[8][9] The area has a notable cultural presence in London and the South East of England, and is home to institutions such as the major arts and entertainment centre Fairfield Halls.

The Croydon Clocktower was opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1994 as an arts venue featuring a library, the independent David Lean Cinema (closed by the council in 2011, but now partially reopened on a part-time and volunteer basis) and museum.

[10] From 2000 to 2010, Croydon staged an annual summer festival celebrating the area's black and Indian cultural diversity, with audiences reaching over 50,000 people.

As aviation technology progressed, and aircraft became larger and more numerous, it was recognised in 1952 that the airport would be too small to cope with the increasing volume of air traffic.

Reeves, a historic furniture store established in 1867, that gave its name to a junction and tram stop in the town centre, was destroyed by arson.

Geraint Davies, the MP for Croydon Central, had offices in the building, until he was defeated by Andrew Pelling and is now the Labour representative standing for Swansea West in Wales.

Staff from the Met Police, NHS, Jobcentre Plus, Croydon Credit Union, Citizens Advice Bureau as well as 75 services from the council all moved to the new building.

It lies 10 miles (16 km) south of Central London, and the earliest settlement may have been a Roman staging post on the London-Portslade road, although conclusive evidence has not yet been found.

Coulsdon, south west of Central Croydon, has retained a good mix of traditional high street shops as well as a large number of restaurants for its size.

Croydon's physical features consist of many hills and rivers spread out across the borough and into the North Downs, Surrey, and the rest of south London.

The Great North Wood is a former natural oak forest that covered the Sydenham Ridge and the southern reaches of the River Effra and its tributaries.

John Aubrey[60] referred to this "ancient remarkable tree" in the past tense as early as 1718, but according to JB Wilson,[61] the Vicar's Oak survived until 1825.

A new generation of buildings is being considered by the council as part of Croydon Vision 2020, so that the borough does not lose its title of having the "largest office space in the south east," excluding central London.

[68] Projects such as Wellesley Square, which will be a mix of residential and retail with an eye-catching colour design, and 100 George Street — a proposed modern office block — are included in this vision.

Apart from increasing night-time activity in Croydon and thereby reducing the fear of crime, it helped to promote the sustainable use of older buildings by displaying them in a more positive way.

[69] There are a large number of attractions and places of interest all across the borough of Croydon, ranging from historic sites in the north and south to modern towers in the centre.

Croydon Palace was the summer residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury for over 500 years and included regular visitors such as Henry III and Queen Elizabeth I.

Famous former students include Kellie Shirley, Amy Winehouse, Leona Lewis, Adele, Kate Nash, Dane Bowers, Katie Melua and Lyndon David-Hall.

Croydon Minster, formerly the parish church, was established in the Anglo-Saxon period, and parts of the surviving building (notably the tower) date from the 14th and 15th centuries.

Although the London Borough of Croydon has existed only since 1965, earlier figures have been generated by combining data from the towns, villages, and civil parishes that would later be absorbed into the authority.

In its final medieval form, the church was mainly a Perpendicular-style structure, but this was severely damaged by fire in 1867, following which only the tower, south porch and outer walls remained.

Under the direction of Sir George Gilbert Scott the church was rebuilt, incorporating the remains and essentially following the design of the medieval building, and was reconsecrated in 1870.

Retail stores inside both Centrale and the Whitgift Centre as well as on North End employ people regularly and create many jobs, especially at Christmas.

It was constructed in the 1960s as part of a planned ring road for Croydon[citation needed] and includes an underpass, which allows traffic to avoid going into the town centre.

Gatwick Airport opened in August 1930 as an aerodrome and is a major international operational base for British Airways, EasyJet and Virgin Atlantic.

[125] In 2007, the Croydon LEA was ranked 81st out of 149 in the country – and 21st in Greater London – based on the percentage of pupils attaining at least 5 A* – C grades at GCSE including maths and English (37.8% compared with the national average of 46.7%).

South Norwood Leisure Centre was closed down in 2006 so that it could be demolished and re-designed from scratch like Thornton Heath, at an estimated cost of around £10 million.

[132] South Norwood Forum had called for the new centre to be built on the site of the old one, but the Conservative council decided a refurbishment would be more economical than a full rebuild, causing some controversy.

[146] Croydon has over 120 parks and open spaces,[147] ranging from the 200-acre (0.81 km2) Selsdon Wood Nature Reserve to many recreation grounds and sports fields scattered throughout the Borough.

[152] The strategy also created a creative industries hub in Old Town, ensured that public art is included in developments such as College Green and Ruskin Square and investigated the possibility of gallery space in the Cultural Quarter.