Croydon was once home to a popular tropical-themed water park – and many locals want it back.
Formerly located on Purley Way, where the Colonnades Leisure Park now stands, Croydon’s Water Palace would certainly have been heaving with people if it had been open during the most recent heatwave.
First opened in 1990, the water park was built on part of the Purley Way Playing Fields, opposite the former Croydon Airport site, and was marketed as the largest indoor waterpark in Europe at the time of its opening.
This huge attraction featured four water flumes, a wave pool, a lazy river for gentle floating, as well as a jacuzzi and whirlpool, and an on-site café.
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In a recent post, TikTok user @expectresultscroydon shared a video highlighting the former water park and described it as an “absolute jewel of Croydon back in the day”.
The post received over 140 comments, with many agreeing that Croydon Water Palace was a much-missed attraction they would bring back.
One described it as being an “excellent place for everyone and kids”, while another said that a trip to the Water Palace was always a “special” day out.
Another wrote: “Spent most of my childhood at Water Palace, loved it.”
Croydon Water Palace operated for around six years before closing its doors in 1996 due to ongoing financial difficulties and the collapse of its private operator, resulting in the council taking on losses and ultimately shutting the site.
The site was later sold and demolished, and redeveloped into the current Colonnades Leisure Park, which now features restaurants, retail space, leisure facilities and entertainment venues, as well as a Premier Inn hotel, and was later bought back by Croydon Council in 2019.
Whilst the Water Palace may have been part of Croydon’s landscape for only a short time, it is still remembered and missed by locals who once made a splash there.
