Sometimes seen very much as a minor borough of London, Croydon today has a lot going for it as a place to live in its own right. With huge property developments, the new Westfield Shopping Centre planning approval and a plethora of shops, bars and restaurants to choose from, not to mention a lively arts scene, it’s no wonder young couples and families are increasingly flocking to the area. The borough has been seen for many years very much as a place to live to commute into London because of its proximity and good transport links and is much more affordable for those who can stretch to living in the city.
However, there has been long-standing confusion over where the border between Croydon and Surrey actually lies, ever since the Surrey border changed back in 1965. Until this change, which aligned Croydon with Coulsdon and Purley to become the London Borough of Croydon, Croydon was firmly part of Surrey. In 1918, Croydon was divided into north and south divisions, the north including Norbury, Thornton Heath, Woodside, West Thornton, Beckenham Manor and Upper Norwood and the south including Whitehorse Manor, Addiscombe, Shirley, Selsdon and Central and South Croydon.
Today as many as six in ten Croydon residents still prefer to say they live in Surrey rather than Croydon. This is further compounded by the Royal Mail map still placing many Croydon addresses firmly in London or Surrey, despite the border change.
The south of Croydon today has a CRO postcode, but places like South Norwood, also in the south, have London postcodes despite paying their community charges to Croydon Council.
Coulsdon and Purley still have their Surrey postcodes, and it is perhaps in these areas that most reluctance to being seen as part of Croydon is felt. There was much opposition in 1965 to Coulsdon and Purley becoming part of Croydon. They were included as they were already being serviced by the Metropolitan Police, but the reluctance to change borders was ignored despite nearby Warlingham and Caterham being allowed to remain exempt from the change. Parts of Selsdon were actually originally classed as in Kent in the 19th Century according to local historians, but gradually changed, along with Addington in 1928.
Croydon isn’t the only area affected by this misconception either. Richmond and Sutton aren’t in Surrey either anymore, but are London boroughs in their own rights. Hampton Court is surprisingly not in Surrey, but in Richmond, and even the headquarters of Surrey Council aren’t actually in Surrey anymore as Surbiton grew and claimed them. As Greater London has expanded, it has steadily swallowed up the surrounding areas and claimed them as its own.
A further postal code change is planned which should help iron out the matter for those who currently receive letters addressed to both London and Surrey. But public opinion and preference may well take many more years to change, and so the debate roars on!
If you’d like to discover more about the area, take a look at our guide to Croydon, or get in touch with us today.
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