Town in West Sussex, England
Crawley
Named after a clearing full of crows, Crawley went from London–Brighton coaching stop to post-war new town, and now lives in the shadow of one of the world's busiest single-runway airports.
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Key information
- County
- West Sussex
- Nation
- England
- Population
- About 118,000 (2021 Census)
- Known for
- Gatwick Airport, a post-war New Town, a giant FA Cup run in 2011
- Football clubs
- Crawley Town (the Red Devils)
About Crawley
A town named after crows
Crawley's name is generally traced to Old English words for crow and clearing. That makes it, quite literally, a bird-filled gap in the Wealden forest. The forest mattered. For centuries the Weald was England's ironworking heartland, with furnaces fed by local charcoal and water power. Place names such as Furnace Green in modern Crawley still hint at it. The town itself grew along the road between London and Brighton. Coaching inns lined the High Street, and The George, a timber-framed survivor, still stands there as a reminder of the days when travellers changed horses in Crawley.
The town that was planned on purpose
For most of its life Crawley was a small market town. Then, in 1947, it was designated a New Town, one of the first wave created to take families from bomb-damaged London. The plan was neat: a compact town centre surrounded by self-contained neighbourhoods, each with its own shops, schools and green spaces. Many of them, such as Three Bridges, Ifield, Northgate and West Green, grew from older villages and hamlets. Others, such as Tilgate, Furnace Green and Broadfield, were built from scratch as the population climbed. The result is a town that feels very different from its neighbours: wide verges, tidy roundabouts and lots of trees. Maidenbower, on the southeastern side, was developed mainly in the 1990s. Crawley later gained another large neighbourhood, Forge Wood, whose first residents moved in during 2015.
Living next door to Gatwick
Crawley is the town most people link with Gatwick Airport, which sits just to its north. The airport's roots go back to the 1930s. In 1936 its circular Beehive terminal opened, with a railway station connected to it, which was a remarkably early example of an airport you could reach by train. The modern airport took shape from 1958, when the Queen opened a new terminal. Gatwick is one of the world's busiest single-runway airports, and a huge local employer. That has shaped Crawley's economy and its character. Airline crews, engineers, baggage handlers and hotel staff are part of daily life, and the sound of aircraft overhead is simply the background noise of the town.
The Red Devils and the day they met Manchester United
Crawley Town were founded in 1896 and spent most of their history in non-league football. Their nickname, the Red Devils, suits their red home shirts, and their home ground is Broadfield Stadium, opened in 1997. The club hit the national headlines in the 2010–11 season, when it won the Conference and made a memorable FA Cup run. Along the way the Red Devils knocked out league opposition, including Derby County, and reached the fifth round, where they travelled to Old Trafford to face Manchester United. They lost, but promotion followed, and in 2011 Crawley Town stepped up into the Football League for the first time in their history.
Parks, mills and a market-town centre
Crawley is greener than its reputation suggests. Tilgate Park, on the edge of the old forest, has lakes, woodland and a nature centre, and is a favourite for family outings. Goffs Park and the Ifield Mill Pond area offer quieter walks. Ifield Water Mill is a reminder of the area's rural past, while the compact old High Street still has a market-town feel. The town's theatre, the Hawth, and its large shopping centre, County Mall, anchor the modern centre. The town's population is notably diverse, partly thanks to the jobs created by Gatwick, and that shows in its food. Curry houses, Polish delis and Nepalese restaurants all sit alongside the traditional Sussex pub.