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Croydonopolis: A Journey to the Greatest City That Never Was
D. H. Lawrence and David Bowie struggled with being there. Comedians from Kenneth Williams to Harry Hill have found it a convenient trope for philistinism and the banal. The ‘Croydon facelift’ has become a snobbish putdown. Riots and burning buildings in 2011 didn’t help. And yet this town halfway between London and Brighton can claim a remarkably distinguished – and hidden – history at the centre of things. No fewer than 6 archbishops are buried there. Continental air travel – from London’s first airport – began there. In the sixties it was a daring experiment in futuristic brutalist architecture. Its contribution to black culture began with our most notable black composer and culminated in the first black British artist to headline Glastonbury. Its Brit School produced everyone from Adele to Amy Winehouse and Raye. Still want to diss Croydon? Croydonopolis tells the amazing story of this much-maligned town, whose only fault was to be too far ahead of the curve, and always go for broke.
- GenresHistory
288 pages, Hardcover
Published September 5, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
December 30, 2024
Wow, what a great read!
Having lived in Croydon since 1985, I am well aware of the many less-than-charitable comments made about the place. Visiting the town centre can be depressing, with its numerous concrete office blocks and many closed-down town centre stores. In addition, the local council has been financially bankrupt!
But Will Noble provides us with a fascinating history of the town, which was not only a place of innovation, culture, manufacturing, and business but also had so many notable people from around the world pass through it at one time or another.
Recommended reading for anyone who lives in or has visited the town.
Having lived in Croydon since 1985, I am well aware of the many less-than-charitable comments made about the place. Visiting the town centre can be depressing, with its numerous concrete office blocks and many closed-down town centre stores. In addition, the local council has been financially bankrupt!
But Will Noble provides us with a fascinating history of the town, which was not only a place of innovation, culture, manufacturing, and business but also had so many notable people from around the world pass through it at one time or another.
Recommended reading for anyone who lives in or has visited the town.
January 16, 2025
A great, accessible history of Croydon. Anyone who wants a brief rundown of the history and highlights must read this book.
Written in a light-tone, with plenty of fun facts along the way, this is a love letter to Croydon from someone who's lived in and loved the borough.
The book runs from the early days of Croydon, Elizabeth I's initial affair with the town, the history of Whitgift himself, the canal, tram line v1, rail network, the department stores, the airfield, the bombing, the theatre and classical scene, the cinema and punk music scene, and up to the slump of the last decade.
From the first self-serve Sainsbury's to the invention of the "Mayday" call the history of Croydon is filled with firsts and interesting links.
Written in a light-tone, with plenty of fun facts along the way, this is a love letter to Croydon from someone who's lived in and loved the borough.
The book runs from the early days of Croydon, Elizabeth I's initial affair with the town, the history of Whitgift himself, the canal, tram line v1, rail network, the department stores, the airfield, the bombing, the theatre and classical scene, the cinema and punk music scene, and up to the slump of the last decade.
From the first self-serve Sainsbury's to the invention of the "Mayday" call the history of Croydon is filled with firsts and interesting links.
July 20, 2025
It's a short, snappy, pop-history of Croydon, one of London's most prominent and derided suburbs, long the butt of jokes in Britain about its ugliness and purposeless. Noble's book is an attempt to push back against this reputation. He creates a picture of Croydon as a place of great historic importance: it was the stopover for many monarchs, its local Archbishop John Whitgift (and founder of my high school) was one of Elizabeth I's favoured cronies. It was at the forefront of Victorian technological advances, and was home to Britain's first major airport. Great actors and composers lived here, famous artists played in its concert halls. It's much derided postwar redevelopment momentarily made it one of the country's largest commercial hubs and its once-derided BRIT School has created and continues to create some of Britain's greatest musical talents. Croydon and Croydonians, Noble argues, have much to be proud of.
The chapter about the rise and fall of Croydon Airport is the most thrilling, with its tales of invention and adventure, and is in many ways a microcosm of Croydon's history. It was a pioneer that brought some of world's important people to the area, and was to an extent a destination of its own, but it was for the most part a place people passed through on their way to somewhere else, like John Whitgift's mansion or the many great artists who at one point or another called Croydon home. It was inevitably going to be killed by are advanced and more convenient options. That is what has happened to Croydon in recent times, hollowed out by austerity, neglect and wider economic trends that have blighted many such towns and suburbs across Britain and many other countries. But what Noble argues fairly convincingly is that being a place people stop on the way to somewhere else is still valuable and worth celebrating.
In this light Croydonopolis becomes a story about something much bigger than Croydon. It's an anthem and ode to a once universal but now fast-fading sense of civic pride, The idea every place is important, that local history matters, that only way to make places worth living in is to believe in them. Though somewhat gimmicky the breadth and depth of Noble's research is apparent, as is his love of his hometown. It's a kind of pride and sincerity I think we need much more of.
Growing up I spent a lot of time in Croydon - I went to high school there - and this book made me do something I wasn't expecting. It made me miss it.
The chapter about the rise and fall of Croydon Airport is the most thrilling, with its tales of invention and adventure, and is in many ways a microcosm of Croydon's history. It was a pioneer that brought some of world's important people to the area, and was to an extent a destination of its own, but it was for the most part a place people passed through on their way to somewhere else, like John Whitgift's mansion or the many great artists who at one point or another called Croydon home. It was inevitably going to be killed by are advanced and more convenient options. That is what has happened to Croydon in recent times, hollowed out by austerity, neglect and wider economic trends that have blighted many such towns and suburbs across Britain and many other countries. But what Noble argues fairly convincingly is that being a place people stop on the way to somewhere else is still valuable and worth celebrating.
In this light Croydonopolis becomes a story about something much bigger than Croydon. It's an anthem and ode to a once universal but now fast-fading sense of civic pride, The idea every place is important, that local history matters, that only way to make places worth living in is to believe in them. Though somewhat gimmicky the breadth and depth of Noble's research is apparent, as is his love of his hometown. It's a kind of pride and sincerity I think we need much more of.
Growing up I spent a lot of time in Croydon - I went to high school there - and this book made me do something I wasn't expecting. It made me miss it.
January 13, 2025
This is a brilliant book especially for anyone who knows Croydon. Written by a journalist, it has a racy pace and is definitely not the drier sort of history book. I’ve lived in Croydon all my life and taken considerable interest in local history and local affairs, but learnt and was reminded of so many things. It is a treasure trove.
My 25 year old son also loved it. I would strongly recommend it!
My 25 year old son also loved it. I would strongly recommend it!
January 22, 2025
This was a very enjoyable local history of Croydon. 'Local history; would usually signal something really boring to all but the most nerdy - but fortunately this book is anything but. Will Noble situates Croydon as a microcosm of Britain from its abbey, to its first airfield to the risk of punk, rock and brutalist architecture and capitalism and it works.
September 27, 2025
Liked how the author linked people and happenings across Croydon’s history together to form an interesting timeline but wish there was more focus on why Croydon is how it is today
November 26, 2025
A very enjoyable, entertaining and independent read. Well recommended.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews