Thornton Heath, United Kingdom
Thornton Heath is a town of 14,669 people in England, United Kingdom.
Why visit Thornton Heath
Townapedia lists 17 museums and landmarks, 76 parks and trails, 174 places to eat, 10 places to stay and 9 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Croydon Flyover, Fairfield Halls, Croydon War Memorial and Dulwich College War Memorial.
Weather in Thornton Heath
Forecast from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Full forecast
About Thornton Heath
Thornton Heath is a district of South London, England, within the London Borough of Croydon. It is around 1.5 miles (2.4 km) north of the town of Croydon, and 7.2 miles (11.6 km) south of Charing Cross. Prior to the creation of Greater London in 1965, Thornton Heath was in the County Borough of Croydon.
From the Wikipedia article Thornton Heath (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do9
Fairfield Halls
Cinema and theater · 1.8 mi
Arts, entertainment and conference centre in Croydon, London
Former Streatham Hill Theatre
Cinema and theater · 3.1 mi
Former theatre now used as a casino, Streatham, London, UK
South London Theatre
Cinema and theater · 2.3 mi
Theatre in West Norwood, London
The Spread Eagle Theatre
Cinema and theater · 1.8 mi
Pub theatre above the Spread Eagle pub in Croydon, London, England
Warehouse Theatre
Cinema and theater · 1.7 mi
Former theatre in Croydon, London, England
Ashcroft Theatre
Cinema and theater · 1.8 mi
Theatre within the Fairfield Halls, Croydon, London, England
Museums and landmarks17
Croydon War Memorial
Monument and historic site · 1.8 mi
War memorial in London
Dulwich College War Memorial
Monument and historic site · 2.9 mi
War memorial in London
Dulwich Old College War Memorial
Monument and historic site · 3.4 mi
War memorial in London
Dulwich Picture Gallery
Museum · 3.3 mi
Art gallery in Dulwich, South London, United Kingdom
Horniman Museum and Gardens
Museum · 3.3 mi
Museum in Forest Hill, London, England, United Kingdom
Museum of Croydon
Museum · 1.8 mi
Local and social history museum in Croydon, London
Bethlem Gallery
Museum · 3.2 mi
Art gallery in Beckenham, Bromley, England
Streatham War Memorial
Monument and historic site · 2.1 mi
War memorial in London
5 more on the map.
Parks, trails and playgrounds76
Woodside Green
Park · 1.5 mi
Street and green space in the London Borough of Croydon, England, UK
Addiscombe Railway Park
Park · 1.4 mi
Park in London Borough of Croydon, United Kingdom
Norwood Grove
Park · 1.5 mi
Grade II listed urban park in London, England, UK
Betts Park
Park · 1.6 mi
Public park in Penge, London Borough of Bromley, in London, England
South Norwood Recreation Ground
Park · 0.9 mi
Park in London Borough of Croydon, United Kingdom
64 more on the map.
Restaurants and cafes174
The Jolly Sailor
Bar and pub · 1.0 mi
64 High Street, London
Mo-We 14:00-23:00; Th 14:00-00:00; Fr 13:00-00:00; Sa 12:00-00:00;...
Croydon Food Station
Restaurant · Indian · 1.3 mi
77A Station Road, Croydon
Mo-Sa 08:00-23:00; Su 10:00-22:00
Overproof
Restaurant · Cocktailbar, Cocktails, Burger, Chicken, Seafood, American, Italian, Barbecue, Kebab · 1.5 mi
151 North End, Croydon
YEHA NOHA
Cafe · Polish · 1.0 mi
19 Station Road, London
Mo-We 14:00-22:00; Th-Fr 14:00-23:00; Sa 10:00-23:00; Su 12:00-18:00
Four Hundred Rabbits
Restaurant · Pizza · 1.5 mi
30-32 Westow Street, London
Su-Th 12:00-21:30; Fr-Sa 12:00-21:00
162 more on the map.
History
Until the arrival of the railway in 1862, Thornton Heath was focused on an area 1.5 miles (2.4 km) southwest of the Whitehorse manor house (now a school), at the locality on the main London–Sussex road known as Thornton Heath Pond in the parish of Croydon St John the Baptist. Between the manor house and pond was an isolated farmhouse. Eventually, it became the site for the railway station and the main expansion hub.
In the 50-year period from 1861 to 1911, Thornton Heath saw a complete transformation from an isolated rural outpost to an integrated metropolitan suburb. In its infancy, a new railway station in the eastern farmlands enabled the immediate area to evolve around a central point. In the late 19th century, the western part of Thornton Heath, which lay directly on the main London–Sussex road, demonstrated a classic form of suburban ribbon development. In the process, it became the final piece in an urban chain linking two major centres, London and Croydon, completing the greatest metropolitan expansion in the world at that time which cost £112 million in today's money.
From the History section of Thornton Heath on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
More about Thornton Heath
Geography
The nearest places are Mitcham, Croydon, South Norwood, Norbury, Pollards Hill, Selhurst, Upper Norwood, and Eastfields.
Geologically, some areas have clay-heavy soil, including Norbury and South Norwood. There is the gravelly, fertile soil in parts of the Thornton Heath area, which explains why market gardening and gravel extraction were major industries.
Arts and culture
Architecturally, Thornton Heath is predominantly Victorian in both its residential and commercial sectors. There are a number of imposing, even grand, buildings surviving from this period.
Two examples are St Paul's Church and St Alban's Church. St Alban's is an Anglican church and is listed as Grade II. Built in 1889, it was the first church designed by the late Victorian architect Sir Ninian Comper. It is situated on the busy junction of Grange Road and the High Street. It is described as being of a red-brick perpendicular style with stone dressing.
At the junction of the High Street and Parchmore Road, on a site previously called Walker's Green, stands the Clocktower, which was built in 1900, and financed partly by public subscription.
However, the Victorian baths did not survive, and were replaced by a modern sports and leisure centre in 2004. It cost £8 million with £2.8 million from the British National Lottery Good Causes Fund through Sport England.
Several small and large blocks of flats have been built in the area, in a similar style. A large one is Crystal Court, adjacent to the Leisure Centre. There was an intense fire there. Although the building had passed safety checks, residents were concerned about the role of the cladding. This is being replaced.
From the Wikipedia article Thornton Heath, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Notable people from Thornton Heath
Mickey FinnBritish percussionist (1947–2003)Photo: Heinrich Klaffs, CC BY-SA 2.0
Edward LloydBritish publisher (1815–1890)Photo: Albert Eugene Fradelle, Public domain- Dora RussellBritish writer, feminist and socialist campaigner (1894-1986)
- Jane DrewBritish architect and town planner (1911–1996)
- Sarah NilesBritish actress
- Don WellerEnglish jazz musician (1940-2020)
- Peter Lingwriter of television, radio, novels and comics (1926-2006)
- Dionne 'London' Hughescomedian and actress
- Christopher Louis McIntosh JohnsonBritish journalist and economist
- Simon JordanBritish businessman
- Martin ButcherEnglish cricketer (born 1958)
- Colin SpencerBritish writer
Born in Thornton Heath, according to Wikidata (CC0). Each name links to its Wikipedia article.
Where to stay10
Ibis Styles London Croydon Hotel
Motel and hotel · 0.9 mi
585-589 London Road, Thornton Heath
Churches and places of worship74
Shopping42
Gas and EV charging8
Schools, colleges and libraries66
St Cyprian's Greek Orthodox Primary Academy
School · Greek Orthodox · 0.7 mi
Springfield Road, Thornton Heath
St James the Great RC Primary and Nursery School
School · Roman Catholic · 0.6 mi
Windsor Road, Thornton Heath
Healthcare41
Map of Thornton Heath
250 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Getting there and nearby towns
London Biggin Hill Airport (BQH) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 7 miles away.
- Croydon 1 mi south, about 2 min by car
- Wallington 3 mi southwest, about 5 min by car
- West Wickham 4 mi southeast, about 7 min by car
- Sutton 6 mi southwest, about 9 min by car
- Worcester Park 6 mi west, about 10 min by car
- City of Westminster 7 mi north, about 11 min by car
- London 8 mi north, about 12 min by car
- Islington 9 mi north, about 15 min by car
- Bexley 11 mi east, about 18 min by car
- Archway 12 mi north, about 19 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Towns near Thornton Heath
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Keep exploring
Local news
Headlines from INDB.
Reviews, tips and questions
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Sources and licences
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, coordinates, regions and time zone
- Mapillary (see each image): photos
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Clocktower, Thornton Heath, Ewan-M, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Flora Sandes, Thornton Heath, CR7 (7448370458), Ewan Munro from London, UK, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Croydon Flyover, Pafcool2, Public domain
- Fairfield Halls - London, Jim Linwood, CC BY 2.0
- Former Playhouse Theatre (9176302961), Reading Tom from Reading, UK, CC BY 2.0
- South London Theatre 118125, RHaworth, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Spreadeagle, Croydon, CR0 (2353133094), Ewan Munro from London, UK, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Croydon War Memorial - West, hahnchen at Wikimedia Commons (must include link if medium allows), CC BY-SA 3.0
- Dulwich College War Memorial, 2018, No Swan So Fine, CC BY-SA 4.0
- The Dulwich Estate - DSC05986, Rept0n1x, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Horniman Museum tower, 2015, No Swan So Fine, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Museum of Croydon, Pafcool2, Public domain
- Joiners Arms, Woodside, SE25 (5717641899), Ewan Munro from London, UK, CC BY-SA 2.0
- The White House at Norwood Grove in September 2019, Eagleash, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Addington-hills-view, Harvest1, CC BY 3.0
- Betts, Matt-rex, Public domain
- All-saints-dulwich, Le Deluge, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Christ Church, Gipsy Hill, London SE19, Mark Ahsmann, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Church of St Barnabas, Mitcham - 1, Euphorbia7, CC BY-SA 4.0
- St John's Church, Penge (2017), Alan Hughes, CC BY-SA 2.0
- St Peter's Church, Croydon - West, hahnchen at Wikimedia Commons (must include link if medium allows), CC BY-SA 3.0
- Al-Khair Secondary School, Mx. Granger, CC0
- Croydon University Hospital, bob walker from London, UK, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Parish Church of St Michael and All Angels with St James, Croydon - North, hahnchen at Wikimedia Commons (must include link if medium allows), CC BY-SA 3.0
- All Saints Upper Norwood, Timothy Titus, CC BY-SA 4.0
- EMILE ZOLA 1840-1902 French Novelist lived here 1898-1899, Spudgun67, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Albion, South Norwood, SE25 (5717637041), Ewan Munro from London, UK, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Jolly Sailor, South Norwood, SE25 (5718197616), Ewan Munro from London, UK, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Bennett's Hole and River Wandle 4, Dudley Miles, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Warehouse Theatre Warehouse Cafe Bar, Croydon, CR0 (6109125574), Ewan Munro from London, UK, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Dulwich Picture Gallery, June 2018 (3), No Swan So Fine, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Arthur Conan Doyle house, Pafcool2, Public domain
- Addiscombe Railway Park 4, Mx. Granger, CC0
- Ashburton Park, London Borough of Croydon, SE25 CR0 (2352153099), Ewan Munro from London, UK, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Street-level photo, agatefilm, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, ldonetc, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, jethro10, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, 6643539, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, smsm1, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, agatefilm, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, agatefilm, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, agatefilm, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, smsm1, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, agatefilm, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, geomapper69, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, jethro10, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, paulbiv, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, agatefilm, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, tomchance, CC BY-SA 4.0
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