Croydon possesses significant environmental assets, including the source of the River Wandle, an internationally rare chalk stream. While historically industrial and once heavily polluted, recent restoration has “daylighted” the river in Wandle Park, where brown trout have now returned to flourish.
The borough also hosts Croham Hurst, a 33.6-hectare Site of Special Scientific Interest that serves as a primordial time capsule. This ancient woodland contains archaeological evidence of Mesolithic settlements dating back to 5000 BC, along with a Bronze Age round barrow on its summit. The hill’s unique geology, with a cap of Blackheath pebble beds over chalk, supports a diverse range of flora like heather, bilberry, and rare St. John’s Wort. Saved from housing development by a public campaign in 1901, the Hurst remains a wild haven within the metropolis, preserving a landscape that has remained largely unchanged for thousands of years.
