Thornton Heath
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| Thornton Heath | |
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| OS Grid Reference: | Template:Gbmappingsmall |
| Administration | |
| Borough: | Croydon |
| County: | Greater London |
| Region: | Greater London |
| Nation: | England |
| Other | |
| Ceremonial County: | Greater London |
| Traditional County: | Surrey |
| Post Office and Telephone | |
| Post town: | THORNTON HEATH |
| Postcode: | CR7 |
| Dialling code: | 020 |
Thornton Heath is a place 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 area now known as Thornton Heath Pond on the A23. The heath itself was 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 for water from the pond.
The area was known for being desolate and prone to highwaymen, including the most famous highwayman 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, with a further four together the following year. The area was known as Gallows Green, with the gallows being a well-known sight along the increasingly important coach 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, with a parcel mail coach driving into the pond in 1891. To commemorate Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee in 1897, a large fountain was placed in the middle of the pond and new 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, 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.
At Thornton Heath Pond is a London Bus depot 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 Mayor of Croydon and Fred Harris MP.
In January 2003, as reported by The Croydon Guardian (http://www.croydonguardian.co.uk/search/display.var.264128.0.thornton_heath_pond_flows_again.php), Croydon Council placed a new water feature on the Pond roundabout.