It’s been through countless incarnations, but it could just be its time has come
What’s going for it? Croydon’s had more reinventions than Madonna, more facelifts than Joan Rivers, risen from the dead more times than Nosferatu. At various times, it has been market town, saffron supplier, archbishops’ retreat, industrial town, home of London’s first airport (when flying was glam), a mini-Manhattan of towers and flyovers, and a byword for suburban ennui. Now, thanks to a namecheck from homegrown Stormzy at Glastonbury, years as the birthplace of dubstep and considerable hard work from the council planning department to ameliorate its landscape, Croydon is the centre of the universe. Or nearly. The anticapitalist in me might shudder at new arrivals such as shipping-container complex Boxpark, the self-styled “iconic” Saffron Tower and (possibly) a new Westfield, but on the other hand, trams! Love a tram, me. Lovely new public spaces! Ditto. The refreshed Fairfield Halls! Good enough for Chuck Berry and Bucks Fizz. And so on. There are always pluses to the minuses, if you care to look.
The case against Continual reinvention is tiring, and not always for the better. Attracts sneers, but who cares about trolls? Purley Way – even outside rush hour.
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