London Borough of Croydon

London Borough of Croydon
Official logo of London Borough of Croydon
Motto(s): 
Ad summa nitamur
(Let us strive for perfection)
Croydon shown within Greater London
Croydon shown within Greater London
Coordinates: 51°20′N 0°05′W / 51.333°N 0.083°W / 51.333; -0.083
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Constituent countryEngland
RegionLondon
Ceremonial countyGreater London
Created1 April 1965
Admin HQBernard Weatherill House, 8 Mint Walk, Croydon
Government
 • TypeLondon borough council
 • BodyCroydon London Borough Council
 • LeadershipMayor & Cabinet (Conservative (council NOC))
 • Executive MayorJason Perry
 • Civic MayorTony Pearson
 • London AssemblyNeil Garratt (Con) AM for Croydon and Sutton
 • MPsChris Philp (Conservative)
Sarah Jones (Labour)
Steve Reed (Labour)
Area
 • Total34 sq mi (87 km2)
 • Rank209th (of 296)
Population
 (2021)
 • Total390,506
 • Rank18th (of 296)
 • Density12,000/sq mi (4,500/km2)
Time zoneUTC (GMT)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+1 (BST)
Postcodes
BR, CR, SE, SW
Area codes01689, 01737, 020
ONS code00AH
GSS codeE09000008
PoliceMetropolitan Police
Websitehttp://www.croydon.gov.uk/

The London Borough of Croydon (pronunciation) 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 largest 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. It's 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]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference General info was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Arms of Croydon Online was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "Listed Buildings Online: Airport House". English Heritage. Retrieved 30 May 2010.
  4. ^ "Listed Buildings Online: Former Lodge To Croydon Airport Terminal". English Heritage. Retrieved 30 May 2010.
  5. ^ "Boris backs Croydon city bid". Croydon Guardian. 30 July 2008. Retrieved 6 February 2011.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference fairtrade was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference fairtradecroydon was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference Croydon Town Hall was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ "Croydon Summer Festival". Croydon Festival. 2010. Archived from the original on 15 July 2008. Retrieved 6 February 2011.
  10. ^ "Information of Addington Palace". Friends of Old Palace. Retrieved 6 June 2008.
  11. ^ 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.

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