Exploring the East End of London on one of my street photography walkabouts I came across graffiti executed to the highest level. I decided this was something I was going to have to capture. I assumed this was something that was located only in the more obvious locations of Bethnal Green Road, Brick Lane, and the Great Eastern Street, but on further exploration of the myriad of back … Read More »

West Croydon devotee Terry Coleman shares his thoughts on the symbolic West Croydon Church, and its history in a multi-faith, riot-torn area

On 22nd August 2011 I was called to a meeting at the Oshwal Centre, at No. 1 Campbell Road in Croydon. The meeting had been arranged by our then MP Malcolm Wicks and its purpose was to discuss the riot that … 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 »

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 »

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 »

Kake’s tour of London Road nips around the side of Greggs to take in the two small properties both numbered 10a.

Alongside the Greggs branch at West Croydon Station, just around the corner from London Road, a couple of small kiosks sit firmly attached to the concrete side wall of the building.

Davis of Croydon Car Hire and N Tapper Shoe Repairs, March 2013.

The first definite evidence of kiosks on … Read More »

On 11th February 2013, Croydon Council resolved to grant planning permission to change the use of the former Nestlé UK headquarters  from office to residential use. Tom Lickley examines whether the Council has made the right decision in allowing for less affordable housing than their own Croydon Plan requires

The Nestlé building is one of the most striking buildings in Croydon; not for … Read More »

Kake’s tour of London Road moves from the Victorian architecture of the west side of the road to 1930s concrete at number 10.

The breezeblock building of West Croydon Station’s London Road entrance also houses a branch of Greggs, the UK-wide bakery and pasty-seller. I suspect most of their custom comes from people passing through the station, helped by the fact that the shop has a second entrance leading … Read More »

Tom Lickley spills the beans on the Masterplan for East Croydon station and the rest of Croydon’s transport infrastructure.

In my last article I noted the impact of the passenger bridge development at East Croydon station and the associated path into the centre of town. In this article, I’ll explain how the other work taking place at the station and the general Masterplan for the … Read More »

Like so much of Croydon’s development, understanding the changes at East Croydon requires a look at the big picture

Transport ‘hubs’ are very in vogue at the moment. Constantly in the press we hear the demand that the UK and London needs a new airport hub, and recently the controversy of the location of the HS2 railway’s midlands hub has made national headlines. Will the … Read More »