The Unexpected Beauty of Croydon

Croydon town centre may not meet everyone's beauty standards, but it's certainly not boring.  Today I've been reading the book Croydon from Above: 1870 to 1999 , published by Croydon Natural History and Scientific Society just before the turn of the millennium. Most of the photos in the book were taken from planes but some were taken from tall buildings, notably the Town Hall clocktower, Croydon Minster tower and Park Hill water tower. It's fascinating seeing how much of Croydon town centre as we know it came together in just a few years in the 1960s. The photos of the Flyover being constructed were particularly striking to me. New Steel Construction has an article with a photo of the construction from 1967. The book reminded me of my own attempts to photograph Croydon town centre from above. It's no secret to those who know me personally that I am scared of heights. My fear is worst when on man-made structures, like high bridges and tall office and apartment block...

There's no denying that Croydon is extremely well connected, with trams, National Rail, Overground and numerous buses serving the borough. However, if you'd travelled the current Overground route to West Croydon in the early 19th century, you'd have needed a boat, as it was the Croydon Canal. If you'd visited Croydon between the two World Wars, you'd have found the UK's first (and only) international airport. I'm no local history expert and I have limited resources to draw on, so I'm going to focus on the present day sites where it's possible to see bits of the past transport infrastructure. Betts Park, Anerley, May 2020 There are few signs of the Croydon Canal remaining, as it was short-lived, being replaced by a railway line from West Croydon to London Bridge in 1836. The website London's Lost Rivers has more information. A short section of the canal still exists in Betts Park, which is just over the border with Bromley in Anerley. South Norwo...

We are very much in the bleak midwinter at the moment. It's near impossible to make plans for the future. But what a lot of people around the world noticed during the first lockdown is that nature didn't stop. All the other species continued life as normal - some even took advantage of the reduced human activity. Spring - or baby animal season - is my favourite time of year.  I know we're not there yet, but here's some things to look out for around Croydon as spring arrives: Blossom and spring flowers Some trees actually produce blossom in the winter. There's a winter flowering cherry tree on Barclay Road outside Croydon Crown Courts which was flowering in December 2019 and January 2020. 2nd January 2020, Croydon Crown Court Snowdrops tend to start flowering during winter, but they're a sign that spring is on its way. Coombe Wood, February 2020 Crocuses are another early spring flower which are abundant in Croydon parks, gardens and other green spaces. In 2020, ...

2020 has been a very difficult year, but I don't think discussing how horrible it's been is going to make any of us feel better. Instead, I'm going to recap my favourite Croydon wildlife sightings of the year. These aren't all rare species, but they're sightings that were special to me for reasons I'll explain. Roe deer Back in January I saw some roe deer at Bramley Bank nature reserve and recently I've seen some around Selsdon Wood too. However, over the summer we had a special visitor staying on the edge of the railway cutting next to Park Hill, a short distance from East Croydon station. I dubbed him Rowan, as he seems to be a male roe deer. He was a little shy but curious about me watching him through the fence. I hope he found his way back along the railway line to a more suitable territory eventually. Roe deer, Park Hill, July 2020 Butterflies and dragonflies During the first lockdown, I visited Hutchinson's Bank, on the edge of Croydon. This peace...