Will Noble, author of Croydonopolis and editor of Londonist, discusses how Croydon's reputation as a 'concrete hell' belies a truly remarkable town. Hear the amazing story of this much-maligned town, whose only fault was to be too far ahead of the curve. The greatest city that never was.

Charles Henman, 1896

Croydon Town Hall will be opened for a limited number of guided tours, providing rare access to this unique Victorian-style, Grade II listed building. Croydon Town Hall was designed by local architect Charles Henman and opened in 1896.

Charles Henman, 1896

Visitors are invited to a descriptive tour of the Rewind: This is Croydon's Music.

Charles Henman, 1896

A storytelling adventure of Croydon's rich musical scene. This walk takes you through the heart of Central Croydon starting at The Queen’s Gardens where you will see ‘Croydon Symphony‘ the mural showcasing artists who made Croydon their home and inspiration. Then visit Fairfield Halls to The Star, now The Broad Green Tavern, where Jimi Hendrix once climbed through a back window to perform.

Charles Henman, 1896

Photographer Rachel Adams has been commissioned to create an exhibition capturing Croydon's iconic architecture & portraits of the people who look after these buildings, such as cleaners, concierge, security guards. The exhibition will be held here, at the Croydon Clocktower atrium & also at the Croydon Urban Room, located in the Whitgift Shopping Centre. For more information on visiting this exhibition at the Croydon Urban Room, head here: https://programme.openhouse.org.uk/listings/12687

Mick Timpson, 1993

A series of events celebrating Croydon's Central Library building and its unique design. Croydon's first central library was moved to the Clocktower buildings when they first opened in May 1896. It was one of the first public libraries with open access shelves and offered one of the UK's first Children’s Libraries.

Mick Timpson, 1993

Join our Young Archivists and local historian Lindsay Ould for a behind the scenes tour of Croydon Archives. Our Young Archivists will share their highlights from the collection and talk about their experiences as part of Croydon Archives' project to foreground young people's voices, reinterpret the collections and surface under-represented histories.

We propose to open the Museum of Croydon stores for an intimate guided tour of our stored collections. This activity will take approximately 1hr and can cater for a maximum of 8 people.

Charles Henman, 1896

Opening the doors of Croydon Quakers' Adult School Hall, built in an Arts & Crafts style in the 1900's as an educational community facility in the then rural borough centre. Archive materials on the history and design of the building will be present alongside a drop-in mixed media mapping and zine making workshop.

William Curtis Green, 1908

Come along on a walking tour that explores some of Central Croydon's queer history. From some lesser known aspects of Archbishop of Canterbury John Whitgift's life to Second World War Spitfire pilot Roberta Cowell and London's oldest LGBTQ+ Tennis club - we will discover the fascinating queer stories hidden in our borough.

Tudor almshouses dating from 1596 and founded by the Archbishop of Canterbury John Whitgift. Chapel and Courtyard with original 16C clock.

Unknown, 1596