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EspañolLONDON BOROUGH OF CROYDON
''For other places called 'Croydon' see Croydon (disambiguation)''
: ''For details of the town of Croydon on which this borough is centred see Croydon''
The 'London Borough of Croydon' is a London borough in South London, England and part of Outer London. Its area is 34 square miles (87 km²) and it is the largest London borough by population. At its centre is the historic town of Croydon from which the borough takes its name. Central Croydon is the civic centre of Croydon and houses the largest office and retail centre in south east of England other than central London.
The London Borough of Croydon was formed in 1965 from Coulsdon and Purley Urban District and the County Borough of Croydon. It is now governed by a cabinet-style council created in 2001.
Croydon unsuccessfully applied for city status in 2000 and again in 2002. If it had been successful it would have been the third local authority in Greater London to hold that status, the others being the City of London and the City of Westminster.
The borough sits on the edge of London, with the M25 motorway touching it. In Croydon North the borough mainly borders the London Borough of Bromley to the east and the London Boroughs of Southwark and Lambeth to the north. The boroughs of Sutton and Merton are directly to the west
Croydon's main town centre houses a great variety of well-known stores on North End as well as two shopping centres in the town. Another one is planned, Park Place.
According to the 2001 census, Croydon has a population of 269,100 although in 2005 this was recorded to rise to 342,700. 70.2% of the borough is White, 13.3% African-Caribbean and 11.3% South Asian.
Main articles: Croydon parks and open spaces
Main articles: CR postcode area
Postcode areas which are situated inside the borough include:
★ SE25 (all)
★ SE19 (part)
★ SE27 (part)
★ SW16 (part)
★ CR0 (all)
★ CR2 (all)
★ CR3 (part)
★ CR5 (part)
★ CR7 (all)
★ CR8 (all)
★ CR9 (all)
Croydon Council is responsible for the administration of Croydon.
The council consists of 70 councillors elected in 24 wards. From 1994 to 2006 the Labour Party controlled the Council. Thirty-seven Labour and 31 Conservative councillors were elected in 2002, plus a lone Liberal Democrat bolstered by a subsequent defection of a councillor who had originally been elected as a Conservative, defected to Labour, went back to the Conservatives and spent some time as an independent.
At the 2006 local elections the Conservatives regained control of the Council after gaining 12 seats, taking ten seats from Labour in Addiscombe, Waddon and Norwood and the single Liberal Democrat seat in Coulsdon. They had seen 6% swings from Labour to Conservative in the two previous by-elections, each won by the incumbent party. Since the 2006 elections, a by-election in February 2007 saw a large swing back to Labour from the Conservatives. The next election is due in May 2010.
From February 2005 until May 2006, the Leader of Croydon Council was Labour Co-operative Councillor Tony Newman, succeeding Hugh Malyan. Mike Fisher, Tory group leader since May 2005, was named as Council Leader following the Conservative victory. Croydon is a cabinet-style council, and the Leader heads a ten-person cabinet, its members responsible for areas such as education or planning. There is a Shadow Cabinet drawn from the principal opposition party. A backbench cross-party scrutiny and overview committee is in place to hold the executive cabinet to account.
Summary of council election results:
Main articles: Croydon local elections
The borough is covered by three parliamentary constituencies these are:
★ Croydon North
★ Croydon Central
★ Croydon South
There are 24 wards which represent Croydon Council. All Croydon Council seats were up for re-election for the first time since the 2002 elections, during the election on May 4, 2006. Previously Labour held control of the council. In the election, the Conservatives took 10 seats from Labour and 1 from the Liberal Democrats, giving the newly elected council's political composition as:
Main articles: Croydon Council election 2006
Some 10,000 people work directly or indirectly for the council, in its main offices in Taberner House or in its schools, care homes, housing offices or work depots. The council is generally well-regarded, having made important improvements in education and social services.
However, there have been concerns over benefits, leisure services and waste collection. Although the council has one of London's lower rates of council tax, there are inevitable claims that it is too high and that resources are wasted.
The London Borough of Croydon is twinned with Arnhem in the Netherlands. There is also a Guyana link supported by the council.
The Mayor of Croydon for 2006-07 is Councillor Janet Marshall.
:''See also Croydon local elections''
For much of its history, Croydon Council was controlled by the Conservative Party or conservative-leaning independents.
Former Croydon councillors include current MP Andrew Pelling, former MPs Vivian Bendall, David Congdon, Geraint Davies and Reg Prentice, London Assembly member Valerie Shawcross, Lord Bowness, John Donaldson, Baron Donaldson of Lymington (Master of the Rolls) and H.T. Muggeridge, MP and father of Malcolm Muggeridge. The first Mayor of the newly-created County Borough was Jabez Balfour, later a disgraced Member of Parliament. Former Conservative Director of Campaigning, Gavin Barwell, has been a Croydon councillor since 1998.
Croydon Town Hall on 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 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 the roof. It also housed the court and most central council employees.
Parts, including the former court rooms, have been converted into the Museum of Croydon and exhibition galleries. The original public library is now a cinema, part of the Croydon 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.
Taberner House was built between 1964 and 1967, designed by architect H Thornley, with Allan Holt and Hugh Lea as borough engineers. Although the council had needed extra space since the 1920s, it was only with the imminent creation of the London Borough of Croydon that action was taken. The building is in classic 1960s style, praised at the time but subsequently much derided. It has its elegant upper slab block narrowing towards both ends, a formal device which has been compared to the famous Pirelli Tower of Milan. It was named after Ernest Taberner OBE, Town Clerk from 1937 to 1963.
Taberner House now houses most of the council's central employees and its 'one-stop shop' is the main location for the public to access information and services, particularly with respect to housing.
★ Leader - Cllr Mike Fisher
★ Deputy Leaders - Cllr Steve O'Connell and Cllr Dudley Mead
★ Chief Executive - David Wechsler - Jon Rouse (from July 07)
★ - Arnhem, Netherlands
The London Borough of Croydon is twinned with the municipality of Arnhem which is located in the east of the Netherlands. The city of Arnhem is the second largest in the whole country, in terms of population.
Mayday University Hospital is a major NHS hospital built on a 19 acre site, located in Thornton Heath near the west of the borough. Mayday is a District General Hospital with a 24-hour accident and emergency department. NHS Direct has a regional centre based at the hospital. The NHS Trust also provides services at Purley War Memorial Hospital, in Purley.
There used to be a hospital on Duppas Hill 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 Hill is a psychiatric hospital in Coulsdon.
:''Source.''[1]
The borough is one of the boroughs in London with the most schools in it. They include primary schools (95), secondary schools (21) and three further education establishments.[2] Croydon College has its main building in Central Croydon, it is a high rise building.[3] John Ruskin College[4] is one of the other colleges in the borough, located in Addington and Coulsdon College[5] in Coulsdon. The London Borough of Croydon is the local education authority for the borough.
:''Source.''[6]
There are over 90 primary schools in the borough and 6 specialist primary schools for disabled children or children with mental problems.
★ All Saints CofE Junior School
★ All Saints Infant School
★ Applegarth Junior School
★ Applegarth Nursery and Infant School
★ Ashburton Infant School
★ Ashburton Junior School
★ Atwood Primary School
★ Beaumont Primary School
★ Benson Primary and Nursery School
★ Beulah Junior School
★ Beulah Nursery and Infant School
★ Broadmead Junior School
★ Broadmead Nursery and Infant School
★ Byron Primary School
★ Castle Hill Primary School
★ Chipstead Valley Primary School
★ Christ Church CofE Primary School (Purley)
★ Coulsdon CofE Primary School
★ Courtwood Primary School
★ Cypress Infant School
★ Cypress Junior School
★ David Livingstone Primary School
★ Davidson Primary School
★ Downsview Primary and Nursery School
★ Duppas Junior School
★ Ecclesbourne Infant School
★ Ecclesbourne Junior School
★ Elmwood Junior School
★ Fairchildes Primary School
★ Forestdale Primary School
★ Gilbert Scott Infant Community School
★ Gilbert Scott Junior Community School
★ Gonville Primary School
★ Good Shepherd Catholic Primary School
★ Greenvale Primary School
★ Gresham Primary School
★ Heavers Farm Primary School
★ Howard Primary School
★ Kenley Primary School
★ Kensington Avenue Primary School
★ Keston Primary School
★ Kingsley Primary School
★ Margaret Roper Catholic Primary School
★ Monks Orchard Primary School and Nursery
★ Norbury Manor Primary School
★ Orchard Way Primary School
★ Oval Primary School
★ Parish Church CofE Junior School
★ Parish Church CofE Nursery and Infant School
★ Park Hill Infant School
★ Park Hill Junior School
★ Purley Oaks Primary School
★ Regina Coeli Catholic Primary School
★ Ridgeway Primary School
★ Rockmount Primary School
★ Roke Primary School
★ Rowdown Primary School
★ Ryelands Primary School
★ Selsdon Primary and Nursery School
★ Smitham Primary School
★ South Norwood Primary School
★ St Aidan's Catholic Primary School
★ St Chad's Catholic Primary School
★ St Cyprian's Greek Orthodox Primary School
★ St James The Great Catholic Primary and Nursery School
★ St John's CofE Primary School
★ St Joseph's RC Infant School
★ St Joseph's RC Junior School
★ St Mark's CofE Primary School
★ St Mary's Catholic Infant School
★ St Mary's RC Junior School
★ St Peter's Primary School
★ St Thomas Becket Catholic Primary School
★ The Hayes Primary School
★ The Wattenden School
★ Tollgate Primary School
★ Waddon Infant School
★ West Thornton Primary School
★ Whitehorse Manor Infant School
★ Whitehorse Manor Junior School
★ Winterbourne Junior Boys' School
★ Winterbourne Junior Girls' School
★ Winterbourne Nursery and Infant School
★ Wolsey Infant School
★ Wolsey Junior School
★ Woodcote Infant and Nursery School
★ Woodcote Junior School
★ Woodside Junior School
★ Woodside Nursery and Infant School
''Special Schools''
:''Source.''[7]
★ Beckmead School
★ Bensham Manor School
★ Priory School
★ Red Gates School
★ St Giles School
★ St Nicholas School
:''Source.''[8]
★ Addington High School (secondary school, New Addington)
★ Archbishop Tenison's C of E High School, Croydon (secondary school, Croydon)
★ Ashburton Community School (secondary school, Croydon)
★ BRIT School (performing arts vocational school), Croydon
★ Coloma Convent R C (Girls) (secondary school, Croydon)
★ Coulsdon High School (secondary school, Old Coulsdon)
★ Edenham High School (secondary school, Shirley)
★ Haling Manor High School (secondary school, Croydon)
★ Harris Academy Crystal Palace (secondary school, Croydon)
★ Harris Academy South Norwood (secondary school, Croydon)
★ Harris City Technology College (secondary school, Croydon)
★ The John Fisher School (secondary school, Purley)
★ Norbury Manor High School for Girls (secondary school, Thornton Heath)
★ Purley High School for Boys (secondary school, Old Coulsdon)
★ Riddlesdown High School (secondary school, Purley)
★ Selhurst High School for Boys (secondary school, Croydon)
★ Selsdon High School (secondary school, South Croydon)
★ Shirley High School (secondary school, Shirley)
★ St. Andrew's Church of England High School (secondary school, Croydon)
★ St. Joseph's College (Boys) (secondary school, Upper Norwood)
★ St. Mary's R C High School (secondary school, Croydon)
★ Stanley Technical High School (secondary school, Croydon)
★ The Archbishop Lanfranc School (secondary school, Croydon)
★ Thomas More School (secondary school, Purley)
★ Virgo Fidelis Convent Senior School (girls-only secondary school, Upper Norwood)
★ Westwood Language College For Girls (secondary school, Upper Norwood)
★ Woodcote High School (secondary school, Coulsdon)
★ Old Palace School (secondary school, Croydon)
★ Trinity School of John Whitgift (secondary school, Shirley Park)
★ Whitgift School (secondary school), Croydon
''Old Palace, Whitgift and Trinity are all Independent secondary schools''
The borough of Croydon has 14 libraries, a joint library and 1 mobile library. Many of the libraries where built a long time ago and therefore have become outdated, so the council started updating a few including Ashburton Library which moved from its former spot into the state-of-the-art Ashburton Learning Village complex which is on the former site of the old 'A Block' of Ashburton Community School which is now situated inside the centre. The library is now on 1 floor. This is what the council wanted to roll out around the borough but due to the cost of this one, it was decided that doing this would cost to much.
South Norwood Library, New Addington Library, Shirley Library, Thornton Heath Library, Selsdon Library, Sanderstead Library, Purley Library, Coulsdon Library and Bradmore Green Library are examples of old council libraries. The main library is Croydon Central Library which holds many references, newspaper archives and a tourist information point (one of three in South East London). Upper Norwood Library is a joint library with the London Borough of Lambeth. This means that both councils fund the library and its resoures, but eithen though Lambeth have nearly doubled their funding for the library in the past several years Croydon has kept it the same,[9] doubting the future of the library.
The borough has been criticized in the past for not having enough leisure facilites, maintaining the position of Croydon as a three star borough. At the moment only three leisure centres are open for public use and two of these are expected to be closed down in the near future, with plans for only one of them to be re-built. Thornton Heath's aging sports centre was recently knocked down, and replaced by a newer more modern leisure centre. South Norwood Leisure Centre was closed down in early 2006 so that it could be knocked completely down and re-designed from scratch like Thornton Heath, which would cost around £10 million.[10] In May 2006 the Conservative Party became in charge of Croydon and decided that doing this would cost too much money, so they came up with another idea of just re-furbishing the centre, although this decision didn't come without its controversy.[11][12]
Purley Pool, is to close as well soon, but a new "super-pool" is planned in Coulsdon. The aging New Addington Leisure Centre is also set to close but is to be re-built. A new leisure centre is also going to be built on the A23, southern end of Purley Way opposite the Homebase and Texaco.
Sport Croydon,[13] currently is the commercial arm for leisure in the borough and the logo is seen somewhere in each of the centres. Parkwood Leisureprovides the services for all the boroughs leisure centres, along with nearby Lewisham's.[14]
Since 2006, the Metropolitan Police have recorded a 10% fall in the number of crimes committed in Croydon, better than the rate which crime in London as a whole is falling. Croydon has had the highest fall in the number of cases of violence against the person in South London, and, in terms of overall crime numbers, the borough is one of the top 10 safest in London. According to ''Your Croydon'' (a local community magazine) this is due to a stronger partnership struck between Croydon Council and the police.[15]
Croydon has a large number of police stations which stretch right across the borough.
Main articles: Croydon Vision 2020
'Croydon Vision 2020' is a vigorous re-generation plan which will change the Urban planning of central Croydon completely. Its main aim is to make Croydon 'London's Third City' and the hub of retail, business, culture and living in South London and South East England. The plan was showcased in a series of events called Croydon Expo. It was aimed at business and residents in the London Borough of Croydon to demonstrate the £3.5bn development projects the Council wishes to see in Croydon in the next ten years. It included the re-development of New Addington, Central Croydon (Park Place and Croydon Gateway sites) plus leisure facilites across the whole borough.
There are a large number of attractions across the borough of Croydon, these include:
★ Croydon Airport - London's former main airport, now disused and is now a tourist attraction
★ Museum of Croydon - A museum highlighting Croydon in the past and present includes the Riesco Gallery
★ Shirley Windmill - a working and the only surviving windmill in Shirley
★ Addington Palace - an 18th century mansion in Addington
★ Croydon Clocktower - an arts venue in Croydon, opened by Queen Elizabeth II
★ North End - the shopping road in Croydon, host of Centrale and Whitgift Centre
★ Warehouse Theatre - Large and well-known theatre for (mostly) young performers
★ Nestle Tower - the famous European headquarters of Nestle, one of the tallest towers in England
★ Fairfield Halls - an arts centre in Croydon which opened in 1962, frequently used for BBC recordings
★ Croydon Palace - summer residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury for over 500 years
★ Croydon Cemetery - Most famous for the gravestone of Derek Bentley, wrongly hanged in 1953
★ Mitcham Common - Partly in the borough, shared with Sutton and Merton
★ David Lean Cinema - a cinema built in memory of David Lean
★ BRIT School - Performing Arts & Technology school owned by the BRIT Trust (known for the BRIT Awards)
★ Croydon Grants - entertainment venue, includes cinema and desirable nightclub Tiger Tiger
★ Taberner House - the main offices of Croydon Council
★ Central Croydon - the largest office space in South East England outside Central London
★ Surrey Street Market - Market which has a Royal Charter dating back to 1276 linking it to the Archbishop of Canterbury
★ Beanos, a collectors record store that has been in Croydon for over three decades.
The borough includes the following areas:
★ Addington
★ Addiscombe
★ Ashburton
★ Broad Green
★ Coombe
★ Coulsdon
★ Croydon - the principal area
★ Crystal Palace - shared with Lambeth, Southwark, Lewisham and Bromley
★ Forestdale
★ Hamsey Green
★ Kenley
★ New Addington
★ Norbury
★ Pollards Hill
★ Purley
★ Sanderstead
★ Selhurst
★ Selsdon
★ Shirley
★ South Croydon
★ South Norwood
★ Thornton Heath
★ Upper Norwood
★ Waddon
★ West Croydon
★ Woodside
★ Whyteleafe - some residential areas
The old London to Brighton road, the A23, passes through the west of the borough on Purley Way, the retail district of Croydon which includes an IKEA store. The M25 motorway forms part of the boundary of the borough. The M23 motorway also starts at the very south of the borough and borders Tandridge.
''For a look of all the stations in Croydon including Tramlink and National Rail, see List of stations in London Borough of Croydon''
Due to the lack of London Underground stations in the borough, South London has an extensive railway network, the busiest in London. The main line through Croydon is the Brighton Main Line which travels from either Victoria or London Bridge station to a number of destinations in Sussex, Surrey and Kent. The main operator of services in the borough is currently contracted to Southern although others include Southeastern, First Capital Connect and Virgin Trains. East Croydon station is currently the largest and busiest station in Croydon, third busiest in London (excluding Travelcard Zone 1)
Stations in Croydon:
★ East Croydon
★ South Croydon
★ West Croydon
There are 13 other railway stations within the borough boundaries. In alphabetical order they are:
★ Coulsdon South
★ Kenley
★ Norbury
★ Norwood Junction
★ Purley
★ Purley Oaks
★ Reedham
★ Riddlesdown
★ Sanderstead
★ Selhurst
★ Smitham
★ Thornton Heath
★ Waddon
★ Woodmansterne
The following station is outside the boundary, but serves part of the borough:
★ Crystal Palace
Former or disused stations inside the borough:
★ Croydon Central
★ Waddon Marsh
★ Beddington Lane
★ Addiscombe
★ Bingham Road
The East London Line is to be extended to the borough by 2010 as part of London Overground, two stations, Norwood Junction and West Croydon, will be connected to London Underground services. Currently the closest tube station is apparently Morden tube station, 139 minutes away to the west.[16]
Main articles: Tramlink
Croydon is the hub of Tramlink services in the capital. It is the only tram system in London at the moment and was once called the Croydon Tramlink but was changed due to expansion. Now it serves Wimbledon, New Addington, Elmers End, Beckenham, Mitcham and the Purley Way retail and industrial area.
There are also a large number of London Bus services in the borough that reach Central London, Purley Way, Bromley, Lewisham and a number of other civic centres in the South. London Buses route X26, the longest London Bus route in London, provides services to Heathrow Airport via Richmond and Sutton. There is a large bus station at West Croydon which is undergoing a major re-development to make the station more modern and future proof.
The following people have an association with Croydon:-
★ Archbishop of Canterbury John Whitgift (ca. 1530–1604), is buried in the Parish Church of St John the Baptist. Several other Archbishops are buried in the Parish Church or St Mary's in Addington.
★ Art critic and social theorist John Ruskin (1819–1900) spent much of childhood in Croydon at his mother's family home and visited often as an adult. His parents are buried in Shirley.
★ Edward White Benson, Archbishop of Canterbury (1883-96)lived at Addington Palace. Invented Christmas tradition of Festival of Nine Lessons & Carols.
★ John Horniman (1803–1893) and Frederick John Horniman (1835–1906), tea merchants, collectors and public benefactors, lived at Coombe Cliff, Coombe Road, Croydon
★ Naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace (1823–1913), lived at 44 St Peter's Road, Croydon. He independently proposed a theory of evolution by natural selection and prompted Charles Darwin to reveal his own unpublished theory sooner than he had intended.
★ Actor and dramatist Miles Malleson (1888–1969) was born in Croydon.
★ French novelist Émile Zola (1840–1902) lived at The Queen's Hotel, 122 Church Road, Upper Norwood 1898-1899.
★ William Ford Robertson Stanley (1829–1909), inventor, collector, manufacturer scientific instruments and philanthropist, lived in Croydon, and founded and designed the halls and technical school known as the Stanley Halls, 12 South Norwood Hill, South Norwood.
★ Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859–1930) author and creator of Sherlock Holmes, lived at 12 Tennison Road, South Norwood 1891-1894.
★ Author D.H. Lawrence (1885–1930) lived at 12 Colworth Road, Addiscombe 1908-1912 whilst a teacher at Davidson Road School.
★ Composer Samuel Coleridge Taylor (1875–1912), lived at 30 Dagnall Park, Selhurst. Black composer noted for his cantatas including The Song of Hiawatha trilogy.
★ Comic actor Will Hay (1888–1949), lived at 45 The Chase, Norbury 1927-1934.
★ Illustrator and artist Cicely Mary Barker (1895–1973), who created the famous Flower Fairies books, was born in Croydon and lived locally. She studied at the Croydon School of Art.
★ Author and media personality Malcolm Muggeridge ( 1903– 1990) was the son of H.T. Muggeridge, a prominent Croydon Labour councillor. He also taught at John Ruskin Central School in the 1920s.
★ Film director Sir David Lean (1908–1991), was born in Croydon on 25 March1908.
★ Actress Dame Peggy Ashcroft (1907–1991), was born in Croydon and lived in George Street as a child. She is honoured in the naming of the Ashcroft Theatre, part of the Fairfield Halls.
★ Comedian Roy Hudd was born in Croydon in 1936.
★ Electrical engineer and inventor of the Teleprinter Frederick George Creed (1871–1957), lived and died at 20 Outram Road, Addiscombe.
★ Pop star Adam Ant is from Croydon.
★ Legendary Ska musician Desmond Dekker (1941-2006) lived in Thornton Heath.
★ The original members of rock group The Damned grew up in Croydon.
★ Supermodel Kate Moss was born in Croydon on 16 January 1974.
★ Wilfred Wood served as Bishop of Croydon 1985-2002, the first black Church of England bishop.
★ Former Arsenal footballer Ian Wright MBE lives in Shirley.
★ Feroz Abbasi, arrested in Afghanistan in 2001 and detained at Guantanamo Bay, lived in Shirley and attended school in Croydon.
★ Kirsty MacColl, the late singer and songwriter was born and grew up in Croydon
★ Ronnie Corbett, the comic actor lived for many years in Shirley, Croydon
★ Sarah Jane Smith, the popular fictional companion of the Third and Fourth Doctors in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who
★ Sir Francis Bond Head (1793-1875), soldier, traveler, author and Lieut. Governor of Upper Canada (1836-1838), had his home at Duppas Hall, Croydon
★ Croydon East (UK Parliament constituency)
★ Croydon South (historic UK Parliament constituency)
★ Croydon North East (UK Parliament constituency)
★ Croydon North West (UK Parliament constituency)
★ Croydon West (UK Parliament constituency)
★ Croydon (UK Parliament constituency)
★ County Borough of Croydon
★ List of former United Kingdom Parliamentary constituencies
★ Addington Palace
★ Lunar House
★ Mayday University Hospital
★ UK postcodes — a note of why and how postcodes CR0 and CR9 differ from the others.
★ Ruskin House
★ Tramlink
★ Croydon Advertiser
★ Croydon Guardian
★ Woodside and South Croydon Railway
★ Croydon parks and open spaces
★ [1]
★ Croydon Council
★ Croydon Guardian Local News page
★ Croydon Guardian Heritage pages
★ The Croydon Society site
★ Croydon Cycling Campaign site
★ The Bourne Society take an interest in the southern part of the borough and has fixed its own blue plaques to a number of buildings there.
★ Croydon Parish Church
★ Weird Croydon - requires Flash Player 8 or above.
1. http://eduinfo.croydon.gov.uk/CMS/GUI/Bases/index.php?schoolType=all
2. http://www.croydon.gov.uk/education/
3. http://www.croydon.ac.uk/03a.html
4. http://www.johnruskin.ac.uk/
5. http://www.coulsdon.ac.uk/
6. http://eduinfo.croydon.gov.uk/CMS/GUI/Bases/index.php?schoolType=primary
7. http://eduinfo.croydon.gov.uk/CMS/GUI/Bases/index.php?schoolType=special
8. http://eduinfo.croydon.gov.uk/CMS/GUI/Bases/index.php?schoolType=secondary
9. http://www.tessajowell.net/?PageId=4bd1346c-8ec2-36f4-ed45-ba76a9cef35e
10. http://www.londonpoolscampaign.com/discuss/msgReader6.com
11. http://www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/interactive/messageforum/view.php?threadid=829.com
12. http://www.croydonguardian.co.uk/display.var.848181.0.pool_plans_are_approved_despite_3_000_signature_petition.php.com
13. http://www.croydon.gov.uk/leisure/sports/
14. http://www.leisure-centre.com
15. http://www.croydon.gov.uk/content/departments/570770/570872/599193/ycjune07.pdf
16. http://www.londontown.com/LondonStreets/the_croydon_flyover_44f.html
: ''For details of the town of Croydon on which this borough is centred see Croydon''
The 'London Borough of Croydon' is a London borough in South London, England and part of Outer London. Its area is 34 square miles (87 km²) and it is the largest London borough by population. At its centre is the historic town of Croydon from which the borough takes its name. Central Croydon is the civic centre of Croydon and houses the largest office and retail centre in south east of England other than central London.
Status
The London Borough of Croydon was formed in 1965 from Coulsdon and Purley Urban District and the County Borough of Croydon. It is now governed by a cabinet-style council created in 2001.
Croydon unsuccessfully applied for city status in 2000 and again in 2002. If it had been successful it would have been the third local authority in Greater London to hold that status, the others being the City of London and the City of Westminster.
Geography
The borough sits on the edge of London, with the M25 motorway touching it. In Croydon North the borough mainly borders the London Borough of Bromley to the east and the London Boroughs of Southwark and Lambeth to the north. The boroughs of Sutton and Merton are directly to the west
Croydon's main town centre houses a great variety of well-known stores on North End as well as two shopping centres in the town. Another one is planned, Park Place.
Demographics
According to the 2001 census, Croydon has a population of 269,100 although in 2005 this was recorded to rise to 342,700. 70.2% of the borough is White, 13.3% African-Caribbean and 11.3% South Asian.
Parks and green spaces
Main articles: Croydon parks and open spaces
Postcode areas
Main articles: CR postcode area
Postcode areas which are situated inside the borough include:
★ SE25 (all)
★ SE19 (part)
★ SE27 (part)
★ SW16 (part)
★ CR0 (all)
★ CR2 (all)
★ CR3 (part)
★ CR5 (part)
★ CR7 (all)
★ CR8 (all)
★ CR9 (all)
Croydon Council
Croydon Council is responsible for the administration of Croydon.
Politics of Croydon Council
The council consists of 70 councillors elected in 24 wards. From 1994 to 2006 the Labour Party controlled the Council. Thirty-seven Labour and 31 Conservative councillors were elected in 2002, plus a lone Liberal Democrat bolstered by a subsequent defection of a councillor who had originally been elected as a Conservative, defected to Labour, went back to the Conservatives and spent some time as an independent.
At the 2006 local elections the Conservatives regained control of the Council after gaining 12 seats, taking ten seats from Labour in Addiscombe, Waddon and Norwood and the single Liberal Democrat seat in Coulsdon. They had seen 6% swings from Labour to Conservative in the two previous by-elections, each won by the incumbent party. Since the 2006 elections, a by-election in February 2007 saw a large swing back to Labour from the Conservatives. The next election is due in May 2010.
From February 2005 until May 2006, the Leader of Croydon Council was Labour Co-operative Councillor Tony Newman, succeeding Hugh Malyan. Mike Fisher, Tory group leader since May 2005, was named as Council Leader following the Conservative victory. Croydon is a cabinet-style council, and the Leader heads a ten-person cabinet, its members responsible for areas such as education or planning. There is a Shadow Cabinet drawn from the principal opposition party. A backbench cross-party scrutiny and overview committee is in place to hold the executive cabinet to account.
Summary of council election results:
| 'Overall control' | |
| 2006 | Conservative |
| 2002 | Labour |
| 1998 | Labour |
| 1994 | Labour |
| 1990 | Conservative |
| 1986 | Conservative |
| 1982 | Conservative |
| 1978 | Conservative |
| 1974 | Conservative |
| 1971 | Conservative |
| 1968 | Conservative |
| 1964 | No overall control |
Main articles: Croydon local elections
Westminster Parliament
The borough is covered by three parliamentary constituencies these are:
★ Croydon North
★ Croydon Central
★ Croydon South
Wards
There are 24 wards which represent Croydon Council. All Croydon Council seats were up for re-election for the first time since the 2002 elections, during the election on May 4, 2006. Previously Labour held control of the council. In the election, the Conservatives took 10 seats from Labour and 1 from the Liberal Democrats, giving the newly elected council's political composition as:
| 'Ward' | 'Members elected in 2006' |
| Addiscombe | Russell Jackson (Con) |
| Andrew Price (Con) | |
| Maria Garcia de la Huerta (Con) | |
| Ashburton | Lindsay Frost (Con) |
| Eddy Arram (Con) | |
| Avril Slipper (Con) | |
| Bensham Manor | Raj Rajendran (Lab) |
| Greta Sohoye (Lab) | |
| Alison Butler (Lab) | |
| Broad Green | Stuart Collins (Lab) |
| Mike Selva (Lab) | |
| Manju Shahul-Hameed (Lab) | |
| Coulsdon East | Christopher Wright (Con) |
| Brian Udell (Con) | |
| Terry Lenton (Con) | |
| Coulsdon West | David Osland (Con) |
| Gavin Barwell (Con) | |
| Brian Cakebread (Con) | |
| Croham | Maria Gatland (Con) |
| Michael Neal (Con) | |
| Jason Perry (Lab) | |
| Fairfield | Vidhi Mohan (Con) |
| Susan Winborn (Con) | |
| David Fitze (Con) | |
| Fieldway | Simon Hall (Lab) |
| Carole Bonner (Lab) | |
| Heathfield | Linda Bailey (Con) |
| Sharon Massey (Con) | |
| Andy John Waters (Con) | |
| Kenley | Jan Buttinger (Con) |
| Steve O'Connell (Con) | |
| Steve Hollands (Con) | |
| New Addington | Brenda Kirby (Lab) |
| George Ayres (Lab) | |
| Norbury | Maggie Mansell (Lab) |
| Shafi Khan (Lab) | |
| Sherwan Chowdhury (Lab) | |
| Purley | Graham Bass (Con) |
| Derek Millard (Con) | |
| Donald Speakman (Con) | |
| Sanderstead | Lynne Hale (Con) |
| Timothy Pollard (Con) | |
| Yvette Hopley (Con) | |
| Selhurst | Timothy Godfrey (Lab) |
| Toni Letts (Lab) | |
| Toni Letts (Lab) | |
| Selsdon and Ballards | Dudley Mead (Con) |
| Sara Bashford (Con) | |
| Phil Thomas (Con) | |
| Shirley | Janet Marshall (Con) |
| Richard Chatterjee (Con) | |
| Mike Fisher (Con) | |
| South Norwood | Susan Bennett (Con) |
| Luke Clancy (Con) | |
| Jane Avis (Lab) | |
| Thornton Heath | Pat Clouder (Lab) |
| Matthew Kyeremeh (Lab) | |
| Louisa Woodley (Lab) | |
| Upper Norwood | Robert Askey (Con) |
| Pat Ryan (Lab) | |
| George Filbey (Con) | |
| Waddon | Tony Harris (Con) |
| Jonathan Driver (Con) | |
| Simon Hoar (Con) | |
| West Thornton | Raj Chandarana (Lab) |
| Bernadette Khan (Lab) | |
| Mike Mogul (Lab) | |
| Woodside | Karen Jewitt (Lab) |
| Tony Newman (Lab) | |
| Paul Scott (Lab) |
Main articles: Croydon Council election 2006
Council services
Some 10,000 people work directly or indirectly for the council, in its main offices in Taberner House or in its schools, care homes, housing offices or work depots. The council is generally well-regarded, having made important improvements in education and social services.
Croydon Council Commercial Logo
The London Borough of Croydon is twinned with Arnhem in the Netherlands. There is also a Guyana link supported by the council.
The Mayor of Croydon for 2006-07 is Councillor Janet Marshall.
History
:''See also Croydon local elections''
For much of its history, Croydon Council was controlled by the Conservative Party or conservative-leaning independents.
Former Croydon councillors include current MP Andrew Pelling, former MPs Vivian Bendall, David Congdon, Geraint Davies and Reg Prentice, London Assembly member Valerie Shawcross, Lord Bowness, John Donaldson, Baron Donaldson of Lymington (Master of the Rolls) and H.T. Muggeridge, MP and father of Malcolm Muggeridge. The first Mayor of the newly-created County Borough was Jabez Balfour, later a disgraced Member of Parliament. Former Conservative Director of Campaigning, Gavin Barwell, has been a Croydon councillor since 1998.
Croydon Town Hall
Croydon Town Hall on 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 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 the roof. It also housed the court and most central council employees.
Parts, including the former court rooms, have been converted into the Museum of Croydon and exhibition galleries. The original public library is now a cinema, part of the Croydon 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.
Taberner House
Taberner House was built between 1964 and 1967, designed by architect H Thornley, with Allan Holt and Hugh Lea as borough engineers. Although the council had needed extra space since the 1920s, it was only with the imminent creation of the London Borough of Croydon that action was taken. The building is in classic 1960s style, praised at the time but subsequently much derided. It has its elegant upper slab block narrowing towards both ends, a formal device which has been compared to the famous Pirelli Tower of Milan. It was named after Ernest Taberner OBE, Town Clerk from 1937 to 1963.
Taberner House now houses most of the council's central employees and its 'one-stop shop' is the main location for the public to access information and services, particularly with respect to housing.
Leading figures
★ Leader - Cllr Mike Fisher
★ Deputy Leaders - Cllr Steve O'Connell and Cllr Dudley Mead
★ Chief Executive - David Wechsler - Jon Rouse (from July 07)
Twinning
★ - Arnhem, Netherlands
The London Borough of Croydon is twinned with the municipality of Arnhem which is located in the east of the Netherlands. The city of Arnhem is the second largest in the whole country, in terms of population.
Services
Health
Mayday University Hospital is a major NHS hospital built on a 19 acre site, located in Thornton Heath near the west of the borough. Mayday is a District General Hospital with a 24-hour accident and emergency department. NHS Direct has a regional centre based at the hospital. The NHS Trust also provides services at Purley War Memorial Hospital, in Purley.
There used to be a hospital on Duppas Hill 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 Hill is a psychiatric hospital in Coulsdon.
Education
:''Source.''[1]
The borough is one of the boroughs in London with the most schools in it. They include primary schools (95), secondary schools (21) and three further education establishments.[2] Croydon College has its main building in Central Croydon, it is a high rise building.[3] John Ruskin College[4] is one of the other colleges in the borough, located in Addington and Coulsdon College[5] in Coulsdon. The London Borough of Croydon is the local education authority for the borough.
Primary schools
:''Source.''[6]
There are over 90 primary schools in the borough and 6 specialist primary schools for disabled children or children with mental problems.
★ All Saints CofE Junior School
★ All Saints Infant School
★ Applegarth Junior School
★ Applegarth Nursery and Infant School
★ Ashburton Infant School
★ Ashburton Junior School
★ Atwood Primary School
★ Beaumont Primary School
★ Benson Primary and Nursery School
★ Beulah Junior School
★ Beulah Nursery and Infant School
★ Broadmead Junior School
★ Broadmead Nursery and Infant School
★ Byron Primary School
★ Castle Hill Primary School
★ Chipstead Valley Primary School
★ Christ Church CofE Primary School (Purley)
★ Coulsdon CofE Primary School
★ Courtwood Primary School
★ Cypress Infant School
★ Cypress Junior School
★ David Livingstone Primary School
★ Davidson Primary School
★ Downsview Primary and Nursery School
★ Duppas Junior School
★ Ecclesbourne Infant School
★ Ecclesbourne Junior School
★ Elmwood Junior School
★ Fairchildes Primary School
★ Forestdale Primary School
★ Gilbert Scott Infant Community School
★ Gilbert Scott Junior Community School
★ Gonville Primary School
★ Good Shepherd Catholic Primary School
★ Greenvale Primary School
★ Gresham Primary School
★ Heavers Farm Primary School
★ Howard Primary School
★ Kenley Primary School
★ Kensington Avenue Primary School
★ Keston Primary School
★ Kingsley Primary School
★ Margaret Roper Catholic Primary School
★ Monks Orchard Primary School and Nursery
★ Norbury Manor Primary School
★ Orchard Way Primary School
★ Oval Primary School
★ Parish Church CofE Junior School
★ Parish Church CofE Nursery and Infant School
★ Park Hill Infant School
★ Park Hill Junior School
★ Purley Oaks Primary School
★ Regina Coeli Catholic Primary School
★ Ridgeway Primary School
★ Rockmount Primary School
★ Roke Primary School
★ Rowdown Primary School
★ Ryelands Primary School
★ Selsdon Primary and Nursery School
★ Smitham Primary School
★ South Norwood Primary School
★ St Aidan's Catholic Primary School
★ St Chad's Catholic Primary School
★ St Cyprian's Greek Orthodox Primary School
★ St James The Great Catholic Primary and Nursery School
★ St John's CofE Primary School
★ St Joseph's RC Infant School
★ St Joseph's RC Junior School
★ St Mark's CofE Primary School
★ St Mary's Catholic Infant School
★ St Mary's RC Junior School
★ St Peter's Primary School
★ St Thomas Becket Catholic Primary School
★ The Hayes Primary School
★ The Wattenden School
★ Tollgate Primary School
★ Waddon Infant School
★ West Thornton Primary School
★ Whitehorse Manor Infant School
★ Whitehorse Manor Junior School
★ Winterbourne Junior Boys' School
★ Winterbourne Junior Girls' School
★ Winterbourne Nursery and Infant School
★ Wolsey Infant School
★ Wolsey Junior School
★ Woodcote Infant and Nursery School
★ Woodcote Junior School
★ Woodside Junior School
★ Woodside Nursery and Infant School
''Special Schools''
:''Source.''[7]
★ Beckmead School
★ Bensham Manor School
★ Priory School
★ Red Gates School
★ St Giles School
★ St Nicholas School
Secondary schools
:''Source.''[8]
Two schools in Croydon involved with the Harris Federation
★ Addington High School (secondary school, New Addington)
★ Archbishop Tenison's C of E High School, Croydon (secondary school, Croydon)
★ Ashburton Community School (secondary school, Croydon)
★ BRIT School (performing arts vocational school), Croydon
★ Coloma Convent R C (Girls) (secondary school, Croydon)
★ Coulsdon High School (secondary school, Old Coulsdon)
★ Edenham High School (secondary school, Shirley)
★ Haling Manor High School (secondary school, Croydon)
★ Harris Academy Crystal Palace (secondary school, Croydon)
★ Harris Academy South Norwood (secondary school, Croydon)
★ Harris City Technology College (secondary school, Croydon)
★ The John Fisher School (secondary school, Purley)
★ Norbury Manor High School for Girls (secondary school, Thornton Heath)
★ Purley High School for Boys (secondary school, Old Coulsdon)
★ Riddlesdown High School (secondary school, Purley)
★ Selhurst High School for Boys (secondary school, Croydon)
★ Selsdon High School (secondary school, South Croydon)
★ Shirley High School (secondary school, Shirley)
★ St. Andrew's Church of England High School (secondary school, Croydon)
★ St. Joseph's College (Boys) (secondary school, Upper Norwood)
★ St. Mary's R C High School (secondary school, Croydon)
★ Stanley Technical High School (secondary school, Croydon)
★ The Archbishop Lanfranc School (secondary school, Croydon)
★ Thomas More School (secondary school, Purley)
★ Virgo Fidelis Convent Senior School (girls-only secondary school, Upper Norwood)
★ Westwood Language College For Girls (secondary school, Upper Norwood)
★ Woodcote High School (secondary school, Coulsdon)
★ Old Palace School (secondary school, Croydon)
★ Trinity School of John Whitgift (secondary school, Shirley Park)
★ Whitgift School (secondary school), Croydon
''Old Palace, Whitgift and Trinity are all Independent secondary schools''
Libraries
The borough of Croydon has 14 libraries, a joint library and 1 mobile library. Many of the libraries where built a long time ago and therefore have become outdated, so the council started updating a few including Ashburton Library which moved from its former spot into the state-of-the-art Ashburton Learning Village complex which is on the former site of the old 'A Block' of Ashburton Community School which is now situated inside the centre. The library is now on 1 floor. This is what the council wanted to roll out around the borough but due to the cost of this one, it was decided that doing this would cost to much.
South Norwood Library, New Addington Library, Shirley Library, Thornton Heath Library, Selsdon Library, Sanderstead Library, Purley Library, Coulsdon Library and Bradmore Green Library are examples of old council libraries. The main library is Croydon Central Library which holds many references, newspaper archives and a tourist information point (one of three in South East London). Upper Norwood Library is a joint library with the London Borough of Lambeth. This means that both councils fund the library and its resoures, but eithen though Lambeth have nearly doubled their funding for the library in the past several years Croydon has kept it the same,[9] doubting the future of the library.
Leisure
The borough has been criticized in the past for not having enough leisure facilites, maintaining the position of Croydon as a three star borough. At the moment only three leisure centres are open for public use and two of these are expected to be closed down in the near future, with plans for only one of them to be re-built. Thornton Heath's aging sports centre was recently knocked down, and replaced by a newer more modern leisure centre. South Norwood Leisure Centre was closed down in early 2006 so that it could be knocked completely down and re-designed from scratch like Thornton Heath, which would cost around £10 million.[10] In May 2006 the Conservative Party became in charge of Croydon and decided that doing this would cost too much money, so they came up with another idea of just re-furbishing the centre, although this decision didn't come without its controversy.[11][12]
Purley Pool, is to close as well soon, but a new "super-pool" is planned in Coulsdon. The aging New Addington Leisure Centre is also set to close but is to be re-built. A new leisure centre is also going to be built on the A23, southern end of Purley Way opposite the Homebase and Texaco.
Sport Croydon,[13] currently is the commercial arm for leisure in the borough and the logo is seen somewhere in each of the centres. Parkwood Leisureprovides the services for all the boroughs leisure centres, along with nearby Lewisham's.[14]
Crime
Since 2006, the Metropolitan Police have recorded a 10% fall in the number of crimes committed in Croydon, better than the rate which crime in London as a whole is falling. Croydon has had the highest fall in the number of cases of violence against the person in South London, and, in terms of overall crime numbers, the borough is one of the top 10 safest in London. According to ''Your Croydon'' (a local community magazine) this is due to a stronger partnership struck between Croydon Council and the police.[15]
Croydon has a large number of police stations which stretch right across the borough.
Future
Main articles: Croydon Vision 2020
'Croydon Vision 2020' is a vigorous re-generation plan which will change the Urban planning of central Croydon completely. Its main aim is to make Croydon 'London's Third City' and the hub of retail, business, culture and living in South London and South East England. The plan was showcased in a series of events called Croydon Expo. It was aimed at business and residents in the London Borough of Croydon to demonstrate the £3.5bn development projects the Council wishes to see in Croydon in the next ten years. It included the re-development of New Addington, Central Croydon (Park Place and Croydon Gateway sites) plus leisure facilites across the whole borough.
Attractions
The control tower of Croydon Airport in 1939, with the Imperial Airways de Havilland DH 91 Albatross ''Fortuna'' alongside
There are a large number of attractions across the borough of Croydon, these include:
★ Croydon Airport - London's former main airport, now disused and is now a tourist attraction
★ Museum of Croydon - A museum highlighting Croydon in the past and present includes the Riesco Gallery
★ Shirley Windmill - a working and the only surviving windmill in Shirley
★ Addington Palace - an 18th century mansion in Addington
★ Croydon Clocktower - an arts venue in Croydon, opened by Queen Elizabeth II
★ North End - the shopping road in Croydon, host of Centrale and Whitgift Centre
★ Warehouse Theatre - Large and well-known theatre for (mostly) young performers
★ Nestle Tower - the famous European headquarters of Nestle, one of the tallest towers in England
★ Fairfield Halls - an arts centre in Croydon which opened in 1962, frequently used for BBC recordings
★ Croydon Palace - summer residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury for over 500 years
★ Croydon Cemetery - Most famous for the gravestone of Derek Bentley, wrongly hanged in 1953
★ Mitcham Common - Partly in the borough, shared with Sutton and Merton
★ David Lean Cinema - a cinema built in memory of David Lean
★ BRIT School - Performing Arts & Technology school owned by the BRIT Trust (known for the BRIT Awards)
★ Croydon Grants - entertainment venue, includes cinema and desirable nightclub Tiger Tiger
★ Taberner House - the main offices of Croydon Council
★ Central Croydon - the largest office space in South East England outside Central London
★ Surrey Street Market - Market which has a Royal Charter dating back to 1276 linking it to the Archbishop of Canterbury
★ Beanos, a collectors record store that has been in Croydon for over three decades.
Districts
The borough includes the following areas:
St. Mary's Church, Addington, London Borough of Croydon
The offices of the former Coulsdon and Purley Urban District Council
★ Addington
★ Addiscombe
★ Ashburton
★ Broad Green
★ Coombe
★ Coulsdon
★ Croydon - the principal area
★ Crystal Palace - shared with Lambeth, Southwark, Lewisham and Bromley
★ Forestdale
★ Hamsey Green
★ Kenley
★ New Addington
★ Norbury
★ Pollards Hill
★ Purley
★ Sanderstead
★ Selhurst
★ Selsdon
★ Shirley
★ South Croydon
★ South Norwood
★ Thornton Heath
★ Upper Norwood
★ Waddon
★ West Croydon
★ Woodside
★ Whyteleafe - some residential areas
Transport
Roads
The old London to Brighton road, the A23, passes through the west of the borough on Purley Way, the retail district of Croydon which includes an IKEA store. The M25 motorway forms part of the boundary of the borough. The M23 motorway also starts at the very south of the borough and borders Tandridge.
Railway
''For a look of all the stations in Croydon including Tramlink and National Rail, see List of stations in London Borough of Croydon''
Due to the lack of London Underground stations in the borough, South London has an extensive railway network, the busiest in London. The main line through Croydon is the Brighton Main Line which travels from either Victoria or London Bridge station to a number of destinations in Sussex, Surrey and Kent. The main operator of services in the borough is currently contracted to Southern although others include Southeastern, First Capital Connect and Virgin Trains. East Croydon station is currently the largest and busiest station in Croydon, third busiest in London (excluding Travelcard Zone 1)
Stations in Croydon:
★ East Croydon
★ South Croydon
★ West Croydon
There are 13 other railway stations within the borough boundaries. In alphabetical order they are:
Former lines on the Woodside and South Croydon Railway
★ Coulsdon South
★ Kenley
★ Norbury
★ Norwood Junction
★ Purley
★ Purley Oaks
★ Reedham
★ Riddlesdown
★ Sanderstead
★ Selhurst
★ Smitham
★ Thornton Heath
★ Waddon
★ Woodmansterne
The following station is outside the boundary, but serves part of the borough:
★ Crystal Palace
Former or disused stations inside the borough:
★ Croydon Central
★ Waddon Marsh
★ Beddington Lane
★ Addiscombe
★ Bingham Road
The East London Line is to be extended to the borough by 2010 as part of London Overground, two stations, Norwood Junction and West Croydon, will be connected to London Underground services. Currently the closest tube station is apparently Morden tube station, 139 minutes away to the west.[16]
Trams
A map of the Tramlink network.
Main articles: Tramlink
Croydon is the hub of Tramlink services in the capital. It is the only tram system in London at the moment and was once called the Croydon Tramlink but was changed due to expansion. Now it serves Wimbledon, New Addington, Elmers End, Beckenham, Mitcham and the Purley Way retail and industrial area.
Buses
There are also a large number of London Bus services in the borough that reach Central London, Purley Way, Bromley, Lewisham and a number of other civic centres in the South. London Buses route X26, the longest London Bus route in London, provides services to Heathrow Airport via Richmond and Sutton. There is a large bus station at West Croydon which is undergoing a major re-development to make the station more modern and future proof.
Individuals associated with the Borough of Croydon
The following people have an association with Croydon:-
★ Archbishop of Canterbury John Whitgift (ca. 1530–1604), is buried in the Parish Church of St John the Baptist. Several other Archbishops are buried in the Parish Church or St Mary's in Addington.
★ Art critic and social theorist John Ruskin (1819–1900) spent much of childhood in Croydon at his mother's family home and visited often as an adult. His parents are buried in Shirley.
★ Edward White Benson, Archbishop of Canterbury (1883-96)lived at Addington Palace. Invented Christmas tradition of Festival of Nine Lessons & Carols.
★ John Horniman (1803–1893) and Frederick John Horniman (1835–1906), tea merchants, collectors and public benefactors, lived at Coombe Cliff, Coombe Road, Croydon
★ Naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace (1823–1913), lived at 44 St Peter's Road, Croydon. He independently proposed a theory of evolution by natural selection and prompted Charles Darwin to reveal his own unpublished theory sooner than he had intended.
★ Actor and dramatist Miles Malleson (1888–1969) was born in Croydon.
★ French novelist Émile Zola (1840–1902) lived at The Queen's Hotel, 122 Church Road, Upper Norwood 1898-1899.
★ William Ford Robertson Stanley (1829–1909), inventor, collector, manufacturer scientific instruments and philanthropist, lived in Croydon, and founded and designed the halls and technical school known as the Stanley Halls, 12 South Norwood Hill, South Norwood.
★ Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859–1930) author and creator of Sherlock Holmes, lived at 12 Tennison Road, South Norwood 1891-1894.
★ Author D.H. Lawrence (1885–1930) lived at 12 Colworth Road, Addiscombe 1908-1912 whilst a teacher at Davidson Road School.
★ Composer Samuel Coleridge Taylor (1875–1912), lived at 30 Dagnall Park, Selhurst. Black composer noted for his cantatas including The Song of Hiawatha trilogy.
★ Comic actor Will Hay (1888–1949), lived at 45 The Chase, Norbury 1927-1934.
★ Illustrator and artist Cicely Mary Barker (1895–1973), who created the famous Flower Fairies books, was born in Croydon and lived locally. She studied at the Croydon School of Art.
★ Author and media personality Malcolm Muggeridge ( 1903– 1990) was the son of H.T. Muggeridge, a prominent Croydon Labour councillor. He also taught at John Ruskin Central School in the 1920s.
★ Film director Sir David Lean (1908–1991), was born in Croydon on 25 March1908.
★ Actress Dame Peggy Ashcroft (1907–1991), was born in Croydon and lived in George Street as a child. She is honoured in the naming of the Ashcroft Theatre, part of the Fairfield Halls.
★ Comedian Roy Hudd was born in Croydon in 1936.
★ Electrical engineer and inventor of the Teleprinter Frederick George Creed (1871–1957), lived and died at 20 Outram Road, Addiscombe.
★ Pop star Adam Ant is from Croydon.
★ Legendary Ska musician Desmond Dekker (1941-2006) lived in Thornton Heath.
★ The original members of rock group The Damned grew up in Croydon.
★ Supermodel Kate Moss was born in Croydon on 16 January 1974.
★ Wilfred Wood served as Bishop of Croydon 1985-2002, the first black Church of England bishop.
★ Former Arsenal footballer Ian Wright MBE lives in Shirley.
★ Feroz Abbasi, arrested in Afghanistan in 2001 and detained at Guantanamo Bay, lived in Shirley and attended school in Croydon.
★ Kirsty MacColl, the late singer and songwriter was born and grew up in Croydon
★ Ronnie Corbett, the comic actor lived for many years in Shirley, Croydon
★ Sarah Jane Smith, the popular fictional companion of the Third and Fourth Doctors in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who
★ Sir Francis Bond Head (1793-1875), soldier, traveler, author and Lieut. Governor of Upper Canada (1836-1838), had his home at Duppas Hall, Croydon
See also
★ Croydon East (UK Parliament constituency)
★ Croydon South (historic UK Parliament constituency)
★ Croydon North East (UK Parliament constituency)
★ Croydon North West (UK Parliament constituency)
★ Croydon West (UK Parliament constituency)
★ Croydon (UK Parliament constituency)
★ County Borough of Croydon
★ List of former United Kingdom Parliamentary constituencies
★ Addington Palace
★ Lunar House
★ Mayday University Hospital
★ UK postcodes — a note of why and how postcodes CR0 and CR9 differ from the others.
★ Ruskin House
★ Tramlink
★ Croydon Advertiser
★ Croydon Guardian
★ Woodside and South Croydon Railway
★ Croydon parks and open spaces
External links
★ [1]
★ Croydon Council
★ Croydon Guardian Local News page
★ Croydon Guardian Heritage pages
★ The Croydon Society site
★ Croydon Cycling Campaign site
★ The Bourne Society take an interest in the southern part of the borough and has fixed its own blue plaques to a number of buildings there.
★ Croydon Parish Church
★ Weird Croydon - requires Flash Player 8 or above.
References
1. http://eduinfo.croydon.gov.uk/CMS/GUI/Bases/index.php?schoolType=all
2. http://www.croydon.gov.uk/education/
3. http://www.croydon.ac.uk/03a.html
4. http://www.johnruskin.ac.uk/
5. http://www.coulsdon.ac.uk/
6. http://eduinfo.croydon.gov.uk/CMS/GUI/Bases/index.php?schoolType=primary
7. http://eduinfo.croydon.gov.uk/CMS/GUI/Bases/index.php?schoolType=special
8. http://eduinfo.croydon.gov.uk/CMS/GUI/Bases/index.php?schoolType=secondary
9. http://www.tessajowell.net/?PageId=4bd1346c-8ec2-36f4-ed45-ba76a9cef35e
10. http://www.londonpoolscampaign.com/discuss/msgReader6.com
11. http://www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/interactive/messageforum/view.php?threadid=829.com
12. http://www.croydonguardian.co.uk/display.var.848181.0.pool_plans_are_approved_despite_3_000_signature_petition.php.com
13. http://www.croydon.gov.uk/leisure/sports/
14. http://www.leisure-centre.com
15. http://www.croydon.gov.uk/content/departments/570770/570872/599193/ycjune07.pdf
16. http://www.londontown.com/LondonStreets/the_croydon_flyover_44f.html
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