South London
South London is the southern part of Greater London, England, south of the River Thames. The region consists of the Districts of England, boroughs, in whole or in part, of London Borough of Bexley, Bexley, London Borough of Bromley, Bromley, Lon ...
, England, within the
London Borough of Croydon
The London Borough of Croydon () is a London borough, borough in South London, part of Outer London. It covers an area of and had a population of 397,741 as of mid-2023, making it the most populous London borough. It is London's southernmost ...
. It is around north of the town of
Croydon
Croydon is a large town in South London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a Districts of England, local government district of Greater London; it is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater Lond ...
, and south of
Charing Cross
Charing Cross ( ) is a junction in Westminster, London, England, where six routes meet. Since the early 19th century, Charing Cross has been the notional "centre of London" and became the point from which distances from London are measured. ...
. Prior to the creation of
Greater London
Greater London is an administrative area in England, coterminous with the London region, containing most of the continuous urban area of London. It contains 33 local government districts: the 32 London boroughs, which form a Ceremonial count ...
in 1965, Thornton Heath was in the
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 1889 to 1965. Since 1965 the district has been part of the London Borough of Croydon within Greater London.
His ...
.
History
Until the arrival of the railway in 1862, Thornton Heath was focused on an area southwest of the Whitehorse manor house (now a school), at the locality on the main London–Sussex road known as Thornton Heath Pond in the parish of Croydon St John the Baptist. Between the manor house and pond was an isolated farmhouse. Eventually, it became the site for the railway station and the main expansion hub.
In the 50-year period from 1861 to 1911, Thornton Heath saw a complete transformation from an isolated rural outpost to an integrated metropolitan suburb. In its infancy, a new railway station in the eastern farmlands enabled the immediate area to evolve around a central point. In the late 19th century, the western part of Thornton Heath, which lay directly on the main London–Sussex road, demonstrated a classic form of suburban ribbon development. In the process, it became the final piece in an urban chain linking two major centres, London and Croydon, completing the greatest metropolitan expansion in the world at that time which cost £112 million in today's money.
Geography
The nearest places are
Mitcham
Mitcham is an area within the London Borough of Merton in South London, England. It is centred southwest of Charing Cross. Originally a village in the county of Surrey, today it is mainly a residential suburb, and includes Mitcham Common. It ...
,
Croydon
Croydon is a large town in South London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a Districts of England, local government district of Greater London; it is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater Lond ...
,
South Norwood
South Norwood is a district of South London, England, within the London Borough of Croydon, Greater London and formerly in the historic county of Surrey. It is located 7.8 miles (12.5 km) south-east of Charing Cross, north of Woodside and ...
,
Norbury
Norbury is an List of areas of London, town and suburb in south London. It shares the postcode London SW16 with neighbouring Streatham. The area is mainly in the borough of Croydon London Borough Council, Croydon, with some parts extending int ...
Selhurst
Selhurst is an area in the London Borough of Croydon, England, south-east of Charing Cross. Historically in Surrey, the area is bounded to the west and south by Thornton Heath and Croydon and to the east and south by South Norwood and Woo ...
,
Upper Norwood
Upper Norwood is an area of south London, England, within the London Boroughs of London Borough of Bromley, Bromley, London Borough of Croydon, Croydon, London Borough of Lambeth, Lambeth and London Borough of Southwark, Southwark. It is north ...
, and
Eastfields
Eastfields is an area of South London situated between Mitcham and Streatham. The area is home to St Mark's Academy (formerly known as Eastfields and then Mitcham Vale) secondary school and to Mitcham Eastfields railway station, which opened o ...
.
Geologically, some areas have clay-heavy soil, including Norbury and South Norwood. There is the gravelly, fertile soil in parts of the Thornton Heath area, which explains why market gardening and gravel extraction were major industries.
Transport
Bus
Thornton Heath is served by
London Buses
London Buses is the subsidiary of Transport for London (TfL) that manages most bus services in London, England. It was formed following the Greater London Authority Act 1999 that transferred control of London Regional Transport (LRT) bus s ...
109 109 may refer to:
* 109 (number), the integer following 108 and preceding 110
* AD 109, a year of the Julian calendar, in the second century AD
* 109 BC, a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar
* 109 (department store), a department store in Shi ...
,
130 130 may refer to:
*130 (number), the natural number following 129 and preceding 131
*AD 130, a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar
*130 BC, a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar
*Kin Sang stop, MTR digital station code
*130 Ele ...
,
198
__NOTOC__
Year 198 (CXCVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Sergius and Gallus (or, less frequently, year 951 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 198 fo ...
,
250
__NOTOC__
Year 250 (Roman numerals, CCL) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Traianus and Gratus (or, less frequently, year 1003 ''Ab urbe condita''). The den ...
468
__NOTOC__
Year 468 ( CDLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Anthemius without colleague (or, less frequently, year 1221 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomin ...
and SL6, plus night routes N68, N109, and N250 and school route 663.
Thornton Heath bus garage
Arriva London is a bus operator operating primarily in Greater London and partially in Essex, Hertfordshire, Kent and Surrey. It is a subsidiary of Arriva UK Bus and operates services for London Buses under contract to Transport for London. Ope ...
, owned by
Arriva London
Arriva London is a bus operator operating primarily in Greater London and partially in Essex, Hertfordshire, Kent and Surrey. It is a subsidiary of Arriva UK Bus and operates services for London Buses under contract to Transport for London. Oper ...
, is at the junction of London Road and Thornton Road, known as Thornton Heath Pond.
Rail
Thornton Heath railway station
Thornton Heath is a railway station in the London Borough of Croydon in south London, down the line from . It is on the Brighton Main Line between Norbury and Selhurst. The station is operated by Southern, who also provide all train services.T ...
is on the
London Victoria
Victoria station, also known as London Victoria, is a London station group, central London railway terminus and connected London Underground station in Victoria, London, Victoria, in the City of Westminster, managed by Network Rail. Named afte ...
branch of the
Brighton Main Line
The Brighton Main Line is a railway line in southern England linking London to Brighton. It starts at two termini in the capital, and , and the branches from each meet at , from where the route continues southwards via to the coast. The line ...
, and is operated by Southern. Other stations nearby are
Selhurst
Selhurst is an area in the London Borough of Croydon, England, south-east of Charing Cross. Historically in Surrey, the area is bounded to the west and south by Thornton Heath and Croydon and to the east and south by South Norwood and Woo ...
East London line
The East London line is a railway line running north to south through the East, Docklands and South areas of London. It is used by London Overground services. It was previously a line of the London Underground.
Built in 1869 by the East Lond ...
of the
London Overground
London Overground (also known simply as the Overground) is a Urban rail in the United Kingdom, suburban rail network serving London and its environs. Established in 2007 to take over Silverlink Metro routes, it now serves a large part of Greate ...
.
Culture and architecture
Architecturally, Thornton Heath is predominantly
Victorian
Victorian or Victorians may refer to:
19th century
* Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign
** Victorian architecture
** Victorian house
** Victorian decorative arts
** Victorian fashion
** Victorian literatur ...
in both its residential and commercial sectors. There are a number of imposing, even grand, buildings surviving from this period.
Two examples are St Paul's Church and St Alban's Church. St Alban's is an Anglican church and is listed as Grade II. Built in 1889, it was the first church designed by the late Victorian architect
Sir Ninian Comper
Sir John Ninian Comper (10 June 1864 – 22 December 1960) was a Scottish architect, one of the last of the great Gothic Revival architects.
His work almost entirely focused on the design, restoration and embellishment of churches, and the desi ...
. It is situated on the busy junction of Grange Road and the High Street. It is described as being of a red-brick perpendicular style with stone dressing.
At the junction of the High Street and Parchmore Road, on a site previously called Walker's Green, stands the Clocktower, which was built in 1900, and financed partly by public subscription.
However, the Victorian baths did not survive, and were replaced by a modern sports and leisure centre in 2004. It cost £8 million with £2.8 million from the British National Lottery ''Good Causes'' Fund through
Sport England
Sport England is a non-departmental public body under the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
Its role is to build the foundations of a community sport system by working with national governing bodies of sport, and other funded partners, ...
.
Several small and large blocks of flats have been built in the area, in a similar style. A large one is Crystal Court, adjacent to the Leisure Centre. There was an intense fire there. Although the building had passed safety checks, residents were concerned about the role of the cladding. This is being replaced.
Architects have posted about their project in the Library with a Council remit to refurbish and extend the Edwardian building, in particular, to improve access. There was also work as part of the regeneration project of the High Street to the Library on Brigstock Road.
In 2019, there was a contest organised by the Thornton Heath Community Action team for a planned redesign of the central area; it was won by architecture students.
Demography and economics
Thornton Heath has a high degree of ethnic diversity with a large proportion of people from a
BAME
A number of different systems of classification of ethnicity in the United Kingdom exist. These schemata have been the subject of debate, including about the nature of ethnicity, how or whether it can be categorised, and the relationship betwe ...
background. In the 2011 census, Thornton Heath (comprising the wards of Bensham Manor,
Thornton Heath
Thornton Heath is a district of South London, England, within the London Borough of Croydon. It is around north of the town of Croydon, and south of Charing Cross. Prior to the creation of Greater London in 1965, Thornton Heath was in the Coun ...
Black
Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...
or
Black British
Black British people or Black Britons"Black Briton, N." ''Oxford English Dictionary''. Oxford UP. December 2024. https://doi.org/10.1093/OED/1136579918. are a multi-ethnic group of British people of List of ethnic groups of Africa, Sub-Saharan ...
(36.4%),
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
or
White British
White British is an ethnicity classification used for the White population identifying as English, Scottish, Welsh, Cornish, Northern Irish, or British in the United Kingdom Census. In the 2011 census, the White British population was 49 ...
Asian British
British Asians (also referred to as Asian Britons) are British people of Asian descent. They constitute a significant and growing minority of the people living in the United Kingdom, with a population of 5.76 million people or 8.6% of the popu ...
(25.9%), mixed/multiple ethnic groups (7.1%), and other ethnic groups (6.6%). The largest single ethnicity is White British (20.2%) followed by
British African-Caribbean people
British African-Caribbean people or British Afro-Caribbean people are an ethnic group in the United Kingdom. They are British citizens or residents of recent Caribbean heritage who further trace much of their ancestry to West Africa, West and Ce ...
(17.6%). The average house price from sales in March 2023 was £421,433.
Sport and leisure
Thornton Heath gained a new leisure centre in May 2004. Its popularity was such that
turnstile
A turnstile (also called a gateline, baffle gate, automated gate, turn gate in some regions) is a form of gate which allows one person to pass at a time. A turnstile can be configured to enforce One-way traffic#One-way traffic of people, one-way ...
s had to be fitted to improve security. The centre is owned by Croydon Council, but was originally run by Parkwood Leisure, and now run by Fusion Lifestyle in partnership with the council.
Thornton Heath is one of the railway stations used by visitors to
Selhurst Park
Selhurst Park is a football stadium in Selhurst, in the London Borough of Croydon, England, which is the home ground of Premier League club Crystal Palace. The stadium was designed by Archibald Leitch and opened in 1924. It has hosted interna ...
stadium, home of
Premier League
The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
club
Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace may refer to:
Places Canada
* Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick
* Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario
* Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition buildin ...
.
Thornton Heath formerly had a
Non-League football
Non-League football describes association football, football leagues played outside the top leagues of a country. Usually, it describes leagues which are not fully professional. The term is primarily used for football in England, where it is ...
club, Croydon Athletic, which played at the Keith Tuckey Stadium; the club ceased to exist at the end of the 2010–11 season. In 2012, fans of the club formed
AFC Croydon Athletic
Association Football Club Croydon Athletic is a football club based in Thornton Heath in the London Borough of Croydon, England. Founded by supporters of Croydon Athletic after it folded, the club are currently members of the and play at the ...
, which plays at the Mayfield Stadium. In 2015, the club competed in the Southern Counties East League. The reformed 5-time
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
winners
Wanderers FC
Wanderers Football Club was an English association football club. It was founded as "Forest Football Club" in 1859 in Leytonstone. In 1864, it changed its name to "Wanderers", a reference to it never having a home stadium, instead playing at v ...
currently play at Thornton Heath.
Thornton Heath is also home to the historic rugby club
Streatham-Croydon RFC
The Streatham-Croydon Rugby Football Club, is a rugby union club, founded in 1871, based at Frant Road, Thornton Heath, in the London Borough of Croydon, south London. Streatham-Croydon currently play in Surrey 4, Counties Surrey 3. The club's tea ...
founded in 1871. Their grounds and clubhouse are located in Frant Road off Brigstock Road.
There are three parks in Thornton Heath: Grangewood Park, Thornton Heath Recreation Ground, and Trumble Gardens.
The 2012 Olympic torch was taken along the High Street and Brigstock Road.
Health
Thornton Heath healthcare is part of Croydon Health Services NHS Trust. GP practices are independent and receive NHS funding. The Council covers some health services such as public health. It has sole responsibility for social services.
The local hospital is
Croydon University Hospital
Croydon University Hospital, known from 1923 to 2002 as Mayday Hospital and from 2002 to 2010 as Croydon Hospital, is a large NHS hospital in Thornton Heath in south London, England run by Croydon Health Services NHS Trust. It is a District Gene ...
(formerly Mayday Hospital). It was assessed in 2021 by the Care Quality Commission as "requiring improvement" overall. However, some specific services were rated as "good".
Community
Thornton Heath Community Action Team was formed in 2014 by a group of residents and businesses. Its aim is to deliver projects and to improve the area, such as organising litter picks, planting new plants, and a community Christmas tree. Members of the community have a garden in part of a local park and are maintain the planting area in the Ambassadors House forecourt. They also lobby and campaign on relevant local issues.
Sustainable Thornton Heath is a group of local people concerned about the environment.
Friends of Grangewood Park organise events and projects to improve the park, and encourage people to use it.
Facebook groups include Thornton Heath Community Action Team and Thornton Heath Local, a more general group. Both are private but easy for local people to join. In 2021, a Thornton Heath app, We are Thornton Heath, was created.
There is local news in the 'Thornton Heath Chronicle'.
There were Thornton Heath festivals for several years up to 2019.
The council had a regeneration plan for Thornton Heath. "Since 2016 we have been involving local people in an improvement programme, making the High Street and Brigstock Road more attractive, with funding from the GLA. This included new pavements and road improvements, upgrades to shop fronts, wall art by local artists along the high street, and improvements to the forecourt of Ambassador House".
In addition to the murals in the improvement programme, there are other artworks, such as a mosaic and mural at the station. An 'Art Trail' map was compiled as a guide.
Notable residents
*
Eric Barker
Eric Leslie Barker (12 February 1912 – 1 June 1990) was an English comedy actor. He is most remembered for his roles in the popular British '' Carry On'' films, although he appeared only in the early films in the series, apart from returning ...
Mary Berkeley
Mary Andray Berkeley (married name Berkeley-Agyepong; born 3 October 1965) is an English retired long jumper who represented Great Britain at the 1988 Summer Olympics.
Biography
Berkeley finished third behind Joyce Oladapo in the long jump e ...
, athlete
*
Martin Butcher
Martin Simon Butcher (born 19 May 1958) is a former English cricketer. He was a right-handed batsman. He was born at Thornton Heath, Surrey.
Butcher made a single first-class appearance for Surrey against Oxford University at the University ...
Desmond Dekker
Desmond Dekker (born Desmond Adolphus Dacres; 16 July 1941 – 25 May 2006) was a Jamaican ska, rocksteady and reggae singer-songwriter and musician. Together with his backing group the Aces (consisting of Wilson James and Easton Barrington Ho ...
, musician
*
Del Dettmar
Del Dettmar (born 20 April 1947 in Thornton Heath, Surrey, England) is an English musician, best known as synthesizer and keyboard player with English space rock band Hawkwind from 1971 to 1974.
After leaving school he had a number of jobs in ...
, musician
*
Jane Drew
Dame Jane Drew (24 March 1911 – 27 July 1996) was an English modernist architect and town planner. She qualified at the Architectural Association School in London, and prior to World War II became one of the leading exponents of the Moder ...
Frankmusik
Vincent James Turner (born 9 October 1985), better known by his stage name Frankmusik ( ) (and between 2011 and 2012, by the name Vincent Did It), is an English synth-pop musician. Since 2010 he is based in Los Angeles as remixer and producer.
...
, musician
*
W. H. Greenleaf
William Howard Greenleaf (14 April 1927 – 10 March 2008) was a British political scientist. Rodney Barker,WH Greenleaf, ''The Guardian'' (12 June 2008), retrieved 13 February 2020.D. J. B. Hawkins, philosopher
* Beth Hazel, swimmer
* Anne Hocking, writer
*
London Hughes
London Hughes (born 7 June 1989) is a British comedian, television writer and presenter. She wrote and starred in ''Laughter Shock'', a comedy for the BBC which Television pilot, piloted in 2010.
Early life
London Dionne Micha Stacey Stephanie E ...
Wizz Jones
Raymond Ronald "Wizz" Jones (25 April 1939 – 27 April 2025) was an English acoustic guitarist, and singer-songwriter. He performed from the late 1950s and recorded from 1965 until 2025. He possessed what was described as "unparalleled virtuo ...
Peter Ling
Peter George Derek Ling (27 May 1926 – 14 September 2006) was a British writer of television, radio and comic strips, best known for his television work. With his professional partner, Hazel Adair, he co-created the television soap opera '' C ...
Dickie Pride
Dickie Pride (born Richard Charles Kneller; 21 October 1941 – 26 March 1969) was an English singer. He was one of Larry Parnes' stable of pop music stars, who didn't achieve the same successful career as some of his contemporaries.
Early li ...
, musician
*
Martyn Rooney
Martyn Joseph Rooney (born 3 April 1987) is an English Sprint (running), sprinter who specialises in the 400 metres event. He reached the 400 m final at the 2008 Summer Olympics and won bronze in the 4 × 400 metres relay. A mainstay on the ...
Steve James Sherlock
Steve James Sherlock (born 1953) is a British composer, musician, saxophone player who was a founder member of Neu Electrikk, joined Matt Johnson in the Post punk band The The and notably Marc Almond in Marc and the Mambas.
Career summary
Sh ...
Paul Simonon
Paul Gustave Simonon (; born 15 December 1955) is an English musician and artist best known as the bassist for the Clash. More recent work includes his involvement in the supergroup the Good, the Bad & the Queen and playing on the Gorillaz alb ...
Emile Smith Rowe
Emile Smith Rowe (born 28 July 2000) is an English professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for club Fulham.
He was a highly regarded youth player at Arsenal, whilst also playing a key part for England in their successful ...
, footballer
*
Stormzy
Michael Ebenezer Kwadjo Omari Owuo Jr. (born 26 July 1993), known professionally as Stormzy, is an English-Ghanaian rapper, singer, and songwriter. In 2014, he gained attention on the UK underground music scene through his ''Wicked Skengman'' ...
Wilfried Zaha
Dazet Wilfried Armel Zaha (born 10 November 1992) is a professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Forward (association football)#Winger, winger for Major League Soccer club Charlotte FC, Charlotte, on loan from Süper Lig club ...