Back کرویدون لندن منطقهسی AZB Croydon (districte) Catalan Croydon (distrito) CEB Croydon (londýnský obvod) Czech Croydon (Bwrdeistref Llundain) Welsh Croydon Danish London Borough of Croydon German Croydon Esperanto Municipio de Croydon (Londres) Spanish Croydon Estonian
London Borough of Croydon | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Council logo | |
| Motto(s): Ad summa nitamur (Let us strive for perfection) | |
 Croydon shown within Greater London | |
| Coordinates: 51°20′N 0°05′W / 51.333°N 0.083°W | |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Constituent country | England |
| Region | London |
| Ceremonial county | Greater London |
| Created | 1 April 1965 |
| Admin HQ | Bernard Weatherill House, 8 Mint Walk, Croydon |
| Government | |
| • Type | London borough council |
| • Body | Croydon London Borough Council |
| • Executive Mayor | Jason Perry |
| • London Assembly | Neil Garratt (Con) AM for Croydon and Sutton |
| • MPs | Chris Philp (Conservative) Sarah Jones (Labour) Steve Reed (Labour) |
| Area | |
• Total | 34 sq mi (87 km2) |
| • Rank | 209th (of 296) |
| Population (2022) | |
• Total | 392,224 |
| • Rank | 18th (of 296) |
| • Density | 12,000/sq mi (4,500/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC (GMT) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+1 (BST) |
| Postcodes | |
| Area codes | 01689, 01737, 020 |
| ISO 3166 code | GB-CRY |
| ONS code | 00AH |
| GSS code | E09000008 |
| Police | Metropolitan Police |
| Website | http://www.croydon.gov.uk/ |
The London Borough of Croydon () is a London borough in south London, part of Outer London. It covers an area of 87 km2 (33.6 sq mi). It is the southernmost borough of London.[1] At its centre is the historic town of Croydon from which the borough takes its name; while other urban centres include Coulsdon, Purley, South Norwood, Norbury, New Addington, Selsdon and Thornton Heath. Croydon is mentioned in Domesday Book, and from a small market town has expanded into one of the most populous areas on the fringe of London. The borough is now one of London's leading business, financial and cultural centres, and its influence in entertainment and the arts contribute to its status as a major metropolitan centre. Its population is 390,719, making it the most populous London borough and sixteenth largest English district.
The borough was formed in 1965 from the merger of the County Borough of Croydon with Coulsdon and Purley Urban District, both of which had been within Surrey. The local authority, Croydon London Borough Council, is now part of London Councils, the local government association for Greater London.[2] The economic strength of Croydon dates back mainly to Croydon Airport which was a major factor in the development of Croydon as a business centre. Once London's main airport for all international flights to and from the capital, it was closed on 30 September 1959 due to the lack of expansion space needed for an airport to serve the growing city. It is now a Grade II listed building and tourist attraction.[3][4] Croydon Council and its predecessor Croydon Corporation unsuccessfully applied for city status in 1954, 2000, 2002 and 2012. The area is currently going through a large regeneration project called Croydon Vision 2020 which is predicted to attract more businesses and tourists to the area as well as backing Croydon's bid to become "London's Third City" (after the City of London and Westminster).[5] Croydon is mostly urban, though there are large suburban and rural uplands towards the south of the borough. Since 2003, Croydon has been certified as a Fairtrade borough by the Fairtrade Foundation. It was the first London borough to have Fairtrade status which is awarded on certain criteria.[6][7]
The area is one of the hearts of culture in London and the South East of England. Institutions such as the major arts and entertainment centre Fairfield Halls add to the vibrancy of the borough. However, its famous fringe theatre, the Warehouse Theatre, went into administration in 2012 when the council withdrew funding, and the building itself was demolished in 2013. The Croydon Clocktower was opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1994 as an arts venue featuring a library, the independent David Lean Cinema (closed by the council in 2011 after sixteen years of operating, but now partially reopened on a part-time and volunteer basis) and museum.[8] From 2000 to 2010, Croydon staged an annual summer festival celebrating the area's black and Indian cultural diversity, with audiences reaching over 50,000 people.[9]
Premier League football club Crystal Palace F.C. play at Selhurst Park in Selhurst, a stadium they have been based in since 1924. Other landmarks in the borough include what remains of Croydon Palace, an important residence of the Archbishops of Canterbury since around the ninth century CE, and known as 'The Old Palace' during its time as a school. It served as the Manor House of the manor of Croydon since it had been held as a manor by the Archbishops since the Anglo-Saxon period. Its local successor is Addington Palace, an eighteenth-century mansion which became the official second residence of six Archbishops of Canterbury,[10] Shirley Windmill, one of the few surviving large windmills in Greater London built in the 1850s, and the BRIT School, a creative arts institute run by the BRIT Trust which has produced artists such as Adele, Amy Winehouse and Leona Lewis.[11]
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
General infowas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
Arms of Croydon Onlinewas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Listed Buildings Online: Airport House". English Heritage. Retrieved 30 May 2010.
- ^ "Listed Buildings Online: Former Lodge To Croydon Airport Terminal". English Heritage. Retrieved 30 May 2010.
- ^ "Boris backs Croydon city bid". Croydon Guardian. 30 July 2008. Retrieved 6 February 2011.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
fairtradewas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
fairtradecroydonwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
Croydon Town Hallwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Croydon Summer Festival". Croydon Festival. 2010. Archived from the original on 15 July 2008. Retrieved 6 February 2011.
- ^ "Information of Addington Palace". Friends of Old Palace. Retrieved 6 June 2008.
- ^ Burke, David (6 October 2008). "Music industry mogul praises Selhurst's Brit School". Croydon Advertiser. Archived from the original on 12 September 2012. Retrieved 11 February 2011.