Croydon's Lost Station: Central Croydon

You've heard of South Croydon, East Croydon and West Croydon, but have you ever heard of Central Croydon?

[japethstevens]

Just a small pedantic point: Katharine Street is pronounced Kath-RINE street, if you're a Crodonian. It's a way to identify outsiders, spies and people from Bromley.

[andrewhotston]

Well, I thought I was pretty good on UK railways, but I'd never heard of the Central Croydon line - thank you for filling that Croydon-shaped gap in my knowledge.

[ianprince]

noted that Kathrine street had its own pronunciation,
another Croydon station to note is Waddon ( for Croydon airport ) as the sign used to say.

[archive]

I wish to learn more about the mystical magical world of Croydon

[ZGryphon]

I can never hear about Croydon without thinking of the first context I ever saw it in, which was _The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy._ "What do you mean you've met him before? This is Zaphod Beeblebrox, the President of the Galaxy, we're talking about, not bloody Martin Smith from Croydon."

[wickermanout]

Those gardens have been closed since before I moved out this year, in January.... when I was living there and during lockdown I would walk to South Croydon and keep going to some of the commons, where the golf course is. Not far from some of your shots, maybe a 15 min walk, there's Spencer Road Halt Station, an abandoned station off South Croydon. You can see the old tracks and bits and bobs of the old platform.

[PlanetoftheDeaf]

East Croydon is clearly central enough and always has been, it's bizarre why they thought another station was needed! Tramlink has ended up serving the centre of Croydon anyway

[alanbudgen]

Another great video. I've written three (I think) histories of the Central Croydon station. The final closure suited the council, as they needed to widen the high street. The street was so narrow, the new tramway was single track. It helped them build a new town hall.
The LBSCR got to close the station, and obtained the Fairfield in the process.
Coincidentally, your video appears as members of the The Brighton Circle (LBSCR Historical society) have been discussing the central Croydon branch.

[ShedTV]

Croydon gets a bad press, but I enjoyed living there and attending the Art College in the '90s. I worked at the Fairfield Halls and drank in the town centre pubs. There were no trams them and East Croydon station was just reopening after renovation. I had no idea about the lost station, although there was another now-closed station close to where I lived on Lower Addiscombe Road.

[michellebell]

My birth town. Thanks for another thoroughly entertaining and informative video. I’ve maintained for years that Croydon would have been a great place for the underground to reach, given for example that we have Amersham to the North west and Epping to the east which are further from C London. Incidentally. I visited Roding Valley this morning.

[brick]

Interesting fact: Croydon Minster was designed by George Gilbert Scott who also designed St Pancas.... Ok, he was prolific and designed about 10, 000 buildings so anywhere could probably say the same. I'm trying Croydon, I'm trying.

[robertlangley]

Excellent J this was the place of my birth and my home from 1953, thank you 🙏

[PhilipStorry]

Superb video, thanks! And I'm pleased to hear the name Katherine Street - I found it on an old map and updated the appropriate references with evidence. Sharing is caring. :-)
As to Croydon Central, I think it was always doomed to fail because you had to change trains for what is a very short journey. Frankly, the moment that happens you're better off observing the hierarchy of transport - and stepping onto a tram, trolleybus or bus. It's too expensive to run a train for the potential traffic volumes, so you may as well use something that's cheaper and more flexible, as well as able to go further afield.
The Tramlink now links East and West Croydon stations, and is the right solution. Croydon Central should remain a footnote in history.

[sandiagatha]

Thank you for providing an insight to Croydon. I currently work in its libraries, and occasionally work in the Civic building. I did not know the original site was a railway station. I'll pass the information onto my colleagues. 🙂

[markellis]

As part of the proposed redevelopment of East Croydon station, there was a small campaign a few years ago to rename East Croydon as Croydon Central.

There are some photos from the 1950's showing the old goods yard on the line to Croydon Central. The former through lines are easily identifiable as they are cut off in their prime just before Park Lane.

[KravKernow]

I may have mentioned this before (but its the only Victoria Station fact I know, so I like to use it). In "The Importance of Being Earnest' when our eponymous hero mentions he was found "in a handbag!" at Victoria, he is quick to clarify that it was on "The Brighton Line". That was to emphasise his credentials as that's the posh branch; and that it wasn't the common as muck LC&D Railway.

[simonperrins]

Thank's Jago - I have been watching for awhile now, and really enjoy your videos - keep it up!

[-Osiris-]

The one thing about Croydon is there is a lot of civic pride. You will have more comments on this video than you've had on any video this year, purely because of your inadvertent summoning of Croydonites past and present

[davidstoker]

The creation of 'New Croydon' Station was a device to enable the LB&SCR to get out of an agreement with the SER and offer cheaper fares into London -see the Wikipedia article on East Croydon.

[pras]

Good vid Jago but, arguably, you missed out two more stations that Croydon once had.
I am trying not to go on and on about it but everyone forgets the Surrey Iron Railway (and the Croydon, Merstham and Godstone Railway).
The SIR had a station of sorts somewhere near Reeves Corner tram stop. The line headed west to Wandsworth via Carshalton and south to Merstham. There was a spur that ran up (what is now) Tamworth Road to end near the terminus of the Croydon Canal. The canal ended in a "basin" where the platforms of West Croydon Station are now.
All of this before any other Croydon railways were even thought about.

PS: West Croydon opened first in June 1839 followed by East Croydon in July 1841. Until 1846 they were both called "Croydon". South Croydon opened in September 1865.