Crawley is a medium sized town in West Sussex, situated midway between London and Brighton and with a current population of around 110,000. It is best known as being a post war ‘new town’, that is a town that saw rapid development following the end of World War 2 in order to accommodate families from London who were living in poor or damaged housing. It is also home to Gatwick Airport, the second busiest single runway airport in the world.

To many people that is Crawley and the story would end here, but what many don’t realise is that the town has a long and rich history. Having been inhabited since the Stone Age, it was a major ironworking centre during the Roman Occupation and it is believed that permanent settlement of the area commenced late in the 9th century.

This page is an index of the historical buildings and curiosities that I have photographed and investigated within, and sometimes slightly outside, the town's 21st century boundaries. This will be a work in progress so please bookmark and visit regularly for updates.

• Arun Valley railway line to Horsham: A study of the original plans, with a different route, from 1838 Created 4 August 2022. Last updated 4 August 2022
  The original plans for the Arun Valley line had it passing through Lowfield Heath, County Oak, Langley Green and Ifield. This is a study of those plans, illustrated with 46 maps showing the proposed route.

• Bewbush: The Hidden History of Bewbush Created 24 December 2021. Last updated 24 December 2021
  A furnace, a mill & a Norman manor. 950 years of hidden history, illustrated with 100 photographs and 13 maps.

• Crawley Ambulance Station: 1970-2018 Created 26 June 2020. Last updated 26 June 2020
  The now abandoned Ambulance Station. Illustrated with seventeen pictures.

• Crawley Bandstand Created 9 September 2019. Last updated 9 September 2019
  A brief history of the towns bandstand. Illustrated with nine contemporary pictures.

• Crawley Town Hall: 1964-2020 Created 26 June 2020. Last updated 26 June 2020
  A brief history of the Town Hall. Illustrated with eleven contemporary pictures.

• Furnace Green: Forestfield and Shrublands Conservation area Created 30 April 2020. Last updated 30 April 2020
  A brief history of Forestfield and Shrublands Conservation area in Furnace Green, illustrated with 51 pictures.

• Gossops Green: Woldhurstlea - Then and now Created 24 October 2019. Last updated 24 October 2019
  12 historic and 16 contemporary photographs of Woldhurstlea Estate in Gossops Green.

• Historic Crawley Created 30 August 2017, Last updated 30 August 2017
  A brief rundown of the history of the town up to Tudor times followed by a look at the town's extant buildings from before or during the Tudor period. Illustrated with thirty two pictures.

• Ifield Mill House: Then and now Created 24 October 2019. Last updated 24 October 2019
  4 aerial photographs of Ifield Millhouse and pond taken in 1939, and a modern comparison photo from a similar angle.

• Ifield Steam Mill Created 7 June 2018. Last updated 7 June 2018
  The history of Ifield's early Victorian Steam Mill on Ifield Green. Illustrated with eight pictures

• Ifield: West of Ifield non-designated heritage assets Created 26 June 2021. Last updated 18 December 2022
  An examination of the 73 visible non-designated heritage assets to be found on the land at danger of becoming the 'West of Ifield' housing development. Illustrated with 365 pictures and 42 maps/Lidar images

• Iron Industry in Crawley, The Created 18 December 2019. Last updated 19 December 2022
  A history of the town's 2,400 year old Iron Industry and a look at the surviving features. Illustrated with 141 images and 18 maps/lidar images.

• Pound Hill: Worth Park (Milton Mount) Created 9 September 2019. Last updated 9 September 2019
  A history of Worth Park (also known as Milton Mount) in Pound Hill. Illustrated with forty four pictures

• Six Moated Manors of Crawley, The Created 11 July 2018. Last updated 26 June 2021
  A look at the 6 Medieval moated manors dotted around Crawley where the moat and/or the buildings still exist. Illustrated with forty pictures

• Toponymy of Crawley, The: Why is it called that? Created 21 October 2023. Last updated 21 October 2023
  This study examines the origins of the names of your neighbourhood, your town, your county or your region. Illustrated with sixty pictures

• Three Bridges station, platform 6 Created 29 August 2019. Last updated 29 August 2019
  The remnants of platform 6 at Three Bridges station from which passengers would embark upon a journey along the now closed East Grisntead Line. Illustrated with nine pictures