October is of course Black History Month, and as part of the borough’s culture programme, there is a series of events happening on the last weekend of the month, called Reclaiming Narratives, which shines...
Read more
As Open House Festival continues around London, a series of events are on the programme celebrating Croydon’s Central Library building and its striking design. Croydon’s first Central Library moved into the Clocktower in Victorian...
Read more
It seems fittingly summery, to finish August immersed in nature. So this week we chat with our current social media artist and Croydon resident Mirri Rowland who runs Drawn to Nature. A watercolour artist...
Read more
Back in April we featured Shaniqua Benjamin’s multi-generational project called ‘Out of Silence’ which is her final project as Croydon’s Poet Laureate. In case you missed it, the project engaged a diverse mix of...
Read more
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...
Read more
Summer is well under way, so for many performers that means decamping to Scotland for ‘The greatest platform for creative freedom in the world.’ Yes folks, I’m talking about the Edinburgh Fringe. This week...
Read more
Did you know that drumming can boost your IQ? Well Croydon drummer Bella Matthews must be very smart, as earlier this year, she was the only female finalist out of 10 young drummers in...
Read more
This week we catch up with performance artist Vijay Patel ahead of his show, Brotherly, Otherly, Disorderly, arriving at Stanley Arts on Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 June. The show, described as ‘an access...
Read more
I would just like to say, how lucky are we to have the David Lean Cinema? Seriously, there’s always something decent on and recently we’ve been treated to incredible Q&As with the likes of...
Read more
Earlier this week I met up with the artistic director of Maya Productions, Suzanne Gorman, at the Museum of Croydon to see their current exhibition Routes to Roots, as well as to hear more...
Read more
Over the last few months (in my day job as a graphic designer) I’ve had the pleasure of working with Shaniqua Benjamin to help create a set of poetry posters which form part of...
Read more
There’s just over three weeks to go until our Cro Cro Land Festival, so we wanted to chat with more of our awesome artists, to hear about their music, their thoughts on the festival,...
Read more
Today is of course International Women’s Day 2024, and this year the focus is on inspiring inclusion by celebrating diversity and empowerment. So what better day to catch up with three of our female...
Read more
Last week we visited the Little Manhattan exhibition, at the Croydon Clocktower, which celebrates Croydon’s striking skyline, and captures the memories of those who lived through the regeneration of the area between the 1950s...
Read more
As a huge fan of our borough’s modernist architecture, I thought I knew all of the architectural gems that existed around Croydon. That was until I chatted with author Joshua Abbott, who is in...
Read more
Interesting fact for you: Tilda Swinton did actually meet the famous Croydon-born film director David Lean shortly before his death, when she did a screen test for his unrealised film Nostromo in the early...
Read more
Happy 2024, Croydon! If you’re a regular reader you’ll know we start each January with a group feature on thoughts for the year ahead. In 2024 Croydon finishes its tenure as the London Borough...
Read more
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...
Read more
I recently visited local artist Kate Marsden in her studio at ASC Grafton Road. For those of you who don’t know ASC Grafton Road, it is home to over 100 studios for artists and...
Read more
This week we catch up with our current social media header artist, Divya Sharma – a multi-disciplinary artist whose current work leads with the medium of textiles and threads, she has a studio in...
Read more
I continue to be surprised and impressed by the number of names linked to Croydon; famous actors, musicians, inventors, activists, writers… the list goes on. So this week dear readers, in my research I...
Read more
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...
Read more
This week we catch up with the award-winning founder, choreographer, and artistic director of Orleta Polish Dance Company, Basia Klimas-Sawyer, to find out about the company’s upcoming 50th anniversary concert. On Saturday 1 July,...
Read more
Earlier this week I popped along to the Arts Bar, which, if you are unfamiliar, is the bar connected to the David Lean Cinema, in the Clocktower complex. I was there at the invitation...
Read more
This week we chat with Croydon-based artist Melanie Russell whose art we showcased on our social media headers earlier this year. A Streatham resident, Melanie works in a studio at ASC Art House, Grafton...
Read more
Continuing our series of features on the climate, where we discuss the climate crisis with Croydon businesses and individuals, this week we chat with founder of Sustainable Thornton Heath, Ian Morris, ahead of their...
Read more
Since 2019 we have been running a series of features on the climate, where we chat with different Croydon businesses and individuals about the ways in which they combat the climate crisis. This week...
Read more
Whilst I was at the Fairfield Halls earlier this month enjoying the Oratorio of Hope in the Concert Hall, it got me thinking about their other main performance space, the Ashcroft Theatre, and its...
Read more
Croydon’s music scene and connections continue to flourish, spanning multiple genres and cultures. This week’s connection is pretty much one of the most talked about new artists on the tipping point of huge stardom....
Read more
The launch of Croydon’s London Borough of Culture is just over a week away, so we are continuing our chats with creative organisations involved with the programme. Here we catch up with Kendra Horsburgh,...
Read more
Today is International Women’s Day and this year’s theme is #EmbraceEquity. Equality is all well and good but is about treating everyone in the same way, which doesn’t help when people’s circumstances differ. Equity...
Read more
And we’re now in March, which in case you didn’t know is Women’s History Month. In the coming weeks we also of course celebrate International Women’s Day (next Wednesday 8 March) and Mother’s Day...
Read more
As Croydon’s London Borough of Culture kicks off in less than 2 months, we’re catching up with some of the Croydon organisations involved. It’s currently LGBT+ History month so it seems appropriate to start...
Read more
Croydon has a rich music heritage that spans genres far and wide across the decades and centuries and is still, to this day, a place where bedroom lyricists can become worldwide superstars and that...
Read more
If your new year’s resolution is to embrace more local arts and culture ahead of Croydon becoming the Borough of Culture in spring, well then this one’s for you. Odd Eyes Theatre is bringing...
Read more
Happy new year, Croydon! If you’re a regular here you’ll know we begin the year with a group feature where we ask Croydonist friends and collaborators for their thoughts on the year ahead. Of...
Read more
This week we chat with our current social media cover artist, the South Norwood based Jonny Kemp. He’s been having a very busy 2022, so you may recognise his work from South Drawood – his exhibition...
Read more
This week we chat with local artist and curator Rosie Crane Eckmire ahead of her Pill packet pottery workshop this Saturday, 10 September, which explores the therapeutic properties of clay. The workshop at Turf...
Read more
This week we chat with one impressive business woman – Dr Diahanne Rhiney BCAe. Diahanne is a leading psychologist, gender equality advocate and author of self-empowerment books ‘I am Intersectionality’ and ‘All About Me’. She...
Read more
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...
Read more
Amongst the first Croydon-based bands to be announced in our Cro Cro Land festival line-up for October is Ski Lift, who were recommended to us by the ever wonderful John Kennedy from Radio X...
Read more
If you’re a regular visitor to the Croydonist you’ll know we are publishing a series of features on the climate, where we look at some of the things businesses and individuals do in Croydon...
Read more
This week we catch up with our current social media header artist Cordelia Peacock on how she became a mixed media artist, her intuitive creative process, inspirations in nature and art, and more. Croydonist:...
Read more
Summer is almost upon us and I’ve been daydreaming of an ice cold beer in the sun. It doesn’t have to be summer of course to enjoy beer, and anyone who knows me will...
Read more
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...
Read more
We last spoke to John Grindrod as his book ‘How To Love Brutalism’ was published back in 2018. Of course a lot has happened globally since then, but the New Addington raised author and...
Read more
For our first chat of 2022 we catch up with the multi-talented Salihah Agbaje. From arts practitioner, children’s author, and podcaster, to passionate educationalist, and founder of Theatre in Education organisation Spoken World Productions,...
Read more
And just like that, we’re in the first week of 2022! If you’re a regular reader you’ll know by now that we invariably start the year with a group post where we ask Croydonist...
Read more
Croydon is jam packed with creative talent and it’s a pool that is ever expanding. On a recent trip to the Clock Tower Market in South Norwood I was pleasantly surprised by how many...
Read more
This week we chat to the author of Black Enterprize, D. A. Miller. I first came across Dwayne’s work when Black Enterprize, which tells the stories of successful black innovators through history, was turned...
Read more
You may have heard recent murmurings of dragons in South Norwood Country Park or ghosts in Stanley Halls. We wanted to find out more about the local arts organisation behind these events, so we...
Read more
This week we chat with our current social media cover artist, Miguel Sopena. Miguel is an artist and photographer originally from Valencia, Spain, who works out of Turf’s artist studios. He trained as a...
Read more
This week we catch up with our recent social media header artist Jason Chow. Jason is a self taught illustrator who runs Prints Jason. During the second lockdown he had lots of spare time...
Read more
This week we catch up with Jamal Chong who is artistic director of Croydon-based theatre company Misprint. You may remember Jamal’s name from his days as artistic director and venue manager at Theatre Utopia...
Read more
This week we catch up with Croydon’s first Poet Laureate, Shaniqua Benjamin, ahead of her online exhibition launching at the Museum of Croydon on Monday (2 August). The exhibition called ‘Voices of Croydon’ is...
Read more
I have recently been seeking out blue plaques and creating my own running trails connecting them together (see here and here). I’ve been doing this in various locations but at the request of some...
Read more
This week we caught up with the lovely Joanna Scanlan to talk about her new film as well as all things Croydon. And yes I do mean the Joanna Scanlan who you’ll probably know...
Read more
Croydon you are spoiling us with the extremely scrumptious taste bud teasers available at the one, the only, Big Mike’s Calypso Kitchen. Bringing flavours of the Caribbean to Croydon’s Boxpark, Big Mike’s is refreshingly...
Read more
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...
Read more
Last autumn Centrale & Whitgift put out a call for local artists and collectives to submit ideas to be included in an art trail stretching across their shopping centres with the theme of ‘Croydon...
Read more
Now that my days lack a train commute and I have an energetic three-year-old to tire me out, I don’t have time to read as much as I used to. However when I heard...
Read more
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...
Read more
What better way to kick off a (fingers crossed) sunny but also (according to my weather app) snowy Easter weekend, than by hearing about a Croydon illustrator who creates some very joyful and Spring-like...
Read more
Whilst I was reading about architect Jane Drew, who we featured last month, I happened upon a friend of hers and fellow Croydon-born creative, Barbara Mildred Jones. Despite being a rather influential post-war artist,...
Read more
What has powered a lot of us through Covid? Well if you’re like me, it’s coffee. I’ve been rather dismayed in the last year when some coffee shops stopped serving me coffee in my...
Read more
Whilst I was enjoying a trip down a Google rabbit warren (as I often do) when I was researching modernist architecture for my chat with Keith van Loen last week, I happened upon a...
Read more
Last month I met architecture photographer Keith van Loen through the Peckham-based (but currently online) monthly creative meet-up, Rye Here Rye Now. We got chatting and it turns out Keith is a fellow fan...
Read more
This week we had the privilege to chat with multi-award-winning journalist and bestselling author Yomi Adegoke, who also just so happens to be a Croydon resident. She has a quite frankly formidable CV having...
Read more
New author and local resident Danielle Clarke has been very productive in the last 6 months – she has created a series of children’s books called ‘What Makes Our Family Special’ to celebrate different cultures,...
Read more
For our first creative chat of 2021 we speak to local maker Rosie Naismith, who I discovered last summer when I purchased one of her awesome Frida Kahlo fabric face masks. Better known by...
Read more
Well it’s 2021 folks, and we wish you all a happy and healthy new year. I imagine everyone is relieved to see the back of 2020 and we have our fingers crossed for better...
Read more
We’re coming to that time of year where thinking about sustainability tends to somewhat go out of the window, what with all the extra wrapping and packaging we often accumulate over the festive season....
Read more
A few weeks ago we met the lovely lady behind Love a Lemon Ceramics at a workshop for local creatives at Croydon Clocktower. As soon as we saw Lemon’s beautiful and quirky bespoke ceramics...
Read more
We first came across 80 Stone Coffee Roasters when we noticed that the new Matthews Yard were serving coffee from a local roaster. We hadn’t realised there was a coffee roaster nearby so we...
Read more
If you can remember what the world looked like in 2019 (that world before face-masks, hand-sanitiser and Zoom-drinks), you’ll remember that the Climate Emergency was very much at the forefront of everyone’s minds. In...
Read more
In June this year when we met Croydon community arts company SDS we were also introduced to visual artist Tatenda Michael Manyarara who regularly works on commissions for the organisation. We were immediately taken...
Read more
If you’re on Instagram, you may have noticed a new account bursting with creative Croydon content pop up in your feed in the last couple of weeks. Called Croydon Shared, this is an initiative...
Read more
All Croydon locals already know our borough is a rather literary place, with writers abound from history as well as plenty walking our streets today. We’ve talked about various Croydon-linked authors over the years,...
Read more
This week we discovered a beautiful set of photos by local photographic artist Carole Evans, that she is turning into a photobook via Kickstarter, to document the history of her community during lockdown. Titled...
Read more
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...
Read more
There’s so much more to brutalist architecture than grey concrete, but seeing the buildings photographed in vibrant colours is definitely unusual. Croydon-based photographer Christopher Hope-Fitch does just this with his personal project ‘Brutalism in...
Read more
In 2018 writer Miranda Roszkowski curated a podcast to mark the centenary of the first womens’ vote, which brought together 100 diverse and inspiring stories from 100 female identifying writers from around the UK....
Read more
This week one of our favourite Croydon-based creatives – free embroidery artist Tina Crawford – joins us as guest writer to talk about her rather extraordinary art piece she created during lockdown. ‘Connected by...
Read more
This week we go on a tour of the Museum of Croydon (in digital form), as we catch up with Marie Tulley-Rose over a virtual cuppa, and discuss everything from representing a diverse community...
Read more
This week we are joined by guest writer Grace Healy, who is a Peckham-based piano teacher and plays keys in Croydon band Bugeye. Grace, who is campaigning for the inclusion of black composers on...
Read more
For a long long time Croydon has been a town of architectural development, from our space-age skyscrapers of the sixties to the regeneration going on right now. I’d never really thought much about where...
Read more
If you don’t already know about SDS (or Setting Da Standards), it’s time you do, as they are a community arts company on the rise, right here in Croydon. They are literally ‘setting da...
Read more
This week Croydon-based photographer Michael Shilling joins us as guest writer to talk about his 360 London street photography project, and how his interest in Victorian photography in Croydon led him to start a...
Read more
‘Something old, something new, something borrowed…’ is how Tim Eveleigh describes his new EP ‘In Kilnsea’ which is digitally released on 9 June. More on the inspirations behind the music later. When Tim got...
Read more
We’ve been huge fans of Kate Marsden’s vibrant illustrations and fabric designs for some time now. Her work has a distinct mid-century vibe and often features modernist architecture, and sometimes (luckily for us) buildings...
Read more
We are still lamenting the loss of this year’s Croydonites festival, being massive fans of Croydon’s annual theatrical event. We talked earlier in the year about all the exciting and innovative theatre we were...
Read more
Rewind a year or so and I was drinking coffee with Vicki Workman in Boxpark discussing our love of guitar bands as well as the Croydonist’s upcoming music festival Cro Cro Land. Vicki, founder...
Read more
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...
Read more
The creative work of Eleanor Suess is hard to categorise as her practice straddles the disciplines of both architecture and art. Eleanor describes herself as an architect, artist, and educator. As well as working...
Read more
I didn’t realise until recently that tucked behind Factory Lane and a stone’s throw from Ikea, there are over a hundred studios for creatives in a development called Art House Studios in Grafton Quarter....
Read more
As you’ll all well know by now, one of the things we love about Croydon is its iconic 60s architecture – we’ve talked about it here, quite a bit over the last few years. Imagine...
Read more
If I say the name Rich Simmons most of you will think of some of our most iconic Croydon street art. Rich’s art is sometimes political, sometimes controversial, and always stunning – he has...
Read more
I always like to have my perceptions challenged by new experiences. Growing up in Croydon’s suburbs in the eighties and nineties I formed a certain opinion of the Church of England through traditions taught...
Read more
This may sound like an oxymoron, but we bought the sexiest chopping board we’d ever seen at the Made In Croydon Makers Market at Boxpark in December. Crafted by local woodworking company Ernest &...
Read more
What better way to start the new year than with some new art? We’ve been quite taken by some new artworks we’ve seen around town (digitally and physically) created by design duo Samantha Warren...
Read more
Happy new year folks, and welcome to a brand new decade. It’s now the twenties (which I think is going to sound strange for a while), so what better way to start them than...
Read more
Last month Croydon’s 423-year old charity The Whitgift Foundation launched its new brand and announced its name change to John Whitgift Foundation, putting the full name of the charity’s founder to the front of...
Read more
I very much look forward to posts from Angela Crow on Instagram. The vibrant diversity of her art often combining pattern, landscape and the human figure (with the occasional animal) lights up my feed,...
Read more
Music has always been an incredibly important part of my life, both as a writer and fan. One of the things I love about it is its infinite possibilities; reinventing and evolving at an...
Read more
As part of our Croydonist climate series we catch up with one of our favourite Croydon artists, Tina Crawford ahead of her exhibition at the Museum of Croydon. As a free embroidery artist Tina...
Read more
As the global climate strikes continue this week, another devastating report by a UN panel of scientists has been published highlighting our alarming impact on the planet. Looking at ways to lessen our ecological...
Read more
Croydon is home to a growing number of excellent co-working spaces, which cater for businesses in all shapes and sizes, from freelancers to fully-fledged companies, and are tailored to various different business sectors. In...
Read more
Global climate strikes are happening this month, and British students are taking to the streets to protest on 20 September, led by the UKSCN. Finding ways to reduce our ecological footprint has never been...
Read more
SimOne is an artist in demand – recently exhibiting in a collective show in New Cross and working on pop-ups all over London, from Peckham to Google’s HQ. You’ll probably recognise her vibrant work from...
Read more
Croydon is home to a growing number of excellent co-working spaces, which cater for businesses in all shapes and sizes, from freelancers to fully-fledged companies, and are tailored to various different business sectors. In...
Read more
Croydon is home to a growing number of excellent co-working spaces, which cater for businesses in all shapes and sizes, from freelancers to fully-fledged companies, and are tailored to various different business sectors. In...
Read more
In recent years, craft beer has really kicked off in a big way. Once dominated by overseas super brands, we’re now seeing the likes of Brew Dog and Camden Lager holding their own and...
Read more
A couple of weeks ago we were invited to a brunch to celebrate the official unveiling of the new art by Gavin Kinch, set over three floors of AMP House on Dingwall Road –...
Read more
Future sounds, space invaders and a visual wonder are just a few words that we would use to sum up Imagine Sound. Providing soundtracks and soundscapes, the duo, Croydon-based Sam Murray and his creative...
Read more
Liv Healey is an artist with a fascinating and unusual muse – the orchid. Describing the flower as ‘diverse and detailed’, she creates exquisite and unexpected paintings and drawings centred around this exotic plant....
Read more
Festival season is underway in Croydon, with more appearing in the calendar year after year. We certainly are lucky Croydonians to have such an array of events from music, to gin, food, comedy, and...
Read more
April is panning out to be quite the month of music for Croydon, as this coming Saturday (13 April) one of the borough’s oldest record shops, Reggaemasters, will be celebrating Record Store Day. For those...
Read more
Tigers caught in Croydon? Ridiculous you may say, but Tiger Mimic have been spotted roaming around Croydon. Established in the States, they are an indie/rock band with a unique, groovy style. Officially formed here...
Read more
What do you get if you cross a DJ, a promoter and a music journalist? Mari Lane from Get In Her Ears of course! If you haven’t yet heard of Get In Her Ears,...
Read more
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...
Read more
Change starts with an idea. And one particular idea happened back in July 2007 when Croydon teenager Eliza Rebeiro started a campaign with a statement printed boldly on a T-shirt. The statement read LIVES...
Read more
It’s International Women’s Day, and there are various fantastic celebrations taking place in and around Croydon today, this weekend, and beyond. One such celebration is a new photography exhibition called Ladies First. Which gallery,...
Read more
Like us you may have noticed striking black and white posters mysteriously popping up around town recently. Or like us, you may have started following an uber cool new instagram feed with censored faces...
Read more
Fifty years ago this summer, the first manned spacecraft landed on the moon, and as you’ll know (especially if you’re a regular reader here) Croydon was quite taken with Space at that time, building...
Read more
Described as ‘rocket-fuelled pop-punk’ by Pure Rawk after their Croydon Rocks slot last autumn, Croydon-linked band The Weird Things are a 5-piece that are made up of some serious punk talent, from the bass...
Read more
We have finally made it through the blue month of January folks, and tomorrow we enter the red month of love. Yes, it’s only two weeks today until Valentine’s Day! Whether you like to...
Read more
Croydon’s creative community is thriving, and many local organisations are putting on awesome events for our enjoyment. Most weekends (and weekdays too) we’re spoilt for choice on events to attend, whether it be a...
Read more
Last year we saw the celebrations of a 100 years since the first women in the UK got the vote. Croydon held various events to mark the occasion. 1918 was really just the start...
Read more
First up this year we talk to Croydon stencil artist The 3rd Man, whose vivid paintings focus on the human form. His work is predominantly canvas-based but you may have spotted a few of...
Read more
It’s coming to the end of 2018, so it’s time to say out with the old and in with the new. Yes 2019 may be a challenging year for the country as a whole,...
Read more
As you know, Angela and I at the Croydonist and Cassie Whittell from Croydon Literary Festival spent November reading all the short stories entered to our competition, which celebrated the Literary Festival back in...
Read more
At the end of October I went to Croydon Literary Festival and attended the Elizabeth Sheppard and Nicky Nicholls session about their new book. Titled Not A Proper Child, Croydon author Elizabeth tells the...
Read more
There is a new theatre company on the block! Their first full show may not be premiering in our borough (at least you can see it south of the river), but the man behind...
Read more
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...
Read more
Now dear readers, have you heard of CODA? If not, why not, as they are celebrating their 75th anniversary this year. If yes, chances are you have enjoyed more than a few of their...
Read more
Croydon’s connection with music has always been impressive, and the list of names connected to the borough is ever growing. From both past and present, as I dig deeper and deeper new gems appear...
Read more
If you are a Croydonist regular, you probably know by now that the Croydon Literary Festival is fast approaching. We’re sure a lot of you have already purchased your tickets for some of the...
Read more
JUMP TO: Episode 1. Episode 2. Episode 3. Episode 4. Episode 5. Episode 6. In case you missed our exciting news last week, we shared that we are branching out into the world of audio,...
Read more
The Purley Way shopping experience just got infinitely more exciting with the opening of Atomica. If you’re fans of Croydon’s sixties architecture like we are, you’ll definitely be fans of this shop. A hidden...
Read more
Summer may have come to an end but in the words of Nancy Sinatra, the beat goes on. You’ll remember dear readers, a few weeks back, the announcement that Croydon is the capital of...
Read more
“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,...
Read more
Characterised by his colourful undulating and free-flowing patterns, Morgan Davy is a prolific, full-time, spraypaint artist from Croydon who got into graffiti in early 2002. These days his improvisational street art can be seen...
Read more
It’s been a busy year so far for artist Kay Lovesah. You may already recognise her vibrant and colourful portraits from our social media headers, or from Croydon-based exhibitions she has shown her work...
Read more
It is more than likely you’ve met Rob Wilson Jr around town, as he can be frequently spotted at events, documenting Croydon life with his camera. Did you know though he also has his...
Read more
Many moons ago, Croydon was famed for its performance spaces. The Davis, Empire, Grand and Warehouse Theatres are all sadly ghosts of the past these days, but fear not my friends, for Croydon is...
Read more
When you type embroidery into Google it brings up pictures of circular hoops containing flowery designs, which immediately remind me of ladies sitting by the open fire in Jane Austin novels. You’ll rethink that...
Read more
Festival season is upon us. Up and down the country we’re digging out the wellies, airing mouldy tents that we forgot to clean out from last year, and getting excited about the adventures we’ll...
Read more
Summer is nearing and I must say I do like a good read to go with my cocktail and sunshine… or more likely, pint indoors avoiding the rain, but whatever the weather, a good...
Read more
If you enjoy experiencing something a bit different on an evening out, as we do, Croydon is definitely where it’s at. Our borough is becoming quite the place to be able to immerse yourselves...
Read more
What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you read the word ‘Opera’? Lots of lovely descriptions if you’re already sold, hook line and sinker on the art but for those who aren’t...
Read more
Once upon a time, not so many moons ago, Croydon’s high street just beyond the strip, appeared to have lost its buzz. Aside from Surrey Street Market and Matthews Yard, there seemed to be...
Read more
Frankie Curtis describes herself as an illustrator with an overactive imagination. We think her intricate illustrations are as if her mind has taken a wander into a playful parallel universe of crazy characters. These...
Read more
As you probably know by now, we at the Croydonist are massive fans of the concrete monoliths that soar over our town centre – I don’t think we’ll ever tire of their angular shapes...
Read more
As I’m sure you all know by now, this year we are celebrating 100 years since our Parliament allowed the first women to vote. That of course makes this year’s International Women’s Day next...
Read more
Ever wondered what happens to all that wasted food in supermarkets? No? Well South Norwood residents Laura Whittall and Paul Mitchell did more than wonder, they collect unwanted food every saturday morning to cook...
Read more
Cherilyn Yeates is a Croydon based artist who works in resin and mixed media. You might spot her in and around Croydon Arts Store as her studio is at Turf Projects. We wanted to...
Read more
I’ve been a fan of Bridget Riley since I discovered op art at art school in my late teens. Her geometric patterns tricked my eyes like nothing I’d seen before in a static piece...
Read more
The new year is nearly upon us – the last mince pie has been eaten, and there’s prosecco at the ready in the fridge for New Year’s Eve. Now is the perfect time to...
Read more
Croydon is filled to the brim with creativity, more so than I ever imagined when myself and partner in crime, Julia, first began the Croydonist back in May 2016. We’ve seen pop-up theatre events,...
Read more
The clocks have changed folks. And we’re now into that autumn season. You know. One day it’s beautiful sunshine casting long shadows onto the pavements. Then the next, it’s umbrellas up to shield us...
Read more
Croydon has a rich history of musical talent, from the likes of The Damned and St Etienne to more recent names such as Stormzy and Grime duo Krept and Konan. There’s something about our...
Read more
Croydon is big on art and even bigger on street art. Rich Simmons is an artist who is at the heart of our art scene – even if you don’t know his name I...
Read more
If I say Ladybird Books to you, I imagine it will automatically conjure thoughts of childhood. (Unless you received one of the ironic adult Ladybirds Books last Christmas that is.) Hoarder that I am,...
Read more
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...
Read more
The Croydon Comedy Festival is well underway, with many a fine entertainer gracing a Croydon stage or two. One such comedic genius, and raising star is none other than Briony Redman. If it sounds...
Read more
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,...
Read more
We first saw and fell in love with Gavin Kinch’s art in the ladies loo at the Oval a couple of years ago! Since then his mesmerising futuristic scenes have gained quite the presence in...
Read more
This June sees the return of the Croydon Comedy Festival, now in its third year, and the schedule looks very exciting indeed. We’re already plotting out who to see and have found we’re completely...
Read more
We’ve been admiring the quirky collages of jaybee_art on Instagram for quite a while. Surreal to the extreme, they remind me of some of my favs from art history – from Picasso to Gris...
Read more
We are complete fans of Kate Marsden’s illustrations – we of course have her Croydon fabric wallets to hold our oyster cards, and a print of her Fairfield Halls design hangs in pride of...
Read more
Brgr&Beer celebrate two years of business on Saturday 15 April with a birthday bash at Matthews Yard. We caught up with the guys to talk about their Brgr highs and lows. Croydonist: Tell us...
Read more
The other week I met up with Croydon resident, Kake, for a cuppa at the Golden Chef café, number 18 London Road. You may wonder why I’m telling you the exact address of the...
Read more
Matt Bannister is an illustrator who loves depicting the people and places of the Cronx. Living in nearby Wallington he’s regularly in our hood, searching for his next scene. We tracked Matt down to chat...
Read more
Being Christmas week we thought it was fitting to have a chat with Lee Taylor, associate vicar of Croydon Minster (our would-be Cathedral of Croydon). We talked about everything from Christmas (obviously), to history...
Read more
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...
Read more
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...
Read more
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...
Read more
TMRW landed on our high street earlier this year, providing a spacious and flexible home for freelancers and businesses alike. Oh and there’s a great cafe which is also open to the public. We...
Read more
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...
Read more
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...
Read more
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...
Read more
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...
Read more
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...
Read more
We chatted to Jonny Rose, founder of Croydon Tech City, and more recently Croydon Vs The World, to get the lowdown on what both ventures are all about, as well as finding out a bit...
Read more
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,...
Read more
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...
Read more
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...
Read more
Croydon: I have always lived in this lovely London borough, and have spent years trying to convince anyone who’d care to listen how cool Croydon really is. We have trams, a windmill, an annual...
Read more
Croydon facelift / Croydon Chavs / Pack a stab vest / Bullet proof, you’ll wish you was / Concrete mess Best bits, well bit: Great transport links… This was the moodboard of words from the masses when I mentioned my...
Read more
