadow , Brickfields Meadow , Beaulieu Heights , South Norwood Lake and Grounds , Woodside Green and Ashburton Park . The South Norwood Community Festival
480-1089: A brook marks the junction with the sands and gravels of the Blackheath Beds that rise to Shirley , Addington Hills and Croham Hurst . Streams join Chaffinch Brook and the Beck to form the River Pool , which eventually flows into the River Ravensbourne . There are many primary schools in the South Norwood area including Priory Special School, Heavers Farm Primary School, South Norwood Primary School, Cypress Junior School and Cypress Infant School, St. Chad's Roman Catholic Primary School, St. Mark's Primary School and Oasis Academy Ryelands. The former Stanley Technical High School (the legacy of local inventor and engineer William Stanley ) has been replaced and turned into an academy as part of
600-422: 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 II listed building and tourist attraction. Croydon Council and its predecessor Croydon Corporation unsuccessfully applied for city status in 1954, 2000, 2002 and 2012. The area
720-462: A coffee shop, and other community focused activities. Since first opening in 1903, both professional and amateur performers trod its boards; including Samuel Coleridge-Taylor and W.Y. Hurlstone . In the 1960s Shirley Bassey, Matt Munro and Johnny Dankworth were among the professional musicians who rehearsed here for performances at nearby Fairfield Halls in Croydon. Originally named 'Stanley Halls'
840-403: A coppice called Cholmerden in the area date to the 1400s. By the 1670s the site had been developed into the grounds of Goat House. Handley's Brickworks' seven chimneys once dominated the landscape of the area. It has been demolished and the site changed into grassland and a lake, called Brickfields Meadow . The Croydon Canal was constructed in the early 19th century, running from New Cross to
960-477: A few patchy bus services. Addiscombe is a district just northeast of the centre of Croydon, and is popular with commuters to central London as it is close to the busy East 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 Green is a small district, centred on
1080-556: A formal device which has been compared to the famous Pirelli Tower in 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
1200-412: A junction and tram stop in the town centre, was destroyed by arson. Croydon is currently the subject of a series of £3.5bn of development projects, called Croydon Vision 2020 . This aims to change the urban planning of central Croydon . It aims to make Croydon London's Third City and the hub of retail, business, culture and living in south London and South East England. The plan was showcased in
1320-488: A large green with many homes and local shops in West Croydon. Coombe is 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. Croydon is the principal area of the borough, Crystal Palace
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#17327802374501440-497: A pleasant home of entertainment for all of them. The buildings were completed in stages, with Stanley Public Hall (the main hall and art gallery) opening in 1903, the clock tower and Upper Stanley Hall added in 1904 and the Technical Trade School in 1907. The Assembly room and Society Rooms, alongside offices and the venue secretary’s accommodation, were added in 1909 to complete the complex. An inventor rather than
1560-646: 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. Its local successor is Addington Palace , an eighteenth-century mansion which became the official second residence of six Archbishops of Canterbury , Shirley Windmill , one of the few surviving large windmills in Greater London built in the 1850s, and
1680-442: A series of events called Croydon Expo . The area of the modern borough broadly corresponds to the four ancient parishes of Croydon , Addington , Coulsdon and Sanderstead . The parish of Croydon was governed by improvement commissioners from 1829 until 1849 when it was made a local board district . Croydon was incorporated as a municipal borough in 1883. When elected county councils were established in 1889, Croydon
1800-411: A trained architect, Stanley wasn’t interested in following any one architectural style in his designs for the building, resulting in a unique and idiosyncratic combination of styles and materials described by the architecture historian Nikolaus Pevsner as ‘one of the most eccentric efforts anywhere at a do-it-yourself freestyle.’ Standing next to Stanley’s new technical trade school, which was inspired by
1920-509: Is a city academy in the north west of South Norwood, but to avoid confusion with the other school it uses the Crystal Palace name. Other secondary schools in the area include Oasis Academy Arena . South Norwood is home of Spurgeon's College , a world-famous Baptist theological college, since 1923; Spurgeon's is located on South Norwood Hill and currently has some 1,000 students. It is one of only four further education establishments in
2040-535: Is a place on the plateau of the North Downs , south of Croydon. Kenley , again south of the centre, lie within the London Green Belt and 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 Town is a part of
2160-509: Is a town, right to the edge of Croydon with some areas in the Surrey district of Tandridge. Croydon is a gateway to the south from central London, with some major roads running through it. Purley Way , part of the A23 , 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 18 IKEA stores in
2280-488: Is a town, to the northwest of Croydon, which holds Croydon's principal hospital Mayday . Upper Norwood is north of Croydon, on a mainly elevated area of the borough. Waddon is a residential area, mainly based on the Purley Way retail area, to the west of the borough. Woodside is located to the northeast of the borough, with streets based on Woodside Green , a small sized area of green land. And finally Whyteleafe
2400-472: Is an annual event at South Norwood Recreational Ground which first began in 2011 as an inclusive event which would benefit the local community. In 2022 over 8,000 people gathered to enjoy live bands, refreshments, arts and crafts and children's entertainment. The event is run entirely by volunteers and profits are donated to local charities and invested back into the future festival plans. The last festival took place on Sunday, 2 July 2023. Croydon Sports Arena
2520-526: Is an area north of Croydon, which is shared with the London Boroughs of Lambeth , Southwark , Lewisham and Bromley . Fairfield , just northeast of Croydon, holds the Fairfield Halls and the village of Forestdale , 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 Green
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#17327802374502640-678: Is an area of common land partly shared with the boroughs of Sutton and Merton . Almost 500,000 years ago, Mitcham Common formed part of the river bed of the River Thames. The BRIT School is a performing Arts & Technology school, owned by the BRIT Trust (known for the BRIT Awards Music Ceremony ). Famous former students include Kellie Shirley , Amy Winehouse , Leona Lewis , Adele , Kate Nash , Dane Bowers , Katie Melua and Lyndon David-Hall . Grants
2760-538: Is an entertainment venue in the centre of Croydon which includes a Vue cinema . Surrey Street Market has roots in the 13th century, or earlier, and was chartered by the Archbishop of Canterbury in 1276. The market is regularly used as a location for TV, film and advertising. Croydon Minster , formerly the parish church, was established in the Anglo-Saxon period, and parts of the surviving building (notably
2880-702: Is at Beaulieu Heights (alternatively spelt Beulah Heights, Beaulah Heights and Beulieu Heights) which contains Beulah Heights Park, overlapping with Upper Norwood and New Town. The northern part of the district is situated on the lower parts of the hill that forms Upper Norwood. South Norwood lies on the southern slopes of the Norwood Ridge which forms the southern edge of the London Basin . This line of hills runs from north-east to south-west for about three miles (5 km) and rises to approximately 360 feet (110 m) above sea level at its highest point. It
3000-507: 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. The skyline of Croydon has significantly changed over the past 50 years. High rise buildings, mainly office blocks, now dominate the skyline. The most notable of these buildings include Croydon Council's headquarters Taberner House , which has been compared to
3120-470: Is currently going through a large regeneration project called Croydon Vision 2020 which is predicted to attract more businesses and tourists to the area as well as backing Croydon's bid to become "London's Third City" (after the City of London and Westminster ). 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
3240-595: Is due to get a face-lift on the Croydon Gateway site. The Nestlé Tower was the UK headquarters of Nestlé and is one of the tallest towers in England, which is due to be re-fitted during the Park Place development. The Fairfield Halls is a well known concert hall and exhibition centre, opened in 1962. It is frequently used for BBC recordings and was formerly the home of ITV 's World of Sport . It includes
3360-620: Is formed by a ridge of grey silty deposits known as London Clay , capped in places with the gravel of the Claygate Beds. Because of this gravel working was an important local industry and at one time the road along Beulah Hill was called Gravel Pit Road. South Norwood Hill is the most southerly spur of this ridge and the London Clay extends at its foot to the southern edge of the South Norwood Country Park. Here
3480-406: 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,
3600-515: Is mentioned in Domesday 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 the arts contribute to its status as a major metropolitan centre. Its population is 390,719, making it the most populous London borough and sixteenth largest English district . The borough
3720-586: Is nearby, from which one can catch direct trains to Kensington Olympia and Shepherd's Bush via a train service to Milton Keynes . The Thameslink Programme (formerly known as Thameslink 2000), is a £3.5 billion major project to expand the Thameslink network from 51 to 172 stations spreading northwards to Bedford , Peterborough , Cambridge and King's Lynn and southwards to Guildford , Eastbourne , Horsham , Hove to Littlehampton , East Grinstead , Ashford and Dartford . The project includes
South Norwood - Misplaced Pages Continue
3840-461: Is one of the larger arts and performance venues in the surrounding area, with a focus on community arts. The organisation's vision focuses on under-represented voices, providing artists of colour and LGBTQ+ creatives with a platform in South London and beyond. The venue is home to a 250-seat and 60-seat theatre space, resident office space for theatre makers, productions from local theatre clubs,
3960-605: Is situated on Portland Road and reopened in late 2007 after refurbishment. It had been closed in early 2006 and was due for demolition, so that it could be redesigned from scratch like the leisure centre in Thornton Heath, at a cost of around £10 million. In May 2006 the Conservatives gained control of Croydon and decided that doing this would cost too much money, so they decided to refurbish the centre instead, although this decision came with controversy. It now includes
4080-506: Is to the east of Croydon, and holds Shirley Windmill . South Croydon , to the south of Croydon, is a locality which holds local landmarks such as The Swan and Sugarloaf public house and independent Whitgift School part of the Whitgift 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 Heath
4200-427: Is used by athletics clubs Striders of Croydon and Croydon Harriers . The stands in the sports arena can hold up to 388 people. From 2018, the arena is being managed by Greenwich Leisure Limited . South Norwood F.C. were an amateur football club who were active in the 1870s and played their home matches at Portland Road. Premier League club Crystal Palace are based in the nearby Selhurst Park and on match days
4320-565: Is used by the Croydon Sailing Club and local anglers who fish for carp, bream and perch. There are two secondary schools in the area along with a public leisure centre . South Norwood has a high street which forms part of Selhurst Road . It is a commuter district , with many residents travelling to either the financial and insurance districts of Croydon or the City of London for employment via Norwood Junction railway station . South Norwood and surrounding areas are covered by
4440-532: Is used for events and performances. The town hall was renovated in the mid-1990s and the imposing central staircase, long closed to the public and kept for councillors only, was re-opened in 1994. The civic complex, meanwhile, was substantially added to, with buildings across Mint Walk and the 19-floor Taberner House to house the rapidly expanding corporation's employees. Ruskin House is the headquarters of Croydon's Labour , Trade Union and Co-operative movements and
4560-868: The A215 and the A213 are in the South Norwood area. The A213 is High Street, Penge Road and Selhurst Road . The A215 is Portland Road and South Norwood Hill . Norwood Junction railway station is situated in the centre of South Norwood just off High Street. It has 7 platforms but only 6 are in use at the present time. Southern and London Overground trains run to London Bridge and Dalston Junction . Fast trains generally take 10 minutes to reach central London and slow trains 20 minutes. Also London Victoria station trains take 20 minutes. East Croydon and West Croydon stations and urban and rural stations thereafter including regular train service to Clapham Junction , Wandsworth Common , Balham and Streaham . Selhurst station
4680-571: The Ashcroft Theatre and the Arnhem Gallery . Croydon Palace was the summer residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury for over 500 years and included regular visitors such as Henry III and Queen Elizabeth I . It is thought to have been built around 960. Croydon Cemetery is a large cemetery and crematorium west of Croydon and is most famous for the gravestone of Derek Bentley , who was wrongly hanged in 1953. Mitcham Common
4800-585: The BRIT School , a creative arts institute run by the BRIT Trust which has produced artists such as Adele , Amy Winehouse and Leona Lewis . The name Croydon comes from Crogdene or Croindone, named by the Saxons in the 8th century when they settled here, although the area had been inhabited since prehistoric times. It is thought to derive from the Anglo-Saxon croeas deanas , meaning "the valley of
4920-475: The Coulsdon and Purley Urban District was created covering the two parishes. Purley itself 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
South Norwood - Misplaced Pages Continue
5040-520: The Harris Federation . After deliberations with local residents it was originally going to be called Harris at Stanley, but the federation changed it to Harris Academy South Norwood , an act which created some controversy. Many local residents are upset that the name Stanley was removed from the school, as Stanley, who had the original school built in 1907, is a famous and well regarded figure in South Norwood. Harris City Academy Crystal Palace
5160-658: The London Assembly , the borough forms part of the Croydon and Sutton constituency. The borough is covered by three parliamentary constituencies: these are Croydon North , Croydon Central and Croydon 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 . Croydon Town Hall on Katharine Street in central Croydon houses
5280-609: The London SE25 postcode. It is also the southernmost location of the London post town . The area was originally covered by the Great North Wood , which was a natural oak forest that covered four miles (6 km) of south London . Apart from South Norwood, the wood covered Upper Norwood , West Norwood (known as Lower Norwood until 1885) and the Woodside and Gipsy Hill areas. References to rents being paid for
5400-629: The Metropolitan Police via the Croydon Police Station branch in Park Lane, Croydon. The London Fire Brigade provide services for the area and Greater London as a whole; the nearest fire station is at Woodside which has only one pumping appliance. South Norwood is bordered by Anerley to the north, Selhurst to the south, Woodside due east and Thornton Heath to the west. The northernmost point of South Norwood
5520-513: The River Effra and its tributaries. The most notable tree, called Vicar's Oak, marked the boundary of four ancient parishes; Lambeth , Camberwell , Croydon and Bromley . John Aubrey referred to this "ancient remarkable tree" in the past tense as early as 1718, but according to JB Wilson, the Vicar's Oak survived until 1825. The River Wandle , a chalk stream , is also a major tributary of
5640-660: The River Thames , where it stretches to Wandsworth and Putney for 9 miles (14 km) from its main source in Waddon . Croydon has a temperate climate in common with most areas of Great Britain: its Köppen climate classification is Cfb . 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
5760-730: The crocuses ", indicating that, like Saffron Walden in Essex, it was a centre for the collection of saffron . By the time of the Norman invasion Croydon had a church, a mill and around 365 inhabitants as recorded in the Domesday Book. The Archbishop of Canterbury , Archbishop Lanfranc lived at Croydon Palace which still stands. Visitors included Thomas Becket (another Archbishop), and royal figures such as Henry VIII of England and Elizabeth I . The royal charter for Surrey Street Market dates back to 1276, Croydon carried on through
5880-698: The Caribbean settled here and the area retains a large black population. In 1966, a dog called Pickles discovered, under a bush in Beulah Hill , the FIFA World Cup Jules Rimet Trophy , which had been stolen from an exhibition of rare stamps at Westminster Central Hall . The area is centred on the junction where the High Street meets South Norwood Hill/Portland Road; the bulk of the shops and amenities are located along
6000-697: The German Gewerbeschulen trade schools and was the first of its kind in Britain, it made perfect sense that the Stanley Halls complex should be used for purposes both educational and cultural. Initially the Halls hosted a wide array of educational classes, exhibitions and political debates. On 2 March 1912, for example, it was reported that "a spirited debate on Votes for Women" took place at Stanley Upper Hall where Alice Abadam (president of
6120-413: The High Street and Selhurst Road/Penge Road, with further shops, restaurants etc. lining Portland Road for some distance. South Norwood is now unofficially divided into the less deprived area in the north west side of the railway, which was the location of a private estate, and the generally more deprived area in the north east. In the south east of the borough, where workers for a former brick factory lived,
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#17327802374506240-464: 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". The local authority is Croydon Council, which meets at Croydon Town Hall on Katherine Street in the centre of Croydon, and has its main offices at the adjoining Bernard Weatherill House . Since 2022 the council has been led by the directly elected Mayor of Croydon . Since 2000, for elections to
6360-487: The London-Portslade road, although conclusive evidence has not yet been found. The main town centre houses a great variety of well-known stores on North End and two shopping centres. It was pedestrianised in 1989 to attract people back to the town centre. Another shopping centre called Park Place was due to open in 2012 but has since been scrapped. The CR postcode area covers most of the south and centre of
6480-573: The NLA Tower, Britain's 88th tallest tower, close to East Croydon station , is an example of 1970s architecture. The tower was originally nicknamed the Threepenny bit building , as it resembles a stack of pre-decimalisation Threepence coins, which were 12-sided. It is now most commonly called The Octagon, being 8-sided. Lunar House is another high-rise building. Like other government office buildings on Wellesley Road, such as Apollo House ,
6600-629: The National Women’s Suffrage Society and resident of Upper Norwood) spoke in favour of women’s right to vote. Other speakers in later years, who have followed in Alice Abadam’s footsteps on the stage of Stanley Hall, include Harold Wilson and John Smith . During the War Years, first aid courses are thought to have taken place here and the building may have been used as temporary shelter for residents bombed out of their homes. It
6720-460: The Norwood triangle, to the north of Croydon. Monks Orchard is a small district made up of large houses and open space in the northeast of the borough. Pollards Hill is 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
6840-709: The ages as a prosperous market town, they produced charcoal, tanned leather, and ventured into brewing. Croydon was served by the Surrey Iron Railway , the first public railway (horse drawn) in the world, in 1803, and by the London to Brighton rail link in the mid-19th century, helping it to become the largest town in what was then Surrey . 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 against Zeppelins , an adjacent airfield
6960-635: The airport remain. It is a tourist attraction. The Croydon Clocktower arts venue was opened by Elizabeth II in 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 of David Lean ), the Museum of Croydon and Croydon Central Library . The Museum of Croydon (formerly known as Croydon Lifetimes Museum) highlights Croydon in
7080-500: The area's black and Indian cultural diversity, with audiences reaching over 50,000 people. Premier League football club Crystal Palace F.C. play at Selhurst Park in Selhurst , a stadium they have been based in since 1924. Other landmarks in the borough include what remains of Croydon 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
7200-408: The borough and into the North Downs , Surrey and the rest of south London. Addington Hills is 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. The Great North Wood is a former natural oak forest that covered the Sydenham Ridge and the southern reaches of
7320-421: The borough doesn't lose its title of having the "largest office space in the south east", excluding central London. Projects such as Wellesley Square , which will be a mix of residential and retail with an eye-catching colour design and 100 George Street a proposed modern office block are incorporated in this vision. Notable events that have happened to Croydon's skyline include the Millennium project to create
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#17327802374507440-420: The borough mainly borders the London Borough of Bromley , and in the north west the boroughs of Lambeth and Southwark . The boroughs of Sutton and Merton are located directly to the west. It is at the head of the River Wandle , just to the north of a significant gap in the North Downs . It lies 10 miles (16 km) south of Central London, and the earliest settlement may have been a Roman staging post on
7560-426: The borough while the SE and SW postcodes 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 include Addington , 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
7680-410: The borough. South Norwood Library, nicknamed 'The Brutalist Library' is located on the corner of Selhurst Road and Lawrence Road. A public library part of the Croydon Libraries library system, the building was constructed in 1968 by Croydon borough architect Hugh Lea and is arranged over five levels split across the front and rear of the building in order to maximise the internal space. The front part of
7800-467: The building has the ground floor entrance level, which houses the reception, and the second floor which houses the children's library. The rear of the building has the basement, first and third floors. The levels are offset so that the floors in the front and rear of the building appear like mezzanine levels to each other. South Norwood contains a leisure centre which is owned and maintained by Better on behalf of Sport Croydon. South Norwood Leisure Centre
7920-451: The centre of the town, and makes it hard to walk between the town centre's two railway stations. Croydon Vision 2020 includes a plan for a more pedestrian-friendly replacement. It has also been named as one of the worst roads for cyclists in the area. Construction of the Croydon Underpass beneath the junction of George Street and Wellesley Road /Park Lane started in the early 1960s, mainly to alleviate traffic congestion on Park Lane, above
8040-449: 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
8160-542: The construction of an additional stop on Penge Road. London Borough of Croydon The London Borough of Croydon ( pronunciation ) is a London borough in south London , part of Outer London . It covers an area of 87 km (33.6 sq mi). It is the southernmost borough of London. At its centre is the historic town of Croydon from which the borough takes its name; while other urban centres include Coulsdon , Purley , South Norwood , Norbury , New Addington , Selsdon and Thornton Heath . Croydon
8280-475: The construction of roads and the Selhurst Park estate. The area gained its own parish church, Holy Innocents , in 1895. Much of the growth of the area was the result of William Ford Stanley , who constructed a factory in the area in 1867 and established a technical school here in 1902 (now the Stanley Halls). Further development occurred throughout the 20th century with the building of terraced houses and public housing developments. Large numbers of immigrants from
8400-401: The construction works for the atmospheric-propulsion system , the world's first railway flyover was constructed south of Tennison Road, to carry the new atmospheric-propulsion line over the conventional steam line below. In 1847, the atmospheric propulsion experiment was abandoned. In 1848 South Norwood remained a small hamlet, however the following 10–20 years rapid development occurred with
8520-434: The council withdrew funding, and the building itself was demolished in 2013. The Croydon Clocktower was opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1994 as an arts venue featuring a library, the independent David Lean Cinema (closed by the council in 2011 after sixteen years of operating, but now partially reopened on a part-time and volunteer basis) and museum . From 2000 to 2010, Croydon staged an annual summer festival celebrating
8640-442: 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 from Croydon to Purley . The centre of Croydon is very congested, and the urban planning has since become out of date and quite inadequate, due to the expansion of Croydon's main shopping area and office blocks. Wellesley Road is a north–south dual carriageway that cuts through
8760-423: The electoral ward of South Norwood in the local authority of Croydon . The ward as a whole had a resident population in 2001 of just over 14,000. The south-eastern side of the district is dominated by the 125-acre (0.51 km) country park which opened in 1989. At the northern end of the town is South Norwood Lake , which was created after the reservoir for the unsuccessful Croydon Canal went out of use. It
8880-501: The enactment of the London Government Act 1963 , it became part the local government of Greater London . The town is now part of the wards of South Norwood and Woodside in the local authority of Croydon, which has the responsibility for providing services such as education, refuse collection, and tourism. South Norwood Ward is part of the ethnically diverse Croydon North parliamentary constituency , which had one of
9000-547: The entrance to the estate was between a pair of pillars, though they have long since been demolished. However the capitals were preserved and now sit on the two brick pillars at the Selhurst Road entrance to South Norwood Recreation Ground . In 2006, South Norwood Lakes in the north of the ward was the scene of a fatal stabbing. South Norwood was within the County Borough of Croydon until 1965 when, following
9120-523: The famous Pirelli Tower of Milan , and the Nestlé Tower , the former UK headquarters of Nestlé . In recent years, the development of tall buildings , such as the approved Croydon Vocational Tower and Wellesley Square , has been encouraged in the London 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
9240-614: The fear of crime, it helped to promote the sustainable use of older buildings by displaying them in a more positive way. There are a large number of attractions and places of interest all across the borough of Croydon, ranging from historic sites in the north and south to modern towers in the centre. Croydon Airport was 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; so Heathrow International Airport took over as London's main airport. It has now been mostly converted to offices, although some important elements of
9360-516: 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. The borough is in the far south of London, with the M25 orbital motorway stretching to the south of it, between Croydon and Tandridge . To the north and east,
9480-412: The future of the larger, lower half, the ‘unneeded’ part of the Stanley Halls complex as it was seen by the developers of the new school academy, was in question. With these remaining buildings under threat, and competing visions for their future, the local community came together to apply to take them on from Croydon Council as a community asset transfer. In 2015 the buildings were finally signed over to
9600-756: The headquarters of the Trade Union, Labour and Co-operative movements in Croydon, hosting a range of meetings and being the base for several labour movement groups. Office tenants include the headquarters of the Communist Party of Britain and Croydon Labour Party. Geraint Davies , the MP for Croydon Central , had offices in the building, until he was defeated by Andrew Pelling and is now the Labour representative standing for Swansea West in Wales. Taberner House
9720-406: The hearts and minds of local people as an essential home for art, performance and community. This new purpose represents a return to the original intention of William Stanley . In 1901 he had conceived the idea of building a local home for entertainment, art and culture, and nearly 120 years later his vision was to be renewed. The start of 2021 saw the trustees launch a new identity for this part of
9840-442: The historic Stanley Halls complex, rebranding as Stanley Arts – a name that honours the past, whilst looking forward to a brighter future. Stanley Arts seeks to forge a new identity for this part of Stanley Halls, separate from its most recent history as part of Stanley Tech, and one that clearly defines the future of this building as a South London home for community, arts, and culture for the next 120 years at least. Two A roads ,
9960-572: The largest electorates in England at the 2010 general election , whereas Woodside Ward falls within the boundaries of the Croydon Central constituency . The sitting Member of Parliament (MP) for Croydon North is Steve Reed , a member of the Labour Party , following the death of Malcolm Wicks . The sitting Member of Parliament for Croydon Central is Sarah Jones , also a member of the Labour Party . Policing services are provided by
10080-424: 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
10200-451: The lengthening of platforms, station remodelling, new railway infrastructure (e.g. viaduct) and additional rolling stock. The new Thameslink timetable for Norwood Junction started 20 May 2018: "Norwood Junction gain[ed] an all-day-long Thameslink service to Bedford via Blackfriars and St Pancras, with two trains per hour to Epsom via Sutton" and timetables will continue being expanded and adjusted into 2019. Transport for London began work on
10320-549: The local community created a garden out of some wasteland on A213 near Harris Academy South Norwood. The area is known as Sensible Garden, named after Captain Sensible who attended Stanley Boys School, on the site that is now the Harris Academy. On 26 July 2014, Captain Sensible unveiled 'The Sensible Seat'. Named after the local inventor and engineer who founded and designed the buildings William Stanley , Stanley Arts
10440-585: The name of the building was inspired by the US Moon landings (In the Croydon suburb of New Addington there is a public house , built during the same period, called The Man on the 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 of Croydon Vision 2020 , so that
10560-405: The newly-formed Stanley People’s Initiative, a charity established to save this part the historic Stanley Halls complex, and hopefully to find a new use for this extraordinary set of buildings. Over the first few years of operation this new, reduced, Stanley Halls slowly found its feet; and with it, a renewed sense of purpose. Paradoxically, the pandemic of 2020 helped to re-establish the buildings in
10680-546: The night all through the early hours of morning to South Norwood. However, the trains state East Croydon on the board. Trains run out of Victoria after 1.00 am on the hour until the train service starts up again officially. Trams do not run through the town centre of South Norwood, with the nearest stops on the Tramlink network being Harrington Road , Arena and Woodside . In the mid-2000s there were proposals for an extension to Crystal Palace, which would have resulted in
10800-604: The old Technical School building, the Upper Stanley Hall & Clocktower, and a modern new-build school site stretching around behind Stanley Halls. The rest of the historic Stanley Halls complex, including the main Stanley Hall and gallery, and the assembly & society rooms, were separated from the Upper Hall with a new internal wall that divided the Stanley Halls complex in two. Over the next five years
10920-400: The parish of Farleigh , after which there were three urban parishes in the district, being Cousldon, Farleigh and Sanderstead. The London Borough of Croydon was created on 1 April 1965 under the London Government Act 1963 , covering the combined area of the former Coulsdon and Purley Urban District and the County Borough of Croydon , both of which were abolished at the same time. The area
11040-793: 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 Windmill is a working windmill and one of the few surviving large windmills in Surrey , built in 1854. It is Grade II listed and received a £218,100 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund . Addington Palace is an 18th-century mansion in Addington which
11160-411: The promotion of local citizenship and civic pride in the post-war period. As the decades progressed, without a separate cultural identity and no physical separation, the upper and main halls, the gallery and the assembly rooms, all increasingly became part of the expanding Technical school; known locally simply as Stanley Tech . Though the buildings were used to some extent outside of school hours,
11280-637: The pubs on the high street are usually busy with fans and ticket-holders. South Norwood Tourist Board an anarchist collective have organised "PicklesFest" with Dave Corbett, owner of Pickles ; challenging the Lake District for their title; and more recently proclaimed the People's Republic of South Norwood and renamed the lake in South Norwood Country Park as Lake Conan after Conan Doyle who lived in South Norwood. In 2013 South Norwood Tourist Board, in partnership with Crystal Palace Transition Town and
11400-538: 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 the Museum of Croydon and exhibition galleries. The original public library was converted into the David Lean Cinema , part of the Croydon Clocktower . The Braithwaite Hall
11520-518: The record of separate cultural activity in this period is limited, and to all intents and purposes Stanley Halls and Stanley Tech were the same place. By the turn of the 21st century, the Technical School, which had by then seen better days, was being absorbed into the Harris Academy chain; and a new school complex was being built on an L-shaped site around the back of Stanley Halls. In 2007 the newly-opened Harris Academy South Norwood comprised
11640-538: 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
11760-454: The site of West Croydon station . As it passed through South Norwood, pubs sprang up near its course. The Jolly Sailor still stands at the intersection of South Norwood Hill and High Street. The Ship, a few yards to the east, was beside the loading point for bricks from a nearby brick field across what is now the High Street. The passageway through which bricks passed to the canal is still there. The Goat House pub (which has since been demolished)
11880-399: The south, is a village mainly on high ground at the edge of suburban development in Greater London . Selhurst is a town, to the north of Croydon, which holds the nationally known school, The BRIT School . Selsdon is a suburb which was developed during the inter-war period in the 1920s and 1930s, and is remarkable for its many Art Deco houses, to the southeast of Croydon Centre. Shirley ,
12000-581: The southern extension of the East London line in 2005 as part of the London Overground . On completion in May 2010, services run between West Croydon and Dalston Junction via London Docklands . Trains make an unpublicised stop at Selhurst from Victoria through the night to enable engineers at Selhurst to get to Gatwick and vice versa. This means that it is possible to board the train during
12120-408: 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
12240-512: The temperance movement was equally strong, and Georgina King Lewis , a keen member of the Croydon 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
12360-488: The third local authority in Greater London to hold that status, along with the City of London and the City of Westminster . At present the London Borough of Croydon is the second most populous local government district of 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
12480-399: 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 of George Gilbert Scott . It is the burial place of six archbishops, and contains monuments to Archbishops Sheldon and Whitgift . Holy Innocents Church, South Norwood Holy Innocents Church, South Norwood is
12600-560: 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 Henman and was officially opened by the Prince and Princess of Wales on 19 May 1896. It was constructed in red brick, sourced from Wrotham in Kent, with Portland stone dressings and green Westmoreland slates for
12720-433: The underpass. The Croydon Flyover is also near the underpass, and next to Taberner House . It mainly leads traffic on to Duppas Hill , towards Purley Way with links to Sutton and Kingston upon Thames . The major junction on the flyover is for Old Town , which is also a large three-lane road. Croydon covers an area of 86.52 km . Croydon's physical features consist of many hills and rivers that are spread out across
12840-403: The venue is a grade II listed building first built in 1903. On its completion, William Stanley invited all the workmen to a supper at the Halls followed by an entertainment to which the wives and relatives of the men were invited. Stanley said that if "the building was not the most beautiful in the world, it was, at least, one of the most substantially built." He hoped that the Halls would become
12960-416: Was also a centre for community celebrations and festivals such as the 1951 Festival of Britain and the coronation of Elizabeth II in 1953 . Records from the 1950s show that social events in the Halls ranged from birthday celebrations, antique fairs, ‘Meet a Mum’ jumble sales, weddings, aerobics, to a Psychic Festival. The fact that the Halls offered a multi-purpose community venue played a significant role in
13080-458: Was built between 1964 and 1967, designed by architect H. Thornley, with Allan Holt and Hugh Lea as borough engineers. Although the council had needed extra space since the 1920s, it was only with the imminent creation of the London Borough of Croydon that action was taken. The building, 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,
13200-425: 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 Ltd used the airport for a short period after redirecting from Northolt Aerodrome , and Croydon
13320-508: Was considered large enough to provide its own county-level services. It was therefore made a county borough , independent from the new Surrey County Council , whilst remaining part of Surrey for judicial and lieutenancy purposes. The borough was enlarged in 1928 to absorb the neighbouring parish of Addington. Coulsdon and Sanderstead were governed as rural parishes within the Croydon Rural District until 1915 when
13440-428: Was first opened in 1953 and is a multiple-use sports arena in South Norwood. The arena is located on the edge of South Norwood Country Park . Facilities include an eight-lane 400m running track, with a centre field and training area for throwing events. The stadium is floodlit. During the winter the inner field becomes a football pitch, home to Croydon F.C. In the summer the stadium is mostly used for athletic events. It
13560-427: Was formed in 1965 from the merger of the County Borough of Croydon with Coulsdon and Purley Urban District , both of which had been within Surrey . The local authority, Croydon London Borough Council , is now part of London Councils , the local government association for Greater London. The economic strength of Croydon dates back mainly to Croydon Airport which was a major factor in the development of Croydon as
13680-726: Was officially opened in October 1970 by the Duchess of Kent . The original Whitgift School there had moved to Haling Park, South Croydon in the 1930s; the replacement school on the site, Whitgift Middle School, now the Trinity School of John 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
13800-529: 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 End is the main pedestrianised shopping road in Croydon, having Centrale to one side and the Whitgift Centre to the other. The Warehouse Theatre is a popular theatre for mostly young performers and
13920-403: 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
14040-452: Was said to have been named after an island in the canal on which goats were kept. Jolly-sailor station opened in 1839 by the London and Croydon Railway . It was listed as Jolly-sailor near Beulah Spa on fare lists and timetables and renamed 'Norwood' in 1846. The station was immediately adjacent to a level crossing over Portland Road, making it slightly further north than the site currently occupied by Norwood Junction station. As part of
14160-492: Was superseded as the main airport by both London Heathrow and London 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 the Whitgift Centre which was formerly the biggest in-town shopping centre in Europe. The centre
14280-408: Was the operating base for Imperial 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
14400-410: 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 of Chelsham and Farleigh . The borough council has unsuccessfully applied for city status on several occasions: in 1965, 1977, 1992, 2000, 2002, and 2012. If it had been successful, it would have been
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