The London Borough of Croydon (pronunciation is a London borough in South London, England and is part of Outer London. It covers an area of 34 square miles (87 km²) and is the largest London borough by population. It is the southernmost borough of London.[2] 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.
At its centre is the historic town of Croydon from which the borough takes its name. Croydon is mentioned in the Doomsday Book, and from a small market town has expanded into one of the most populous areas on the fringe of London. Central Croydon is the civic centre of the borough and houses the largest office and retail centre in the south east of England outside Central London.
Croydon Council and its predecessor Croydon Corporation unsuccessfully applied for city status in 1954, 2000 and 2002. The area is currently going through a large re-generation project, Croydon Vision 2020, which is hoped to attract more businesses and tourists to the area.
The London Borough of Croydon was formed in 1965 from the the Coulsdon and Purley Urban District and the County Borough of Croydon. It is now governed by a cabinet-style council created in 2001. 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 pre-historic times.[3] It is thought to derive from the Anglo-Saxon croeas deanas, meaning "the valley of the crocuses", indicating that, like Saffron Walden in Essex, it was a centre for the collection of saffron. Another opinion[4] holds that the name derives from the Old French croie dune, meaning "chalk hill", since Croydon stands at the northern edge of the chalk hills called the North Downs.
By the time of the Norman invasion Croydon had a church, a mill and around 365 inhabitants as recorded in the Doomsday Book. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Archbishop Lanfranc lived at Croydon Palace which still stands. Visitors included Thomas Beckett (another Archbishop), and royal figures such as King Henry VIII and Queen Elizabeth I .
Croydon carried on through the ages as a prosperous market town, they produced charcoal, tanned leather, and got 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-1800s, helping it to become the largest town in Surrey.
In the 1900 Croydon became known for industries such as metal working, car manufacture and its aerodrome, Croydon Airport. It was partly due to this that Croydon suffered heavy bomb damage during World War Two.[6]
In the late 1950s and through the 1960s the Council commercialised the centre of Croydon with massive development of office blocks and the Whitgift Shopping Centre. The original Whitgift School there had moved to Haling Park, South Croydonb 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 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 London Borough of Croydon is the second most populous Local government district of England without city status, Kirklees being the first.
Croydon is currently going through a vigorous regeneration plan, called Croydon Vision 2020. This 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 facilities across the whole borough. |
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