Croydon Changing (1960s)
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- čas přidán 15. 08. 2020
- A film made by my grandfather during the 1960s, showing various places in Croydon. He filmed the driving sequences by mounting his 8mm cine camera on the dashboard of his Jaguar car - you can see the Jaguar emblem at the bottom of the screen in some of the shots. (The driving sequence starts in Radcliffe Road then turns left into Addiscombe Road.)
0:05 Addington Hills. 0:32 View from Addington Hills Viewing Platform. 0:50 Radcliffe Road. 1:09 Addiscombe Road. The white house is all that remains of the old East India Company Military Academy, and was built in 1848 for two professors of the academy. 1:22 'Watch It Come Down' - the 'RAV' phone number on the demolition sign represents the old London telephone exchange Ravensbourne, which served Bromley. 1:49 'And Go Up'. 2:10 East Croydon Station. 2:25 George Street. 2:36 Croydon College. 2:44 'Roads - Vintage Transport' - High Street. 3:40 'Roads - Bottle Neck' - Windmill Bridge. 3:56 Park Lane Underpass. 4:32 'Sky Line' - Queens Gardens. 5:00 Croydon Flyover. 5:53 'Ground Plan' - views from the top of Taberner House, which was demolished in 2015. 7:47 St. George's Walk. 8:10 Surrey Street. 8:48 'The Old Canal' - in Betts Park, Anerley (the fountains have disappeared now). 9:14 South Norwood Lake.
Aah, that was wonderful abd heartwarming! Like going home but that Croydon is lost forever. I was born and grew up in small house in West Croydon, my abiding memory is of sunshine in our garden full of flowers and veg, walking for miles as a teenager through quiet backroads to Mitcham Common and the buzz of the commercial centre of town where I worked in an office in Wellesley Road. Fantastic shops in Whitgift Centre in which spent many an hour and money! Allders - such a beautiful, smart store to be proud of, gone. Posh Grants and donkeys at Kennards. A Croydon we will never experience again, the soul has been ripped from it. I love the history of Croydon and it has broken my heart to see a) the riots, b) the Fairfield Halls' 'revamp' (at unbelievable waste of money) and the loss of The Arnhem Gallery and memorials to the battle and those brave people from Croydon, c) seeing the listed Segas offices with broken windows (b and c during my visit the week before lockdown 2020) and d) now the destruction of The Queens' Gardens - just needed a team of gardeners to renovate, not a team of bulldozers and re-design, another moneypit. That's the last straw, I will not be visiting Croydon again, run down, dirty, complete mess of unfinished developments ie Westfield, and what's with all the apartments? Who's going to want to live in what is now a ghost town? Sorry to go on ...
Wow👍🏻I love this! Born in '62 I've been living here all my life. I've seen the change first hand and it saddens me to see the state of the place in 2021. When I'm asked where do I live, I'm embarrassed to say Croydon, all due to the pointless riots in 2010. Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful view of a once lovely place to grow up in.
3:34. My dad driving the Dennis 1914 fire engine on the Commerical Vehicle London to Brighton Run, usually the first Sunday in May. This fire engine was ownered by Dennis Bros who still make fire engines today.
you know i am forever so thankful and grateful to you guys who just decided on a particular day to dig out their cinefilm camera and venture out and record a simple standard day of life simply just passing by…and these type of videos are so so wonderful all these years later. i’m incredibly a nostalgic person in so so many ways…many many years back, i cycled all the way from wallington to berrylands station which some of you may know is over near new malden. i had with me my dads old video recorder in my rucksack and i filmed all those old slam door trains that used to thunder through the station.
i was there for hours and even the drivers who had worked two waterloo to hampton court services on the bounce in their days duty would even comment at how long i had been there for when they would stop at the station on their back up working to waterloo. now it me pulling the window down and having a wee chat at clapham with a train enthusiast. awwww happy days everyone!!
I grew up in Thornton Heath from my birth in Laud Street Croydon until 1962, when we were obliged to move to New Addington due to the breakdown of my parents' marriage. My gran lived all my life until 1973 at 56 Oval Road, a stone's throw away from East Croydon station. I left England (Forest Hill actually) in 1968 for Australia at the age of 21. I can't begin to tell you how evocative all these views are...I knew George Street before the underpass, watched it being built. As for the Nestle Tower and places like Taberner House, I watched them grow from the ground like weeds. Thank you so much for uploading this time capsule.
It seems that we may be contemporaries! If you moved to New Addington in 1962 then it was before the Fieldway estate was built, just the old Boots estate and the post-war council extension. I also watched the underpass, Taberner House, St George's House and the like being built. I was able to name each different place on this film without even thinking about it.
I was born here in 1947 and this film reflects when it was a pleasant place to live, sadly now it's not the case, its good to see what it was like then has been recorded
your grandad did a great job. I still remember when Croydon looked like that
Wow lovely old video , thanks for uploading , Prof that Croydon was a beautiful town back in the day
It was an even more beautiful, and rural, place even as late as the first world war. I mean, can you imagine the headline in the Croydon Advertiser in 1908 which ran (not necessarily verbatim) "Sheep jumps through the window of Allders store". When a journey to Norbury meant going along what were little more than farm tracks from Croydon.
I was born in Addiscombe in 1953, so I witnessed the demolition & destruction of thousands of beautiful Victoria & Edwardian properties to make way for "modernisation", including the demolition on the very beautiful Davis Theatre & The Grand.
I was born in 83 lived in addiscombe 35 years near the golf range
What is Mad is, even now i recognise most of these places..even though many have changed almost beyond recognition .
Thank you for this so much of course. My now sadly late parents both came from Croydon and would have recognized the areas here very well I am sure too. They moved to near Dartford in 1965 when they were married and where I was born in 1968 and have lived ever since. However we did when I was younger go back there to see various relatives who of course lived there then. Today I have an Aunt who lives in Norbury. Like many areas/towns it alas has changed for the worse somehow, as others have put too. A shame of course too really. Well done though too anyway.
I was born in Croydon - 1965, so this film shows the Croydon of my childhood just coming together. What a fantastic movie, really great that your grandfather went to the trouble of making it. Sadly, Croydon is no longer the great place it used to be. Used to be the thriving hub of many miles around it.
It is an awful place today.
I was born in Mayday hospital 1965 and grew up in Thornton Heath. Spent my childhood years around Croydon. Moved out of the area in late 90s. Couldn't believe how much it's changed for the worse. This film has confirmed Croydon has lost its heritage and identity beyond recognition, what a shame
@@nbyer4454 I was born in St Mary's, and grew up in Frant Road. It was certainly a different world back then when it comes to Thornton Heath and Croydon. I moved away in the early 90's, but my Dad stayed on until the early 2000's. Every time I went back to visit him I noticed the area changing each time. Glad I got to experience like it used to be.
@@100SteveB My sister was born in St Mary's
@@100SteveB ha ha i was born in St Mary's as well 1968
I loved Croydon as a Kid and a teenager growing up .... but moved out in 1990 ...... now it's an absolute crap hole .... ruined by Greed and .....yeah i will leave it there
Very nice. I was born opposite South Norwood Lake in 1955. My parents lived in the same house until 2007. I could easily have been one of those lads fishing from the launching dock - although I wasn't😊. I knew every part of that lake and the fields around it. I visited a few years back and was pleased to see that while modernised, much remains the same. I also went to school in Croydon so those memories of the time are very valuable. Thank you.
My cousin still lives there in Lancaster Road.
Great film thanks. I grew up in Croydon in the 60/70s so remember all of these places (except the canal) well and this brought back great memories. I also remember well the building of the NLA Tower as was (the threepenny bit building) which it looks like was in its early phase in this film, when Addiscombe Road went straight through to 5he station, pre-roundabout. Marvellous
Do you really not remember the canal, or perhaps its just that you had no idea that it was a canal? West Croydon railway station was the junction of the Croydon canal. It had wharves into the basin which led down into what became Wandle Park (and its pond!). Tamworth Road was laid out as a raiway for shifting goods from the main dock down to the area at the junction of Church Street and the (Tamworth Road) railway (the area known today as Reeve's corner). This was the place which served as the junction for the Surrey Iron Railway from Wandsworth (1801) and the Croydon, Godstone and Merstham Iron Railway. You can see bits of these railways including the current Tramlink line off to Purley Way which started life as the Iron Railway.
If you go to Spurgeon's Bridge, the junction of Wellesley Road, St. James's Road and Whitehorse Road, you can still see and walk along part of the original tow path. The bridge was originally a canal bridge. The steam railway only occupied it after the canal declined and closed. The same is true at South Norwood, the railway bridge over Portland Road was a canal bridge, a viaduct, and the nearby pub was named the Jlly Sailor for a reason!. The very existence of South Norwood Lakes was entirely due to the canal, it was the main balancing pond for the whole length of the canal.
Amazing to see this Film and all the memories of life in Croydon.Thank you Grandad.
Born Thornton heath 53 moved to New Addington when 2 years old. Loved Croydon. The Wimpy bar, Grants, Alders, Debenhams, Diamond records West Croydon. The new whitgift centre Laskeys for hi fi. Surrey st market. Tuppence on the bus from Addington to Croydon. The ABC pictures.The Odeon,
And TOP RANK.. lovely memories
Thank you for letting us see this lovely film of days of our youth
Thak you so much for sharing this. Your Grandfather did an amazing job. I feel like I've just popped home for a while :-) Thanks to you both :-)
Thanks. I was born opposite Norwood lakes and bought back great memories.
I loved this, it brought back so many memories of my childhood.
Me too - especially Norwood Lake...
Lovely old vintage film. I recognised all the locations except the old canal. Looking at the notes I see it’s Betts Park. By funny coincidence I walked there for the very first time only yesterday. Thanks for sharing.
Fantastic film, thanks for sharing.
Croydon a vision of the future. Post Office going up. Has now just come down.
Radcliffe Road 00:50. Those were the days. I was probably there on the right.
Thank you for sharing this - I would like someone to splice the modern day view with these scenes.
I thoroughly enjoyed watching this - thank you for sharing this footage!
What a brilliant film. I wonder what happened to Sid Bishop's? My mum could remember the big houses in Wellesley Rd being pulled down.
Syd bishops still exists it would seem
May I share this with our daughter and a few ex collegues. Thanks for sharing to us, so many memories
Thanks, please feel free to share as you wish!
My grandparents lived in Lansdowne Road, before it was all pulled down. They had a huge cedar tree in the back garden. East Croydon was the nearest station.
Interestingly, so did my grandmother and her de facto partner. In both 1937 electoral rolls and the 1939 Collection they are shown as resident at 53 Lansdowne Road, which was a boarding house at the outbreak of WW II. By 1942 they had moved to 56 Oval Road, just off Cherry Orchard Road down beside the east of East Croydon station. Both eventually died there, he in 1944 aged 70, she in 1973 aged 77.
Brilliant...! The white house at 1:10 is the professor's house from the Addiscombe military academy - amazing how different that is now...
It's still there isn't it? Converted to flats now but they are still standing.
I was hoping the car would turn right - I hear there was a hotel at the top of Elgin road that is now long gone and replaced with flats! Always wondered how that would have looked.
And how many know of the military academy, or of the various roads that were named for their people, Havelock, Canning etc. It is extraordinary but the Addiscombe Military academy was important and eventually was absorbed into the successor academies at Woolwich and later Sandhurst. In the grand entry hall at Sandhurst there was a painting of the cadets from Addiscombe parading to Croydon Parish Church. I bet that few remember that the Mitcham Road barracks belonged to the people of Croydon, and that it was, for a long time, the home of the Royal Wagon Train.
Lovely piece of social history and in glorious colour. The New Town is emerging with Fairfield Halls,Nestle Tower,Flyover and Underpass all built within the decade and Croydon becomes a London Borough. Thank you
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it!
Many thanks Graham 👍🥃
The bus at 4:59 has the 'Red Rover Tickets 7/-' adverts, the bus at 5:04 has adverts for the film 'Alfred The Great' which ran at The Empire July 14-Sept 22 1969.
I've never seen video footage of old Croydon so this is interesting stuff! I wasn't born when it looked like this so I'm surprised at how a lot of the buildings still look the same. Obviously everything looks a lot cleaner and newer here but that's to be expected. It kind of seems like Croydon never really recovered after the riots.
I remember the wooden constructed railway tavern on the bridge at east Croydon Station
Brilliant thanks for shearing keep up the great work 🏆🏆
The bus at 1:59 has the Typhoo Tea advert that was running in the summer of 1966.
Thank you. Early dashcam!
the rustling sound of the film in the background makes it sound OLDER!! LOL
Brilliant thanks 🙏👍
Hi Graham, what a wonderful film, thanks so much for sharing. Seeing bought back so many memories.
Thanks Tony. I thought some people might be interested to see it!
@@grahambop Hi Graham, have shared the video on a Croydon site I belong to. It has been very well received, I have asked that people like and comment on your CZcams page. The Facebook group is Lost Croydon if you want to read the comments.
Once again thanks for posting this.
@@tonygraham5633 @grahambop I help run the above FB group. Look forward to welcoming you to the forum. Any other gems from your grandfather?
This is the only film he made showing Croydon as far as I know.
I can see my house in this film. 5.52min
A great idea by your grandad, well done to him. I was born in 64' and remember a lot of this. Sadly, it is now a horrible place to be and the so called improvements have made it far worse. The council have built far too many nasty buildings, to house the ever growing population people and demolished all of the quality landmark buildings.
Bloody shame what it’s like now 😢
When looking back to these neighbourhoods what is so sad is the level of deterioration that we have today. Once the suburbs and outer towns had houses with well tended gardens and local parks. Today the streets are strewn with debris from takeaways and look so dirty and neglected. The shop fronts are full of glaring plastic signage with nothing pleasing to add atmosphere to the high street.
Wonderful film. Pre NLA tower and Nestle building, I imagine. I attended Croydon Tech for A Levels and was a gopher at Fairfield Halls during the 3 day work week of Ted Heath and the subsequent fall of the Conservative government.
OK - at a guess 0:12 Lloyd Park 0:53 Radcliffe Road 1:12 Addiscombe Road 2:14 East Croydon Station 2:30 George Street 2:42 Croydon College ( hasn't changed!) 2:47 Random Man being Lynched on top of a car as you do, 2:58 High Street 3:37 High Street, facing Grants 4:00 The Underpass 4:30 Queens Gardens 5:04 Croydon Flyover 6:00 View from Taberner House 7:50 St Georges Walk 8:20 Surrey Street 9:00 Croydon Canal, Anerley 9:15 South Norwood Lake
thanks, good idea, I will add the places and timestamps to the description.
the nf shop was on surrey street, nationalist books i think it was called imagine that today 😂
It wasn't the Queen's Gardens then, it was in its second iteration - it was then the Town Hall Gardens. Previously it had been the Central Croydon Railway station.
Where did that big pound come from
Where people were fishing, was it On Mitcham Common? I lived in Croydon between 1979-2001
It’s South Norwood Lake.
I was born in Croydon in 1952 how it has changed for the worsed what a shame
Wow St. George’s walk
Paninos after school for tea and buttered toast 😊
Wow, wind tunnel. It was always a bit of a joke. On a windy day even up until the late sixties (so it was already a few years old) the effect of the St George's House and the narrow through passage underneath it, on a moderately windy day it was near impossible to remain upright heading towards Park Lane from St George's Walk. It was quicker travelling towards either the Katherine Street cut through or High Street, because you would be blown there!
Wear is the open field located at the start of the film ?
I think it’s probably Addington Hills (also known as Shirley Hills).
You are looking at one of the views that I never tired of looking at. It is the viewpoint on what is officially the Addington Hills but more commonly known as the Shirley Hills. It is an area of sandy heath on the rise of ground between Shirley and Addington and had been a popular spot for picknickers since the late nineteenth century.
Where did it all go wrong. ?
Mass immigration 😢
Destruction of communities for 20th century shopping precinct, parking and office blocks, in other words progress, , one theory.
I suppose you'll stick with mass immigration.
About 30 years ago just after I left.
If you have the time... As far as the town centre is concerned I believe that my studies over the past fifty years have provded me with sufficient evidence for me to be fairly sure. But it is a long and detailed story.
. . . @grahambop . . was your grandfathers name Gibson by any chance ?
No, not gibson.
@@grahambop Ok thanks , approximately just behind the Jag at 0.50 , in a house on the left , was Col and Mrs Gibson and their son Charles ,in the late '50s . . . .the Colonel had a Jag , leather upholstry etc and i was in it a couple of times . As the vid started right out side their house i wondered if it was a Gibson film . . . 😄
Image of the modern world for Croydon.... now lost to a very gubby Croydon.
I wonder if Croydon back then was a better place than it is today.
Relative. I grew up around that time in this town. 'We wuz poor, but 'appy...' is the usual cliche.
No. We weren't. We were poor and pretty miserable, We just didn't know any better.
@@PORRRIDGE_GUN fair enough, but what about in terms of how things were on the streets? Financially people were probably just as piss poor, but what about feeling safe outside, was there any sense of community?
@@finnogorman5683 I grew up in the 90s in Croydon and we had a neighbourhood watch. I knew most of my neighbours and it was ‘safe’ minus certain areas. They even used to arrange an Easter egg hunt in some local fields for kids to do during Easter. In the 00s I was trying my best not to get stabbed. Drugs, gangs and ‘happy slapping’ in the youth became normal. So economically I don’t know how much has changed. Culturally it’s changed drastically. I moved to west London and found it strange that my neighbours were saying hi and starting conversations with me. Wasn’t used to it. I found out they abolished the old neighbourhood watch and a lot of my old neighbours I knew had moved or passed away.
@@ezzekiel29 thanks for your response. It's interesting to hear
Yes it was by a long shot. I grew up in Croydon (Real Croydon) before all that negative change sadly happened
Am 28 born in 1994. And i am angered by what has become of my heritage... i never got to see the beauty of my country my nan talks of. I did have a good few years in Kingston upon thames and central london... in 2011 to 2015. But in the timeframe beyond... i have seen even the most english area's of london go downhill. We have witnessed the death of our nation in slow motion... and it's just accelarating so fast these days. God bless the english. We a dying breed in London.
I suspect that you are erroneously confusing cause and effect. It is a common enough mistake, but mistake none the less. It has nothing to do with the people living there, or their ethnicity, colour or religion, it has everything to do with public policy. The problems caused by said poorly made policies, usually driven by powerful lobbies with vested interests, is that the area declines. The apparent values of a place then fall. Those who loved the place move out, and they leave a void to be filled by those who do not have the same emotional attachment to the place.
I can tell you that Croydon has a very long and rich history - the Council of the London Borough of Croydon has never really had a great track record of planning in the centre. The grand schemes of the County Borough which harnessed the rebuiding mentality of the post-Blitz period were grandiose but quietly modernising rather than openly vulgar. Their idea was to transform the town from a traditional market town into a modern centre. Each new generation of politician and planner has felt the need to tinker. What they have never realised is that the towns that function best are those that grow organically. Those that evolve. It is to be regretted that the environment in Croydon became harsh, hard and unpleasant, but it has been drifting that way at least since the inception of the London Borough of Croydon on 1st April 1965.
The reliance upon retailing as the key economic driver has always been a mistake, Retailers rarely make anything, they merely mover capital and goods around. The previously important industries around Croydon went the way of so much of British industry - it died. No longer was the Purley Way a manufacturing powerhouse, instead it became an out of town shopping centre in direct competition with the Town Centre.
I would like to ask BBC C4 sadiq khan where were all the multi cultural peoples that built Britain they weren’t on this film an the same as many others I view I think they lie