[3] Under the Local Government Act 1894, Purley became part of the Croydon Rural District of Surrey.

The building, on the A23 Brighton Road near Reedham Station, became the property of the London Borough of Croydon and was sold to developers.

[6] Kenley Aerodrome, to the south of the town, is currently official property of the Ministry of Defence.

It was one of the key fighter stations – together with Croydon Airport and Biggin Hill – during the World War II support of Dunkirk, Battle of Britain and for the defence of London.

It is 600 yards (550 m) long and has on one side Lombardy poplars planted in local soil mixed with French earth specially shipped over to the UK.

A plaque at one end of the road explains that the French Ministry of the Interior donated the soil from Armentières, as a memorial to the alliance of World War One and the soldiers who died.

At the other end stands an obelisk carved from a single piece of stone with the inscription "Aux soldats de France morts glorieusement pendant la Grande Guerre".

[11] It began as 260 acres of farmland before being purchased in the 1880s and transformed into Edwardian homes and landscaped gardens by estate agent William Webb.

Known for having a "garden village" feel with a high level of privacy, it also includes two private schools plus a restaurant and deli.

[12] Notable people to have lived on the Webb Estate include singer Francis Rossi, footballer Wilfried Zaha, television presenter Laura Hamilton, and former Downing Street Press Secretary Bernard Ingham.

[citation needed] As of 2022, the largest ethnic group in Purley & Woodcote was ‘White’, constituting 56.97% of the total population.

The ‘Asian’ ethnic group was second largest, making up 20.13%, while ‘Black, Caribbean or African’ accounted for 11.73% of the population.

Purley lies within the Croydon South parliamentary constituency, where voters have consistently returned Conservative Party MPs to the local seat since 1974.

[27] The Purley electoral ward returned Conservative party councillors in Croydon London Borough Council elections from 1965 up until the reorganisation of 2018.

[38][39][40][41] Purley Cross gyratory connects routes leading south-east to East Grinstead and Eastbourne (the A22), west to Epsom and Kingston (the A2022), south to Redhill and Brighton (the A23), and north to Croydon and Central London (the A23 and A235).