South Croydon in

south London South London is the southern part of Greater London, England, south of the River Thames. The region consists of the Districts of England, boroughs, in whole or in part, of London Borough of Bexley, Bexley, London Borough of Bromley, Bromley, Lon ...

is the area surrounding the valley south of central

Croydon Croydon is a large town in South London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a Districts of England, local government district of Greater London; it is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater Lond ...

and running as far south as the former Red Deer

public house A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption Licensing laws of the United Kingdom#On-licence, on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the ...

on the Brighton Road. It is bounded by

Waddon Waddon ( ) is a neighbourhood in the London Borough of Croydon, at the western end of the town of Croydon. The area borders the London Borough of Sutton. History It is not known when the manor of Croydon was granted to the Archbisop of Cante ...

to the West and

Selsdon Selsdon is a village in South London, England, located in the London Borough of Croydon, in the ceremonial county of Greater London. Prior to 1965 it was in the historic county of Surrey. It now has the character of a suburb and sits at a high e ...

and

Sanderstead Sanderstead is a village and medieval-founded church parish at the southern end of Croydon in south London, England, within the London Borough of Croydon, and formerly in the historic county of Surrey, until 1965. It takes in Purley Downs and S ...

to the East. It is part of the South Croydon ( CR2)

post town A post town is a required part of all postal addresses in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, Ireland, and a basic unit of the postal delivery system.Royal Mail, ''Address Management Guide'', (2004) Including the correct post town in t ...

and in the

London Borough of Croydon The London Borough of Croydon () is a London borough, borough in South London, part of Outer London. It covers an area of and had a population of 397,741 as of mid-2023, making it the most populous London borough. It is London's southernmost ...

. The area was developed in the 19th century out of land lying in two ancient manors, Croham and Haling. The names of these can still be seen in the area today, and the locations of the manor houses can be found in the Croham Manor Road conservation area and in

Whitgift School Whitgift School is an independent day school with limited boarding in South Croydon, London. Along with Trinity School of John Whitgift and Old Palace School it is owned by the Whitgift Foundation, a charitable trust. The school was prev ...

. Much of the land of South Croydon has been associated through the years with the

Whitgift Foundation The Whitgift Foundation is a charity based in Croydon, South London, England. The purpose of the charity is to provide education for the young and care for the elderly. The main activities of the charity are the operation of three independent ...

whose charitable work has benefited and influenced Croydon since its foundation in 1596.

History

The placename

is recorded as early as 809 and is listed in the 1086

Domesday Book Domesday Book ( ; the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book") is a manuscript record of the Great Survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...

, where it is described as the land held in

Demesne A demesne ( ) or domain was all the land retained and managed by a lord of the manor under the feudal system for his own use, occupation, or support. This distinguished it from land subinfeudation, sub-enfeoffed by him to others as sub-tenants. ...

Lanfranc Lanfranc, OSB (1005 1010 – 24 May 1089) was an Italian-born English churchman, monk and scholar. Born in Italy, he moved to Normandy to become a Benedictine monk at Bec. He served successively as prior of Bec Abbey and abbot of St Ste ...

, the Archbishop of Canterbury in Waletone (that is Wallington) hundred. In the

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

and

early modern The early modern period is a Periodization, historical period that is defined either as part of or as immediately preceding the modern period, with divisions based primarily on the history of Europe and the broader concept of modernity. There i ...

periods the town limits, within which the inhabitants enjoyed certain privileges of

self-government Self-governance, self-government, self-sovereignty or self-rule is the ability of a person or group to exercise all necessary functions of regulation without intervention from an external authority. It may refer to personal conduct or to any ...

and

tenure Tenure is a type of academic appointment that protects its holder from being fired or laid off except for cause, or under extraordinary circumstances such as financial exigency or program discontinuation. Academic tenure originated in the United ...

, were defined by

boundary marker A boundary marker, border marker, boundary stone, or border stone is a robust physical marker that identifies the start of a land Border, boundary or the change in a boundary, especially a change in direction of a boundary. There are several ...

s known as the " four crosses": beyond these markers, the more restrictive rules of manorial tenure applied. The southernmost marker, Hern Cross, was cut in an elm tree at the southern end of the High Street. Plaques marking the sites of the crosses (including that of Hern Cross, on the former Blacksmiths Arms, now the Corner House, at the corner of Coombe Road and South End) were erected by the Croydon

Rotary Clubs Rotary International is one of the largest service organizations in the world. The self-declared mission of Rotary, as stated on its website, is to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and pe ...

in 1977. South Croydon as a distinct area south of Hern Cross is found much later, in the 19th century, when the area was developed as a residential suburb in land lying within the ancient manors of Croham and Haling. Croham Manor and the Croham area were purchased in 1601 by the Whitgift Foundation. Croham was one of four manors in the parish of Sanderstead, and included surrounding farm land and Croham Hurst. The Whitgift Foundation was and remains a charity providing care for the elderly and education for young people in Croydon. Land in South Croydon supported the foundation's work elsewhere in Croydon but in 1931 Whitgift School moved to its current South Croydon site, Haling Park. The manor of Haling lay in the parish of Croydon, and covered 400 acres. It was notable in Tudor times as the home to

Lord Howard of Effingham Earl of Effingham, in the County of Surrey, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, created in 1837 for Kenneth Howard, 11th Baron Howard of Effingham, named after the village of Effingham, Surrey, where heads of the family owned ...

, the Lord High Admiral of the Fleet sent against the

Spanish Armada The Spanish Armada (often known as Invincible Armada, or the Enterprise of England, ) was a Spanish fleet that sailed from Lisbon in late May 1588, commanded by Alonso de Guzmán, Duke of Medina Sidonia, an aristocrat without previous naval ...

, and was host to a succession of royalty and notable visits. The estate was sold for building in 1850 and Whitgift school now occupies manor house buildings dating to the 17th century. With the advent of stage coaches, a London to Brighton route was established, with horses being changed in Croydon. Stables were built in South Croydon at Crunden Place, near the Red Deer inn on the Brighton Road; these were used by the coaching business. These stables would later become the location of South Croydon bus garage, which now opens on to Crunden Road as well as the Brighton Road.

Croham Hurst Croham Hurst is a 33.6 hectare (83.02 acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and a Site of Metropolitan Importance for Nature Conservation in South Croydon in the London Borough of Croydon. Its SSSI designation is due to it ...

was bought as an open space for local people from the Whitgift Foundation by Croydon Corporation in 1901, an area of 34 hectares. This was after three years of local campaigning by residents against development of the area by the Whitgift Foundation.

Geography

The area is bounded by the South Croydon electoral ward of the London Borough of Croydon. To the west and south it is bounded by the historic Croydon parish boundary, which runs from Conduit Lane to Croham Hurst, crossing Croham Road where it becomes Croham Valley Road, then across to the railway line, crossing Selsdon Road where it becomes Upper Selsdon Road and crossing Carlton Road where it becomes Mayfield Road. Thereafter the old parish boundary roughly follows the railway south as far as the Red Deer public house, beyond which lies Purley Oaks. Curiously, Purley Oaks Primary School lies on the South Croydon side of the boundary and not in Purley Oaks and Riddlesdown ward. The much larger postal district of South Croydon includes

and two remnants of Addington, Croham Valley and Monks Hill. Green space is provided to the west by the Purley Way Playing Fields, Croham Hurst and the hidden green space with gardens that is Haling Grove sandwiched between Pampisford Road and the A23: the extensive Whitgift School playing fields frequently host international cricket and rugby matches. The Wandle river, a tributary of the Thames, found its source in South Croydon in modern times. A meeting of two streams at the Swan and Sugar loaf is one traditional site for the source, whereas a chalk spring closer to the Red Deer, one of the two streams that meet at the Swan, is also discussed as the source. Extraction of water from chalk aquifers, however, has caused the spring to dry up and the Wandle is culverted and not visible within South Croydon.

Education

South Croydon has the following schools: : Church schools (Catholic and C. of E.) are

Voluntary aided school A voluntary aided school (VA school) is a state-funded school in England and Wales in which a foundation or trust (usually a religious organisation) contributes to building costs and has a substantial influence in the running of the school. In m ...

s, which means that they are maintained by the local education authority (LEA) but received additional voluntary funding from church sources. The electoral ward of South Croydon now omits Whitgift School but includes

Royal Russell School Royal Russell School (before 1962, the Royal Warehousemen Clerks and Drapers' Schools; before 1953, the Warehousemen Clerks and Drapers' Schools; before 1895, the Warehousemen and Clerks' Schools for Orphan and Necessitous Children) is an indep ...

in the

Shirley Shirley may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Shirley'' (novel), an 1849 novel by Charlotte Brontë * ''Shirley'' (1922 film), a British silent film * ''Shirley'' (2020 film), an American biographical film about Shirley Jackson * ''Shirley'' ( ...

postcode area.

Nearest places

* Croydon (town) * Coombe *

Riddlesdown Riddlesdown is a place in the London Borough of Croydon, one mile east from the centre of its post town of Purley. The name applies to the residential district and to the green space maintained by the City of London Corporation which is also ...

Kenley Kenley is a suburb within the London Borough of Croydon. It is located south of Charing Cross and within the southern boundary of London, England. Surrounded by the Metropolitan Green Belt on three sides, it includes the large open spaces of K ...

* Purley *

Purley Way Purley Way is a section of the A23 trunk road in the London Borough of Croydon The London Borough of Croydon () is a London borough, borough in South London, part of Outer London. It covers an area of and had a population of 397,741 as of ...

Croydon Airport Croydon Airport was the UK's only international airport during the interwar period. It opened in 1920, located near Croydon, then part of Surrey. Built in a Neoclassical architecture, Neoclassical style, it was developed as Britain's main airp ...

Landmarks

A number of landmarks are recognised within South Croydon, including the following.

Churches

Emmanuel Church

Emmanuel Church was opened in 1897. The church was funded by the Watney Sisters whose family ran the eponymous brewery firm.

St Augustine's Church

This flint walled church was designed by

John Oldrid Scott John Oldrid Scott (17 July 1841 – 30 May 1913) was a British architect. Biography He was the son of George Gilbert Scott and his wife Caroline (). His brother George Gilbert Scott Junior and nephew Sir Giles Gilbert Scott were also prominent ...

and built in 1884.

St Peter's Church

St Peter's Church is a

Grade II listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...

building. It was designed by

George Gilbert Scott Sir George Gilbert Scott (13 July 1811 – 27 March 1878), largely known as Sir Gilbert Scott, was a prolific English Gothic Revival architect, chiefly associated with the design, building and renovation of churches and cathedrals, although he ...

and dedicated in 1851.

Croham Hurst

Croham Hurst is a 33.6

hectare The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100-metre sides (1 hm2), that is, square metres (), and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. ...

(83.02 acre) biological

Site of Special Scientific Interest A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain, or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland, is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle ...

(SSSI) and a Site of Metropolitan Importance for Nature Conservation. Its SSSI designation is due to its importance for nature conservation, but it is also a

Regionally Important Geological Site Regionally important geological and geomorphological sites (RIGS) are locally designated sites of local, national and regional importance for geodiversity (geology and geomorphology) in the United Kingdom and Isle of Man. These sites are also known ...

. The site is a steep hill, which is ancient woodland, although there are few very old trees because until the railways made cheap coal available, the timber was used for fuel. On the lower slopes there is a diverse community of plants dominated by oak and hazel on rich soils overlying chalk. Further up the trees are mainly beech on

Thanet Sands The Thanet Formation is a geological formation found in the London Basin of southeastern England.Eocene The Eocene ( ) is a geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (Ma). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period (geology), Period in the modern Cenozoic Era (geology), Era. The name ''Eocene'' comes ...

epoch around 50 million years ago. The sparse vegetation at the top is mainly wavy hair-grass, heather and

bilberry Bilberries () are Eurasian low-growing shrubs in the genus ''Vaccinium'' in the flowering plant family Ericaceae that bear edible, dark blue berries. They resemble but are distinct from North American blueberries. The species most often referre ...

Croham Manor Conservation Area

The Croham Manor Road Conservation Area lies in South Croydon, running from the junction with the Selsdon Road along the West side of

. The area is notable for its distinctive and planned 1930s architecture.

South Croydon bus garage

South Croydon bus garage is located on the corner of

Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...

and Napier Roads. The site was previously the location of Crunden Place stables that were used by

coaching Coaching is a form of development in which an experienced person, called a ''coach'', supports a learner or client in achieving a specific personal or professional goal by providing training and guidance. The learner is sometimes called a ''coa ...

companies. Built by the

London General Omnibus Company The London General Omnibus Company or LGOC, was the principal bus operator in London between 1855 and 1933. It was also, for a short period between 1909 and 1912, a motor bus manufacturer. Overview The London General Omnibus Company was f ...

, the garage was handed over to

Thomas Tilling The Tilling Group was one of two conglomerates that controlled almost all of the major bus operators in the United Kingdom between World Wars I and II and until nationalisation in 1948. Tilling, together with the other conglomerate, British E ...

upon opening on 23 January 1916 as part of an agreement between the two operators. In 1933 it passed with the business to the

London Passenger Transport Board The London Passenger Transport Board was the organisation responsible for local public transport in London and its environs from 1933 to 1948. In common with all London transport authorities from 1933 to 2000, the public name and brand was Londo ...

and each subsequent operator of the London Transport brand. The garage underwent roof reconstruction in the early 1930s to allow

double decker bus A double-decker bus is a bus that has two storeys or decks. Double-deckers are used primarily for commuter transport, but Open top bus, open-top models are used as sightseeing buses for tourists, and there are Coach (bus), coaches too for long-d ...

es to use it. The building was destroyed in May 1941 in an air raid that killed seven staff. The reconstruction was not completed until the mid-1950s. As part of the

privatisation of London bus services The privatisation of London bus services was the process of the transfer of operation of buses in London from public bodies to private companies. For half a century, operation of London bus services for public transport was under the direct con ...

, in January 1995 it was sold to

Arriva London Arriva London is a bus operator operating primarily in Greater London and partially in Essex, Hertfordshire, Kent and Surrey. It is a subsidiary of Arriva UK Bus and operates services for London Buses under contract to Transport for London. Oper ...

with the South London business unit as their Croydon (TC) garage. Arriva continue to use it to operate services under contract to

Transport for London Transport for London (TfL) is a local government body responsible for most of the transport network in London, United Kingdom. TfL is the successor organization of the London Passenger Transport Board, which was established in 1933, and His ...

46 South End

46 South End is

's oldest surviving shop. The building is

Grade II In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

listed, dating back to the 17th century. It retains its original timber framing and the front has distinctive and attractive elevations. The rear of the building is partly of modern construction. Since 1985 it has been home to Just Flutes, a music shop.

The Red Deer

This Victorian era inn was open by 1851 in a prominent location on the Brighton Road. It acted as a local landmark as a tram and train terminus and also gave its name to bus stops. The inn and pub were closed in 2013.

The Swan and Sugarloaf

Although not the original hotel, the Swan and Sugarloaf is a landmark in South Croydon that gave its name to the surrounding area, now known as The Swan. The hotel stands at the junction of the Brighton and Selsdon Roads and the original hotel began as a farm house. It was part of the property that Archbishop

John Whitgift John Whitgift (c. 1530 – 29 February 1604) was the Archbishop of Canterbury from 1583 to his death. Noted for his hospitality, he was somewhat ostentatious in his habits, sometimes visiting Canterbury and other towns attended by a retinue of 8 ...

devoted to his hospital in the 16th century. Much of South Croydon was such Whitgift land. The building was decorated with the Archbishop's arms, which were a cone or sugarloaf hat and a crook, which resembled in shape the curve of a swan's neck. It was this resemblance that led to local people misunderstanding the heraldic symbols and the farmstead became known as the Swan and Sugarloaf, a name that was retained when it was later licensed as a public house and hotel. The Swan and Sugar Loaf no longer operates as an inn, and was converted to a branch of the Tesco Express Minimarket in 2012; despite local pressures against the conversion to preserve locally owned shops in the area. Despite this, the area is still known locally as "Swan and Sugar Loaf" and it still lends its name to the nearby bus stops.

Whitgift School

Whitgift School was founded in 1596 by the

Archbishop of Canterbury The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the Primus inter pares, ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the bishop of the diocese of Canterbury. The first archbishop ...

and opened in 1600 as part of the Whitgift Foundation, which had the aim of building a hospital and school in Croydon for the "poor, needy and impotent people" from the parishes of Croydon and

Lambeth Lambeth () is a district in South London, England, which today also gives its name to the (much larger) London Borough of Lambeth. Lambeth itself was an ancient parish in the county of Surrey. It is situated 1 mile (1.6 km) south of Charin ...

. Originally located in

North End, Croydon North End is a pedestrianised road in Croydon, Central Croydon, which includes entrances to the town's two main shopping centres, Centrale (Croydon), Centrale and the Whitgift Centre. The road has high street chains including Next (clothing), N ...

in 1931 it moved to its current site, Haling Park, which was once home to

, the Lord High Admiral of the Fleet sent against the

Transport

Nearest railway stations

South Croydon South Croydon in south London is the area surrounding the valley south of central Croydon and running as far south as the former Red Deer public house on the Brighton Road. It is bounded by Waddon to the West and Selsdon and Sanderstead to the E ...

* Purley Oaks *

* Selsdon Road – closed * Spencer Road halt – closed *

Coombe Road railway station Coombe Road was a railway station on the Woodside and South Croydon Joint Railway in London. When it was closed it was owned and managed by British Rail. History A link between the Mid-Kent Line at Woodside and the Oxted Line at known a ...

– closed

Tramlink

Lloyd Park tram stop Lloyd Park tram stop is a light rail stop that serves Lloyd Park, located in the London Borough of Croydon in south London. It is 200 metres east of the site of the Coombe Road railway station, on the former Woodside and South Croydon Railwa ...

Government

The area is largely covered by the South Croydon ward of Croydon Council, which elected 3 Conservatives in the last local elections in May 2018. Parts of the area are also in Fairfield ward, which elected 3 Labour Councillors in May 2018 and two Green and one Labour MP in 2022. The area is split between the Parliamentary Constituencies of Croydon Central and Croydon South, with the area near South End located in Croydon Central, and the rest of the area located in Croydon South.

Notes

References

External links

Whitgift School

- describes Selsdon Road Station and Spencer Road Halt {{LB Croydon Districts of the London Borough of Croydon Areas of London