Croydon town centre
| Croydon | ||||
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From top to bottom: the Old Town Hall and Clocktower (with the Spreadeagle in the foreground), Katharine Street; the Grants Building, High Street
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 Croydon
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| Croydon shown within Greater London | ||||
| Population | 173,314 (Addiscombe, Broad Green, Fairfield, Waddon, Croham, Selhurst, Ashburton, Woodside, Sanderstead, Shirley and Selsdon and Ballards wards) | |||
| OS grid reference | TQ335655 | |||
| • Charing Cross | 9.5 mi (15.3 km) N | |||
| London borough | ||||
| Ceremonial county | Greater London | |||
| Region | ||||
| Country | England | |||
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom | |||
| Post town | CROYDON | |||
| Postcode district | CR0 CR9 CR2 CR7 | |||
| Dialling code | 020 | |||
| Police | Metropolitan | |||
| Fire | London | |||
| Ambulance | London | |||
| EU Parliament | London | |||
| UK Parliament | ||||
| London Assembly | ||||
Croydon is a large town in south London, England, 9.5 miles (15.3 km) south of Charing Cross. The principal settlement in the London Borough of Croydon, it is one of the largest commercial districts outside Central London, with an extensive shopping district and night-time economy. Its population of 52,104 at the 2011 census includes the wards of Addiscombe, Broad Green and Fairfield.
Historically part of the hundred of Wallington in the county 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 in 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. By the early 20th century, Croydon was an important industrial area, known for car manufacture, metal working and Croydon 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, the largest shopping centre in London until 2008. Croydon was amalgamated into Greater London in 1965.
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