The full story of the south London town that became a byword for everything ugly and banal, but throughout history has always been ahead of the game, from continental air travel through Brutalist architecture to cutting-edge music.
Though everyone from D. H. Lawrence and DavidBowie struggled with being there, and comedians have made it a byword for theugly and banal, this town halfway between London and Brighton has a remarkablehistory at the centre of things.
Eleven archbishops are buried there. London'sfirst airport was there. In the sixties it was a daring experiment infuturistic brutalist architecture. Its contribution to black culture began with our most notable black composer andculminated in the first black British artist to headline Glastonbury. Its BritSchool produced everyone from Adele to Amy Winehouse and Raye. Still want todiss Croydon?
Croydonopolistells the amazing story of this much-maligned town, whose only fault was to betoo far ahead of the curve, and always go for broke.
'A gutsy and charming book . . . For all its debt, deprivation and concrete, at its best Croydon was a dynamic, heroic place. We need Croydon's brio, its spirit of futurism, more than ever', Spectator
'A quirky and entertaining read . . . This book ought to become a standard for progressive sixth-form history and geography departments,' Inside Croydon
'Extremely absorbing and well told . . . a fascinating read', Richard Williams, The Blue Moment
'Noble does a great job of telling the story of its rather rich history. He has a breezy style, weaving humour, history and facts in a very readable manner', Glynn Davis, Retail Insider
'Fantastic . . . if you only buy one book about Croydon this year . . .' No Such Thing as a Fish
'"Croydon?" sneered Kenneth Williams, "sounds more like an illness." Many might agree with this opinion, but maybe you'll downgrade it to a mild sniffle after reading this amusing history of the city that never was . . . The writing style will amuse anyone who reads it and they might look at Croydon, if not more fondly, but will certainly a lot more informed about it,' IanVisits
'Having read Will Noble's book, I'm much better disposed towards Croydon. I might even get off the train there one day, but I doubt it will give me as much pleasure as Noble's witty and very readable prose. A plaque bearing his name should appear on one of those blustery street corners,' Andrew Martin, Reading on Trains
Will Noble is the Editor of the popular Londonist website. He lives in Croydon.
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