*Updated in February 2020. Thanks to some great Instagrammers for the photos.
It’s now been over a year and a half since we moved to Croydon. It’s safe to say that as we get closer to the 2 year landmark, I’ve fallen a little bit in love with Croydon.
As my knowledge of the local area has grown, my list has five new additions as to why I love Croydon and why it’s an amazing place to live.
1. Surrey Street Market
The Surrey Street market has been in Croydon for about 800 years. It predominantly sells fresh fruit and vegetables every day except Sundays. I’ve always loved the idea of buying my fruit and veg locally and now I can. It reduces plastic and helps local businesses. The other major perk is that it’s cheap, 9 bananas for £1? Deal. I will continue to rant about how much I love the market forever and always. Pub recommendation if you’re in Surrey Street: The Dog and Bull.
2. Proximity to London
I now have a job in London London. I commute to Old Street every day and it takes approximately an hour. It could be a shorter commute if I took the tube but I avoid it because I hate it at rush hour. But, from East Croydon station you can get to both London Bridge and Victoria in just 15 minutes. It’s 9 miles away. As much as I love Bristol, you try to get 9 miles on public transport and it will take 2 hours.
3. Parks
We live by some really lovely green areas. It’s nice to be able to get into London in 15 minutes but also walk 15 minutes away from our flat and be in a huge park. During the summer, Lloyd Park was a great place to chill out under a tree and relax. Park Hill Park also hosted an outdoor cinema in the summer. A blissful way to spend a summer evening.
4. Great Array of Pubs
During the World Cup, Mitch and I took a while to find the perfect pub to watch the games. We avoided Boxpark because, well, did you see the coverage of Boxpark in Croydon during the World Cup? Not my idea of fun. After some pub research, we found one a little away from town with a TV outside. Good atmosphere and good cider. Croydon has some cracking pubs at decent prices. Highlights are The Crown and Pepper and the Dog and Bull. Let’s also not forget the amazing Sunday roast and jazz at The Oval. Also need to give a shout out to the Cronx, serving locally brewed beer. And, they have decent wine at a decent price. What more could you want?
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5. Ludoquist
That’s not a typo. The Ludoquist is Croydon’s board game cafe. With over 1,000 board games on offer, you can pay £4 and basically stay as long as you want playing board games. With hot drinks, cold drinks and alcohol on offer, it’s easy to stay for a while. Oh, plus pizza. Which is always a winner in my book. Ideal for a rainy Sunday afternoon.
6. Boxpark
I both love and hate Boxpark. A sign of growing gentrification in Croydon? Of course. Overpriced food in some outlets? Of course. Beer in plastic cups? Unfortunately, yes. However, there is a great array of food and some places do have good deals. Top tip: Grab food at Boxpark and go and eat it in the Cronx pub. They will happily let you bring in Boxpark food (because it’s technically in BP), and grab a drink served in a glass and cosy atmosphere. Boxpark also has a host of different TV/film screenings and events throughout the year. And, most recently, Stormzy did a pop-up gig there for free. Yes, I went. It was amazing.
7. Wandle Trail
Wandle what? Crossing four boroughs, you can walk from Croydon to the Thames river. I mean, of course you can, but the Wandle trail does what it says on the tin…it’s a trail. You walk a very scenic route from East Croydon station (the least scenic) and end up at the Thames.
We had a very badly printed out map and it turns out that some parts of the route are much better signposted than others. We didn’t quite make it before nightfall (it was winter) but with less faffing and better signage we could have done. It’s a fantastic trail though if you want to spend a day in nature.
8. Street Art
Coming from Bristol, I’ve always admired street art. Bristol is full of it, and is the birthplace of Banksy. As such, it was very refreshing moving to Croydon and finding some incredible street art here as well. And, you may have heard that in 2019 Banksy did an art installation in Croydon. It was fantastic. Although it was only around for two weeks, the rest of Croydon’s great street art remains.
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9. Fairfield Halls
Fairfield Halls is a recently refurbished arts centre/theatre. I never knew what it was like before. However, the refurbishment looks amazing. And, even better, it’s getting some great shows and performers. A much-needed large arts venue in the area.
10. Clock Tower
The clock tower is a notable highlight of Croydon’s skyline next to the ever-increasing tall buildings. The building includes a museum, library, cafe, and my favourite, the David Lean Cinema. An independent cinema where the tickets are £7 and there is a bar. A wonderful offering to the community.
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