Visit Crawley Places

Welcome to Visit Crawley Places
The Walkfo guide to things to do & explore in Crawley

  

Crawley Places Overview: History, Culture & Facts about Crawley

---

Crawley history

---

Origins

Crawley is on the western edge of the High Weald, which produced iron for more than 2,000 years from the Iron Age onwards . Goffs Park, now a recreational area in the south of the town, was the site of two Iron Age furnaces .

Railway age and Victorian era

Crawley railway station was opened at Three Bridges in 1841 . Brighton Main Line was the first railway line to serve the Crawley area . One-quarter of the area’s population was employed in railway jobs by 1861 .

New Town

In May 1946, the New Towns Act identified Crawley as a suitable location for a New Town . But it was not officially designated as such until 9 January 1947 . The 5,920 acres (2,396 ha) of land set aside for the new town were split across the county borders between East Sussex, West Sussex and Surrey . Architect Thomas Bennett was appointed chairman of Crawley Development Corporation .

Crawley economy & business

Manufacturing industry

Crawley was already a modest industrial centre by the end of the Second World War . In 1949, 1,529 people worked in manufacturing: the main industries were light and precision engineering and aircraft repair .

Service industry and commerce

The Manor Royal estate, with its space, proximity to Gatwick Airport and good transport links, attracted airport-related services such as logistics, catering, distribution and warehousing . Office floorspace in Crawley increased from 55,000 square feet (5,100 m) in 1965 to 453,000 sq ft (42,100m) in 1984 .

Shopping and retail

Even before the new town was planned, Crawley was a retail centre for the surrounding area . There were 177 shops in the town in 1948, 99 of which were on the High Street . Early new town residents relied on these facilities until the Corporation implemented the master plan’s designs for a new shopping area . The Broadwalk and its 23 shops were built in 1954, followed by the Queen’s Square complex and surrounding streets .

Crawley geography / climate

Crawley is in the northeastern corner of West Sussex in South East England, 28 miles (45 km) south of London and 18 miles (29 km) north of Brighton and Hove. It is surrounded by smaller towns including Horley, Redhill, Reigate, Oxted and Dorking.

Climate

Crawley lies within the Sussex Weald, an area of highly variable terrain . During calm, clear periods of weather this allows for some interesting temperature variations . Gatwick is the nearest weather station that publishes long-term averages that give an accurate description of the climate .

Neighbourhoods and areas

There are 14 residential neighbourhoods, each with a variety of housing types . The hub of each neighbourhood is a shopping parade, community centre and church . Each neighbourhood has a school and recreational open spaces as well .

You can visit Crawley places with Walkfo Crawley to hear history at Crawley’s places whilst walking around using the free digital tour app. Walkfo Crawley has 65 places to visit in our interactive Crawley map, with amazing history, culture & travel facts you can explore the same way you would at a museum or art gallery with information audio headset. With Walkfo, you can travel by foot, bike or bus throughout Crawley, being in the moment, without digital distraction or limits to a specific walking route. Our historic audio walks, National Trust interactive audio experiences, digital tour guides for English Heritage locations are available at Crawley places, with a AI tour guide to help you get the best from a visit to Crawley & the surrounding areas.

“Curated content for millions of locations across the UK, with 65 audio facts unique to Crawley places in an interactive Crawley map you can explore.”

Walkfo: Visit Crawley Places Map
65 tourist, history, culture & geography spots

---

–

Crawley historic spots	Crawley tourist destinations	Crawley plaques	Crawley geographic features
Walkfo Crawley tourism map key: places to see & visit like National Trust sites, Blue Plaques, English Heritage locations & top tourist destinations in Crawley

  

Best Crawley places to visit

---

Crawley has places to explore by foot, bike or bus. Below are a selection of the varied Crawley’s destinations you can visit with additional content available at the Walkfo Crawley’s information audio spots:

Cedars (immigration detention) Cedars was an immigration detention facility in Crawley, West Sussex, United Kingdom . It was operated by UK Visas and Immigration with security and facilities maintenance contracted out to G4S and Barnardo’s .

Hawth Theatre The Hawth Theatre is located in 38 acres (150,000 m) of woodland about 0.5 mi (800 m) from the town centre of Crawley. It is wholly owned by Crawley Borough Council and is currently operated by Parkwood Theatres.

Crawley Hospital Crawley Hospital is a National Health Service hospital in Crawley, West Sussex. It is located in the West Green neighbourhood of the town centre. Since 2006 it has been part of the Sussex Community NHS Trust.

Old Punch Bowl The Old Punch Bowl is a medieval timber-framed Wealden hall-house on the High Street in Crawley, West Sussex. Built in the early 15th century, it was used as a farmhouse by about 1600, passing through various owners. Since 1929 it has been in commercial use as a tearoom, bank and public house.

Ifield Water Mill Ifield Water Mill is a 19th-century weatherboarded watermill in the Ifield neighbourhood of Crawley, West Sussex. Built on the site of an earlier, smaller flour mill, which itself replaced an iron forge. It fell into disuse in the 1930s and was leased to local enthusiasts who restored it to working order.

Three Bridges F.C. Three Bridges Football Club is a football club based in Crawley, West Sussex. They were established in 1901 and were founding members of the Sussex County League Division Two in 1952. In 1981–82 they reached the Third Round of the FA Vase.

Worth Park Gardens Worth Park (formerly known as Milton Mount Gardens) is in Pound Hill, Crawley. The park covers eight hectares and includes formal gardens, and a lake area. A significant amount of the original Worth Park garden still exists from the early 1900s but is now in need of substantial restoration.

Forest Row F.C. Forest Row Football Club is a football club based in Forest Row in East Sussex, England. They are currently members of the Southern Combination Division One and play at Tinsley Lane in Crawley.

Visit Crawley plaques