Croydon, outer borough of London, England, on the southern edge of the metropolis. It is in the historic county of Surrey. The present borough was established in 1965 by the amalgamation of the former county borough of Croydon and the adjacent district of Coulsdon and Purley. It includes the areas of (roughly from north to south) Upper Norwood, Norbury, South Norwood, Thornton Heath, Bensham Manor, West Thornton, Selhurst, Woodside, Broad Green, Addiscombe, Ashburton, Waddon (in part), Fairfield, Heathfield, Fieldway, Croham, Shirley, Selsdon and Ballards, New Addington, Purley, Sanderstead, Kenley, Coulsdon (East and West), and Whyteleaff (in part).
There is evidence of prehistoric settlement throughout the area, and the manor of Croydon was recorded in 809 ce and in Domesday Book (1086). The manor was presented by William I the Conqueror to Archbishop Lanfranc, founder of the manor house (now a girls’ school) that became a summer palace of the archbishops of Canterbury; they sold the structure in 1781. During the 19th century the archbishops spent their summers at Addington Palace (now used as a conference centre). Five of the six archbishops who lived there are buried in Croydon’s parish church, including John Whitgift, who founded the school and almshouses (1596–99) that bear his name. All Saints Church at Sanderstead has medieval wall paintings (restored 1976).
Croydon was an old Surrey market town on the road between London and Brighton prior to the 19th century, when it became engulfed by the suburban spread that followed the development of London’s transportation system. In 1803 a line was completed between Croydon and Wandsworth by the Surrey Iron Railway, the first public goods railway (with horse-drawn wagons). It was followed in 1809 by the Croydon Canal and, partly on the line of the latter, by the London and Croydon Railway in 1839. Croydon Aerodrome, established in 1915 (closed in 1959), was the predecessor of Heathrow as London’s civil airport. The borough suffered from extensive bombing during World War II.
From 1956 its central district adjoining the main suburban railway stations was transformed by the development of office buildings and a large shopping precinct around Whitgift and Drummond malls. Fairfield Halls is a cultural centre including a concert hall, galleries, and theatres. Croydon Clocktower, which features a library, exhibition halls, a theatre, and arts workshops, opened in 1995. In addition to being one of London’s larger shopping and cultural districts, this area has England’s highest concentration of office space outside central London. Business and financial services account for the major share of employment, but there are also extensive light industries, especially engineering and electronics. Public open space is fairly extensive, covering about one-seventh of the borough. One-fourth of the population is composed of ethnic minorities, mostly South Asians and Afro-Caribbeans. Area 33 square miles (87 square km). Pop. (2001) 330,587; (2011) 363,378.