Croydon

Coordinates: 51°22′22″N 0°06′36″W / 51.3727°N 0.1099°W / 51.3727; -0.1099

Croydon is a large town in south London, England, the principal settlement of the London Borough of Croydon. It is located 9.5 miles (15.3 km) south of Charing Cross. It is one of the largest commercial districts outside of Central London, bearing one of the largest shopping districts and a developed night-time economy. It is identified in the London Plan as one of 11 metropolitan centres in Greater London. It has a population of 52,104 in the 2011 census, comprising the Addiscombe, Broad Green and Fairfield wards.

Historically a part of Surrey, at the time of the Norman conquest of England, Croydon had a church, a mill, and around 365 inhabitants, as recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086. Croydon expanded during the Middle Ages as a market town and a centre for charcoal production, leather tanning and brewing. The Surrey Iron Railway from Croydon to Wandsworth opened in 1803 and was the world's first public railway. Later nineteenth century railway building facilitated Croydon's growth as a commuter town for London (including the City of London). By the early 20th century, Croydon was an important industrial area, known for car manufacture, metal working and its airport. In the mid 20th century these sectors were replaced by retailing and the service economy, brought about by massive redevelopment which saw the rise of office blocks and the Whitgift Centre, for many decades the largest shopping centre in London until 2008. Croydon was amalgamated into Greater London in 1965.

Town centre

The town centre is the term used to refer to the commercial or geographical centre or core area of a town.

Town centres are traditionally associated with shopping or retail. They are also the centre of communications with major public transport hubs such as train or bus stations. Public buildings including town halls, museums and libraries are often found in town centres.

Town centres are symbolic to settlements as a whole and often contain the best examples of architecture, main landmark buildings, statues and public spaces associated with a place.

Canada

In some areas of Canada, particularly large, urban areas, town centres refer to alternate commercial areas to the city's downtown. These centres are usually located within a large neighbourhood and characterized by medium-high density commercial and residential property.

Ireland

The town mall historically consisted of a principal thoroughfare usually known as High Street or Main Street in Ireland (Main Street America being a loosely similar equivalent to town centre in the US) or a town square or triangle of a settlement where commercial activities took place such as markets.

Town Centre

Town Centre may refer to:

See also

Town Centre Stop

Town Centre Stop (Chinese: 市中心站) is a major MTR Light Rail stop. It is located at ground level at Tuen Mun Heung Sze Wui Road in Tuen Mun Town Centre, Tuen Mun District, Hong Kong. It began service on 18 September 1988 and belongs to Zone 2.

Unlike other Light Rail midway stations, this stop uses four platforms to facilitate large capacity. It has footbridges linking Tuen Mun Park, Trend Plaza, Tuen Mun Town Plaza and a bus terminus.

Neighbouring stops

References

Coordinates: 22°23′28″N 113°58′30″E / 22.39111°N 113.97500°E / 22.39111; 113.97500

Croydon (disambiguation)

Croydon is a district in the London Borough of Croydon, England. It may also refer to:

Places

Australia

County Borough of Croydon

The County Borough of Croydon was a local government district in and around the town of Croydon in north east Surrey, England from 1849 to 1965. Since 1965 the district has been part of the London Borough of Croydon within Greater London.

History

A local board of health was formed for the parish of Croydon St John the Baptist in 1849. On 9 March 1883 the town received a charter of incorporation to become a municipal borough. The borough was granted a commission of the peace and a separate court of quarter sessions in 1885 and 1889 respectively. Under the Local Government Act 1888 it became an autonomous county borough in 1889. The area of the original borough included part of Norwood and Addiscombe, Bensham, Croham, Coombe, Haling, Norbury, Shirley, Waddon, and Woodside.

From 1894 to 1915 it was adjacent to Croydon Rural District to the south, east and west and the County of London to the north. The rural district was abolished in 1915, but the county borough was unsuccessful in its attempt to annex the area. The only significant extension of the borough boundaries was in 1925, when the parish of Addington was absorbed.

Croydon (carriage)

A Croydon is a type of horse-drawn two-wheeled carriage. The first examples were seen around 1850 and were made of wicker-work, but they were later made of wood.

See also

References