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There are several high-quality arts venues. Foremost amongst these is the Fairfield Halls, opened in 1962, which consists of a large concert hall frequently used for BBC recordings, the Ashcroft Theatre and the Arnhem Gallery. The Halls are the home of the [[London Mozart Players]], whose Principal Guest Conductor is flautist Sir [[James Galway]]. Many famous faces have appeared at the Fairfield Halls, from [[the Beatles]] through [[Bucks Fizz (band)|Bucks Fizz]], [[omid Djalili]],[[Robert Cray]], [[Chuck Berry]], [[Status Quo]], [[Level 42]], [[Joe Satriani]], [[John Mayall]], [[Jools Holland]], [[Kenny Rogers]], [[James Last]] to [[Coolio]]. The main concert hall was used for the conference scene in the [[Tom Hanks]] film [[The Da Vinci Code]].
There are several high-quality arts venues. Foremost amongst these is the Fairfield Halls, opened in 1962, which consists of a large concert hall frequently used for BBC recordings, the Ashcroft Theatre and the Arnhem Gallery. The Halls are the home of the [[London Mozart Players]], whose Principal Guest Conductor is flautist Sir [[James Galway]]. Many famous faces have appeared at the Fairfield Halls, from [[the Beatles]] through [[Bucks Fizz (band)|Bucks Fizz]], [[omid Djalili]],[[Robert Cray]], [[Chuck Berry]], [[Status Quo]], [[Level 42]], [[Joe Satriani]], [[John Mayall]], [[Jools Holland]], [[Kenny Rogers]], [[James Last]] to [[Coolio]]. The main concert hall was used for the conference scene in the [[Tom Hanks]] film [[The Da Vinci Code]].


The Warehouse Theatre is a studio theatre known for promoting new writing, as well as comedy and youth theatre. Croydon Clocktower, built by the London Borough of Croydon in the mid-1990s, houses a state-of-the-art library, the [[David Lean]] cinema, a performance venue in the old reference library and the town museum.
The [[Warehouse Theatre]] is a studio theatre known for promoting new writing, as well as comedy and youth theatre. [[Croydon Clocktower]], built by the London Borough of Croydon in the mid-1990s, houses a state-of-the-art library, the [[David Lean]] cinema, a performance venue in the old reference library and the town museum.
[[Image:FairfieldHalls.jpg|right|250px|thumb|The Fairfield Halls, Croydon's entertainment complex]]
[[Image:FairfieldHalls.jpg|right|250px|thumb|The Fairfield Halls, Croydon's entertainment complex]]


Revision as of 12:40, 1 November 2007

For other uses, see Croydon (disambiguation).
Croydon
Population330,000 
OS grid referenceTQ335655
London borough
Ceremonial countyGreater London
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townCROYDON
Postcode districtCR0
Dialling code020
PoliceMetropolitan
FireLondon
AmbulanceLondon
UK Parliament
London Assembly
List of places
UK
England
London

Croydon is a large town and major commercial centre in south London, and the principal settlement of the London Borough of Croydon. It is 9.5 miles (15.3 km) south of Charing Cross, and is one of ten major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. The town is also expected to have its urban planning changed dramatically as part of Croydon Vision 2020.

Etymology

One theory is that the name Croydon derives originally from the Anglo-Saxon croh, meaning "crocus" and denu 'valley', indicating that, like Saffron Walden in Essex, it was a centre for the collection of saffron.[1]

Another opinion[2] holds that the name derives from the Old French croie dune, meaning chalk hill. This was because Croydon stands at the northern edge of the chalk hills called the North Downs.

According to John Corbett Anderson, (Anderson J C, "A Short Chronicle Concerning the Parish of Croydon", Reeves and Turner, London, 1882, pp19-20; republished in 1970 by SR Publishers, East Ardsley, Wakefield) "The earliest mention of Croydon is in the joint will of Beorhtric and Aelfswth, dated about the year 962. In this Anglo-Saxon document the name is spelt (here he uses original script) Crogdaene. Crog was, and still is, the Norse or Danish word for crooked, which is expressed in Anglo-Saxon by crumb, and totally different word. From the Danish came our crook and crooked. This term accurately describes the locality; it is a crooked or winding valley; in reference to the valley which runs in an oblique and serpentine course from Godstone to Croydon." Anderson rejected the claim, originally cited by Ducarel given above meaning chalk hill, for the reasons that the name was in use at least a century before the French language would have been commonly used following the Norman Invasion, and the fact that the dune part of the etymology is actually Saxon in origin and not French at all, makes the second option above, an unlikely partnership.

Status

The area lay within the Anglo-Saxon administrative division of Wallington hundred.[1]

Croydon was created a municipal borough in Surrey in 1883. In 1889, through its growing economic importance, it was made a county borough exempt from county administration. In 1965 the County Borough of Croydon was abolished and its former area was transferred to Greater London and combined with that of the Coulsdon and Purley Urban District to form the present-day London Borough of Croydon.

History

Croydon's Victorian Town Hall and Clocktower

There is a plate recording a Bronze Age settlement on Croham Hurst. In addition there is evidence of a Roman settlement in the area and a 5th to 6th century pagan Saxon cemetery.

Archbishops of Canterbury as lords of the manor

In the late Saxon period, it was the centre of a large estate belonging to the Archbishops of Canterbury. The church and the archbishops' manor house occupied the area still known as the Old Town. The archbishops used the manor house as an occasional place of residence and would continue to have important links as Lords of the manor, a title originally bestowed on Archbishop Lanfranc by William the Conqueror,[1] and then as local patrons right up to the present day.

Croydon appears in Domesday Book as Croindene. It was held by Archbishop Lanfranc of Canterbury. Its domesday assets were: 16 hides and 1 virgate; 1 church, 1 mill worth 5s, 38 ploughs, 8 acres of meadow, woodland worth 200 hogs. It rendered £37 10s 0d.[3]

In 1276, the archbishop acquired a charter for a weekly market, and this probably marks the foundation of Croydon as an urban centre. Croydon developed into one of the main market towns of northeast Surrey. The market place was laid out on the higher ground to the east of the manor house in the triangle now bounded by High Street, Surrey Street and Crown Hill.

By the 16th century the manor house had become a substantial palace used as the main summer home of the archbishops, visited by monarchs and other dignitaries. The original palace was sold in 1781, by then dilapidated and surrounded by slums and stagnant ponds, and a new residence, nearby at Addington, purchased in its place. Many of the buildings of the original Croydon Palace survive, and are in use today as Old Palace School.

Croydon Parish Church, St John the Baptist

The earliest record of Christian leaders in Croydon is in an Anglo-Saxon will made in about 960, witnessed by Elfsies, priest of Croydon. The Domesday Book has the earliest written record of Croydon Church. The earliest recording of the name of the church is 6 December 1347, when it was recorded in the will of John de Croydon, fishmonger, containing a bequest to "the church of S John de Croydon". The church still bears the arms of Archbishop Courtenay and Archbishop Chicheley, presumed to be its benefactors.

The Perpendicular-style church was remodelled in 1849 but was destroyed in a great fire in 1867, following which only the tower, south porch and outer walls remained. A new church was designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott, one of the greatest architects of the Victorian age, and opened in 1870. His design loosely followed the previous layout, with knapped flint facing and many of the original features, including several important tombs. Croydon Parish Church is the burial place of six Archbishops of Canterbury: John Whitgift, Edmund Grindal, Gilbert Sheldon, William Wake, John Potter and Thomas Herring.

Previously part of the Diocese of Canterbury, Croydon is now in the Diocese of Southwark. The Vicar of Croydon is an important post, in addition to the suffragan Bishop of Croydon.

Addington Palace

Addington Palace

Addington Palace is a Palladian-style mansion between Addington Village and Shirley, surrounded by park landscapes and golf courses, within the boundaries of Croydon. After an Act of Parliament enabled the mansion to be purchased for the Archbishops of Canterbury in 1807, it became the official residence of six Archbishops until it was sold in 1898.

In 1953, it was leased to the Royal School of Church Music until 1996, when it was leased to a private company who have developed it as a conference and banqueting venue with plans for a health farm and country club.

The grounds were landscaped by Capability Brown and are mainly a golf course and public park. A famous very large cedar tree stands next to the Palace.

Whitgift Almshouses

The Elizabethan Whitgift Almshouses, named the "Hospital of the Holy Trinity", have stood in the centre of Croydon (at the corner of North End and George Street) since they were erected by Archbishop John Whitgift. He had petitioned for and had received permission from Queen Elizabeth I to establish a hospital and school in Croydon for the "poor, needy and impotent people" from the parishes of Croydon and Lambeth. The foundation stone was laid in 1596 and the building was completed in 1599.

The Elizabethan Whitgift Almshouses in the centre of Croydon

The premises included the actual Hospital or Almshouses, providing accommodation for between 28 and 40 people, and a nearby schoolhouse and schoolmaster's house. There was a Warden in charge for the well-being of the almoners. The building is constructed with the chambers of the almoners and various offices surrounding an inner courtyard.

Threatened by various reconstruction plans and road-widening schemes, the Almshouses were saved in 1923 by intervention of the House of Lords. On 21 June 1983, Queen Elizabeth II visited the almshouses and unveiled a plaque celebrating the recently-completed reconstruction of the building. On 22 March each year the laying of the foundation stone is commemorated as Founder's Day.

Industrial era

The development of Brighton as a fashionable resort in the 1780s increased Croydon's role as a significant halt for stage coaches on the road south of London. At the beginning of the 19th century, Croydon became the terminus of two pioneering commercial transport links with London. The first, opened in 1803, was the horse-drawn Surrey Iron Railway from Wandsworth, which in 1805 was extended to Merstham, as the Croydon, Merstham and Godstone Railway. The second, opened in 1809, was the Croydon Canal, which came from the Grand Surrey Canal at Deptford. The London and Croydon Railway (an atmospheric and steam-powered railway), opened between London Bridge and West Croydon in 1839, using much of the route of the canal, which had closed in 1836, and other connections to London and the south followed.

The arrival of the railways and other communications advances in the 19th century led to a 23-fold increase in Croydon's population between 1801 and 1901.[1] This rapid expansion of the town led to considerable health problems, especially in the damp and overcrowded working class district of the Old Town. In response to this, in 1849 Croydon became one of the first towns in the country to acquire a Local Board of Health. The Board constructed public health infrastructure including a reservoir, and water supply network, and sewers, a pumping station, and sewage disposal works.

A growing town

An artists impression of the proposed Croydon Tower skyscraper next to East Croydon station

As the town continued to grow, it became especially popular as a pleasant leafy residential suburb for members of the Victorian middle classes, who could commute to the City of London by fast train in 15 minutes. In 1883, Croydon was incorporated as a borough. In 1889, it became a county borough, with a still greater degree of autonomy. The new county borough council implemented the Croydon Improvement scheme in the early 1890s, which resulted in the widening of the High Street and the clearance of much of the 'Middle Row' slum area. The remaining slums were cleared shortly after World War II, with much of the population relocated to the isolated new community at New Addington. New stores opened and expanded in central Croydon, including Allders, Kennards and Grants, and the first Sainsbury's self-service shop in the country.[1] There was also a bustling market on Surrey Street.[4]

By the 1950s, with its continuing growth, the town was becoming congested, and the Council decided to introduce another major redevelopment scheme. The Croydon Corporation Act was passed in 1956. This, coupled with government incentives for office relocation out of London, led to the building of new offices and accompanying road schemes through the late 1950s and 1960s, and the town boomed as an important business centre in the 1960s, with the building of a large number of multi-storey office blocks, an underpass, a flyover and multi-storey car parks.

Modern Croydon

Croydon's main shopping area, North End. Part of the front of the Whitgift Almshouses on the right-hand side

In more modern times Croydon has developed an important centre for shopping, with the construction of the Whitgift Centre, which opened in 1969. The Fairfield Halls arts centre and event venue opened in 1962. The Warehouse Theatre opened in 1977. The 1990s saw further changes intended to give the town a more attractive image. These include the closure of North End to vehicles in 1989 and the opening of the Croydon Clocktower arts centre in 1994. Tramlink began operation in May 2000. A new equally large shopping centre, Centrale, opened in 2004 opposite the Whitgift Centre, straddling the site of the smaller Drummond Centre and what was once a large branch of C&A. There are plans for a large new shopping centre, Park Place, which will replace most of the eastern edge of the shopping district including St George's Walk; the redevelopment of the Croydon Gateway site; and extensions of Tramlink to Purley, Streatham, Lewisham and Crystal Palace. Croydon has become the second-largest place to shop in the south east, after central London, offering a range of shops and department stores. It is also home to many high density buildings, being London's third main CBD, after the Square Mile and the Docklands and South London's main business centre.

The Arts

There are several high-quality arts venues. Foremost amongst these is the Fairfield Halls, opened in 1962, which consists of a large concert hall frequently used for BBC recordings, the Ashcroft Theatre and the Arnhem Gallery. The Halls are the home of the London Mozart Players, whose Principal Guest Conductor is flautist Sir James Galway. Many famous faces have appeared at the Fairfield Halls, from the Beatles through Bucks Fizz, omid Djalili,Robert Cray, Chuck Berry, Status Quo, Level 42, Joe Satriani, John Mayall, Jools Holland, Kenny Rogers, James Last to Coolio. The main concert hall was used for the conference scene in the Tom Hanks film The Da Vinci Code.

The Warehouse Theatre is a studio theatre known for promoting new writing, as well as comedy and youth theatre. Croydon Clocktower, built by the London Borough of Croydon in the mid-1990s, houses a state-of-the-art library, the David Lean cinema, a performance venue in the old reference library and the town museum.

The Fairfield Halls, Croydon's entertainment complex

There are several local and small venues for live music, comedy and community events dotted around Croydon and its neighbourhoods. There is a thriving rock scene producing some local talent such as; Czagio, The Tunics, Kitty Hudson, Von Kleet, Rose West, Black Krash, 5th Man Down, Godsized, Ten Foot Nun and Noisettes. Local bands can be found playing at the Black Sheep Bar, Walkabout, The Green Dragon or The George, or recording at Scream Studios. The Cartoon in West Croydon was a very popular live music venue for many years, but closed down in November 2006. Croydon Youth Theatre Organisation celebrated its 40th birthday in 2005. There are several community arts groups, particularly in the large Asian community. There are controversial plans to develop an arena for entertainment and sporting events at the Croydon Gateway site.

Croydon has been at the centre of the development of the dubstep genre, a relatively recent musical development that traces its roots from dub, garage and drum and bass. Artists such as Benga and Skream, who honed their production and DJing skills whilst working at the now defunct Big Apple Records on Surrey Street, along with Norwood's Digital Mystikz and Thornton Heath's Plastician, form the core roster of dubstep DJs and producers.

The black composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875-1912) lived at 30 Dagnall Park, Selhurst, until his death. He grew up in Croydon and sang in the church choir at St George's and taught at the Crystal Palace and many other schools of music. He died from pneumonia after collapsing at West Croydon station. There is an impressive grave with a touching poem at Bandon Hill Cemetery, as well as exhibits about him in the Clock Tower Museum, Katharine Street.

The town centre is home to Europe's largest second-hand record store, Beanos, offering rare vinyl, CDs and books. It is off Church Street near the Grants cinema complex. Croydon is home to the BRIT School for performing arts and technology, based in Selhurst, which has produced stars such as Katie Melua, Amy Winehouse, Imogen Heap, Dane Bowers and members of The Feeling & The Kooks.

A calendar entitled Rare Roundabouts of Croydon, with a picture of a different Croydon roundabout each month, has enjoyed some success.[5]

Croydon also plays host to the filming of the popular Channel 4 show, Peep Show. Croydon is also home to several video game developers, including Crawfish.

Transport

Croydon is near one of the sources of the River Wandle. Just to the south is a significant gap in the North Downs, which acts as a route focus for transport from London to the south coast.

The old London to Brighton road, the A23, passed through the town, as does the main railway line from London to Brighton. Today the A23 follows Purley Way, to the west of the town. Croydon is the main hub of the South London Tramlink, initially known as Croydon Tramlink until further expansion.

The horse-drawn Surrey Iron Railway was the world's first public railway. It was opened in 1803, had double track, was some 8½ miles long and ran from Wandsworth to Croydon, terminating at what is now Reeves Corner. The railway boom of the 1840s brought superior and faster steam lines and it closed in 1846. The route is followed in part by Tramlink.

The Croydon Canal ran for 9½ miles from what is now West Croydon railway station north largely along the course of the present railway line to New Cross Gate, where it joined the Grand Surrey Canal and went on into the Thames. It opened in 1809 and had 28 locks. It had a strong competitor in the Surrey Iron Railway and was never a financial success. It sold out to the London & Croydon Railway in 1836. The lake at South Norwood is the former reservoir for the canal.

Croydon Airport

Main article: Croydon Airport

Croydon Airport on Purley Way was the main international airport for London until it was superseded by London Heathrow Airport and London Gatwick Airport. Starting out during World War I as an airfield for protection against Zeppelins, and developing into one of the great airports of the world during the 1920s and 1930s, it welcomed the world's pioneer aviators in its heyday. As aviation technology progressed, however, and aircraft became larger and more numerous, it was recognized in 1952 that the airport would be too small to cope with the ever-increasing volume of air traffic. The last scheduled flight departed on 30 September 1959.

The air terminal, now known as Airport House, has been restored and has a museum open one day a month.

Railways and trams

East Croydon station and tramstop

Croydon is the hub of Tramlink and from East Croydon station.has main-line rail services to Central London, Gatwick Airport and the South Coast. Services are provided by Southern, Southeastern, First Capital Connect and Virgin Trains. There is a large bus station at West Croydon. There are plans to extend the East London Line to West Croydon.

Railway stations

Stations in central Croydon:


Tramlink stops near the centre of Croydon:

Notable people associated with the town of Croydon

See also the list of notable people from connected with the wider Borough of Croydon here.

Fictional

See also

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Croydon.
  1. ^ a b c d Brewer's Britain and Ireland, compiled by John Ayto and Ian Crofton, Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2005, ISBN 0-304-35385-X
  2. ^ 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica at Love to Know
  3. ^ Surrey Domesday Book
  4. ^ http://www.surreystreetmarket.com/
  5. ^ BBC News - Roundabout calendar is gift hit
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