IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
Mayday Road, THORNTON HEATH, CR7 7HL

This used to be a 1960's built office block which in 2007 got converted into "social housing". In the process, it acquired the balconies seen and a much needed facelift.

Formerly the Mayday Hospital, Croydon University Hospital was originally the infirmary of the Croydon Workhouse, opened in 1885 in Mayday Road. The Croydon Union Infirmary was renamed Mayday Road Hospital in 1923, and was taken over by Croydon Corporation in 1930, and the National Health Service in 1948. It was renamed Croydon University Hospital in August 2010. The small building to the left here says 'Mortuary'. I have never seen the mortuary of a hospital right next to A & E! It is usually more hidden away.

New and old buildings.

Situated at the junction of Campbell Road and London Road, this building was formerly the Congregational Church of West Croydon.

Formerly the Mayday Hospital, Croydon University Hospital was originally the infirmary of the Croydon Workhouse, opened in 1885 in Mayday Road. The Croydon Union Infirmary was renamed Mayday Road Hospital in 1923, and was taken over by Croydon Corporation in 1930, and the National Health Service in 1948. It was renamed Croydon University Hospital in August 2010. This view looks across Mayday Road to one of the original buildings.

Now turned, as premises dedicated to horses often did, into a garage.

When built, the Church would have been an impressive building. It now looks as if it has been squeezed in between two office blocks. The large block behind the Church is "Fusion", a residential refurbishment of the former Philips headquarters.

Croydon University Hospital (previously the Mayday Hospital) was founded as Croydon Union Infirmary, a Poor Law institution. This foundation plaque is on the ground floor corridor of the original nineteenth-century building, now the Woodcroft Wing. In the list of ex-officio Guardians, one can see where a name has been cut out above Edmund Byron and replaced by a blank strip of marble. This marks the name of Jabez Balfour, who was a Justice of the Peace and ex-officio Guardian in 1883. He was a non-conformist Liberal politician (for a while, member of Parliament for Tamworth), temperance advocate and founder of a chain of interlocking banks and building societies. In 1892 it was revealed that his Liberator Building Society managed to pay high rates of interest only by paying out capital deposited by more recent customers - in other words, that it was a pyramid or Ponzi scheme - and Balfour fled to Argentina, later returning to serve a period of imprisonment. Clearly after this it was felt that he should be expunged from the historical record and his name cut out of the foundation plaque.

Croydon University Hospital (previously the Mayday Hospital) was founded as Croydon Union Infirmary, a Poor Law institution. This foundation plaque is on the ground floor corridor of the original nineteenth-century building, now the Woodcroft Wing. In the list of ex-officio Guardians, one can see where a name has been cut out above Edmund Byron and replaced by a blank strip of marble. This marks the name of Jabez Balfour, who was a Justice of the Peace and ex-officio Guardian in 1883. He was a non-conformist Liberal politician (for a while, member of Parliament for Tamworth), temperance advocate and founder of a chain of interlocking banks and building societies. In 1892 it was revealed that his Liberator Building Society managed to pay high rates of interest only by paying out capital deposited by more recent customers - in other words, that it was a pyramid or Ponzi scheme - and Balfour fled to Argentina, later returning to serve a period of imprisonment. Clearly after this it was felt that he should be expunged from the historical record and his name cut out of the foundation plaque.

Formerly the Congregational Church at West Croydon, this building is now home to Oshwal Mahajanwadi.