Stanley Halls

Stanley Halls was built by local inventor, architect and industrialist William Ford Robinson Stanley (1829 - 1909) in 1903 in order to "provide the district with a well needed public hall". His background was engineering but he was also a painter, musician, photographer, author of plays, books for children and political treatises. His vision for Stanley Halls was the promotion of 'Justice, Liberty and Science'.

Described by Pevsner as "the most memorable building in South Norwood", it was the first building in Croydon to have an electricity supply and in 1907 a technical school was added. Throughout the 20th century it acted as a music venue, hosting Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, a centre for Women’s Suffrage meetings and later passed to the Council. It is now a community centre for entertainment, arts, enterprise and learning and is run by local residents.

During WWII, Stanley Halls’ Edwardian railings and gates were removed to be made into munitions and tanks although most of the metal ended up scrapped. HOLT gave a grant to restore the railings and gates to the original designs as part of a larger restoration project of the building's exterior. This included new railings, two single gates and two sets of double gates completed in 2023.