Open House Festival

Neighbourhoods

Back to neighbourhoods

Croydon Town Centre

The bustling Croydon town centre is lined with buildings old and new. Right at its heart is the delightful 16th Century Grade I listed Whitgift Almshouses founded by Archbishop John Whitgift in 1596 and once described by the late HRH Queen Elizabeth II as ‘an oasis of peace and tranquility’. Not far away is the Victorian-style, Grade II listed Croydon Town Hall designed by local architect Charles Henman and opened in 1896. Also opening its doors is 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. There are also a host of talks and walking tours. Will Noble’s Croydonopolis and John Grindrod’s Polaroids of Croydon talks change perceptions of Croydon, whilst the East Croydon History Walk Tour ends at the iconic One Croydon, the "Thru'penny Bit" office block designed by Seifert in the 1960s. There is also an opportunity to explore the future of the town centre through the Wiggle Winderland workshop at the Urban Room in the Whitgift Centre. Many more fascinating buildings and events are open to the public.

This tour will look into the diverse buildings,their stories, styles and their effects on the Croydon Old Town/Central Croydon. From Medieval churches to Brutalism, 1960s urban planning and the modern day High St., this tour will span the history of Croydon and discuss what it might look like in the future.

Anthony Minoprio, 1968

Drop in / Walking tour

Croydon Central Library

civic

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

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

Drop in

Croydon Town Hall

civic

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

Drop in

Croydon Urban Room

community/cultural

The Croydon Urban Room is a space to talk about the past, present and future of the Croydon town centre. Through conversa­tions, stories, exhibitions and events, the Urban Room brings together the views of those who live, work and visit the area to create a shared vision of the future and test new uses live in action.

Croydon Placemaking Team, 2024

Drop in

East Croydon History Walk

walk/tour

Historic walking tour of East Croydon led by a native. Those who come along are welcome to contribute their memories. Marvel at one of the oldest electricity sub-stations in Croydon. Tour ends at the iconic One Croydon, the "Thru'penny Bit" office block designed by Seifert in the 1960s. Join us for a drink afterwards in a Victorian hostelry.

Architect unknown

Walking tour

John Grindrod: Polaroids of Croydon

walk/tour

Join John Grindrod, author of 'Iconicon' and 'Concretopia', on a walk around the endless rebuilding of Croydon town centre.

Guided tour

Museum of Croydon Behind the Scenes Tour

community/cultural

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

Drop in

Saturday School: Quakers' Hall

community/cultural

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

Drop in

Turf Projects (Whitgift Centre)

art studio

Founded in 2013 by Croydon locals, Turf Projects is Croydon’s homegrown artist space and the first entirely artist-run contemporary art space in the borough.

Anthony Minoprio, 1968

Guided tour

Whitgift Almshouses

historical house, housing

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

Unknown, 1596

Drop in

Wiggle Wonderland

art in the public realm

Wiggle Wonderland is a touring pavilion activated by artists and communities. Created by architectural designer Beau McCarthy and artist Lucy Grainge, the pavilion is a timber-framed, open-air gallery. From hosting live performances to workshops, each install of the pavilion evolves and is shaped by people and place, and collaboration and co-creation are core to the project.

Anthony Minoprio, 1970