Fairtrade has been doing sterling work in (and for) Croydon. 18th May is an opportunity to recognise that

It will have escaped the notice of many residents, as it has done for the last ten years, but on Monday 22nd April Croydon council agreed to pass a resolution to continue supporting Fairtrade in the borough and therefore to renew our Fairtrade status for another … Read More »

Aishah Mehmood wants Croydon citizens to believe the glass is half full, rather than half empty

Since the 2011 riots we have become much more focused on the image and improvements to be made in Croydon. One of the pressing issues is the growing number of loan and betting shops in the Croydon area. As a concerned citizen of Croydon, I am worried about the image … Read More »

Kake’s tour of London Road moves on to another payday loan shop, this one at number 16.

The final member of the payday loan shop cluster around West Croydon Station is at number 16. The Money Shop opened in late 2011 on a site that, several decades earlier, was occupied by a rather different type of financial institution.

The Money Shop, 16 London Road, December 2011. Photo: author’s own.

1:500 … Read More »

Broad Green’s recent bid to become recognised as a village has unearthed a dark underbelly of conservatism and discord. Changing a local name is one thing, but can a rebrand change the local people as well?

Recent news that residents in the Broad Green area are considering renaming the area ‘Broad Green Village‘ has reopened one of the most interesting debates about Croydon – that … Read More »

With St George’s Day almost upon us, Andrew Dickinson laments the neglect of a site bearing the Anatolian dragon-slayer’s name

I will never cease to be amazed at the lack of interest and occasion that St George’s Day brings. It reminds me of one evening last week when I took a walk into town (after not having gone in for a couple of … Read More »

Kake’s tour of London Road takes in another member of the payday loan shop cluster around West Croydon Station.

While H & T Pawnbrokers at number 12 is a fairly new addition to London Road, Cash Converters at numbers 13–15 has a somewhat longer tenure in the area.

Cash Converters, 13–15 London Road, February 2013. Photo author’s own.

13–15 London Road was built in 1863[1], as part of a block with … Read More »

Tom Lickley explains why all proud citizens, and not just the scarf-waving faithful, should attend Crystal Palace FC’s Family Day this Saturday

On Saturday 6th April Crystal Palace Football Club hope to build upon their current 4th position (at the time of writing) in the npower Championship, and continue on to a path which may lead them to the dizzying heights of the … Read More »

Allies and Morrison Urban Practitioners opens up the floor for Croydon citizens to create the Master Plan for regenerating Old Town. Roving reporter and Croydon’s own Frohican, Wes Baker was on hand to report on Old Town’s future

On the 26th March, Allies and Morrison hosted the ideas workshop for the Old Town Master Plan. The event took place at … Read More »

Long-term resident Terry Coleman shares his early memories of Croydon, and wonders how far the town has come since the blitz.

I was born in 1940 during the blitz, which was a desperate time in the history of our nation when the Luftwaffe was attacking us with ferocious might. I can vaguely remember the air raids, the sound of exploding munitions and drone … Read More »

Kake’s tour of London Road moves on to the 1920s architecture at numbers 12–14.

As of 2013, 12 London Road is a branch of H&T Pawnbrokers, the pawnbroker and payday loan shop chain, and 14 London Road is a Ladbrokes betting shop. Given the intertwined history of these addresses, I’ve decided to cover them in the same article. Although now occupied by separate businesses, the premises were constructed as … Read More »