Coulsdon

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Location
Coulsdon


OS grid reference:	TQ298596
Latitude:	51.3211°
Longitude:	-0.1386°
Administration
London borough:	Croydon, Sutton
County level:	Greater London
Region:	London
Constituent country:	England
Sovereign state:	United Kingdom
Other
Ceremonial county:	Greater London
Historic county:	Surrey (1965)
Services
Police force:	Metropolitan Police
Fire brigade:	London Fire Brigade
Ambulance service:	London Ambulance
Post office and telephone
Post town:	COULSDON
Postal district:	CR5
Dialling code:	020
Politics
UK Parliament:	Croydon South (part in Carshalton and Wallington)
London Assembly:	Croydon and Sutton
European Parliament:	London
London \| List of places in London

Coulsdon is a place in the London Borough of Croydon on the Brighton Road (A23). Whilst the received pronunciation is "Cools-don" (IPA /'ku:lsdən/), some locals pronounce it "Coals-den" (/'kəʊlsdən/).

Part of Coulsdon is the estate marked on maps as Clockhouse but always referred to locally as The Mount after its central road. Administratively The Mount is part of the London Borough of Sutton but to reach the rest of Sutton from The Mount by road one must leave the borough.

Unlike Purley, Coulsdon has managed to retain a good mix of traditional high street shops. It also has a large number of restaurants for its size.

Since 2005 there has been a large empty space in the middle of Coulsdon following the demolition of the Red Lion public house; current (Oct 2006) plans are for a Lidl supermarket. There is also a scheme to replace the Pinewood garage site near Smitham station with a branch of Sainsbury's. Controversy surrounds both projects, mainly due to the large - six storey - scale of these developments and doubts about the need for yet more supermarkets in the area.

A relief road called the Coulsdon Town Centre Improvement Scheme currently under construction will divert the large volume of through traffic. The redevelopment of the Red Lion site and the completion of the road (by 2006) are likely to transform the centre of Coulsdon.

Prominent in the middle of Coulsdon is the head office of the world-famous Jane's Information Group. Places of worship in Coulsdon include a Coptic Orthodox Church, an Anglican Parish Church and a Messianic Synagogue.

Around Coulsdon are attractive and important open spaces, largely chalk downland - the beginning of the North Downs. Farthing Downs and Happy Valley are managed by the Corporation of London and are popular with walkers. The London LOOP path around London passes through on the route between Hamsey Green and Banstead. The Coulsdon section was the first of the 24 to be opened.