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Crayford formed around a ford of the Clay river hence the name. The area was inhabited since the Iron Ages. The settlement was somewhere close to St Paulinus Church. This is one of the possible sites of the Roman settlement Noviomagus which was on the ancient trackway Watling Street. It is believed that the Battle of Crecganford was fought in this area in 457. The Domesday Book records Crayford as being part of the Little and Lesnes Hundred. It belonged to the Canterbury Cathedral at that time and it included a church, three mills, and two small farms. This DA1 area is part of the historic county of Kent.
Newbery Manor and Howbury Manor were the main Middle Age manors. The first one was on the site of the current Crayford Manor House and the second one was next to Slade Green. Auditor Roger Apylton lived at Marshalls Court. His heir, Henry, bought Newbery Manor and built May Place. Grade I listed Hall Place dates from the 16th century. It features an award-winning garden. It was built for Lord Mayor of London Sir John Champneys. Stones from the nearby Lesnes Abbey were used to build Hall Place. Sir Robert Austen bought the place in the 17th century. He added a second wing doubling the size of the original building. The 18th-century Crayford sawmill provided the timber for the floors at Buckingham Palace.
Crayford railway station opened in 1866. A footbridge connecting the two platforms was added in 1926. This footbridge is now the oldest part of the station. Thomas Harman is one of the notable residents. He is known for writing A Caveat or Warning for Common Cursitors. Jack Wall the inventor of the astronomical mechanism Crayford focuser lived here too. Professional cricketer and footballer Derek Ufton was born in this part of South East London. Crayford Stadium is one of the two greyhound racing stadiums in London.