London Borough of Croydon: History
The name Croydon comes from Crogdene, or Croindone, named by the Saxons in the 8th century when they settled there, although the area had been inhabited since prehistoric times. It is thought to derive from the Anglo-Saxon croeas deanas, meaning "the valley of the crocuses". This may indicate that, like Saffron Walden in Essex, it was a centre for the collection of saffron.
At the time of the Norman invasion, Croydon had a church, a mill and around 365 inhabitants, as recorded in the Domesday Book. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Archbishop Lanfranc lived at Croydon Palace. Visitors included Thomas Becket (another Archbishop), and royal figures such as Henry VIII of England and Elizabeth I. The royal charter for Surrey Street Market dates back to 1276.
Croydon continued as a market town, producing charcoal, tanned leather, and beer. In 1803 Croydon was served by the Surrey Iron Railway, the first public railway (horse-drawn) in the world, and by the London to Brighton rail link in the mid-19th century, helping it to become the largest town in what was then Surrey.
In the 20th century, Croydon became known for industries such as metalworking, car manufacturing and its aerodrome, Croydon Airport. Starting out during World War I as an airfield for protection against Zeppelins, the airport was merged with an adjacent airfield, and the new aerodrome opened on 29 March 1920. It developed into one of the busiest airports in the world during the 1920s and 1930s, and welcomed the world's aviators in its heyday. British Airways Ltd used the airport for a short period after redirecting from Northolt Aerodrome, and Croydon was the operating base for Imperial Airways. It was partly due to the airport that Croydon suffered heavy bomb damage during World War II. As aviation technology progressed and aircraft became larger and more numerous, it was recognised in 1952 that the airport would be too small to cope with the increasing volume of air traffic. The last scheduled flight departed on 30 September 1959. It was superseded as the main airport by both London Heathrow and London Gatwick Airport (see below). The air terminal, now known as Airport House, has been restored and contains a hotel and museum.
In the late 1950s and through the 1960s, the council commercialised the centre of Croydon with massive development of office blocks and the Whitgift Centre, formerly the largest in-town shopping centre in Europe. The centre was officially opened in October 1970 by the Duchess of Kent. The original Whitgift School there had moved to Haling Park, South Croydon in the 1930s; the replacement school on the site, Whitgift Middle School, now the Trinity School of John Whitgift, moved to Shirley Park in the 1960s, when the buildings were demolished.
Croydon was hit by extensive rioting in August 2011 during the England riots. Reeves, a historic furniture store established in 1867 that gave its name to a junction and tram stop in the town centre, was destroyed by arson.
Since a 1999 study by town planning consultants EDAW, Croydon has been the subject of a series of development projects ranging from £200 million to £3.5 billion, called Croydon Vision 2020. The scheme aims to change the urban planning of central Croydon, to make it "London's Third City" and the hub of retail, business, culture and living in both south London and south-east England. The plan was showcased in a series of events called Croydon Expo. …