Hello!

I'm working on a film project for a BAFTA-winning company, which is all about making short portraits about dog owners in London.

The idea is to celebrate what their dog means to them and how these relationships can be very meaningful and important!

If you're interested in hearing more please drop me a message or comment below.

We will be moving to Croydon early next year and need to start renovations on a terraced Victorian home. Does anyone have any recommendations for remodeling companies? Or even stores that provide kitchen remodeling, floors, carpet? Has anyone used IKEA and their designers? Thanks!

I know it's been mentioned on here before but thought would be good to remind people that the URW (Westfield)consultation is open:

https://thecroydonproject.co.uk/survey/
(I believe this is the correct link, but please say if incorrect)

If you'd like to see URW create a space for community, leisure areas, recreation centre, cinema, youth club, communal spaces, arts spaces, etc. Rather than 8000 tiny new rental flats and a data centre please have your voice heard.

A scheme to improve the Fiveways road junction at Waddon was shelved over 8 years ago. It's one of the busiest intersections in the borough — also the main bottleneck for traffic to Gatwick, the Purley Way retail parks, and Croydon town centre. Back then 81% supported some scheme and for me as a cyclist, pedestrian and motorist it must merit a further look. What do you think?

Croydon council have absolutely taken the biscuit here. £800 on admin fees for this. Apparently will affect over 100,000 properties.

Surely there must be some recourse to push back on this. How can it cost them £800 per licence, for all things that were legal requirements for landlords anyway?

Not all landlords are wealthy, we don't even charge enough to cover the mortgage. And obviously we ensure the property is safe and nice for our tenants, as well as of course being in line with all regulations.

But why are Croydon charging this and no other council seems to be????

I'm hoping more people feel the same and we can do something to push back.

It has somehow been ten years since Boxpark first appeared next to East Croydon station, and they’re marking the occasion with a big free birthday event on Saturday 31 October.

During the afternoon there’ll be:

• A fancy dress competition with prizes
• Face painting, arts and crafts and a magician
• Keepy-uppy challenges and other FanPark games
• Live music covering hits from the past decade
• Resident DJs
• Plenty of food, obviously
• Free drinks! (One per person, up to 1,000, while stocks last, given out from 3pm, usual age restrictions apply).

Then at 5.30pm, they’ll be showing Tottenham v Crystal Palace live on the big screens.

The event runs from 11am until 11pm and is family-friendly during the day. It’s free, although you’ll want to register in advance.

Full details and free tickets:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/family-feastival-boxpark-croydon-10th-anniversary-tickets-2002724969295

So I’m Croydon born and bred, but I left home for Uni at 18 and didn’t ever return back (that was 2001). I still visit my mum once a year, but we don’t venture out much, and see family / friends mainly.

What’s Croydon like nowadays? I have nostalgic memories of working in The Litten Tree as a barman, going to The Ship for bevvies and then on to The Black Sheep bar for nights out. I used to go out to the Blue Orchid on a school night for cheap drinks and to dance - but my brother says none of these are about anymore.

So - what’s Croydon like for you lot in 2026? I keep seeing the Boxpark on tv when the footy is on (which makes me smile) but I’ve never been, and I’ve no idea where else you go for a decent night out.

I accidentally ran to Windsor!

Join me as I pace the Peep Show Marathon 2026, hosted by Dobby Club.

What an absolutely incredible event, full of great fancy dress, memes, and happy vibes!

I strongly recommend this, I met so many friendly people! A great marathon if this is your first one and you want to do one a little more casual, and they even give you a bonus mile!

Went and checked out a flat recently at Ten Degrees. I'm highly allergic to black mould and found mould all over the shower. So glad I went and checked it out and spared myself a lot of money and illness! I hope this helps someone else considering this flat building who might get as ill from black mould as I do.

Moved to Croydon age 21 from small Scottish village. Came for 6months stayed 32 years. In that time lived in broad green, Selhurst, east Croydon, purely oaks and cousldon. Had my kids here. Loved it here. 90s Croydon into early 2000s had something for everyone- good shops, great clubs and bars, food. I’m sad to see the town being a shadow of its former self. Heading back to that small village tomorrow- pic related- to look after elderly mammy. I will miss this place. Stay awesome Croydon.

Article in CityAM today suggests ‘Rocket Padel’ are still going ahead, due to open “Early 2027”.

That being said, there are also ‘Pure Padel’ padel courts currently being built down in Coulsdon which are due to be open by Christmas - so come down to my patch when they’re open to have a go!

I’m sure most people here know about Croydon Airport: Britain’s first proper airport, and for a while the most important one in the country.

(If you don't know about it, it's really cool - home to the first air traffic control tower, first departure board, first airport hotel. The word “mayday” was invented there from the French m’aidez, because of all the Paris flights. Churchill took flying lessons there and nearly died in a crash during take off)

The bit I didn’t know until recently is its link to the start of the Spanish Civil War.

In July 1936 Franco, then one of the most senior figures in the Spanish military, was stuck in the Canary Islands. The Spanish government had sent him there deliberately, because they knew a coup was coming and wanted him out of the way, and they were watching him.

So the military needed a way to get him back to Spain for the coup to succeed. A plane flying out from Spain would have been obvious, so they needed it to be inconspicuous.

A right wing Spanish journalist was enlisted to organise it, and he met a British journalist with links to the intelligence services at Simpson’s in the Strand. Apparently he asked for a plane with “two blondes and a trustworthy fellow”, to help it go under the radar.

They enlisted a man named Major Hugh Pollard, MI6, who was more than happy to help and brought along his own daughter and her friend to make it look like a family trip.

They flew out of Croydon on 11 July 1936, early morning, four passengers. They dropped the women in the Canaries, waited a few days, then picked up Franco on the 18th and flew him to Spanish Morocco, where he took command of the Army of Africa.

The uprising had technically kicked off the day before, so it’s not quite true that Croydon started the war, but Franco getting out of the Canaries is what turned it into what it became.

Within three years Franco would be dictator of Spain, and he'd remain so for nearly four decades.

The control tower’s still there, a heritage centre now, though only open once a month because it’s volunteer run. The old terminal Airport House next door is Grade II* listed and basically set the template for what airports look like.

As for Pollard and the pilot: both accepted medals from Franco afterwards. The pilot described the whole thing as a great adventure when he was interviewed decades later.

Wrote it up properly here if anyone wants the longer version - How Croydon started the Spanish Civil War

Hello!

My partner and I are hopefully moving to South Croydon (CR2) soon, so for the last few months I've been reading through this subreddit - and will definitely pick up Will Noble's Croydonopolis soon.

We're both excited and have lived in several parts of South London for years now, so we're aware of the reputation around Croydon such as crime etc, which, in my opinion, being completely honest, is largely just people being racist and jumping on bandwagons, as I've seen discussed in this subreddit in recent posts as well as from years ago. All of that is to say I'm very much a defender of Croydon, but find it odd that a lot of threads I read, one or two users still go out of their way to bring up these talking points e.g. refugee centres, dead high street, and the like. And don't get me wrong, I'm not defending the local council and the issues around bankruptcy.

Essentially I just wanted to make my own post and ask you all directly what your experiences are/were like in Croydon, what you like about the huge and diverse borough, to get some honest and realistic responses about what it's like living there day to day, e.g. regarding bankrupt council, delayed developments, even the most mundane stuff you can think of, I'm eager to listen!

Thanks!

From 2009 we used to go to Wing Yip every couple of weeks to buy stock from the big supermarket and occasionally to the Chinese restaurant/bakery. Those were the only three spots in the building that ever seemed to have business (in fact these could be quite packed on Sundays). But the rest of the mall was a complete ghost town. The gift shop (now up the stairs) was always empty, the Vietnamese restaurant (not sure if it’s still there) was always empty, hair salon and massage place was always empty and the rest seemed to be vacant lots. Does the entire business model hinge on the supermarket and Chinese restaurant? Pre-2009, was it the same as it is now?

Im a beginner and was looking to get into it

Thinking of getting my 18 month old toddler’s (girl) hair cut for the first time. She isn’t the best with strangers so we are expecting a lot of crying and tears. Any recommendations of places in Central/East Croydon where I can get it done?

This week our twin grandchildren in Y6 began bikeability training in West Yorkshire whereas here in Croydon it appears to be on pause with no news as to why. I have written to the Mayor Jason Perry in my role as a member of the Croydon Cycling Campaign to ask for an explanation and i am hoping to hear soon or better for the service to be resumed. Meanwhile have a look at bikeability website to see what Croydon children are currently being denied.

Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield are currently sharing their developed plans to transform the town centre, including new homes, shops, leisure and community spaces, greener public spaces and improved connections.

Use this link to take a look at the plans, and take the survey to let them know your views in advance of their next step, which will be to submit a formal outline planning application: https://thecroydonproject.co.uk/autumn-2026-consultation/

Lots of film crew on the corner of Goldfinch Road and Peacock Gardens. Houses dressed up with Xmas decorations. Anyone know what's being filmed?

Looking for a room to rent in a nice shared property, within walking distance from Croydon hospital and also west Croydon/east Croydon station.

Ideally from the 1st of November

Max 600-700pm w/ bills included.

Please let me know, thank you

I’m thinking of changing up my hairstyle but have no idea what to change it to. would like to speak to them and then give recommendations

Any recommendations as per the title?