The Croydon Water Palace was an indoor water park complex that opened in 1990 on Purley Way

Purley Way

Purley Way is a section of the A23 trunk road in the London Borough of Croydon, in the areas of Purley, Waddon and West Croydon, and has given its name to the out-of-town shopping area alongside it with a catchment area covering most of South London. It was designed as a bypass for Croydon and was...

 in Waddon

Waddon

Waddon is a place in the London Borough of Croydon, to the south west of central Croydon on the borders of the London Borough of Sutton. Waddon has an older area with 19th century properties, some even older, close to central Croydon. Further south is a large estate of Council-owned homes and a...

 in the London Borough of Croydon

London Borough of Croydon

The London Borough of Croydon is a London borough in South London, England and is part of Outer London. It covers an area of and is the largest London borough by population. It is the southernmost borough of London. At its centre is the historic town of Croydon from which the borough takes its name...

, opposite Croydon Airport

Croydon Airport

Croydon Airport was an airport in South London which straddled the boundary between what are now the London boroughs of Croydon and Sutton. It was the main airport for London before it was replaced by Northolt Aerodrome, London Heathrow Airport and London Gatwick Airport...

. It was part of the Purley Way retail development drive that occurred in the early 1990s, which also saw the creation of the Valley Park Retail Area

Valley Park Retail Area

Valley Park Retail and Leisure Complex is a retail park in the Purley Way retail and industrial area of the London Borough of Croydon. Valley Park was opened in 1992 on the site of the former Croydon 'B' Power Station which was built in the late 1940s and opened in 1950. The power plant shut down...

.

The Water Palace experienced continuous financial difficulties and finally closed in 1996. The Palace itself was renowned for poor health and safety, and several accidents were publicised in the local press. However this was not the main reason for the closing of the park.
It featured water slide

Water slide

A water slide is a type of slide designed for warm-weather or indoor recreational use at water parks. Water slides differ in their riding method and therefore size...

s, a large jacuzzi

Jacuzzi

Jacuzzi is a company that produces whirlpool bathtubs and spas. Its first product was a bath with massaging jets. The term "jacuzzi" is now often used generically to refer to any bathtub with massaging jets.-History:...

 area and a wave pool using an artificial wave

Artificial wave

Artificial waves are man-made waves usually created on a specially designed surface or in a pool.Artificial waves are created in one or two ways. First, if the wave is created on a designed surface, water is shot over the surface at a high speed to create a wave...

 making machine. There was also an on-site cafe

Café

A café , also spelled cafe, in most countries refers to an establishment which focuses on serving coffee, like an American coffeehouse. In the United States, it may refer to an informal restaurant, offering a range of hot meals and made-to-order sandwiches...

.

The Water Palace was replaced with The Colonnades leisure park

Colonnades Leisure Park

The Colonnades Leisure Park is an out-of-town leisure park located in the Purley Way retail and industrial district of the London Borough of Croydon, South London which opened in the late 1990s...

in the late 1990s, featuring City Limits; an entertainment centre, with a restaurant, bar, arcade and bowling facilities.

External links

• Purley Way History