Welcome to Croydon

The London Borough of Croydon is located south of the River Thames and approximately 9 miles directly south of the city. It comprises the areas of Addington, Addiscombe, Broad Green, Coombe, Coulsdon, Croydon, Forestdale, Hamsey Green, Kenley, New Addington, Norbury, Purley, Sanderstead, Selhurst, Selsdon, Shirley, South Croydon, South Norwood, Upper Norwood, Thornton Heath, Waddon, West Croydon, Woodcote, Woodside.

The Borough covers an area of approximately 86.52 sq km.

The historic town of Croydon, with its excellent rail links with the capital, is the largest office and retail centre in south east England apart from London. The Surrey Street Market, dating back to 1276, is the oldest in the country.

It is thought that Croydon may have been a Roman staging post on the London - Portslade road. However, it was the Saxons who gave the town its name, and in the 5th and 6th centuries there was an important Saxon cemetary here. Haling Park, one of the ancient manors of Croydon, was granted to Lord Howard of Effingham, Lord High Admiral at the time of the Armada, by Queen Elizabeth in 1592. The town became an important coaching stop in the late 18th century when Brighton developed as a fashionable resort. The town was the agricultural centre for East Surrey in the 19th and early 20th centuries, when horses, cattle and sheep were brought to the market.

The service industry is the largest sector of the local economy, employing around 75% of all workers.

The name originates from the Old English 'crogen' and 'denu', meaning 'valley where sild saffron grows'. In 809AD it was known as Crogdene, and in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Croindene.