Things to see and do in Croydon

Shopping

Helpful shopping links

•      - Centrale Shopping Centre
•      - The Whitgift Centre
•      - Allders of Croydon
•      - House of Fraser, Croydon

Heritage

Croydon is no modern invention – it was a Domesday village, and the Domesday book was written in 1085! With over a thousand years of history, local sights include the Elizabethan almshouses, Croydon Minster which is the burial place of six archbishops of Canterbury, a grade 2 listed tower mill in Shirley and Croydon's famous airport, rival to Heathrow until its closure in 1959.

Helpful heritage links

•     - Whitgift Almshouses
•     - Croydon Minster
•     - Croydon Airport
•     - Croydon Town Hall
•     - Shirley Windmill
•     - The Old Palace
•     - Museum of Croydon
• Theatre, cinema and nightlife

For 21^st century entertainment, try a concert at Croydon's famous Fairfield Halls, live drama at Warehouse Theatre or a blockbuster movie at one of our two multiplex cinemas. There's a range of clubs, bars and small stages offering live music, stand-up comedy and up-and-coming drama. LINKS

Croydon has a range of clubs and bars to suit all tastes, and Croydon BID supports the CabSafe scheme to help clubbers get home safely at the end of a great night out. Jazz-lovers should check out free Thursday lunchtime music sessions in the Clocktower Cafe in Katharine Street.

Helpful theatre, cinema and nightlife links

•     - Fairfield Halls
•     - Warehouse Theatre Croydon
•     - Grant's Vue Cinema
•     - Scream Studios
•  

  Nightclubs and bars

•  

Shooshh

Tiger Tiger

Black Sheep Bar

Reflex 

Rehab

Bar Red Square

For children

There’s bowling, a Town Centre holiday club for 3 - 10 year-olds and Croydon Kidspace, an enormous indoor play area for children up to 11 which includes a climbing wall and lots of extra activities. Croydon Central Library offers free song-and-dance sessions for toddlers with their parents and carers.

Suggestions for kids in Croydon

•     - Tumbletots
•     - Aquatots
•     - Caterpillar Music
•     - Kitchen Stars (childrens's cookery lessons)
•     - Kidplay Cafe
•     - Kidspace
•     - Beanies Cafe
•     - Henry's House Play Centre and Cafe
  •       Follow the Dragons!

    Green space

Croydon is greener than you might imagine, with 104 parks and green spaces across the borough. The most central of these are The Queen's Gardens and Park Hill Park in the Town Centre. If fitness is your thing, there’s even an outdoor gym in Duppas Hill Park, close to the centre of Croydon, which attracts a variety of keen regular exercisers.

Heathfield Ecology Centre

You can find more parks and open spaces on the Croydon Council website.

Health and fitness

As well as Croydon’s outdoor spaces, there’s a great choice of leisure centres and private health clubs where you can work out, swim, play a range of sports and relax afterwards.

Helpful health and leisure links

•     - LA Fitness Croydon
•     - Croydon Council leisure centres
•     - Virgin Active Croydon
•     - Solutions Health & Fitness
•     - Energie Fitness Croydon