Coulsdon and Purley – Surrey or London?

Among the many hotly debated subjects in our area, one that is frequently returned to is the question of if towns like Coulsdon and Purley are part of London or Surrey.

When debating anything the proposition or debate subject is always talked over.  What does it mean to be ‘part of’?  How do you define Surrey or London?  Indeed, how do you define the towns of Coulsdon and Purley?

“Postal addresses with Coulsdon in the name appear now in the London Borough’s of Croydon, Sutton and some in the Surrey borough of Reigate and Banstead”

Coulsdon for instance used to refer to the area now known as Old Coulsdon and also separately the Parish of Coulsdon, which includes much of Purley.  Coulsdon town centre today was once referred to as Smitham.  Are they the same area or different areas today?  If they are different where’s the boundary?  Postal addresses with Coulsdon in the name appear now in the London Borough’s of Croydon, Sutton and some in the Surrey borough of Reigate and Banstead.

London refers officially to both the City of London, and Greater London.  Although it is often used as shorthand to cover variously the Cities of London and Westminster, and anything in about Zones 1 and 2 of the London Underground.

Surrey as a name originated as the southern portion of the Middle Saxon territory.  Coulsdon and Purley were part of the Hundred (county division) of Surrey called Wallington.  These for local government purposes were largely self-administrating, the limited county wide governance was focused mainly on keeping the peace.

“With the population of the Croydon Rural District doubling from 1901 to 1911, the Coulsdon and Purley Urban District was formed.  The new local authority set itself up in new offices on Brighton Road”

Local government resembling what we know today first came to London and Surrey with the Local Government Act 1888.  This formed both the London and Surrey County Council’s.  The act also formed the County Borough of Croydon which whilst technically in Surrey, was not under the jurisdiction of either Surrey or London councils.  The County Borough of Croydon included parts of Purley.  The rest of Purley, all Coulsdon and areas such as Addington, Beddington, Mitcham and Wallington all formed part of the Croydon Rural District within Surrey.  To add to the confusion, the district headquartered in Croydon Town Hall.

With the population of the Croydon Rural District doubling from 1901 to 1911, the Coulsdon and Purley Urban District was formed.  The new local authority set itself up in new offices on Brighton Road at the junction of Old Lodge Lane.  By this stage it is difficult to say Coulsdon and Purley are meaningfully part of Surrey.

“As a result of the act in 1965 the new London Borough of Croydon was formed merging the old County Borough of Croydon with the Coulsdon and Purley Urban District to form a new entity”

The debate on being part of London or Surrey really became settled as part of the London Government Act 1963.  The act set up the Greater London Council (GLC), and the 32 new London borough councils.  As a result of the act in 1965 the new London Borough of Croydon was formed merging the old County Borough of Croydon with the Coulsdon and Purley Urban District to form a new entity which was entirely part of London.

Perhaps more controversial than if Coulsdon and Purley are part of London or Surrey, is the question of the merger with Croydon.  There is many a resident of the old urban district that will speak of their town playing second fiddle to the districts in the centre and north of the borough.  Machinations at Croydon Council in recent years with the council declaring de facto bankruptcy, has only sharpened the desire among many to separate to the pre 65 boundaries.  Be they 1 or 2 boroughs, they are both undeniably part of London.  Residents have voted for members of the GLC, the GLA, and Mayor of London.  Much as most of West London was once part of Middlesex, East London Essex, Bromley was once part of Kent, and Kingson once part of Surrey they are all now part of London.

“Our towns were no doubt once part of a Middle Saxon kingdom, and were likely once ruled by Frithuwold of Chertsey the King of Surrey in the late 7th Century”

This leaves the thorny issue of postal addresses.  Many of us will sign off with a postal address of ‘Coulsdon, Surrey’ or ‘Purley, Surrey’, and of course we have Croydon rather than London Post Codes.  The simple explanation here is the postcode system is independent of political boundaries and are based on the areas ‘Post Town’.  An example of this is the Redhill (RH) postcode area, this as you might expect includes Redhill, but also Gatwick (RH6), Oxted (RH8), and Haywards Heath (RH16 and 17), none of which are part of the town Redhill.  The district covers parts of Surrey, and East and West Sussex.

Our towns were no doubt once part of a Middle Saxon kingdom, and were likely once ruled by Frithuwold of Chertsey the King of Surrey in the late 7th Century AD.  Like so much this has passed to history, with the expansion of London, Coulsdon and Purley became subsumed in the great metropolis.  Whilst our area may no longer have its own King, let’s hope it long retains its own character.

This article was originally published in CR5 magazine for the Coulsdon and Purley debating society in September 2024 https://cr5.co.uk/cr5-magazine/#cr5-issue-232-september-2024-online/72/.

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