Croydon

Croydon is a major suburban town and commercial centre situated 9.5 miles (15.3 km) south of Charing Cross and the principal town in the London Borough of Croydon.

History

There is evidence of Roman settlement in the area and a 5th to 6th century pagan Saxon cemetery.

Related Topics:
Roman - 5th - 6th century - Pagan - Saxon

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Archbishops of Canterbury as lord 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 and then as local patrons right up to the present day.

Related Topics:
Archbishops of Canterbury - Lords of the manor

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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.

Related Topics:
1276 - Surrey

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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.

Related Topics:
16th century - 1781 - Residence - Addington - Croydon Palace - Old Palace School

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Croydon Parish Church, St John the Baptist

The earliest record of Christian leaders in Croydon is found in an Anglo-Saxon will made in about 960, witnessed by Elfsies, priest of Croydon. The Doomsday Book has the earliest written record of Croydon Church. The earliest date 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.

Related Topics:
960 - Doomsday Book - 6 December - 1347 - Archbishop Courtenay - Archbishop Chicheley

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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 a fine alabaster reredos and 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.

Related Topics:
Perpendicular - 1849 - 1867 - George Gilbert Scott - 1870 - Flint - Alabaster - Reredos - John Whitgift - Edmund Grindal - Gilbert Sheldon - William Wake - John Potter - Thomas Herring

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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.

Related Topics:
Diocese of Canterbury - Diocese of Southwark - Suffragan - Bishop of Croydon

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Whitgift Almshouses

The Elizabethan Whitgift Almshouses, the "Hospital of the Holy Trinity" as it was named, 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.

Related Topics:
John Whitgift - Elizabeth I - 1596 - 1599

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The premises included the actual Hospital or Almshouses, providing accommodation for between 28 and 40 men and women, and a nearby schoolhouse and schoolmaster's house. There was also 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.

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Threatened by various reconstruction plans and road-widening schemes in more recent times in the area, it wasn't until 1923 that the Almshouses were saved 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.

Related Topics:
1923 - House of Lords - 21 June - 1983 - Elizabeth II - 22 March

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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 was later in 1805 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 & Croydon Railway (an atmospheric and steam-powered railway), opened between London Bridge and West Croydon in 1839 and other connections to London and the south followed, using much of the route of the canal, which had closed in 1836.

Related Topics:
Brighton - 1780s - Stage coaches - 19th century - 1803 - Surrey Iron Railway - Wandsworth - 1805 - Merstham - Croydon, Merstham and Godstone Railway - 1809 - Croydon Canal - Grand Surrey Canal - Deptford - London Bridge - West Croydon - 1839 - 1836

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The rapid expansion of the town brought about by the railways in the 19th century 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, several miles of pipes and sewers, a pumping station, and sewage disposal works.

Related Topics:
19th century - 1849

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A growing town

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 20 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 one of the first Sainsbury's shops.

Related Topics:
Suburb - City of London - 1883 - 1889 - 1890s - World War II - New Addington - Allders - Sainsbury

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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-story office blocks, underpasses, flyovers, and multi-storey car parks.

Related Topics:
1950s - 1956 - 1960s

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Modern Croydon

Croydon also developed as an important centre for shopping with the construction of the Whitgift Centre which opened in 1969. In the same period, Fairfield Halls arts centre and event venue opened (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 motor traffic in 1989; and the opening of the Croydon Clocktower arts centre, in 1994. Tramlink began operation in May 2000. A new shopping centre, Centrale, was opened in 2004 and lies opposite the Whitgift Centre. There are now plans for a large new shopping centre, Park Place, the redevelopment of the Croydon Gateway site and extensions to Tramlink to Purley, Streatham and Crystal Palace.

Related Topics:
Whitgift Centre - 1969 - Fairfield Halls - 1962 - Warehouse Theatre - 1977 - 1990s - 1989 - Croydon Clocktower - 1994 - Tramlink - May - 2000 - Centrale - 2004 - Croydon Gateway - Purley - Streatham - Crystal Palace

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