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The Coulsdon and Purley Urban District
The Urban District of Coulsdon and Purley has been officially
recognised as a distinct Local Government unit since 1915, i.e.
42 years, prior to which it was part of the Croydon Rural District.
The District, which has no natural boundaries, is part of the
large dormitory area to the South of the County Borough of
Croydon. 12-17 miles south of Charing Cross, and it is mainly
situated on the plateaux and sides of the northerly spurs of the
North Downs, together with the intervening valleys. The majority
of the houses, which are in general very well spaced, have been
built in the last 30 years, mainly on the chalk. There are caps of
clay and flints of varying depths on the highest downs, while the
comparatively narrow valleys present a light loam with pockets of
sand, below which, along the Brighton and Godstone roads, run
the bournes, or underground streams. The latter only appear
above ground level in prolonged wet seasons.
The southern part of the District forms part of London's
"Green Belt" and tongues of this agricultural or undeveloped area
run into the District to augment the many recreation grounds and
public open spaces, which are among the features of the area.
Thanks to its hilly nature, to good planning and the influence of
its many garden lovers, the District is one of the most favoured
of London's suburbs.
There are no really large manufacturing or other industries
in the District, the majority of the residents who work, doing so in
London or Croydon, travelling to and fro daily. Those employed
locally are mainly connected with the building trade, the retail
supply of food and other daily wants of the inhabitants, or are
attached to the two large mental hospitals in the Coulsdon area
to the South of the District.
For the last 20 years at least the amount of unemployment,
apart from temporary unemployment pending transfer, has been
negligible.
AREA AND POPULATION
The Growth of the District.
Originally the District had an area of 8,457 acres, but from
time to time variations in the boundaries have been made,
especially in 1933 when 2,547 acres were added, mainly in Selsdon
and Farleigh in the North East and in Coulsdon. The present
area is 11,142 acres.
The growth of the population in the last 40 years has been
very considerable, being originally slightly less than 18,000 and
now at least 66,460.
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