Holiday apartment in Croydon: parks, history and culture

Croydon combines around 127 parks and green spaces with historic buildings, museums, Surrey Street Market and a year-round cultural programme.

Parks and paths in Croydon

Around 127 parks and green spaces shape Croydon. Illustrated walks lead through neighbourhoods and to historic sights; online maps and printable fold-out maps help with orientation. South Norwood Country Park includes wildflower meadows, wetlands, a lake, a viewing hill and a designated cycle path as part of the Water Link Way. As a local nature reserve with wetlands, it is also a place where more than 100 bird species are observed each year.

Croham Hurst also combines nature and history. The extensive woodland is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest. A public bridleway and walking path runs along its north-eastern boundary. In the town centre, the four-hectare Wandle Park offers a different park landscape: the River Wandle flows through it, and the grounds also include a play area, community garden, rose garden, trim trail, skate park, pond, bandstand and tennis courts. Food plants and flowers grow in the community garden; on Sundays, it provides a place for conversations about gardening and growing together.

History between the Minster, palace and airport

Croydon Minster has been a place of worship since Anglo-Saxon times. Six Archbishops of Canterbury are buried in the church. Under the direction of Sir George Gilbert Scott, Croydon Minster was rebuilt and rededicated in 1870. Old Palace Croydon is regarded as the best-preserved example of a medieval palace of the Archbishops of Canterbury. Its south wing includes a long gallery built around 1539 to complete the south courtyard. The Great Hall is a large medieval hall and part of the former palace of the Archbishops of Canterbury in Croydon.

The Croydon Airport Visitor Centre is a volunteer-run small museum in the first integrated airport terminal and control tower in Britain, at Airport House in Croydon. When it opened in 1928, Croydon Airport's terminal became the world's first purpose-built airport terminal. The Visitor Centre is open on the first Sunday of each month by prior booking as part of a guided tour. Allow around one hour for the tour and up to 30 minutes for the subsequent self-guided museum visit.

Museums, market and cultural programme

The Museum of Croydon announces guided tours and outreach activities developed in collaboration with libraries and community-focused projects. Visitors of all abilities are welcome; all areas of the museum are fully accessible. Surrey Street Market in central Croydon has been documented since 1276 and hosts weekly events alongside its regular market offering.

For an evening out or a day of events, Fairfield Halls offers classical concerts, theatre, dance, comedy, exhibitions and conferences throughout the year. The independent David Lean Cinema has 68 seats and is run by volunteers and local film enthusiasts. Shirley Windmill, a 17-metre-high brick tower mill built by Richard Alwen in 1854, retains most of its original Victorian machinery. It offers the rare opportunity to view from the inside one of only four windmills in the capital that are open to the public. Boxpark Croydon offers international food and live sports in distinctive repurposed shipping containers.

More local pages for your planning: Croydon, Coulsdon, Thornton Heath, Kenley.

For the higher-level travel overview: Greater London.

More destinations

More places within the same destination:

City of London, Lewisham, Richmond upon Thames, Barnet.