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David Bowie and Henry VIII hated it. For comedians it’s become a punchline; for nearly everyone else a convenient trope for the philistine, ugly and banal. Riots, tram tragedies and an unhealthy obsession with multi-storey car parks haven't helped.

Croydon. And yet . . .

Throughout history this town halfway between London and Gatwick Airport has proved itself one of a kind. A palatial stomping ground for archbishops of Canterbury. An Eden-esque spa designed by the architect of Kew Gardens and London Zoo. A swanky shopping destination rivalling Oxford Street. A hub of continental air travel and magnet for Hollywood royalty. A daring experiment in futuristic 1960s Brutalist architecture.

Croydon has also pioneered new forms of railways, invented the predecessor to Lego, given us one of the funniest sitcoms ever, and produced the Damned, Stormzy and RAYE.  

Still want to diss Croydon?

This is the remarkable story of a much-maligned town that has always been at the centre of things, whose only fault was always to be too far ahead of the curve, and whose fluctuating fate has lessons for us all. The greatest city that never was.

‘A gutsy and charming book’, Spectator

CROYDONOPOLIS

A Journey to the Greatest City That Never Was

Will Noble

288pp
216 x 153 mm
Jacketed hardback
978 1 8384051 9 9
History/Architecture

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‘A charming book. Heartbreakingly poignant’ Ysenda Maxtone-Graham, Spectator

The Nature of Cricket

‘A wonderfully illustrated, jovially written and insightful piece of work’, Country Life
’Excellent’, Simon Burnton, Guardian

Seats of London

‘Wittily written.’ 20th Century Society magazine
’A delightful book’, Subterranea

Hillwalking London

‘A good read for both the novice and more experienced hillwalker, Londoner or not’, London Society’

London’s Street Trees

‘A brilliant book’, British Wildlife

London Tree Walks

‘Takes you on a series of wonderful adventures through the capital’, Isabel Hardman, Spectator