As this suburb is only a short journey into London, Croydon is very popular and has plenty on offer, such as Fairfields Hall, for theatre and concerts, and Croydon Minster. Also in Croydon are the large shopping centres Centrale and Whitgift Centre.
The name Croydon comes from Crogdene, named by the Saxons in the 8th Century when they settled here, although the area had been inhabited since pre-historic times. Croydon carried on through the ages as a prosperous market town, they produced charcoal, tanned leather, and got into brewing. Croydon saw the first railway in the world in 1803. Into the 1900's and Croydon became known for it's industry such as metal working, car manufacture and it's aerodrome, (London's airport before Gatwick and Heathrow). It was partly due to this that Croydon suffered heavy bomb damage during World War Two. In the late 50s and through the sixties the Council commercialised the centre of Croydon with massive development of office blocks and the Whitgift shopping centre.
The Whitgift Centre and Centrale Centre have everything you could possible want in terms of shopping, and easily compete with the Westfield Centres in terms of what’s on offer. In the centre you have a selection of great pubs, bars and nightclubs, a lovely library that always has a good art installation and a permanent town museum in it, and there’s a healthy host of new theatres and cultural hubs, like Matthew’s Yard off Surrey Street Market and the Spreadeagle Theatre. Southend, which is nearer South Croydon Station (the next stop after East Croydon) hosts some of London’s most competitive restaurants, Fairfields Hall is one of the most exciting entertainment facilities in South London. The centre offers a great mix of art forms on display throughout the year. The enormous auditorium and concert hall plays host to some of the best known directors, actors and musical outfits that Britain and the world have to offer.
Parking with Q-Park in Croydon provides a safe and secure facility for customers to leave their car in as they explore Croydon from a central location.