Kake’s tour of London Road moves on to the kebab shop at number 17, which was previously a grocer, bookseller, fishmonger, and TV rental shop.

17 London Road is the home of the Croydon Kebab Centre. This informatively-named shop is one of the longer-standing businesses on this part of London Road; it’s been a purveyor of grilled meats since at least the mid-1970s, under the current name since the … 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 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 »

As the debate surrounding Broad Green’s classification rages on, long-term resident Terry Coleman reflects on the history of the potential village

As a child, ‘going down town’ meant a shopping trip to the town centre, accompanied by mum of course. We walked in those days (1940-1950) from where we lived along St James’s Rd towards Broad Green.

On St James’s Road were … Read More »

Tom Black introduces the Citizen’s geekiest feature yet – a look at the what-might-have-beens of history, from Croydon’s perspective

The following is a work of fiction. It is based on real world documents (most notably German Invasion Plans for the British Isles and Ronald Wheatley’s Operation Sea Lion) but, for narrative purposes, it is told as if it really happened.

Yesterday, the 72nd … 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 »

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 »

Continuing her series on why it wasn’t necessarily better in the old days, Anne Giles gives us an oral history of getting around (and out of) Croydon

In the ’70s, I didn’t own a car. I travelled everywhere by public transport. We lived in Thornton Heath initially and later near Selhurst station. Trains to Victoria ran twice an hour and were slow trains, so I … Read More »