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Coordinates: 51°24′01″N 0°06′31″W / 51.4002°N 0.1086°W
Thornton Heath is a district in the London Borough of Croydon, 7.2 miles (11.6 km) south of Charing Cross. Thornton Heath High Street is the centre of a large area of north Croydon known as Thornton Heath between West Croydon and South Norwood.
[edit] HistoryUntil the arrival of the railway in 1862 and the subsequent building of many houses around it, Thornton Heath was focused on an area a mile (1.6 km) to the west, at the locality on the A23 now known as Thornton Heath Pond. The heath itself consisted of 36 acres (146,000 m²) stretching northwards from Thornton Heath Pond towards Norbury: this was the common grazing land for the manor of Norbury. There were also some farms and cottages. Colliers Water Lane, an ancient route, is thought to have been used by charcoal-burners who took water from Thornton Heath Pond. The area was known for being desolate and a haunt of highwaymen, including the most famous of all, Dick Turpin, who was said to have lived nearby for a time. A gallows was erected by the pond to execute criminals and serve as a warning to others. On 31 March 1722 six men were hanged there together, and a further four together the following year. The area was known as Gallows Green, the gallows being a well-known sight along the increasingly important stagecoach route between London and the south coast. In the 18th century a coaching inn called The Wheatsheaf was established by the pond providing refreshment for travellers and their horses. In 1799 the common was enclosed and some development began around the pond along London Road. By 1900 most of the common had been built on. For a period after the arrival of the railway, the area around the station was known as 'New Thornton Heath'. The pond had become a hazard by the late 19th century, a parcel mail coach having notably come to grief in it in 1891. To commemorate Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee in 1897, a large fountain was placed in the middle of the pond and railings were erected around it. In 1953 the pond was drained and is now a major roundabout on the London to Brighton route (the A23 road). In 1975, due to sporadic incidents of vandalism, the decision was made to fill in the pool as well. In January 2003, a new water feature (funded by Croydon Council's Smarter Croydon initiative) was put in place[1], although this was soon removed. At the junction of Thornton Heath High Street and Parchmore Road, on a site previously called Walker's Green, is a Clocktower, built in 1900, and financed partly by public subscription. Thornton Heath was the site of the Croydon Workhouse from 1865, later to become Queen's Road Hospital, with the neighbouring Queen's Road Cemetery, opened in 1861. Mayday University Hospital began as the Workhouse infirmary and is now one of the largest hospitals in south London. [edit] DemographicsThornton Heath is one of the most multicultural areas in Croydon, home to large Asian communities as well as a significant Afro-Caribbean population. It has a wide range of temples, mosques and churches. There has also been a recent influx of Polish immigrants as evidenced by a large growth of in the number of Polish shops. [edit] EconomyThe area has the virtue of significantly lower house prices, making it more affordable than some other parts of Greater London, It is also one of the poorest, with 35% of households having an annual income of less than £15,000. [edit] TransportAt Thornton Heath Pond is a London Bus garage which was a tram depot until the 1950s. Croydon's last tram, until the Tramlink scheme of the 1990s, was driven to Thornton Heath by the then Mayor of Croydon , Rt Hon Fred Harris, M.P.. [edit] Notable people
[edit] Local sport[edit] Thornton Heath Leisure CentreIn May 2004, Thornton Heath's historic Victorian baths were demolished[2] and replaced by a more modern sports and leisure centre.[3] It cost £8 million to build, of which £2.8 million came from the British National Lottery Good Causes Fund through Sport England.[3][4] The project was supervised by Croydon's then-Director of Environment, Culture and Public Protection Steve Halsey.[5] Huntley Cartwright (Chartered Quantity Surveyors) provided a Quantity Surveying Service, and assisted the council in obtaining the Sport England Grant, as well as managing the OJEU process for selecting tenderers.[2] In early option appraisals, consideration was made to whether the existing centre should be refurbished or redeveloped.[2] However, it became clear as work on the ground got under way that the old building would be demolished in its entirety. The centre was opened to the public on 1 May 2004.[3] In the first month of opening, there were 5200 admission to swim and 9500 walking tours of the centre, without around 700 people joining as members.[3] The popularity was such that turnstyles had to be fitted to improve security.[3] The official Opening ceremony was attended by Iain Dowie (the then-Manager of Crystal Palace F.C.), Andrew Johnson, Danny Butterfield and Shaun Derry (all players for Crystal Palace at the time).[6] The centre is owned by Croydon Council, but was originally run by Parkwood Leisure[3], although it is now run by Fusion Lifestyle in partnership with the Council.[7] [edit] Local sports teamsNotable local sports teams include:
[edit] Nearest places[edit] Nearest railway stations
[edit] References
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