The area covers West Thornton Heath, and is shaped roughly like a triangle. The portion of London Road, a straight north-south stretch extending from around Pollards Hill to Croydon University Hospital, almost perfectly defines its eastern boundary. The northern boundary follows Galpin’s Road and Wharfedale Gardens, which extends southeast from the northern tip of the area. The southern boundary extends from Croydon University Hospital northwest to the edge of Croydon Cemeteries and Crematorium, where it means with the northern boundary. Croydon Cemeteries itself is the westernmost tip of the postcode sector. London Road contains a row of shops, west of which are rows of suburban housing. Besides Croydon Cemeteries (which is located about a mile away from London Road) Gonville Academy also lies to the far west. Thornton Road just out perpendicularly from London Road about two-thirds of the way (from the north), and leads to Thornton Heath centre eastbound (about a mile away), and Croydon IKEA westbound (two miles).

Although Thornton Heath is now centred slightly to the east by the railway station, the area originated around London Road, near the pond. This area was for many centuries open heath land, of which the pond was exceptionally useful due to its usefulness for feeding livestock. It was public land for many years until 1799, when the Enclosure Act turned it into privately-owned farmland. This also catalysed the development of buildings around the area. However, it would not be until the laying of the railways in the area that the grasslands around Thornton Heath would be engulfed by suburbia. The pond that had served the area for so long was filled in 1953.

The legendary highwayman Dick Turpin allegedly frequented the Croydon area, and had a cottage in Thornton Heath that acted as his hideout. He was responsible for many crimes, including murder, theft of livestock and multiple burglaries around England. He was introduced to crime early on by the Gregory Gang, which was based in Essex, his place of birth. After their break-up, he would proceed to a life of crime that would only be ended when his identity was exposed whilst in prison, and he was executed for his misdeeds. Turpin became a legend in the country following his death.

Thornton Heath was a centre of the old Croydon tram network (not the current Croydon Tramlink), which ran along London Road. There was a tram depot to the west of London Road which housed the trams from Croydon Tramways until its demolition in 1950, whereupon it was replaced by a bus garage.

Besides being a place for drinking (for livestock and people alike, by virtue of the pubs around the area), the pond by London Road also hosted gallows; indeed, Thornton Heath used to go by the name Gallows Green.

Residents claim that the area is not dangerous, but issues such as fly-tipping, bad parking and littering are very prevalent in the area. Overall, Thornton Heath is a genuine, ungentrified part of southeast suburban London, with the small problems which come with it.

It seems that the local council has been encouraging new development in Thornton Heath. With an agenda to build 30,000 homes in the borough over the next 20 years, a number of big developers have been attracted to the area, especially given the council’s eagerness to cooperate. In 2021, it was announced that developer Bramble Estates will be developing 58 homes adjacent Thornton Heath station. In 2022, housing provider Optivo was granted permission to deliver 75 homes at 304-306 Bensham Lane in the area. Optivo had already been building 44 new affordable homes on the site next door, in addition to a further 20 on the same street. Between 2016 and 2020, the council had also been actively engaged in the regeneration of Thornton Heath High Street and Brigstock Road through funding from the GLA. In addition to major public realm and pedestrian mobility enhancements, the council improved and enhanced shopfronts and building frontages, and completed high level artwork murals, all with the collaboration of locals from the area. Thornton Heath’s house prices rose faster than anywhere else in London in 2015, a testimony to the rapid development in the area over the last few years.