A wildlife safari in Croydon town centre

There are easier places to go looking for wildlife, but I like seeing it in unexpected environments. All these photos were taken on the same hot day in July 2026. 

Small white butterfly on buddleia outside St George's House

The facade of the ends of St George's House will probably be familiar to people who frequent Croydon. The former home of Nestle UK, this 24-storey tower has sadly been empty since 2012. There have been plans to convert it to housing, most recently by using the existing structure as part of three towers of different heights. The interior was gutted and many windows removed, while a number of surrounding buildings were demolished, but the work stalled when the Chinese-owned development company went bust. It is unclear what the future is of this area. There's more detail and photos on this thread on the Skyscraper City forum. 

SEGAS House Croydon

Neighbouring SEGAS House was originally Croydon's gas showroom, a short distance from the former electricity showrooms I visited in 2022. While Electric House is now being used by a university, SEGAS House has been empty for many years. It was supposed to be converted to housing as part of the Queen's Square development, described above. The art-deco style building, dating from 1939-41, is Grade II listed, but is sadly not in a good state. 

Small white butterfly on buddleia outside SEGAS House

Below is a painted lady butterfly on buddleia at an empty development site by East Croydon. The area known as Ruskin Square has gradually been built on but an empty plot remains next to Boxpark. 


Bumblebee on empty plot at Ruskin Square

Another site that has been awaiting development for a number of years is College Green, between the Fairfield Halls and Croydon College. The hoardings came down a while ago and haven't been replaced, so I was able to see into this green space we've been deprived of for so long. 

College Green, July 2026

A grasshopper at College Green, Croydon, July 2026

Herring and lesser black-backed gulls circling Croydon town centre

You might think of gulls as being coastal birds, but some species are just as much at home in our cities. Here's a herring gull taking a nap on top of the footbridge over East Croydon station. They don't have a great reputation but I think they're pretty cool birds.


This gull was sitting on top of the flag pole outside the now-empty Lunar House. I think it's a lesser black-backed gull because its wings are darker than herring gulls'. These are the two gull species usually seen in Croydon, although black-headed gulls can be seen in winter. 


Feral pigeons are probably the first urban bird you think of. These ones were on the roof of one of the empty tower blocks on top of the Whitgift Centre. 


These ones were perched in a tree by the Queen's Gardens.


Another bird that's at home in urban areas is less conspicuous. Below is a pied wagtail, a small black-and-white bird that searches for insects with its tail wagging perpetually. On winter nights, they tend to roost as flocks in trees - the trees by East Croydon bus station are a popular site. This one was next to College Green. 


I also saw some house sparrows by East Croydon station and heard goldfinches around the Queen's Gardens but didn't manage to get any photos of them. This is just a brief snapshot of the wildlife living in Croydon town centre. I'll do more of these "safaris", perhaps in different seasons.

Finally, I took a look around the walled community garden at Park Hill, just on the edge of the town centre. The diversity of plant species make it a great place to look for insects.

Cinnamon bug at Park Hill with some of Croydon's tower blocks behind

A nuthatch at Park Hill. The photo isn't upside down, the bird is.

Bumblebee and honeybees in thistle flower, Park Hill
Gatekeeper butterfly, Park Hill

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