Portal:West Sussex

Crawley (^ⓘ) is a town and borough in West Sussex, England. It is 28 miles (45 km) south of London, 18 miles (29 km) north of Brighton and Hove, and 32 miles (51 km) north-east of the county town of Chichester. Crawley covers an area of 17.36 square miles (44.96 km²) and had a population of 118,493 at the time of the 2021 Census. Southern parts of the borough lie immediately next to the High Weald National Landscape.

The area has been inhabited since the Stone Age, and was a centre of ironworking in the Iron Age and Roman times. The area was probably used by the kings of Sussex for hunting. Initially a clearing in the vast forest of the Weald, Crawley began as a settlement on the boundary of two of the sub-regions particular to Sussex, known as Rapes, the Rape of Bramber and the Rape of Lewes. Becoming a market town in 1202, Crawley developed slowly, serving the surrounding villages in the Weald. In the medieval period, its location on the main road from London to the port of Shoreham helped the town to grow and when Brighton became a fashionable seaside town in the 17th century this brought passing trade, which encouraged the development of coaching inns. A rail link to London and Brighton opened in 1841, encouraged further development.

After the Second World War, the British Government planned to move large numbers of people and jobs out of London and into new towns around South East England. The New Towns Act 1946 (9 & 10 Geo. 6. c. 68) designated Crawley as the site of one of these. A master plan was developed for the establishment of new residential, commercial, industrial and civic areas, and rapid development greatly increased the size and population of the town over a few decades.

The town expanded further in 1974, to include Gatwick Airport, Britain's 2nd busiest international airport and in 2024, the 10th largest in Europe. The town contains 14 residential neighbourhoods radiating out from the core of the old market town, and separated by main roads and railway lines. The nearby communities of Ifield, Pound Hill and Three Bridges were absorbed into the new town at various stages in its development. Established in 2019, the south-western suburb of Kilnwood Vale lies outside of the borough boundary in the neighbouring district of Horsham.

Economically, the town has developed into the main centre of industry and employment between London and Brighton. Its large industrial area supports manufacturing and service companies, many of them connected with the airport. The commercial and retail sectors continue to expand.

In the late 20th century and early 21st century, the town has attracted a diverse and multicultural population. It is home to about two-thirds of the UK's population of Chagossians. (Full article...)

Dame Anita Lucia Roddick DBE (23 October 1942 – 10 September 2007) was a British businesswoman, human rights activist and environmental campaigner, best known as the founder of The Body Shop, The Body Shop International Limited, a cosmetics company producing and retailing natural beauty products which shaped ethical consumerism. The company was one of the first to prohibit the use of products being tested on animals in some of its products and one of the first to promote fair trade with developing countries.

Roddick was involved in activism and campaigning for environmental and social issues, including involvement with Greenpeace and The Big Issue. In 1990, Roddick founded Children on the Edge, a charitable organisation which helps disadvantaged children in Eastern Europe, Africa and Asia. She believed that business should offer a form of moral leadership, being a more powerful force in society than religion or government.

In the late 1990s, she became involved in advocating for the Angola Three, African-American prisoners at the Louisiana State Penitentiary who had already been held in solitary confinement for decades. She helped raise international awareness and funds to aid in their appeals of flawed trials. (Full article...)

• Sussex
• UK geography

Current news may be found on the BBC web pages for Sussex.