London Borough of Croydon

Croydon is a large town in South London, England, 9.5 miles (15 km) south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a local government district of Greater London; it is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater London, with an extensive shopping area. The entire town had a population of 192,064 as of 2011, whilst the wider borough had a population of 384,837.

The River Beck is one of the tributaries of the River Ravensbourne in south London. The source of the River Beck is in Spring Park (grid reference TQ377647) where Shirley and West Wickham meet. For its first mile or so it forms the border between the London boroughs of Croydon and Bromley. Indeed, historically, this was also the border between Surrey and Kent. It gives its name to Beck Lane, Elmers End and Beck Way, Beckenham.

Croydon Underpass is an underpass located in Croydon, London, England. The road is part of the A212 which stretches from Catford to Forestdale. The underpass was constructed beneath the junction of George Street and Wellesley Road/Park Lane in the early 1960s. The underpass was built mainly to prevent traffic congestion on Park Lane above the underpass.

Farthing Downs is an open space in Coulsdon in the London Borough of Croydon. Together with Eight Acres Common and New Hill to the south-east, it is owned and managed by the Corporation of London. Farthing Downs and Eight Acres Common are part of the Farthing Downs and Happy Valley Site of Special Scientific Interest. Happy Valley Park is a green space to the south owned by Croydon Council. Farthing Downs is also a scheduled monument.

Harris Federation is a multi-academy trust of 55 primary and secondary academies in and around London. They are sponsored by Philip Harris (Lord Harris of Peckham).

Kevin Hicks (born 1970) is a British schoolboy who disappeared from Addiscombe, Croydon, on 2 March 1986. In 2016, the Metropolitan Police reclassified the case as a murder investigation.

The Association of English Cathedrals (AEC) was formed in 1990 as an unincorporated association to represent the interests of English Anglican Cathedrals in negotiations with English Heritage about a Cathedrals Grant Scheme. It was incorporated as a company and registered as a charity in 2008. The Association of English Cathedrals (AEC) represents the 42 Anglican cathedrals in England, along with the royal peculiars of Westminster Abbey and St George's Chapel, Windsor. Since its founding the role of the AEC has expanded to support the mission of cathedrals and their operations.

Riddlesdown Common or Riddlesdown is a 43 hectare area of green space in Kenley, towards the northern end of the North Downs in the London Borough of Croydon. It is owned and maintained by the City of London Corporation, apart from two small areas, one of which is operated by the London Wildlife Trust and the other by Croydon Council. An area of 32 hectares is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest. The name Riddlesdown also applies to the local district of residential housing. A trig point at the site indicates that it is 525 ft (160 m) above sea level.

Sanderstead is a village and medieval-founded church parish at the southern end of Croydon in south London, England, within the London Borough of Croydon, and formerly in the historic county of Surrey, until 1965. It takes in Purley Downs and Sanderstead Plantation, an area of woodland that includes the second-highest point in London. Sanderstead sits above a dry valley at the edge of the built-up area of Greater London. Cementing its secular identity from the late 19th century until abolition in 1965 it had a civil parish council. The community had a smaller farming-centred economy until the mid 19th century.

New Addington Library is a public library in New Addington, South London. It stands in the London Borough of Croydon and is part of the Croydon Libraries arm of the council. The library was relocated to the New Addington Centre in 2013.

Croydon Law Courts is a Crown Court venue, which deals with criminal cases, and a County Court venue, which deals with civil cases, in Altyre Road, Croydon, London. There is also an older magistrates' courts building on an adjacent site in Barclay Road.

South London Harriers (SLH) is a British athletics club based in Coulsdon, South London, England. The club's headquarters are based at 194 Brighton Road but training and racing primarily takes place at the athletics track at Woodcote High School and on Farthing Downs. The club train on Tuesday and Thursday evenings but also run sessions at weekends that include events such as cross-country and triathlon.

The East India Company Military Seminary was a British military academy at Addiscombe, Surrey, in what is now the London Borough of Croydon. It opened in 1809 and closed in 1861. Its purpose was to train young officers to serve in the East India Company's own army in India.

Ashburton Learning Village is a learning complex in Woodside, Greater London. It stands in the London Borough of Croydon, and is located near Ashburton Park. The village includes Ashburton Library, Oasis Academy Shirley Park, Croydon Music Service and a CALAT training centre. The complex was built after the old Ashburton Library was closed down.

The Ashcroft Theatre is a theatre located within the Fairfield Halls, Croydon, South London. The theatre was named after Croydon-born Dame Peggy Ashcroft and is a proscenium theatre with a stepped auditorium. The mural on its fire curtain is by the artist Henry Bird. A variety of productions are held throughout the year such as drama, ballet, opera and pantomime. The venue has a seating capacity of 763 and can be converted into a cinema as it has a large screen giving full Cinemascope and standard film format.

Beanos was a second-hand record shop, once the largest in Europe, located in the South London borough of Croydon. It was founded by musician David Lashmar in 1975 and continued to expand through three increasingly larger shops, ending up in an old printing works in Middle Street in the 1990s.

Croydon Corporation Tramways operated a tramway service in Croydon, in South London, England, between 1900 and 1933.

Coombe is a place in the London Borough of Croydon, situated south-east of central Croydon, between Addiscombe, Selsdon and Upper Shirley. Formerly a hamlet, since the growth of suburban development the area has become swallowed into the London conurbation and often does not appear on modern map.

Coulsdon and Purley Urban District was a local government district in northeast Surrey from 1915 to 1965. The local authority was Coulsdon and Purley Urban District Council. The former area of the district is now mostly part of the London Borough of Croydon in Greater London, with parts in the Tandridge District and the Borough of Reigate and Banstead in Surrey.

Commonweal Lodge was an independent school for girls aged between eleven and nineteen, located on the Webb Estate in Purley operating between 1916 and 2010.

Cane Hill Hospital was a psychiatric hospital in Coulsdon in the London Borough of Croydon. The hospital motto was "Aversos compono animos" (I bring relief to troubled minds). The hospital was built in the 1880s, but from the 1960s its use was starting to decline and it eventually closed completely in the 2000s. The former site is owned by GLA Land and Property.

Central Croydon railway station in Croydon, England, was a largely unsuccessful venture by the London Brighton and South Coast Railway to bring trains closer to the centre of Croydon, as East Croydon station was deemed too far from the busy town centre. It originally opened in 1868 and closed in 1871: it then reopened in 1886, before closing permanently in 1890. Its site was used for the building of Croydon Town Hall, erected in 1892–1896.

Croydon Harriers is an athletics club based in Croydon, London, England and is located at Croydon Sports Arena. The club caters for all age groups.

The Croydon Co-operative Society was a cooperative retailer in Croydon and surrounding parts of Surrey, England. In 1918, it became part of the new South Suburban Co-operative Society, now the Co-operative Group.

Elmers End is an area of south-east London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley, Greater London and formerly part of the historic county of Kent. It is located south of Beckenham, west of Eden Park, north of Monks Orchard and south-east of Anerley.

J. W. Hobbs' Ground was a cricket ground in Norbury, Surrey. The ground was constructed in 1885 within the grounds of Norbury Hall by local philanthropist J. W. Hobbs.

Grants of Croydon is an entertainment complex at 14–32 High Street, Croydon, London. Originally built in 1894, Grants became a Grade II listed building in 1990. In 2000 Grants was re-developed into an entertainment centre. It was bought by Scottish Widows in early 2010.

The A22 is one of the two-digit major roads in the south east of England. Radial, it carries traffic from London to the Eastbourne area of the East Sussex coast, in which town it ends.

Safari Cinema was an entertainment venue at 225 London Road in Broad Green, Croydon. It was opened in 1936, and closed in 2004. The building was demolished in 2005, and was described at the time as "the last of the historic cinemas from the Golden Age left in Croydon".

North End is a pedestrianised road in Central Croydon, which includes entrances to the town's two main shopping centres, Centrale and the Whitgift Centre. The road has high street chains including Next, Zara, French Connection, and a large branch of department store House of Fraser. A large Debenhams store on the west side of the road did not reopen after the 2020 Coronavirus lockdown as the company entered administration. North End was closed off to all forms of motor traffic in 1989, to entice shoppers to choose Croydon over its main south-east London rival Bromley.

Park Place was a proposed shopping centre which had been expected to open in Croydon, London by 2011. The date was continuously pushed back due to a number of problems between different developers, financial backers and the local council. It was cancelled in 2009, as other schemes began progress, such as the extension to Centrale and the possible takeover of the Whitgift Centre by Westfield Group. Park Place was part of the Croydon Vision 2020 re-generation scheme.

Pollards Hill is a small residential district straddling the south London boroughs of Croydon and Merton between Mitcham, Norbury and Thornton Heath. The boundary of the two boroughs is a street named Recreation Way. No roads directly cross the Croydon/Merton divide, and streets were planned according to each borough, leading to differing architectural or building schemes. Pollards Hill lends its name to a ward of the London Borough of Merton.

Riddlesdown is a place in the London Borough of Croydon, one mile east from the centre of its post town of Purley. The name applies to the residential district and to the green space maintained by the City of London Corporation which is also known as Riddlesdown Common.

The Norwood Junction railway crash occurred on 1 May 1891, when a cast-iron underbridge over Portland Road, 60 yards (55 m) north-east of Norwood Junction railway station, fractured under the weight of an express train from Brighton to London Bridge.

Purley High School for Boys existed from 1914 to 1988. Originally located in Purley from 1914, in 1936 it relocated to Placehouse Lane, Old Coulsdon, London Borough of Croydon. The school was Purley County Grammar School from 1914 to 1969, becoming Purley Grammar School for Boys and then, in 1973, Purley High School for Boys after the abolition of the Grammar School system and the implementation of the Comprehensive System.

Purley Way is a section of the A23 trunk road in the London Borough of Croydon, in the areas of Purley, Waddon and Broad Green, and has given its name to the out-of-town shopping area alongside it with a catchment area covering most of South London.

The Purley station rail crash was a train collision that occurred just to the north of Purley railway station in the London Borough of Croydon on Saturday 4 March 1989, leaving five dead and 88 injured. The collision was caused by the driver of one of the trains passing a signal at danger; he pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to 12 months in prison plus six months suspended, although this was reduced to four months upon appeal, and in 2007 overturned. The Department of Transport report noted that the signal had a high incidence of being passed at danger and recommended that an automatic train protection system should be introduced without delay and in the interim a repeater for the signal that had been passed be installed.

The Norbury Estate originated as a London County Council cottage estate constructed between 1901 and 1920 at Norbury in what is now the north of the London Borough of Croydon. It was declared a conservation area in 2008.

Spring Park is a small area in London, England. It is within the London Borough of Bromley and the London Borough of Croydon, straddling the traditional Kent-Surrey border along The Beck. Spring Park is located north of Addington, west of West Wickham and south of Monks Orchard and Shirley.

Bingham Road railway station was in Addiscombe, Croydon on the Woodside and South Croydon Joint Railway. It was opened on 1 September 1906 on the north side of Bingham Road, with two wooden platforms without buildings and was closed on 15 March 1915 as a wartime economy measure. A new station on the south side of Bingham Road was opened in 1935 and finally closed in 1983. The modern Addiscombe tram stop (open 2000) at ground level is situated at the location of the first halt closed in 1915 which was situated on an embankment above the present site.

Kennards was a small department store chain that was started in 1853, founded on the principle of selling reliable goods at low profit margins. Its main Croydon branch was notable for the full-length windows which ran the length of the store. The shop was bought out by Debenhams, through its subsidiary the Drapery Trust in 1928 but not rebranded until 1973. The site was later obtained for development for the new Drummond Centre in the 1980s and the original store was demolished. The new store was sited on some of the original footprint and anchored the Drummond Centre, which was later expanded and renamed Centrale. This store continued to anchor the centre until Debenhams announced its closure in 2020.

The Coroner's Court for South London is located on the 2nd Floor of Davis House in Croydon. The offices of the Coroner for South London are located at the same address. The court covers the London Boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Croydon and Sutton.

The Heart of Gaming is an amusement arcade in London. The arcade's most recent venue opened in 2019 on North End, Croydon.

Balham Football Club is a football club based in Balham, in the London Borough of Wandsworth, England. They are currently members of the Combined Counties League Premier Division South and play at Imperial Fields in Mitcham.

The Croydon transmitting station is a broadcasting and telecommunications facility on Beaulieu Heights in Upper Norwood, London, England (grid reference TQ332696), in the London Borough of Croydon, owned by Arqiva. It was established in 1955 and initially used a small lattice tower. The present tower is 152 metres (499 ft) high and was built in 1962.

Selhurst High School for Boys was a name that has been given to two separate schools in England that existed at different times, but occupied the same site. The former school had been a grammar school that closed in 1988, the latter was the relaunch of a former comprehensive school, Ingram, under a different name in a different location. Thus, the later Selhurst High School for Boys was not simply an extension of the old school but rather has a more complex heritage. The school, located in the north of Croydon, was later referred to as Selhurst Mathematics and Computing Specialist School. The school was notable not only in the eminent alumni that feature among its forerunners' former pupils, but also because of the dramatic contrasts in its academic fortunes over time.

Sanderstead Court was a country house in Sanderstead, Surrey, England, dating from at least the 17th century. It was destroyed by fire in 1944, and its ruins are Grade II listed.

Selsdon railway station was at the junction of the Croydon, Oxted and East Grinstead Railway and the now-closed Woodside and South Croydon Joint Railway. Opened in 1885 as Selsdon Road, it was 2 miles (3.2 km) from Selsdon village.

South Croydon in south London is the area surrounding the valley south of central Croydon and running as far south as the former Red Deer public house on the Brighton Road. It is bounded by Waddon to the West and Selsdon and Sanderstead to the East. It is part of the South Croydon (CR2) post town and in the London Borough of Croydon.

The South Croydon rail crash on the British railway system occurred on 24 October 1947.

Selhurst Road is a main road between South Norwood and Selhurst in the London Borough of Croydon, south London. It forms part of the A213 road which is a major A Road connecting both Sydenham and Croydon.

Coulsdon (, traditionally pronounced ) is a town in south London, England, within the London Borough of Croydon. Coulsdon was an ancient parish in the county of Surrey that included the settlements of Purley and Kenley. It was merged with Sanderstead in 1915 to form the Coulsdon and Purley Urban District and has formed part of Greater London since 1965.

Taberner House housed many of the offices of Croydon London Borough Council until September 2013; the building was demolished in 2015. It was located in Croydon, London, close to the Croydon Town Hall.

Wallington was an ancient hundred in the northeast of the historic county of Surrey, England. The majority of its area has been absorbed by the growth of London; with its name currently referring to the district of Wallington. Its former area now corresponds to the London Borough of Sutton, the majority of the London Borough of Croydon and parts of the London Borough of Merton as well as parts of the Districts of Epsom and Ewell, Reigate and Banstead and Tandridge in Surrey.

St George's Walk is a partially covered shopping parade in the centre of Croydon, London that houses many independent stores. It was completed in 1964 by Ronald Ward and Partners, the designers of St George's House, at one end of the walk, and Millbank Tower in Westminster.

The Warehouse Theatre was a professional producing theatre in the centre of Croydon, England. Based in an oak-beamed Victorian former cement warehouse, it had 100 seats. The theatre closed in 2012 following withdrawal of funding and the discovery, after a survey, of serious faults in the building.

Valley Retail and Leisure Park is a retail park in the Purley Way retail and industrial area in Croydon, England. It is located near the Broad Green and Waddon areas of the London Borough of Croydon. Valley Park was opened in 1992 on the site of the former Croydon power stations, the first of which was built in the late nineteenth century. Croydon B power station was closed in 1984 and the majority of the site cleared in 1991. However the local council ordered the station's landmark chimneys be retained, which almost put IKEA off the site, but a compromise was made that IKEA could paint the top skirt of the tower in their colours (blue and yellow).

Wettern House was a high rise building next to East Croydon station in Croydon. Originally built in 1963, two years before the County Borough of Croydon disbanded into the London Borough of Croydon, it was demolished in November 2005 to make way for what would become Ruskin Square. The developer Stanhope, funded by Schroders, paid approximately £4 million to Prudential to acquire the building.

The 1924 Imperial Airways de Havilland DH.34 crash occurred on 24 December 1924 when de Havilland DH.34 G-EBBX of Imperial Airways crashed at Purley, Surrey, United Kingdom killing all eight people on board. The aircraft was operating a scheduled international flight from Croydon, Surrey, to Paris, France. It was the first fatal accident suffered by Imperial Airways and led to the first public inquiry into a civil aviation accident in the United Kingdom. As a result of issues brought up during the inquiry, Croydon Airport was expanded, absorbing most of Beddington Aerodrome.

The A212 is an A road in South London, linking Lewisham to Croydon.

The 1928 Imperial Airways Vickers Vulcan crash occurred on 13 July 1928 when a Vickers Vulcan on a test flight from Croydon Airport with a pilot and five passengers crashed near Purley, Surrey three miles from the airport, with the loss of four passengers. As a result of the crash Imperial Airways stopped the flying of staff (so called joy rides) on test flights.

The 1947 Croydon Dakota accident occurred on 25 January 1947 when a Spencer Airways Douglas C-47A Skytrain (Dakota) failed to get airborne from Croydon Airport near London, and crashed into a parked and empty ČSA Douglas C-47 destroying both aircraft and killing 11 passengers and one crew member.

Norwood New Town is a largely residential, former working-class enclave within the larger district of Upper Norwood in South London. It is within the London Borough of Croydon. In common with the neighbouring districts of West Norwood, South Norwood and Upper Norwood, it is named after the contraction of the Great North Wood, which once occupied this area.

Foxley Wood is an 11.36 hectare Local Nature Reserve and Site of Borough Importance for Nature Conservation, Grade 1, in Purley in the London Borough of Croydon. It is owned and managed by Croydon Council. The site was purchased by Coulsdon and Purley Urban District Council under the Green Belt Act in the 1930s.

Littleheath Woods is the collective name for Littleheath Wood, Foxearth Woods, part of Queenhill Shaw and part of Gee Wood in Selsdon in the London Borough of Croydon. It is a Site of Borough Importance for Nature Conservation, Grade I, with an area of 64 acres (26 ha). It is owned by Croydon Council and the Friends of Littleheath Woods assist with the management.

Croydon Rugby Football Club, founded in 1956 as Shirley Wanderers RFC, and are based at Addington Road, West Wickham, in the London Borough of Bromley, south London. Croydon are currently playing in the Rugby Football Union Surrey 5 league following league reorganisation. They also compete in the local Surrey RFU Knockout Competitions. Croydon currently field 2 senior sides, a growing Tinies (3-7yrs) Rhinos (8-10yrs) groups, a junior boys section (Under 16) and also a 'walking rugby' team.

The Dog & Bull is a public house in Croydon, England. It is a Grade II listed, 18th-century building with a 19th-century frontage in Surrey Street, on the site of a previous 12th- or 13th-century inn called The Bell.

The Croydon Water Palace was an indoor water park complex that opened in 1990 by the Purley Way in Waddon in the London Borough of Croydon, opposite Croydon Airport. It featured four water slides, a large jacuzzi area, a lazy river and a wave pool using an artificial wave-making machine. There was also an on-site café. It was part of the Purley Way retail development drive that occurred in the early 1990s, which also saw the creation of the Valley Park Retail Area.

The murder of Tia Sharp (30 June 2000 – 3 August 2012) was a high-profile case of child murder in the United Kingdom. The victim was a 12-year-old girl, Tia Sharp, who was reported missing from and later found dead at her grandmother's home in New Addington, London, in August 2012. After her body was discovered, police arrested her grandmother, Christine Bicknell, and Bicknell's then-boyfriend, Stuart Hazell, on suspicion of murder. Hazell was charged with Tia's murder on 12 August.

The Croydon power stations refers to a pair of demolished coal-fired power stations and to a gas-fired power station in the Purley Way area of Croydon, London.

Duppas Hill (or Duppa's Hill) is a park, road and surrounding residential area in Waddon, near Croydon in Greater London (and historically in Surrey).

Matiu Ratana (3 May 1966 – 25 September 2020) was a New Zealand-born British police sergeant who was shot dead at Croydon Custody Centre in London on 25 September 2020. He was nearing retirement, having served in the Metropolitan Police for nearly 30 years when he became the first police officer to be fatally shot in the UK since the murders of Nicola Hughes and Fiona Bone in 2012.

Dollypers Hill is a 12-hectare (30-acre) nature reserve south east of Coulsdon in the London Borough of Croydon. It is managed by the Surrey Wildlife Trust.

The Croydon Natural History & Scientific Society (CNHSS) is a cultural society based in Croydon, south London, that concerns itself with the local history, archaeology, natural history and geology of the London Borough of Croydon and adjacent areas. It was founded in 1870; and is a registered charity (no 260739).

Sandilands Tunnel is an ex-railway, brick arch tunnel in south London, currently serving the Croydon Tramway, which cuts through the Park Hill area on the eastern border of Croydon and serves as a key section of the Tramlink route connecting central Croydon, from West Croydon to New Addington.

On 9 November 2016, a tram operated by Tramlink in London derailed and overturned on a sharp bend approaching a junction. Of 69 passengers, there were seven fatalities and 62 injured, 19 of whom sustained serious injuries. This was the first tram incident in the United Kingdom in which passengers died since 1959.

Old Town is a neighbourhood in the London Borough of Croydon, lying immediately to the west of Croydon town centre. It is centred on Croydon Minster and the Old Palace, and is the location of the original early medieval settlement of Croydon. As defined for modern planning purposes, the neighbourhood includes Surrey Street Market to the east, and extends west as far as the boundaries of Wandle Park, and south to Croydon Flyover (part of the east–west A232 road). It is bisected by the north–south A236 dual carriageway, known along this stretch as Roman Way. It is in the CR0 postcode area.

Kinetic Foundation is a registered charity based in London, England, which combines football and education of young people.

Mitcham Road Barracks is an Army Reserve centre in Croydon, London, with a history dating back to 1794.

The Promenade de Verdun War Memorial is a First World War memorial in the garden village of Woodcote, Purley, in the London Borough of Croydon, England. It was designed by a local surveyor, William Webb, who had laid out the garden village in the early 20th century. Webb determined on a memorial to the soldiers of France who were killed in the First World War; as a commemoration of their sacrifice, and as a means to foster good relations between the United Kingdom and the Republic of France. The memorial consists of a 0.5 km boulevard, lined with Lombardy poplars planted in 10 tonnes of soil brought from France, and culminating in a 6m high obelisk carved from Cornish granite. The obelisk is inscribed; "AUX/ SOLDATS DE FRANCE/ MORTS GLORIEUSEMENT/ PENDANT LA GRAND GUERRE" and was unveiled in 1922. The stone is a Grade II listed structure and the setting is registered on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England.

Association Football Club Croydon Athletic is a football club based in Thornton Heath in the London Borough of Croydon, England. Founded by supporters of Croydon Athletic after it folded, the club are currently members of the Isthmian League South East Division and play at the Mayfield Stadium. They are affiliated to the London Football Association.