By Tim Lambert
Early Croydon
Croydon began as a Saxon settlement. It’s name was probably once Croy denu, which means crocus or saffron valley. By the time of the Domesday Book, in 1086 Croydon probably had a population of about 350. By the standards of the time it was quite a large village. It had a watermill where grain was ground into flour. It also had a church.
From the 13th century Croydon was a busy little market town. In 1596 Archbishop of Canterbury John Whitgift was granted permission by Elizabeth I to open a school and a ‘hospital’ (almshouse) in Croydon. Both the almshouse and the school still operate.
Croydon was also a stopping point for travellers going south from London. The Archbishop had a palace in Croydon, most of it built in the 15th and 16th centuries. In 1889 it was converted into a girl’s school. Another notable Croydon building, Wrencote House was built in the early 18th century.
For centuries Croydon was known for brewing and for leather tanning.
Modern Croydon
By 1801 the population of Croydon was over 5,700. By the standards of the time it was a fair sized town. It grew rapidly during the 19th century. By 1851 it was over 20,000 and by 1901 it had reached 164,000. Part of the reason for its growth was the coming of the railway. In 1839 a railway connected the town to London.
Amenities in Croydon improved during the 19th century. In 1849 Croydon gained a public health board, which did much to improve the health of the town. Then, in 1883 Croydon was made a borough. Wandle Park opened to the public in 1890.
Unfortunately, Croydon Minister was destroyed by a fire in 1867 but it was rebuilt. The new church was designed by the famous architect George Gilbert-Scott (1811-1878).
In the 20th century Croydon continued to thrive. Fairfield Halls arts centre opened in 1962. The Whitgift Centre opened in 1970. The Warehouse Theatre opened in 1977. Croydon Clocktower, an arts and museum complex opened in 1994. (The original building, the old Town Hall was erected in 1896).
Meanwhile, in 1981 Croydon appeared in an episode of the comic 2000 AD in the story ‘Tharg and the Creep that Stole Croydon’.
The Croydon Tram system opened in 2000. Centrale Shopping Centre opened in 2004. The Museum of Croydon was established in 1989 but it was refurbished and reopened in 2006. Today there is a leather making industry in Croydon. Today the population of Croydon is 192,000.
