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London Borough of Croydon



One of the local Libraries in Croydon
One of the local Libraries in Croydon

The borough of Croydon has 14 libraries, a joint library and a mobile library. Many of the libraries where built a long time ago and therefore have become outdated, so the council started updating a few including Ashburton Library which moved from its former spot into the state-of-the-art Ashburton Learning Village complex which is on the former site of the old 'A Block' of Ashburton Community School which is now situated inside the centre. The library is now on 1 floor. This is what the council wanted to roll out around the borough but due to the cost of this one, it was decided that doing this would cost to much.

South Norwood Library, New Addington Library, Shirley Library, Thornton Heath Library, Selsdon Library, Sanderstead Library, Purley Library, Coulsdon Library and Bradmore Green Library are examples of older council libraries. The main library is Croydon Central Library which holds many references, newspaper archives and a tourist information point (one of three in South East London). Upper Norwood Library is a joint library with the London Borough of Lambeth. This means that both councils fund the library and its resources, but even though Lambeth have nearly doubled their funding for the library in the past several years Croydon has kept it the same,[92] doubting the future of the library.

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Religion

2001 Census[53]
Croydon London
Christian 215,124 4,176,175
Buddhist 1,579 54,297
Hindu 16,781 291,977
Muslim 17,642 607,083
Sikh 1,310 104,230
Atheist (No Religion) 48,615 1,130,616
Other Religions 2,830 186,347

Croydon is made up of many different cultures and ethnicities from around the world.[53] According to the United Kingdom Census 2001, the borough has over 215,124 Christians, mainly Protestants. This is the largest religious following in the borough and has many more believers than the next religion Islam. There are just 17,642 Muslim followers in the borough, which makes up some of the 607,083 in London as a whole. But over 48,615 people are atheists, meaning that they don't believe in a religion at all, compared with only 26,506 people in close by borough of Kingston upon Thames, although this is a less populated borough.[93]

There are more than 35 churches in the borough, with Croydon Parish Church being the main one.[94] This church was founded in Saxon times, since there is a record of "a priest of Croydon" in 960, although the first record of a church building is in the Domesday Book (1086). In its final medieval form, the church was mainly a Perpendicular-style structure, but this was severely damaged by fire in 1867, following which only the tower, south porch and outer walls remained. Under the direction of Sir George Gilbert Scott the church was rebuilt, incorporating the remains and essentially following the design of the medieval building, and was reconsecrated in 1870. It still contains several important monuments and fittings saved from the old church.[95]

Croydon is going through a large re-generation plan and part of that plan is to add a Cultural Quarter to the centre of Croydon.[96] This includes the Bridge House and The Exchange developments which are plans for loft style urban living to the centre of town.

Croydon has strong religious links, from a royal charter for Surrey Street Market dating back to 1276, to Croydon Palace which was the summer residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury for over 500 years. With visitors such as Henry III and Queen Elizabeth I. The Bishop of Croydon is a position as a suffragan Bishop in the Anglican Diocese of Southwark. The current bishop is Rt Rev Nicholas (Nick) Baines. A list of the Bishops of the Episcopal Area of Croydon include:

Tenure Incumbent Notes
1937 to 1942 William Louis Anderson (1892-1972)
1942 to 1947 Maurice Harland (1896-1986)
1947 to 1956 Cuthbert Killick Norman Bardsley (1907-1991)
1956 to 1977 John Taylor Hughes (1908-2001)
1977 to 1985 Stuart Snell (d. 1988)
1985 to 2002 Wilfred Wood (b. 1936)
2003 to present Nicholas Baines (b. 1957)

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Sport and Leisure

Further information: Croydon parks and open spaces

The borough has been criticized in the past for not having enough leisure facilities, maintaining the position of Croydon as a three star borough.[97] At the moment only three leisure centres are open for public use and two of these are expected to be closed down in the near future, with plans for only one of them to be re-built. Thornton Heath's ageing sports centre was recently knocked down, and replaced by a newer more modern leisure centre. South Norwood Leisure Centre was closed down in early 2006 so that it could be knocked completely down and re-designed from scratch like Thornton Heath, which would cost around £10 million.[98]

South Norwood Country Park
South Norwood Country Park

In May 2006 the Conservative Party became in charge of Croydon and decided that doing this would cost too much money, so they came up with another idea of just re-furbishing the centre, although this decision did not come without controversy.[99][100]

Purley Pool is to close soon, but a new "super-pool" is planned in Coulsdon. The aging New Addington Leisure Centre is also set to close but is to be re-built. A new leisure centre is also going to be built on the A23, southern end of Purley Way in Waddon.

Sport Croydon,[101] currently is the commercial arm for leisure in the borough and the logo is seen somewhere in each of the centres. Fusion currently provides leisure services for the council which previously used Parkwood Leisure which itself provides services for nearby Lewisham.[102]

Football teams include Crystal Palace F.C., which plays at Selhurst Park, in the Coca-Cola Championship. Coulsdon United F.C. (formerly Coulsdon Town F.C. before the merge with Salfords F.C.) are a team that currently play in the Combined Counties League Division One. Croydon Athletic F.C., whose local nickname is The Rams, is a football club based in Thornton Heath's Keith Tuckey Stadium and play in the Isthmian League Division One South, with Croydon F.C. who play at Croydon Sports Arena and Holmesdale, who were founded in South Norwood but currently playing on Oakley Road in Bromley, currently in the Kent League. Non-football teams that play in Croydon are Streatham-Croydon RFC, a rugby club in Thornton Heath who play at Frant Road in the Surrey 2 League, as well as South London Storm Rugby League Club who play at Storm Park who play in the Rugby League Conference. The London Olympians are an American Football team that play in Division 1 South in the British American Football League.

Croydon has over 120 parks and open spaces,[103] ranging from the 200 acre (80ha) Selsdon Wood Nature Reserve to many recreation grounds and sports fields scattered throughout the Borough.

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Culture

Croydon aims to become one of the hearts of culture in London and the South East of England. This has been proved with the dedication the council has shown to projects such as the proposed Croydon Arena. Although, despite the aim, it has also cut funding to the Warehouse Theatre.[104]

Centrale, Tamworth Road
Centrale, Tamworth Road

In 2005, Croydon Council drew up a Public Art Strategy, with a vision that is accessible and enhances people's enjoyment of their surroundings.[105] The public art strategy should deliver a new event called Croydon's Summer Festival, a creative industries hub in Old Town, ensure public art is included in developments such as College Green and Croydon Gateway and investigate the possibility of gallery space in the Cultural Quarter.

The Fairfield Halls and the Ashcroft Theatre show productions that are held throughout the year such as drama, ballet, opera and pantomimes and can be converted to show films. It also contains the Arnhem Gallery civic hall and an art gallery. Other cultural activities, including shopping and exhibitions, are Surrey Street Market which is mainly a meat and vegetables market near the main shopping environment of Croydon. The market has a Royal Charter dating back to 1276. Airport House is a newly refurbished conference and exhibition centre inside part of Croydon Airport. The Whitgift Centre, the current main shopping centre in the borough is also one of the largest in-town shopping centres in the whole of Europe. Centrale, a new shopping centre that houses many more familiar names, as well as Croydon's House of Fraser. North End, the main shopping street, which holds both centres. Park Place, a shopping centre that is planned to be built in Central Croydon by Minerva plc. Purley Way, a large out-of-town retail and entertainment area that caters for South London and areas South of London, it includes IKEA Croydon, Vue and City Limits. Croydon Arena, a proposed arena which will feature more commercial exhibitions and sport events next to East Croydon station.

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Media

One of the Crystal Palace television masts
One of the Crystal Palace television masts

There are three local newspapers which operate within the borough, each with considerable history in the area. The Croydon Advertiser began life in 1869,[106] and is the third-highest selling paid-for weekly newspaper in London.[107] The Advertiser is also Croydon's major paid-for weekly paper and is on sale every Friday in five geographical editions: Croydon; Sutton & Epsom; Coulsdon & Purley; New Addington; and Caterham.[108] The paper converted from a broadsheet to a compact (tabloid) format on 31 March 2006. It was bought by Northcliffe Media which is part of the Daily Mail and General Trust group on 6 July 2007. In 2008 it was given a new website as part of the This is network of brands across the United Kingdom. The Croydon Post is a free newspaper available across the borough and is operated by the Advertiser group. The circulation of the newspaper is notably more then the main title published by the Advertiser Group.[109]

The Croydon Guardian is another local weekly paper, which is paid for at newsagents but free at Croydon Council libraries and via deliveries. The newspaper is published every Wednesday. The paper is owned by regional newspaper publisher Newsquest Media Group and is inside the South London arm.[110] It is one of the best circulated local newspapers in London and has the highest circulation in Croydon with around one thousand more copies distributed than The Post.[111]

The borough is served by the London regional versions of BBC and ITV coverage, from either the Crystal Palace or Croydon transmitters.[112][113]

Capital Radio began broadcasting on October 1973 from Euston Tower, North London. The station, now owned by Gcap Media, broadcasts as Capital 95.8 from Leicester Square in Central London. The group also has a sister station on the medium wave frequency, known as Classic Gold Digital 1521. Local BBC radio is provided by BBC London 94.9. Large radio stations picked up by transmitters around Croydon are Kiss 100 London from Bauer Radio, Choice FM London from GCap Media, Heart 106.2 from Global Radio UK, Magic 105.4 FM from Bauer Radio, Virgin Radio from SMG and 102.2 Smooth Radio from Guardian Media Group.

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Town twinning

Flag Country Town Area
Flag of the Netherlands Netherlands Arnhem Gelderland
Flag of Guyana Guyana - South America

The London Borough of Croydon is twinned with the municipality of Arnhem which is located in the east of the Netherlands.[114] The city of Arnhem is one of the 10 largest cities in the Netherlands. They have been twinned since 1946 after both towns had suffered extensive bomb damage during the recently ended war. There is also a Guyana link supported by the council.[115]

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See also

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References

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  8. ^ Malden, H.E. (1912). A History of the County of Surrey: Volume 4. Victoria County History. 
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  10. ^ Modernism vs Urban Renaissance: Negotiating Post-war Heritage in English City Centres. Urban Studies Journal (2006). Retrieved on 2008-06-05.
  11. ^ Home of the Croydon Exp07. Croydon Expo (2007). Retrieved on 2008-04-05.
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  18. ^ This text was taken, with permission, from Ruskin House: A History, M. Tiedemann & E. Daisley. For more information see here (1999) . 
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  35. ^ History of the Thornton Heath area. Croydon Online (2005). Retrieved on 2008-06-06.
  36. ^ History of the Woodside area. Croydon Online (2005). Retrieved on 2008-06-06.
  37. ^ United Kingdom 1987 (17 stores). IKEA (2008). Retrieved on 2008-06-06.
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  44. ^ (Temperature data) 
  45. ^ Mean Temperature Annual Average. Met Office (2001). Retrieved on 2007-08-22.
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  47. ^ (Rainfall data) 
  48. ^ (Pressure data) 
    Temperature and rainfall: 1961–1990 averages. Pressure averages: 1971–1988 averages.
    Derived from the Global Historical Climatology Network (version 1). See Template:Climate of Croydon and Gatwick for more.
  49. ^ London - Full Summary of Projects. Will Fox, SkyscraperCity.com. Retrieved on 2006-12-15.
  50. ^ Britain's Tallest 100 Buildings by Height. Sky Scraper News (2007). Retrieved on 2007-10-12.
  51. ^ Croydon Gateway - Arrowcroft Scheme. Emporis. Retrieved on 2007-10-12.
  52. ^ Croydon Skyline. Croydon Skyline Millennium Trust. Millennium Commission (2003). Retrieved on 2007-10-12.
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  54. ^ General Health in the London Borough of Croydon. National Statistics (2001). Retrieved on 2007-10-11.
  55. ^ Ethnic Groups in London Borough of Croydon. National Statistics (2001). Retrieved on 2007-10-11.
  56. ^ Metropolitan Police in Croydon Borough. Metropolitan Police (2005). Retrieved on 2007-10-11.
  57. ^ Beating the Borough's Bad Boys. Your Croydon (2007). Retrieved on 2007-06-14.
  58. ^ Croydon's crime figures released. Croydon Guardian (2008). Retrieved on 2008-01-18.
  59. ^ Labour Market Profile: Croydon. Nomis official labour market statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved on 2007-08-02. Data is taken from the ONS annual business inquiry employee analysis and refers to 2005
  60. ^ IKEA Group stores. IKEA Group corporate site. Retrieved on 2007-07-30.
  61. ^ IKEA is bigger than ever. Croydon Guardian (2006). Retrieved on 2007-09-23.
  62. ^ Retail Footprint 2005. CACI Ltd. Retrieved on 2005-10-05.
  63. ^ Results of the Experian 2004 Retail Ranking. Expirian. Retrieved on 2005-10-05.
  64. ^ a b Croydon is the most enterprising place in London. BBC News (2007). Retrieved on 2008-01-19.
  65. ^ Looking out for No1. Croydon Guardian (2007). Retrieved on 2008-01-19.
  66. ^ ntl: Telewest Business office locations. Virgin Media Group (2006). Retrieved on 2007-09-18.
  67. ^ Mott MacDonald office locations. Mott MacDonald Group (2006). Retrieved on 2008-06-06.
  68. ^ Themes in the Museum of Croydon. Museum of Croydon (2007). Retrieved on 2008-06-06.
  69. ^ Images of England - Shirley Windmill. English Heritage. Retrieved on 2008-06-06.
  70. ^ Information of Addington Palace. Friends of Old Palace. Retrieved on 2008-06-06.
  71. ^ Location of Nestlé offices in the UK and EIRE. Nestlé (2008). Retrieved on 2008-06-06.
  72. ^ About Mitcham Common. Mitcham Common Conservators (2008). Retrieved on 2008-06-06.
  73. ^ Croydon's little gem - The BRIT school. The Independent (2008). Retrieved on 2008-06-06.
  74. ^ Croydon Grants website. Grants Centre Croydon. Retrieved on 2008-04-04.
  75. ^ Plummer, Robert: Record collectors' shop faces the music, BBC News, 20 December 2006.
  76. ^ UK rail network map. National Rail website. National Rail (2006). Retrieved on 2008-05-25.
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  78. ^ TfL announces plans to take over Tramlink services (2008-03-17). Retrieved on 2008-05-24.
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  80. ^ Local guide to The Croydon Flyover. LondonTown (2006). Retrieved on 2007-05-03.
  81. ^ The National Archives:Mayday Hospital, Croydon. The National Archives (2001). Retrieved on 2007-09-29.
  82. ^ a b c London Fire Brigade: Croydon Profile. London Fire Brigade (2007). Retrieved on 2008-05-20.
  83. ^ LEA SATs performance. BBC Online (2007-12-06). Retrieved on 2008-05-24.
  84. ^ How different LEAs performed. BBC Online (2008-01-10). Retrieved on 2008-05-24.
  85. ^ Education results in Croydon. BBC Online (2008-01-10). Retrieved on 2008-05-24.
  86. ^ Croydon Education. Croydon Council. Retrieved on 2007-08-07.
  87. ^ Croydon College. Croydon Council. Retrieved on 2007-08-07.
  88. ^ Floor plan of John Ruskin College. John Ruskin College (2007). Retrieved on 2007-08-07.
  89. ^ Home page of Coulsdon College. Coulsdon College (2007). Retrieved on 2007-08-07.
  90. ^ School Search Results. Croydon Council (2007). Retrieved on 2007-08-07.
  91. ^ Secondary School achievement and attainment tables 2007. Department for Children, Schools and Families (2007). Retrieved on 2008-05-24.
  92. ^ Tessa Jowell joins campaign for joint funding of Upper Norwood Library. Labour Party (2006). Retrieved on 2007-07-24.
  93. ^ Key Figures for 2001 Census: Census Area Statistics, Kingston. National Statistics (2001). Retrieved on 2007-10-11.
  94. ^ Croydon Churches. Eden/National Church Database (2003). Retrieved on 2007-10-16.
  95. ^ History of Croydon Parish Church. Croydon Parish Church (2005). Retrieved on 2007-10-16.
  96. ^ Central Croydon Living - Bridge House. Howard Holdings (2007). Retrieved on 2007-09-25.
  97. ^ Three Star Croydon 'Improving Well'. Croydon Conservatives (2007). Retrieved on 2007-10-10.
  98. ^ South Norwood Pools close. London Pools Campaign (2006). Retrieved on 2007-05-02.
  99. ^ Message Forum on South Norwood Pools. Croydon Guardian (2006). Retrieved on 2007-05-02.
  100. ^ Pool plans are approved despite 3,000 signature petition. Croydon Guardian (2006). Retrieved on 2007-05-02.
  101. ^ Sport Croydon - Home Page. Croydon Council (2007). Retrieved on 2007-05-02.
  102. ^ Parkwood Leisure - Home Page. Parkwood Leisure (2005). Retrieved on 2007-05-02.
  103. ^ Parks and open spaces in Croydon. Croydon Council (2007). Retrieved on 2007-09-25.
  104. ^ The Warehouse Theatre fights council cut plans. Croydon Guardian (2006). Retrieved on 2007-09-28.
  105. ^ A Public Art Strategy for Croydon 2005-2008. Croydon Council (2005). Retrieved on 2007-09-28.
  106. ^ Newspaper History at Ash Rare Books, accessed 2006-08-14
  107. ^ Newspaper Society London circulation tables, July-December 2005 accessed 2006-08-09
  108. ^ Trinity Mirror Southern series description accessed 2006-08-09
  109. ^ Circulation of Croydon Borough Post. ABC (2008). Retrieved on 2008-05-26.
  110. ^ Croydon Guardian local newspaper pages. Croydon Guardian (2007). Retrieved on 2007-09-19.
  111. ^ Circulation of the Croydon Guardian. ABC (2008). Retrieved on 2008-05-26.
  112. ^ Structure information of Crystal Palace Transmitter. Structurae (2007). Retrieved on 2007-09-19.
  113. ^ The community link with Guyana, South America. Croydon Online. Retrieved on 2007-09-28.

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External links

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Coordinates: 51°20′N, 0°05′W




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