The 20th century: a time of wholesale change for Croydon

As one looks out from one of ISLAND's supremely well-appointed apartments to rent in Croydon, as they will be on the completion of construction of this 20-storey tower project in 2015, one is also likely to ponder just what drastic changes the locality has undergone in a relatively short space of time. The early to mid 2010s are proving an extremely exciting time for this sometimes underappreciated part of the capital - but it's hardly the first time it has seen such bold change.

One only has to consider the 20th century, for example, a time when Croydon has seemingly already settled into its role as a key transport hub for the city. The previous century had seen a 23-fold increase in Croydon's population, and its incorporation as a borough and county borough in 1883 and 1889 respectively. It had become a pleasant, leafy suburb adored by the Victorian middle classes, although sweeping changes continued to take hold, the 1890s seeing the widening of the High Street and extensive clearance of the 'Middle Row' slum area as part of the Croydon Improvement scheme.

It took until shortly after World War II for the remaining slums to be cleared, this period also seeing the related rise in population for the isolated new settlement of New Addington, as well as the opening and expansion of such central Croydon stores as Grants, Allders and Kennards. Even the UK's first Sainsbury's self-service shop was established in Croydon. The mid-20th century also saw the decline in importance of Croydon Airport, which was London's main airport until the opening of Heathrow.

Further extensive redevelopment took place in the 1950s and 1960s in response to the area's then-increasing congestion problems. New offices shot up on the horizon, accompanying road schemes were built and the likes of the Fairfield Halls arts centre and Whitgift Centre opened their doors, making Croydon as strong a centre for recreation as it was for business. Then came another wave of significant improvements in the 1990s, when the Croydon Clocktower arts centre was established.

As Croydon left the 20th century behind, it could reflect on no shortage of excitement, and now, the area is undergoing yet another thrilling period of renewal to make it fit for the 21st century challenges ahead. Where better to appreciate such change than from the window of one of ISLAND's simply delightful apartments to rent in Croydon?

Editor’s Note: ISLAND (http://www.islandcroydon.com) are represented by the search engine advertising and digital marketing specialists Jumping Spider Media. Email: info@jumpingspidermedia.co.uk or call: +44 (0)20 3070 1959 / +34 952 783 637.