Croydon Rural District facts for kids

Croydon was a special area in Surrey, England, that existed from 1894 to 1915. It was called a rural district. Think of it like a local government area that managed villages and countryside. It was created by a law called the Local Government Act 1894. This new district took over from an older system called the Croydon Rural Sanitary District.

The Croydon Rural District was located around the County Borough of Croydon, which was a bigger, more developed town. The rural district wrapped around it to the south, east, and west.

When it first started in 1894, the area was mostly countryside with small villages. But as London grew bigger in the late 1800s and early 1900s, the rural district quickly changed. More and more people moved in, and the area became more like a town. This process is called urbanisation. Because of this growth, the rural district was slowly broken up into smaller, newer areas called urban districts. It officially stopped existing in 1915.

Today, the land that was once the Croydon Rural District is part of several different areas. These include parts of the London Boroughs of Croydon, Merton, and Sutton. It also includes part of the Borough of Reigate and Banstead.

What Was the Croydon Rural District?

The Croydon Rural District was a type of local government area. It was set up to manage things like roads, public health, and other services for people living in the countryside and smaller villages. It was different from a county borough, which was a larger, more independent town.

How the District Changed

When the Croydon Rural District was first created, it included nine smaller areas called civil parishes. A civil parish is the smallest unit of local government in England. Over time, the number of parishes in the district changed.

• In 1907, the number of parishes went down to eight. This happened when the Merton Urban District was formed.
• In 1913, it went down to seven parishes. This was because the parish of Morden joined with Merton Urban District.

In 1914, the Surrey County Council decided to break up the rural district completely. They planned to create three new urban districts or transfer parts of it to other nearby rural districts. However, the County Borough of Croydon wanted to take over most of the parishes of Beddington, Coulsdon, Sanderstead, and Woodmansterne. Croydon's plan was not approved by parliament, so the original plan to break up the district went ahead in 1915.

What Happened to Each Parish?

Here's what happened to the different parishes that were once part of the Croydon Rural District: