Culture

Sweet ’16 in the Cronx

28 December 2016

We’ve reached that limbo part of December, between the mulled wine of Christmas and the prosecco of New Year’s Eve, when we’re all either curled up in front of trash telly, or sorting out...
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Making her mark in the Cronx

5 December 2016

Lis Watkins describes herself as drawing her way through life – she is an illustrator who lives just over the Croydon border in sunny SE20, but you can regularly spot her out and about in...
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Enter Utopia, stage right

31 October 2016

This year saw the two year closure commence of our beloved Fairfield Halls, raising many a concern for the theatrical decline in the borough that it would leave. We may have temporarily lost this...
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The epic adaptation of Oliver

16 October 2016

2016 has certainly been James Oliver’s year, with three solo shows, and more arranged for 2017 his art is becoming highly collectible, having sold over 150 pieces to date. Best known for his colourful...
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Croydon’s Box of Delights

26 September 2016

Croydon has been at the forefront of many exciting things in its time – world record breaking flights, innovation in aviation and rail – plus it has a rich history in arts and entertainment.  In fact, Croydon was...
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Kinks in the Cronx (and other artists)

12 September 2016

Last week I discovered the rather fab 101 Records which can be found round the back of Centrale, on the same strip as Turf Gallery. I spent a good hour in there, flicking through...
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Croydon’s grand designs

4 September 2016

If you’re like me and enjoy a good nose round other people’s pads, or have rolling episodes of Grand Designs on the telly as background noise to relax, you’ll be looking forward to Open...
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251 poppies, 100 years on

30 August 2016

This year is the 100th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme, a battle that lasted 5 months, with a death toll of over 1 million French, German and British soldiers. The first day...
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A rainbow over Surrey Street

23 August 2016

Last year on August bank holiday weekend Angela and I got hitched at Croydon Town Hall. So what better way to mark our first anniversary than to celebrate at the inaugural Croydon PrideFest? That’s...
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The novel Hart of the Cronx

14 August 2016

I don’t know about you, but for me it’s a real treat when I read a novel where I know the location in which it’s set. I sort of feel like I’m an extra...
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Stand by for take-off (in a wicker chair)

2 August 2016

The Purley Way, known as a Saturday traffic nightmare of DIY shoppers, is actually quite a fascinating place. Rich in history, it was once upon a time at the forefront of an exciting new...
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Art all over our Turf

13 July 2016

What connects the following? 1) Centrale Shopping Centre 2) Crazy golf 3) A mole picture in Wandle Park 4) A commemorative set of boulders 5) Croydon airport No? The answer is Turf. Not the...
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Riding a Cadillac to Utopia

8 July 2016

Bugeye, made up of two-thirds Croydon residents, is an indie-disco band, of which the singer and lead guitarist is the Croydonist’s very own Angela Martin. Currently being played on BBC 6 Music, they release...
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Tempting us to the edge of art

3 July 2016

The Tories have been swinging an axe at the arts budgets like a madman on amphetamines, ever since election (don’t worry this isn’t going to be a political rant, promise!). On top of this...
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In our back yard

29 June 2016

When I first visited Matthews Yard for a charity gig night a few years ago, it felt like I’d wandered through a portal to a different world just off Surrey Street Market. I’d lived...
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Croydon’s Comedy Kittens

19 June 2016

In case you didn’t know, Croydon Comedy Festival is currently on with a rather impressive line-up of both current and future stars of comedy. Now in its second year, the festival brings together film,...
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Never Mind the Boxpark

1 June 2016

Croydonian, political activist and the father of iconic Sex Pistols imagery that defined a punk generation – artist, Jamie Reid, returns to where it all began, in good old Croydon with a brand new...
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The Rise of Croydon’s Mary Poppins

20 May 2016

As RISE Gallery’s Jamie Reid show opens this week, we caught up with the man behind Croydon’s expanding art scene, Kevin Zuchowski-Morrison. Nestled in St George’s Walk, a rather rundown 1960s precinct, you’ll discover...
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Croydon’s Coolest Car park

16 May 2016

Early evening on a bright sunny Sunday in Croydon and we’re at the borough’s coolest new hot spot, The Lost Format Society, for a catch-up with two of the masterminds behind the project, Justin...
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Who is the fairest of the halls?

14 May 2016

Personally I can’t decide between the two main halls at Fairfield: the smaller Ashcroft theatre (perfect for a murder mystery play) or the concert hall itself, where we’ve seen larger shows (Dawn French’s 30...
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