Bensham Manor
vs Crystal Palace & Upper Norwood
Bensham Manor has the younger population: 20% of residents are aged 15–29, against 16% in Crystal Palace & Upper Norwood. Homes in Crystal Palace & Upper Norwood sold for a median of £440,000, 10% above Bensham Manor. Crystal Palace & Upper Norwood has more green space nearby (22% within 500 m, against 6%).
People
Bensham Manor has 16,933 residents in 6,098 households; Crystal Palace & Upper Norwood has 16,351 in 7,218. The share of residents aged 65 and over is about the same in both (12% and 12%). Crystal Palace & Upper Norwood has the higher share of people living alone: 34%, 7.2 percentage points more than Bensham Manor (Croydon: 28%).
Homes and prices
The most common type of home is terraced houses in Bensham Manor (45%) and flats in Crystal Palace & Upper Norwood (43%). Crystal Palace & Upper Norwood has the higher share of owner-occupied homes: 55%, 3.6 percentage points more than Bensham Manor (Croydon: 55%). Bensham Manor has the higher share of private renting: 34%, 8.3 percentage points more than Crystal Palace & Upper Norwood (Croydon: 26%). Over two years, homes sold for a median of £400,000 in Bensham Manor and £440,000 in Crystal Palace & Upper Norwood, against £425,000 across Croydon.
Surroundings
Crystal Palace & Upper Norwood has the higher share of land within 500 m that is green space: 22%, 15.6 percentage points more than Bensham Manor (Croydon: 14%). A typical postcode has 134 everyday shops and services within a 15-minute walk in Bensham Manor, and 179 in Crystal Palace & Upper Norwood. The typical postcode is 343 m from the nearest school in Bensham Manor and 264 m in Crystal Palace & Upper Norwood. The typical postcode is 678 m from the nearest tram stop or railway station in Bensham Manor and 1,113 m in Crystal Palace & Upper Norwood. Gigabit-capable broadband reaches 98% of premises in Bensham Manor and 77% in Crystal Palace & Upper Norwood.
Safety
Over 12 months, police recorded 88 crimes and incidents per 1,000 residents in Bensham Manor and 83 in Crystal Palace & Upper Norwood, against 108 across Croydon. Police.uk records crimes by approximate location, not by where victims or offenders live. Busy streets, shops, stations and nightlife record more. Figures are counts, not a measure of personal risk.
Sources: Census 2021 (ONS) · HM Land Registry Price Paid Data · official school registers · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Environment Agency · data.police.uk, 12 months to Aug 2026 · Ofcom Connected Nations
In brief.
Each ward in a few lines, from its own page.
Bensham Manor is one of 28 wards in Croydon, home to 16,933 people in 6,098 households (Census 2021). Homes sold for a median of £400,000 over the past two years, 6% below the Croydon median. On average 6% of the land within 500 metres of a home postcode is green space — 58% below the Croydon average.
Crystal Palace & Upper Norwood is one of 28 wards in Croydon, home to 16,351 people in 7,218 households (Census 2021). Homes sold for a median of £440,000 over the past two years, 4% above the Croydon median. On average 22% of the land within 500 metres of a home postcode is green space — 52% above the Croydon average.
More comparisons.
Bensham Manor and Crystal Palace & Upper Norwood next to other wards of Croydon.