Description
The Fair Field was the site for Croydon's annual fair from at least early Tudor times. The 'Great Fair' was an important cattle fair as well as an occasion for popular entertainment, although this was discontinued after 1868 when rioting took place. Despite local protest, the Croydon Board of Health sold the Fair Field to Brighton Railway Company. The ground was also used for gravel extraction, and later as a car park until the 1960s. Croydon College of Technology and the Fairfield Halls opened in 1962 and Fairfield Gardens were laid out as ornamental gardens and ponds over an underground car park, designed in the modernist geometric style that was gaining popularity.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | The Fair Field |
|---|---|
| Site location | Park Lane, Croydon |
| Postcode | CR9 1DG |
| What3Words | ///race.menu.across |
| Type of Site | Public Gardens |
| Borough | Croydon |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Events | Occasional open-air art shows |
| Public Transport | Rail: East Croydon. |
| Research Updated | 1 December 2008 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
The Fair Field was the site for Croydon's annual fair from at least early Tudor times when the Walnut Fair was held here. Croydon's 'Great Fair' was an important cattle fair as well as an occasion for popular entertainment, which included all manner of attractions from mummers, jugglers, tumblers, dancing bears and other attractions. However, this aspect of the fair ceased in 1868 when rioting took place, the entertainment having increasingly attracted 'undesirables'. The Ordnance Survey map 1st edition of 1870 shows the old Fairfield, and the annual Cattle Fair continued to be held here for some years. Despite local protest, the Croydon Board of Health sold the Fair Field to Brighton Railway Company for the new railway and the ground was also used for gravel extraction. The gravel pit was used as a car park until the 1960s when Croydon College of Technology and the Fairfield Halls were built, opened in 1962 by the Queen Mother.
Next to the college, Fairfield Gardens were laid out as ornamental gardens and ponds over an underground car park. The new gardens were designed by Peter Youngman in the modernist geometric style that was gaining popularity. Due to the shallow soil above the car park large trees could not be planted. In 1969 the first open-air art exhibition was staged here and in 1976 the first permanent sculptures were installed in the garden.
Next to the college, Fairfield Gardens were laid out as ornamental gardens and ponds over an underground car park. The new gardens were designed by Peter Youngman in the modernist geometric style that was gaining popularity. Due to the shallow soil above the car park large trees could not be planted. In 1969 the first open-air art exhibition was staged here and in 1976 the first permanent sculptures were installed in the garden.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ326654 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 0.81 |
| Site Ownership | LB Croydon |
| Site Management | Parks and Open Spaces |
| Dates | 1960-62 |
| Designers | Peter Youngman |
| On National Heritage List for England (NHLE), Parks & Gardens | No |
| Registered common or village green on Commons Registration Act 1965 | No |
| Protected under London Squares Preservation Act 1931 | No |
| Local Authority | Croydon |
| In Conservation Area | No |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | No |
| Other LA Designation | Local Open Land. Part of AP2. Part of Proposals Site |
Please note the Inventory and its content are provided for your general information only and are subject to change. It is your responsibility to check the accuracy.
Nearby parks and gardens
The original Town Hall Gardens were built on a site purchased as railway land when Croydon was developing. In 1889 the land was offered to Croydon Corporation for new municipal buildings. Formal gardens were laid out below ground level adjacent to the Town Hall, which was opened by the Prince of Wales in 1896. A plan to build over the gardens in the 1930s came to nothing. In the 1960s a modern garden was created adjacent to the new Taberner House. In 1980 the Police Station that adjoined this was vacated and this enabled a new garden to be laid out bringing together the lower Victorian garden and upper Taberner House garden. Renamed The Queen's Gardens, they were opened by the Queen on 21 June 1983 for the Borough Centenary. The lower garden retains its Victorian character with carpet bedding and planting while the upper garden has a central fountain and pool and more geometric lines.
The Whitgift Almshouses were founded in 1596 by Archbishop of Canterbury John Whitgift, who gained Elizabeth I's permission to build a hospital and boys school in Croydon. They continue to be used as homes for the elderly with admission qualifications virtually unchanged and Elizabeth II has visited in 1983 and 1996. The buildings were completed in 1599, a 2-storey quadrangle surrounding a central garden, with a small chapel in the north-east corner. The garden layout has little changed since at least the 1880s, a lawn with flower borders and beds divided by a central path between 2 archways, surrounded by paving stones with benches set against the walls. A modern sundial is set into the central path.
Park Hill Recreation Ground was created in two stages. Once part of the deer park of the Archbishops of Canterbury, much of the land was later used for agriculture. In the C19th the area was gradually developed for housing and in 1867/8 the Water Tower was built to supply fresh water to the town. In 1887 Croydon Corporation purchased part of Park Hill from the Ecclesiastical Commissioners for a public park, which opened in 1888. It was enlarged in 1930 when the Corporation purchased neighbouring Coombe Cliff House, built for tea merchant and collector John Horniman, where he had a conservatory for his botanical collection. The gardens contain fine trees and shrubs, with an Old English Garden planted in the walled garden, and a 1930s shelter.