This is a predominantly residential space between Thornton Heath and Croydon, bounded by the railway in the east and London Road in the west. Four train stations are in close proximity –less than a ten-minute drive within which the Southern, Thameslink and Overground train routes can all be accessed easily. The houses are mostly terraced and semi-detached family homes, either owned outright or owned with mortgage. A few green spaces are clustered around the area along with some local pubs, such as the Windmill serving authentic Indian cuisine, the cosy Pawson’s Arms, and the Two Brewers, both of which are housed in a pair of Victorian cottages. Siri Guru Singh Sabha is a Sikh community centre on St James Road and across the road is the Rhema Church London, a multicultural church community with a passion for supporting young people. Local schools include Broadmead and Crescent Primary Schools; Elmswood and St Mary’s Catholic schools, both rated ‘good’ by Ofsted. The latter, being part of St Mary’s in Croydon, can be seen as the legacy of a powerful and inspiring history.

Even though the Emancipation Act relieved Catholics of their semi-illegal status, members of the Catholic Church were very much oppressed during the 19th century. In this context, Patrick O’ Moore, a Spanish-Irish refugee endured much physical abuse and economic hardship while setting up St Mary’s in Broad Green in the 1840s. The community grew over time and the foundation stone for the present-day church was laid in 1863. It currently stands wedged between the high-rise Saffron Square luxury development and the Interchange business centre, whose glass windows reflect the antiquated church and perhaps the achievement of harmony and diversity in the capital. But this small neighbourhood is a home not only to historically fascinating landmarks (see also Queens Road cemetery and the Croydon Workhouse), but also of the British artistic spirit. Adele, Amy Winehouse, Jessie J, Loyle Carner (to name but a few) are all alumni of the renowned BRIT School on The Crescent, whose mission is to empower gifted young people to succeed in a career in performing arts.

Consumer culture entered a new era when shoppers were baffled by one of the first ever queue-less, self-service stores in the UK, opened by Sainsbury’s in 1950 at the location currently opposite West Croydon Station. Not everyone was impressed by the new format; notably, one demanding customer is said to have thrown a basket at Alan Sainsbury, who was the master-mind behind the new design.

The Broad Green and Selhurst areas have not performed particularly well in recent crime surveys, coming highest second only to Croydon town centre. Most of these crimes, however, relate to non-violent anti-social behaviour.

Croydon has seen a large amout of development as well as being crowned London Borough of Culture 2023. The £1.5bn Westfield shopping centre development has been rethought and will convert pre-existing buildings into the new retail hub rather than building a new edifice from scratch. As part of that development the ground floor of the Allders building will be converted into a huge immersive theatre called LOST. The face of Croydon as a whole is also changing with the arrival of £5.25bn Croydon Vision 2020 regeneration plan in the hope of making Croydon ‘London’s Third City’. The plan will include 2000 homes and the afforementioned retail space. Saffron Square, a lustrous highrise development on Wellesley Road best exemplifies the ambitious future image of Croydon, and one of the key sites, Fairfield Halls will include a gallery, a new college, offices and 218 homes.