About
The Museum of Croydon occupies the Croydon Clocktower on Katharine Street, a striking cultural complex at the heart of Croydon's town centre, and tells the story of one of South London's most layered and historically significant urban landscapes. Croydon's history spans two millennia, from its origins as a Romano-British settlement through its medieval development as a prosperous market town on the road from London to the south coast, to its dramatic reinvention in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries as a railway suburb, industrial centre, and eventually one of Britain's most striking postwar urban developments.
The museum's collections illuminate Croydon's medieval and early modern character — the Tudor Archbishop's Palace, one of the best-preserved medieval palaces in England, which served as a country residence for the Archbishops of Canterbury from the late medieval period until 1780; the Whitgift Hospital almshouses of 1596, founded by Archbishop John Whitgift and still functioning as almshouses today; and the ancient Surrey Street market, trading continuously since at least the thirteenth century and claiming to be London's oldest street market.
For the twentieth-century visitor, the museum's most compelling material relates to Croydon Airport — Britain's first international airport and Europe's busiest civil aviation hub between the wars. Croydon (Waddon Aerodrome) opened in 1920 on the site of two First World War Royal Flying Corps airfields. Briefly the UK's official London airport, it was the departure point for pioneering long-distance flights by aviators including Charles Lindbergh (who landed here after completing the first transatlantic flight in 1927), Amy Johnson, and Imperial Airways services to the Empire. The airport's elegant Art Deco terminal — Airport House at Purley Way — still stands as a Grade II* listed building. Croydon Airport closed in 1959 when its short runways could no longer accommodate the jet age, superseded by Heathrow and Gatwick.
The museum also covers Croydon's extraordinary postwar transformation, when the town centre was comprehensively redeveloped in the 1950s to 1970s in a high-rise modernist idiom that produced Britain's most concentrated collection of tall commercial buildings outside the City of London. This controversial legacy — loved and reviled in equal measure — is documented alongside the longer story of Croydon's identity as a borough that encompasses both the densely urban and the surprisingly green, from Croydon town centre to the hills and commons of the Borough's south.
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Plan Your Visit
⏱️ Recommended Visit Duration
💡 Visitor Tips
- East Croydon station is just 4 minutes walk — with trains to London Victoria in 15 minutes and London Bridge in 17 minutes, this is an easy addition to a London day.
- Surrey Street market (a short walk from the museum) operates Tuesday to Saturday and has traded continuously since the 13th century — worth a look before or after the museum.
- The Archbishop's Old Palace, visible from the High Street, is occasionally open for guided tours — check the Friends of the Old Palace website for visiting dates.
- The Croydon Airport terminal building (Airport House, Purley Way) is a Grade II* listed Art Deco building still standing 3 miles south of the town centre — enthusiasts may want to drive past.
- The museum café is not currently operating — bring your own refreshments or use the town centre cafes on and around the High Street.
- Free admission makes this an excellent option in combination with a shopping trip to the Whitgift or Centrale centres.
- The museum regularly hosts family events and community exhibitions — check the events calendar for what's on during your visit.
- Tramlink stops near the museum connect easily to Wimbledon, New Addington, and other Croydon destinations.
Highlights
Croydon Airport: Britain's First International Airport
The museum's most gripping material relates to Croydon Airport — Waddon Aerodrome — which served as London's primary civil airport from 1920 to 1959 and was at its peak the busiest international airport in Europe.
The museum traces its history from its wartime origins as two RFC airfields, through its golden age as the departure point for pioneering aviators and Imperial Airways Empire routes, to its closure as jets demanded longer runways.
Charles Lindbergh's arrival in 1927 after the first solo transatlantic flight, Amy Johnson's epic solo flights, and the establishment of scheduled air services to Paris and beyond are among the stories documented.
The Archbishop's Palace
Croydon's most important medieval building is the Old Palace, also known as the Archbishop's Palace — a remarkably complete medieval and Tudor complex that served as the Archbishops of Canterbury's principal country residence from the fourteenth to the eighteenth century. The great hall, guardroom, undercroft, and chapel survive largely intact, with interiors dating from the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries.
The museum explores the palace's history and the Archbishops' role in Croydon's development, complementing a separate guided tour programme at the palace itself, now used as a school.
Surrey Street Market
Surrey Street market, a short walk from the museum, has traded continuously since at least the thirteenth century and claims to be the oldest street market in London. The museum documents the market's long history — the traders, the products, the physical evolution of the street, and the market's role as the commercial heartbeat of a Surrey market town before Greater London absorbed Croydon in 1965.
Photographs and oral histories from market traders provide vivid evidence of a living tradition that has survived wars, redevelopments, and the rise of supermarkets.
The Whitgift Hospital Almshouses
The Whitgift Hospital, founded by Archbishop John Whitgift in 1596 and still functioning as almshouses providing homes for elderly residents, is one of the most important Elizabethan charitable buildings in South London. The museum explores Whitgift's life and his connection to Elizabeth I, the original charitable provision he established, and the almshouses' remarkable continuity as a working charitable institution over four centuries.
The building, with its distinctive courtyard and original brickwork, still stands near the museum and can be viewed from outside.
Collections
The Museum of Croydon's collections span the full history of the town and borough from prehistoric times to the present. Core collections include the local history archive with photographs, maps, documents, and ephemera; the aviation collection relating to Croydon Airport and its history; decorative arts and material culture collections from Croydon's medieval, early modern, and Victorian periods; natural history and geological specimens; and a significant oral history archive recording Croydon residents' memories of the twentieth century.
The museum maintains strong community engagement and continues to collect contemporary material documenting Croydon's ongoing evolution.
Croydon: Story of a Town
Permanent displays covering Croydon's history from prehistoric to present, with particular emphasis on the Archbishop's Palace, Surrey Street market, the Victorian suburb, and Croydon Airport
Current Exhibitions
No current exhibitions. Please check the museum website for updates.