Crawley
Categories: Towns in West Sussex | Local government in West Sussex | New towns
- For other uses, see Crawley (disambiguation).
| Borough of Crawley | |
|---|---|
| Image:WestSussexCrawley.png Shown within West Sussex | |
| Geography | |
| Status: | Borough |
| Region: | South East England |
| Admin. County: | West Sussex |
| Area: - Total | Ranked 308th 44.97 km² |
| Admin. HQ: | Crawley |
| ONS code: | 45UE |
| Demographics | |
| Population: - Total (2003 est.) - Density | Ranked 218th 99,313 2,208 / km² |
| Ethnicity: | 88.5% White 8.3% S.Asian 1.1% Afro-Carib. |
| Politics | |
| Crawley Borough Council http://www.crawley.gov.uk/ | |
| Leadership: | Leader & Cabinet |
| Executive: | Labour |
| MP: | Laura Moffatt |
| Neighbourhoods of Crawley | |
Crawley is a town and local government district in West Sussex, England.
Contents |
Administration
The town is an unparished borough in the northern part of Sussex, bordering Surrey. The borough is bordered by the Sussex Local Authorities of Mid Sussex and Horsham Districts, and by the Surrey authorities of Mole Valley and Tandridge Districts, and the Borough of Reigate & Banstead. The town is a two-tier area, also coming under the remit of West Sussex County Council.
Development
The village of Crawley remained relatively undeveloped until the coming of the railway, in the mid 19th century, but had developed into a small-sized town of under 10,000 people by World War II, clustered around the main London to Brighton road (now the A23). In 1947, it was designated as a New Town area under the New Towns Act of 1946. Its development then ballooned during the 1950s and 1960s, bringing it to a population of around 60,000. Since that time, the town has continued to grow, incorporating neigbouring settlements. During the boom of the 1980s the town boasted the lowest level of unemployment in the UK. It is now bypassed by the M23.
Structure
Crawley's 13 neighbourhoods are as follows:
- Bewbush
- Broadfield
- Furnace Green
- Gossops Green
- Ifield
- Langley Green
- Maidenbower
- Northgate
- Pound Hill
- Southgate
- Three Bridges
- Tilgate
- West Green
Other areas within Crawley include:
- Manor Royal - An industrial zone (falls under Northgate)
- Worth - A disputed area falling within Pound Hill. The historic parish of Worth also falls in Mid Sussex, which contains the whole of the modern parish of Worth.
- Gatwick - The area surrounding London Gatwick Airport (falls under Langley Green). Includes the old village of Lowfield Heath which was largely cleared to make way for the airport. The old church building survives within the airport boundary.
Local attractions, culture, and facilities
- The Hawth - a theatre offering a range of entertainment.
- CineWorld - a megaplex cinema.
- Tilgate Park - a large forest, with a rare breeds centre and many visitor facilities.
- Leisure park - a large complex with Bowling, Cinema, restaurants, bars and a health club.
- Broadfield Stadium - football stadium owned by Crawley Borough Council. Also the home of Crawley Town F.C., who pay rent to the council.
- A Library.
- Central Sussex College - Crawley campus of the Further Education College (formerly Crawley College), in the town centre.
- County Mall - A large covered shopping area, the main retail area of the town.
Famous residents
- Mark Lemon - First editor of Punch magazine
- John George Haigh - 'The Acid Bath Murderer'
- Peter Vaughan - Actor. Most famous role was Harry Grout in Porridge (TV). The house he lived in is now the Goffs Manor pub
- The Cure - formed in Crawley in 1976, members of the band went to St Wilfrid's School.
- Gareth Southgate - attended Hazelwick School
- Eugene Sully - Contestant in Big Brother UK series 6
Transport links
A large influence on the town's development has been the nearby international airport, London Gatwick Airport, which is contained within the borough's boundaries. The airport is now the busiest single-runway airport in the world, and the sixth busiest overall. Crawley also has 3 railway stations; Crawley, Three Bridges, and Ifield. It is located on the southern end of the M23 motorway, near Pease Pottage Service station.
Fastway bus project
See main article: Crawley Fastway
A new guided bus public transport service linking parts of Crawley to Gatwick Airport.
See also
Local Towns:
Elsewhere:
External links
- Local Webs Guide to Crawley
- In Crawley (Guide to Crawley)
- Crawley Borough Council
- Crawley Online (Fan Site)
- Map and aerial photo of Crawley from Multimap.com
- Other map and aerial photo sources
- Crawley Neighbourhood Watch
- Crawley Observer (Local Newspaper)
- Crawley News (Local Newspaper)
- Knowhere Guide to Crawley
- Takeaways and restaurants in Crawley