King Henry VIII may have likened Croydon to a rheumatic disease but his description did no justice to the thriving Tudor town which was the largest in East Surrey.

As 2009 marks the 500th anniversary of Henry VIII’s accession to the throne, local residents will be able to celebrate the borough’s remarkable tudor connections during the month of May.

The events culminate in a family fun day on May 30 in the Queens Gardens on Katharine Street.

By 1548, Croydon had a population of 1,600 people, its importance lay in connection to the archbishops and its closeness to London.

It held strategic position as a staging point on journeys between London and Canterbury where the archbishop and his large retinue could rest en route.

They stayed at a large manor house, known as the Old Palace, which was the site of many intrigues and secrets.

King James I of Scotland was imprisoned there in 1409 before being sent to the Tower of London and John Frith was tried there for heresy in 1533 before being burnt at the stake in Smithfield.

Earlier that century Henry VIII courted Katharine of Aragon when she was living at Croydon following the death of Prince Arthur, her first husband. However he did not seem to like the town.

He is reported to have called it “rheumatic… where I could never be without sickness”.

Ironically then, his daughter Queen Mary spent a month recovering from an illness in the house in 1556 and Queen Elizabeth is reported to have had a permanent bedroom available at the house, which is one of the original rooms still in existence today.

In 1599, she granted Archbishop John Whitgift permission to build almshouses for retired servants from Lambeth and Croydon Palaces.

They cost £2,700 to build and continue to provide accommodation for the elderly, as well as being the headquarters of the Whitgift Foundation.

The Archbishops of Canterbury lived in the Palace until 1758 and then sold it because it was too damp.

It eventually became a girls school and has remained so ever since, coming under the ownership of the Whitgift Foundation in 1991.

The main shopping area at that time was the market area around Surrey Street. Croydon had been given the right to hold a market by the Archbishops in 1276.

The buildings were narrow and close together and traders sold corn, sheep and cattle as well as fish.

The whole area was redeveloped on the 1890s.

The Dog and Bull pub in Surrey street is the oldest surviving pub in Croydon and is thought to date back to 1431.

Surrey Street was also the site of the Walnut Fair and was first held in 1314.

It moved to the Fayre Field in 1588, the current site of Fairfield Halls and visitors could buy cattle as well as enjoy fairground attractions of the time.

However, after 280 years the entertainment eventually had to be closed down because of its reputation for unruly behaviour Archivist Chris Bennett, from Croydon Library and archive service, has devised a Tudor Trail where people can enjoy Croydon’s lively past.

Leaflets about the trail and more information about the fun day are available from Croydon Library.

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