Administrative Boundary of Croydon

About Croydon

Croydon is a London borough in south London, England. Covering approximately 87 square kilometres and stretching from the inner south London suburbs of Norbury and Thornton Heath in the north to the greenbelt villages of Coulsdon and Sanderstead in the south, Croydon had a population of approximately 400,000 at the 2021 Census — one of the largest borough populations in Greater London. Croydon's history is marked by its role as the site of London's first international airport, a long tradition of distinguished ecclesiastical patronage, and one of the most ambitious ongoing urban regeneration programmes in outer London. Croydon Aerodrome Croydon Aerodrome (1920–1959) was the first dedicated international airport in London — and the world's first purpose-built international airport terminal building. The aerodrome opened in 1920 on the site of two adjacent First World War RAF training bases at Waddon, and its terminal building (Hotel and Terminal Building, 1928) — the first airport terminal in the world designed with commercial passengers in mind — incorporated a control tower, passenger lounges, customs hall, and hotel accommodation, all under one roof. Croydon served as London's main international airport through the 1920s and 1930s, handling pioneering long-distance flights by aviators including Charles Lindbergh (transatlantic, 1927), Amy Johnson (Australia, 1930), and Amelia Earhart. The aerodrome closed in 1959 when Heathrow and Gatwick superseded it; the listed terminal building survives and is now used as offices, and Croydon Airport Visitor Centre tells the aerodrome's story. The Whitgift Foundation John Whitgift, Archbishop of Canterbury from 1583 to 1604 (the year of his death), was closely associated with Croydon — Lambeth Palace was technically the Archbishop's London residence but Croydon Palace served as a country retreat, and it was at Croydon that Whitgift endowed his greatest charitable work. The Whitgift Foundation, established by deed in 1596, originally provided almshouses for the poor of Croydon (the surviving Whitgift Almshouses in the town centre, now listed, are among the finest Elizabethan almshouse buildings in England). The Foundation today runs independent schools and continues its charitable work; the Whitgift Centre shopping mall perpetuates the archbishop's name. The Tramlink Croydon Tramlink — now simply called London Trams — is one of the few operating modern tram systems in England and the only one in London. Opened in May 2000, the network runs from Wimbledon (in the southwest) through Croydon town centre to New Addington and Beckenham Junction, using a combination of on-street running through the town centre and dedicated tracks on former railway alignments. The system serves approximately 30 million passenger journeys annually and has been a catalyst for regeneration along its route. Population and Demographics The 2021 Census recorded approximately 400,000 residents. Croydon is one of the most diverse London boroughs: approximately 50% White, 23% Black (one of the highest proportions of any London borough), 13% Asian, and 6% mixed. GIS and Boundary Data The administrative boundary of Croydon London Borough is available for free download in GeoJSON and KML formats, sourced from the ONS Open Geography Portal (Crown copyright 2024). Compatible with QGIS, ArcGIS, Mapbox, and Google Earth, the dataset supports aviation heritage mapping, tram network geography, ecclesiastical estate conservation, demographic research, and urban regeneration planning across the Croydon local authority area.

📍 Administrative boundary of Croydon county