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Thornton Heath
OS grid reference	TQ315685
London borough	Croydon
Ceremonial county	Greater London
Region	London
Constituent country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	THORNTON HEATH
Postcode district	CR7
Dialling code	020
Police	Metropolitan
Fire	London
Ambulance	London
UK Parliament	Croydon North
London Assembly	Croydon and Sutton
European Parliament	London
List of places: UK • England • London

Coordinates: 51°24′01″N 0°06′31″W / 51.4002, -0.1086

Thornton Heath is a district in the London Borough of Croydon. It is 7.2 miles (11.6 km) south of Charing Cross. Thornton Heath High Street is the centre of a large area of north Croydon known as Thornton Heath between West Croydon and South Norwood.

Until the arrival of the railway in 1862 and the subsequent building of many houses around it, Thornton Heath was actually focused on an area a mile (1.6 km) to the west, at the locality on the A23 now known as Thornton Heath Pond. The heath itself consisted of 36 acres (146,000 m²) stretching northwards from Thornton Heath Pond towards Norbury. This was the common grazing land for the manor of Norbury. There were also some farms and cottages. Colliers Water Lane, an ancient route, is thought to have been used by charcoal-burners who took water from Thornton Heath Pond.

The area was known for being desolate and a haunt of highwaymen, including the most famous of all, Dick Turpin, who was said to have lived for a time nearby. A gallows was placed by the pond to execute criminals and serve as a warning to others. On 31 March 1722 six men were hanged there together, and a further four together the following year. The area was known as Gallows Green, the gallows being a well-known sight along the increasingly important stagecoach route between London and the south coast. In the 18th century a coaching inn called the Wheatsheaf was established by the pond providing refreshment for travellers and their horses. In 1799 the common was enclosed and some development began around the pond along London Road. By 1900 most of the common had been built on. For a period after the arrival of the railway, the area around the station was known as 'New Thornton Heath'.

The pond had become a hazard by the late 19th century, a parcel mail coach having notably come to grief in it in 1891. To commemorate Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee in 1897, a large fountain was placed in the middle of the pond and railings were erected around it. In 1953 the pond was drained and is now a major roundabout on the London to Brighton route (the A23 road). At the junction of Thornton Heath High Street and Parchmore Road, on a site previously called Walker's Green, is a Clocktower, built in 1900, and financed partly by public subscription. Thornton Heath was the site of the Croydon Workhouse from 1865, later to become Queen's Road Hospital, with the neighbouring Queen's Road Cemetery, opened in 1861. Mayday University Hospital began as the Workhouse infirmary and is now one of the largest hospitals in south London.

Thornton Heath is one of the most multicultural areas in Croydon, home to large Asian communities, as well as a significant Afro-Caribbean population. There has also been a recent influx of Polish immigrants as exemplified by a large growth of Polish shops in the area. This area is desirable to immigrants by virtue of significantly lower house prices, making Thornton Heath more than other parts of Greater London. At Thornton Heath Pond is a London Bus garage which was formerly a tram depot until the 1950s. Croydon's last tram until the Tramlink scheme of the 1990s was driven to Thornton Heath by the then Mayor of Croydon and the now-late Fred Harris MP.

Thornton Heath's aging sports centre was recently knocked down and replaced by a more modern sports and leisure centre with a wider range of facilities.

Notable local sports teams include:

• Streatham-Croydon RFC
• South London Storm Rugby League Club
• Croydon Athletic F.C.
• Crystal Palace F.C.
• Thornton Heath leisure centre
• Gonville Sports Club-Bowling Green

• West Croydon
• South Norwood
• Norbury
• Pollards Hill
• Selhurst
• Upper Norwood
• Eastfields

• Thornton Heath railway station
• Norwood Junction railway station
• Selhurst railway station

v • d • e London Borough of Croydon
Districts	Addington · Addiscombe · Ashburton · Broad Green · Coombe · Coulsdon · Croydon · Crystal Palace · Forestdale · Hamsey Green · Kenley · New Addington · Monks Orchard · Norbury · Purley · Sanderstead · Selhurst · Selsdon · Shirley · South Croydon · South Norwood · Thornton Heath · Upper Norwood · Waddon · West Croydon · Woodside
Attractions	Addington Palace · Croydon Airport · Croydon Clocktower (David Lean Cinema • Museum of Croydon • Croydon Central Library) · Croydon Palace · Warehouse Theatre · Fairfield Halls · Shirley Windmill
Street markets	Surrey Street Market · Croydon Farmers Market
Constituencies	Croydon South · Croydon Central · Croydon North
Parks and open spaces in Croydon

• [Thornton Heath photos]
• [13 historic photos]