CROYDONOPOLIS
A Journey to the Greatest City That Never Was
Will Noble
D. H. Lawrence and David Bowie struggled with being there. Comedians have found it a convenient trope for the philistine and banal. The ‘Croydon facelift’ has become a snobbish putdown. Riots and burning buildings in 2011 didn’t help.
And yet this town halfway between London and Brighton can claim a remarkably distinguished – and hidden – history at the centre of things.
No fewer than 11 archbishops are buried there. Continental air travel – from London’s first airport – began there. In the sixties it was a daring experiment in futuristic brutalist architecture. Its contribution to black culture began with our most notable black composer and culminated in the first black British artist to headline Glastonbury. Its Brit School produced everyone from Adele to Amy Winehouse and Raye. Still want to diss Croydon?
Croydonopolis tells the amazing story of this much-maligned town, whose only fault was to be too far ahead of the curve, and always go for broke.
Will Noble is the Editor of the popular Londonist website. This is his first book. He lives in Croydon.
‘A gutsy and charming book . . . For all its debt, deprivation and concrete, at its best Croydon was a dynamic, heroic place. We need Croydon’s brio, its spirit of futurism, more than ever’, Spectator
‘A quirky and entertaining read . . . This book ought to become a standard for progressive sixth-form history and geography departments,’ Inside Croydon
‘Extremely absorbing and well told . . . a fascinating read’, Richard Williams, The Blue Moment
‘Noble does a great job of telling the story of its rather rich history. He has a breezy style, weaving humour, history and facts in a very readable manner’, Glynn Davis, Retail Insider
‘Fantastic . . . if you only buy one book about Croydon this year . . .’ No Such Thing as a Fish
September 2024
288pp
£18.99
216 x 153 mm
Jacketed hardback
Black and white illustrations throughout
978 1 8384051 9 9
Architecture/History