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 attractive by virtue of significantly lower house prices, making Thornton Heath more affordable than some 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 MP Fred Harris. 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'. More on Thornton Heath 

Monthly Nights Out at your Local CIU Club