Langley Green, Crawley
Encyclopedia
Langley Green is a neighbourhood within the town of Crawley
in West Sussex
, England
. Langley Green is in the north-west of the town and is bordered by Manor Royal
to the east, Northgate
to the south east, West Green
to the south across the ring road and Ifield
to the west. The main streets running through the community are Stagelands, Martyrs Avenue and Langley Drive. Many of the streets are named after trees and plants (Honeysuckle Lane, Hawthorn Close) animals (Hare Lane, Fox Close) or birds (Jackdaw Close, Swallow Road, Raven Lane). A small shopping parade, St Leonards Church, The Dr. Johnson Pub and Langley Green Primary School formed the centre of the community.
by train and living in huts on site. After nine months workers were entitled to a council house, and many of the early population of Langley Green were builders by profession. As Langley Green was walking distance to the new factory estate, many of the factory workers brought down from London with firms such as APV settled here. Houses in Langley Green ranged from two to four bedrooms, with a small number of flats and bungalows. Heating was by coal, with the coal being stored under the staircase. In some houses water was also heated by solid fuel burners. Many of Langley Green's residents became private house holders in the 1980s when the Margaret Thatcher government had a policy of selling council houses to tenants. Over the years virtually every house on the estate had been improved. The addition of central heating has been almost universal. Other common improvements include double glazing, insulation of walls and roofs and removing of walls and doors to create bigger rooms.
.
Two of the neighbourhood's most notable residents were Roy Whiting and boxer Alan Minter
. In 1972 he won an Olympic bronze medal and went on to become world middleweight champion. Whiting, who was born locally in 1959, was convicted of one of the most high profile murder cases in Britain in modern times in December 2001; the murder of Sarah Payne, who went missing in Littlehampton
on the West Sussex
coast on 1 July 2000 and whose body was found near Pulborough
16 days later.
Gatwick Airport is also within the Langley Green Area and provides another important source of employment.
Crawley
Crawley is a town and local government district with Borough status in West Sussex, England. It is south of Charing Cross, north of Brighton and Hove, and northeast of the county town of Chichester, covers an area of and had a population of 99,744 at the time of the 2001 Census.The area has...
in West Sussex
West Sussex
West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Langley Green is in the north-west of the town and is bordered by Manor Royal
Manor Royal, Crawley
Manor Royal is an industrial zone within the town of Crawley in West Sussex, England. Manor Royal is in the north of the town near to Gatwick airport. The area is devoted to light industry and offices and was designed for industry as part of the Crawley new town project...
to the east, Northgate
Northgate, Crawley
Northgate is a neighbourhood within the town of Crawley in West Sussex, England, and includes the town centre. Northgate is bordered by West Green to the west, Langley Green to the north, Three Bridges to the east and Southgate to the south.-History:...
to the south east, West Green
West Green, Crawley
West Green is one of the 13 residential neighbourhoods in Crawley, a town and borough in West Sussex, England. Crawley was planned and laid out as a New Town after the Second World War, based on the principle of self-contained neighbourhoods surrounding a town centre of civic and commercial buildings...
to the south across the ring road and Ifield
Ifield, Crawley
Ifield is a former village and now a neighbourhood within the town of Crawley in West Sussex, England. Ifield is in the west of the town and is bordered by Ifield West, Horsham, Langley Green to the north east, West Green to the east across the ring road and Gossops Green and Bewbush to the south...
to the west. The main streets running through the community are Stagelands, Martyrs Avenue and Langley Drive. Many of the streets are named after trees and plants (Honeysuckle Lane, Hawthorn Close) animals (Hare Lane, Fox Close) or birds (Jackdaw Close, Swallow Road, Raven Lane). A small shopping parade, St Leonards Church, The Dr. Johnson Pub and Langley Green Primary School formed the centre of the community.
History
Work started on Langley Green in the early 1950s with workers being brought down from LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
by train and living in huts on site. After nine months workers were entitled to a council house, and many of the early population of Langley Green were builders by profession. As Langley Green was walking distance to the new factory estate, many of the factory workers brought down from London with firms such as APV settled here. Houses in Langley Green ranged from two to four bedrooms, with a small number of flats and bungalows. Heating was by coal, with the coal being stored under the staircase. In some houses water was also heated by solid fuel burners. Many of Langley Green's residents became private house holders in the 1980s when the Margaret Thatcher government had a policy of selling council houses to tenants. Over the years virtually every house on the estate had been improved. The addition of central heating has been almost universal. Other common improvements include double glazing, insulation of walls and roofs and removing of walls and doors to create bigger rooms.
Today
Today the small neighbourhood is one the most multi cultural in Crawley and has a lively and friendly community. There were few ethnic families living in Langley Green before the late 1960s. The first ethnic families tended to buy their own property and as these were limited at the time, the new immigrants concentrated in areas around Denchers Plat and Beckett Lane. Langley Green is now home to the Crawley Islamic Centre and MosqueMosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
.
Two of the neighbourhood's most notable residents were Roy Whiting and boxer Alan Minter
Alan Minter
Alan Minter is a former middleweight world champion boxer.-Amateur career:Minter was the 1971 ABA Middleweight Champion. He won the bronze medal at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games...
. In 1972 he won an Olympic bronze medal and went on to become world middleweight champion. Whiting, who was born locally in 1959, was convicted of one of the most high profile murder cases in Britain in modern times in December 2001; the murder of Sarah Payne, who went missing in Littlehampton
Littlehampton
Littlehampton is a seaside resort town and civil parish in the Arun District of West Sussex, England, on the east bank at the mouth of the River Arun. It lies south southwest of London, west of Brighton and east of the county town of Chichester....
on the West Sussex
West Sussex
West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming...
coast on 1 July 2000 and whose body was found near Pulborough
Pulborough
Pulborough is a large village and civil parish in the Horsham district of West Sussex, England, with some 5,000 inhabitants. It is located almost centrally within West Sussex and is south west of London. It is at the junction of the north-south A29 and the east-west roads.The village is near the...
16 days later.
Gatwick Airport is also within the Langley Green Area and provides another important source of employment.