It’s September, which means the Open House Festival is just around the corner. As a bit of an architecture fan, it’s a festival I always look forward to, especially as the nosy part of...
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Looking for local things to do to kick off the bank holiday weekend? Well look no further than the Queen’s Gardens Party (see what they did there with the name) which takes place this...
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Yes, it’s the middle of August and it feels like we’ve got weeks and weeks of lazy summer days where we can soak up the holiday atmosphere, before we need to brush off our...
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Now I love a ‘repurposing’ of a car park (think of the wonderful Lost Format Society from a few year’s back), so I was dead excited to hear about Centrale & Whitgift’s rooftop beach...
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This year the Creative Croydon exhibition took on a bit of a different format. We teamed up again with Croydon BID and our alter ego 31% Wool (aka our day job) to curate the...
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In just over a week Pride returns to Croydon. This year it’s billed as Croydon’s Mini PrideFest, because it’s on a smaller scale than the previous years’ celebrations in Wandle Park. Earlier this year...
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Who doesn’t enjoy some outdoor art to brighten our streets? We were delighted when Croydon BID asked us to curate a second season of the Creative Croydon exhibition, after we brought the work of...
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Last week I took to the skies of Croydon and crossed off an activity that’s long been on my bucket list. No, not a plane or a helicopter or even a hot air balloon,...
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Last Saturday we joined a Croydon Music Heritage Trail tour around the centre of Croydon. We (along with a dozen or so other walkers) met our three friendly guides from the Museum of Croydon...
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September, the start of autumn and the last of those glorious warm evenings before the weather turns and the darker evenings set in… it’s one of my favourite months of the year, but not...
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There’s another carnival coming to Croydon, but this is a carnival with a difference, as its theme is invention (yes you heard right). On Sunday 10 September the Carnival of Invention will be taking...
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The next London Borough of Culture festival on our radar is Liberty. The free arts festival celebrating the work of deaf, disabled and neurodivergent artists hits our town for three days from Friday 1...
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You may remember back in February us talking about giraffes covered in art roaming our streets. No? Well if not see here. Since then Croydon BID and Wild in Art (who are the organisations...
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It’s great to hear that Croydon’s festival season continues beyond August. Now we’re nearing the halfway mark of the school summer holidays, I’m scanning the September calendar for events to look forward to. One...
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Summer festival season is well underway in Croydon, and this year because we’re the London Borough of Culture (in case you didn’t know 🙂) the festivals are coming at us thicker and faster than...
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It’s been a few years since we last caught up with MD of Signal Brewery Charlie Luckin. Tucked around the corner from Therapia Lane Tram Stop and Croydon Ikea, Signal have been busy expanding...
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This weekend is a busy one with free* double festival fun in Wandle Park. Croydon PrideFest returns this Saturday (15 July) and Croydon Mela is back on Sunday (16 July). This year both festivals...
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Earlier this week we headed to Thornton Heath Library for the launch of the Rural Croydon exhibition by artist, photographer and writer Ameena Rojee. Commissioned by This Is Croydon in partnership with The National...
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Last week we had the pleasure of heading to Croydon’s ‘newest’ hotel in Selsdon. Us seasoned locals will likely always think of the location as Selsdon Park Hotel, but what was last De Vere...
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Last October we went along to Croydon’s LSBU (aka Electric House) for the launch of the Croydon Stands Tall project, delivered by Croydon BID in collaboration with Wild in Art. Croydon Stands Tall is...
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If you’ve been out walking in Croydon over the last couple of days, you may have noticed some new art springing up around the town centre. Through the Croydonist, one of my passions is...
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Since summer 2019 we have been running a series of features on the climate, where we speak to different Croydon businesses and individuals about the ways in which they combat the climate crisis. This...
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It’s a new year (if we’re talking schools) and I don’t think many adults shake that back to school vibe that September brings. Here our guest writer Peter Hall takes us on one final...
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What does a huge paint brush, gargantuan tentacles, a floating pencil and a destructive beanstalk have in common? Well if you’ve been walking around the centre of Croydon over the last couple of days...
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If you frequent the centre of Croydon I doubt it will have escaped your notice that we have a new park! Ok, not a ‘new’ new park. However The Queens Gardens (now with a...
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School’s out for summer and this is the perfect walk to do with kids, with a couple of playgrounds and a café for refreshments en route. Here guest writer Peter Hall takes us on...
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As Croydon’s festival season continues, we’re very happy to see Croydon Pridefest return to Wandle Park this Saturday, 16 July, after its absence in 2020 and 2021. This is the fifth festival after the...
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Last summer, South Norwood Community Festival was one of the few IRL festivals we attended – the sun shone, the music played, the crowds danced and the kids ran around enjoying ice cream and fairground...
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If you fancy a bit of history whilst you’re enjoying Croydon’s greenspaces, then this is the walk for you. Here guest writer Peter Hall takes us on his Green Line walk part 5, through...
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Now we have warmer days and lighter evenings, there is every excuse to go exploring Croydon’s green spaces. Why not enjoy the final few weeks of Spring by taking a stroll along the river...
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This week we chat to South London visual artist ELNO who has recently worked with local teenage girls and non-binary teens to create a new mural in South Norwood, organised by the Croydon Living...
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It’s now officially Spring and Croydon’s parks and tree-lined streets have been adorned with beautiful blossoms for a couple of weeks now. Why not catch a glimpse by taking a stroll around the town...
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It’s February and I saw a daffodil on my walk this morning, so we must be on our way to Spring. The perfect time to try out the next instalment of guest writer Peter...
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We always find the festive break a great time to get out into Croydon’s green spaces for some much needed exercise, to walk off the extra helpings of roast potatoes, whilst enjoying some local nature....
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October is the month of ghosts, ghouls, pumpkins and monsters as we fast approach All Hallows Eve. Yes Halloween is only one day, but for me, October is always Halloween month and I’ll spend...
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Festival season has had its knocks these past 18 or so months, but suddenly there appears to be light at the end of the tunnel. South Norwood Community Festival has been given the green...
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Our new favourite find at the moment is Shirley Heath – a wooded area you can enter on Bridle Road just where Shirley Church Road becomes Spout Hill. We’ve driven past the entrance sign...
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Welcome to the second in our series of blue plaque runs. Ok this one isn’t 100% blue plaque as it features a green plaque too, but it’s an optional stop, so if you want...
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In recent years Croydon town centre has been synonymous with street art, and the art has gradually expanded north, to West Croydon and up – indeed Thornton Heath has a pretty awesome street art trail...
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Lockdown has sucked hasn’t it, but I have tried to look at the positives throughout, like not having to commute, getting chores done during the week rather than taking up my whole weekend, and...
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This last week has really started to feel more hopeful. The sun has been shining, giving life an air of Spring, and, although we might not be out of lockdown yet, we now at...
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This time of year as the evenings draw in and the weather gets all wintery I always fancy some comfort food by the time we reach a Friday evening. Add in a second lockdown...
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Local community has become more important than ever this year, as we’ve spent less time travelling and more time at home, appreciating our neighbours and immediate surroundings. South Norwood already had a close-knit community...
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I grew up on the southern edge of Croydon and my childhood home was just down the road from Kenley Common, so I’ve been visiting this beautiful greenspace ever since I can remember… I...
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Now we do like a zine at the Croydonist. An independent publication is always a labour of love, and when we saw ‘A Love Letter to Croydon’ by Waddon-based photographer Ameena Rojee we knew...
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If you go down to Selsdon Wood today, you’re sure of a big surprise (if you haven’t been before, that is), as you’ll see a huge (teddy) bear staring back at you as you...
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During the Covid-19 lockdown, writer Elizabeth Sheppard has been using her phone camera to document Croydon’s altered urban landscape. — Early in the mornings during Covid-19, I’ve come out of the side streets and gone...
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The sun is out (hopefully at time of reading) and our Croydon summer is in full swing. This weekend sees a double bill of free festival fun at Wandle Park, with the borough’s fourth...
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You don’t need to pack your wellies, head to the fields and pitch a tent that turns out to not be waterproof (speaking from experience) to enjoy a festival. Croydon’s festival calendar is pretty...
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Like us, you may already follow Glenn Foster (aka @croydon_photographer) on Instagram, and enjoy seeing his awe-inspiring photos of Croydon and beyond. For those of you who don’t, I guarantee you’ll want to after...
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Life is busy, Croydon is busy and at times it can be hard to look after our mental health. I’m here to write about a few small things we can do to look after...
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Once upon a time you’d get a smack on the wrist if you decided to decorate your local high street with graffiti. Ok that still happens, but with the rise of urban art, more...
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“Pound a bowl, pound a bowl!”, “cherry, cherry, cherry!”. Hear that? That’s the sound of Surrey Street Market, the largest and longest established market in the Croydon borough. Awash with colour, texture and scents,...
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The other week we hopped over the Croydon border to spend a pleasant afternoon strolling around Crystal Palace Park. The park sits just the other side of the Crystal Palace triangle in our neighbouring...
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This summer you’ll be able to experience a butterfly of a different kind with the arrival of Croydon’s biggest music festival to date, The Butterfly Effect. Taking place this weekend at Lloyd Park, the...
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Coombe Road, which winds its way from Croydon’s High Street, and meanders towards Addington with the tram route trundling along side, is most definitely the Road of Nature. On one side alone, there are...
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We have a whole host of reasons to get out and about in Croydon in July. Our festival season laps up the summer sun and continues with gusto into next month. Don’t forget that...
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Woods, streams, fairy tale bridges and a beer garden – Beddington Park has it all – making it one of our favourite spots for a sunny afternoon walk with Smudge (our beloved dog). Just...
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We can’t resist a good old-fashioned woodland walk – the rustle of leaves beneath our feet, birdsong in our ears, and looking up at a canopy of branches far above our heads. One of...
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One of the things I like most about winter is wrapping up warm, heading out into the countryside for a bit of fresh air and ending the day in front of a fire in...
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Every park should have a café – it’s a place to escape the rain, quench your thirst on a hot summer’s day or enjoy a bite to eat and a hot drink to warm...
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One sunny friday last month I headed down to Surrey Street to look for the theatre tent nestled amongst the stall holders. Yes you read correctly – theatre on the market. The Human Zoo Theatre Company,...
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If you haven’t heard already, September is Warhol month in Croydon. Yes that’s right folks, a whole month of events dedicated to the god of pop art Andy Warhol right here on our doorstep...
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I grew up with both parents being avid gardeners – rather traditionally perhaps, mum did the flowers and dad grew the veg – so I should really have green fingers in my genes. However I...
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Croydon Pridefest 2017’s local LGBT+ celebrations are almost upon us and this year marks 50 years of progress on the road towards equality. From the beginnings of decriminalising homosexuality in 1967 to gay marriage...
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You may have already noticed the crocus installation if you’ve glanced up whilst walking by the entrance to the Whitgift Centre in the last week. What does it mean and why is it there,...
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I seem to have spent much of the past month tutting in my impatient Croydon way at Italians taking an age to purchase their train tickets, or struggling to raise my backpack onto a...
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Our recent woodland rediscovery is in Sanderstead. Kings Wood sits between Old Farleigh Road and Limpsfield Road and is a beautiful ancient woodland. It’s relatively flat and criss-crossed by pathways, making it an easy...
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It’s time for the announcement of our favourite Croydon Christmas lights folks. We’ve seen some fantastically festive lights the length and the breadth of the borough from Selhurst to Selsdon, Addiscombe to New Addington,...
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It’s currently harvest time at Croydon Saffron Central. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, this is the world’s largest urban pop-up saffron farm. And thousands of crocus corms are beginning to...
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The late 1960s are definitely in fashion at the moment, what with the V&A’s current blockbuster exhibition on revolutions of the period, and the Saatchi Gallery’s Rolling Stones exhibition earlier this year. Then there...
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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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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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This summer I’ve rediscovered Wandle Park. I have vague memories of being dragged round its rather grotty grassy expanse by my parents in my tweenage years, before hitting the infinitely more exciting Whitgift Centre...
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If you happen to glance between where the foxgloves sway and the poppies turn towards the sun you may glimpse a fairy hiding amongst the flora… …Alright, I’m not on drugs, but if you...
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When we think of windmills the first places that spring to mind are Amsterdam and Norfolk, followed by the film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, oh and a random school trip to somewhere in Essex…...
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Addington Hills is our dog Lilly’s current favourite woodland walk in Croydon. (OK, we’re just a bit in love with the place too). It all feels rather magical up there, with its unusual undulating...
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