Merry Christmas & Happy New Year from CroydonConfidential!

Photos are of St Peter's church South Croydon and a Snowman who wishes to remain anonymous.

Mika Big Girls video shot in Croydon!

You might not know this but.......local popster Mika chose Surrey Street in Croydon as the location for his video to the song Big Girl (You are Beautiful).

The video starts with Mika having a haircut in Tony's barbershop (next to Beano's) and there's a great dance scene with a lot of very big girls in the middle of Surrey Street market.

You can see the video on You Tube here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdbBSnRxOmE

I've had my hair cut in Tony's many times, and if you go you'll see a signed Mika photo on the wall. Go and get a haircut and see for yourself!

More Mika here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mika_(singer) and herehttp://www.myspace.com/mikamyspace

Tony the barbers as it looks today,

London to Brighton Veteran Car Rally

Sunday 1st November and the annual London to Brighton Veteran Car rally passed through Croydon town center on a very wet and windy morning.

The cars set off from Hyde Park at dawn and the first cars are passing through Croydon about an hour after they set off, the last ones coming through by mid morning (so you need to be up early on a Sunday to catch them).

Only cars made before 1st January 1905 are eligible to enter the rally! It's amazing to think that these ancient cars, some worth hundreds of thousands of pounds, are being driven in such bad conditions and alongside all the usual traffic, but it's great to see.

The rally commemorates the passing of the law in 1896 which raised the speed limit for motor vehicles from 4 to 14mph and no longer required that a man with a red flag walk in front of your horseless carriage as a warning to pedestrians! The first run was held that year as celebration then the idea was picked up again in 1927 and with a few exceptions it's been run every year since.

If you're into motorsport, forget Forumla 1 and come and watch this next year. Far more fun, much more risk and it's free!

Here are a few photos of the cars this year. For the black and white images I used a period camera, a 1902 Kodak Box Brownie.

Read more about the rally here http://www.lbvcr.com/

Note - all photography copyright James Earley.

2 Rifles parade through Croydon

Just back from Afghanistan, Croydon invited the homecoming troops of 2 Rifles to parade through the town and have a reception with the Mayor. It was an opportunity for the public to show their support for the men, who suffered 13 fatalities, one of them a local lad Daniel Simpson, whose family also attended.

It was a sobering experience to see the injured men who were able to join the parade, but they were clearly all enjoying their day in the town.

After a parade at the Old Town Hall the men carried on to the Fairfield Halls where they were able to spend some time relaxing with with family and friends.

More here http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/DefenceNews/HistoryAndHonour/2RiflesDedicateCroydonMarchToFallenSoldier.htm

and here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxDwej6MaDw

All photography on this site by James Earley (copyright J Earley).

Terry & June

Another claim to fame for Croydon!

Our younger readers won't have a clue about this, so for their benefit, Terry & June was a popular BBC sitcom in the 70's/80's about a 'typical middle aged middle class couple' and all the hilarious shenanigans they got up to!

You can just imagine the ideas the writers could harvest from such a rich crop of comedic produce, but yes, some lines were genuinely funny and much of that has to be down to the actors involved, both were in the Carry On films and you will remember June from the Ab Fab series as the dotty Granny.

Terry & June lived in the Purley area, although the house they filmed form was actually in Wallington - I wonder who lives there now, that could be an idea for a follow up.....

In the opening titles to the original series you can see Terry frantically searching for his wife June all over central Croydon including the original East Croydon station, the NLA tower or thrupenny bit building as it was called, the Whitgift Centre before it was covered over and the Town Hall gardens.

Step back in time by clicking here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUGV8Bcs1SE

More Terry & June links;

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_and_June

http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/terryandjune/

Peep Show

If you don't know what Peep Show is, it's a cult comedy series on Channel 4 about two flatmates played by Robert Webb (Jez) and David Mitchell (Mark).

Did you know the flat that Jez & Mark share is in Croydon?

Yes, down the London Road in Broad Green, Zodiac House was the bizarre choice for their home. Why is it called Zodiac House? Becuase it has large plaques of the signs of the zodiac around the building.

I met David Mitchell on a tube station platform one evening. He was reading a book. I'd been to the pub for a friends birthday. I asked him if the flat they 'lived' in was Zodiac House and told him I lived in Croydon. He looked a little bemused, or scared, I'm not sure which.

What is Croydon Confidential?

Welcome to my new blog.

What is it? Miscellaneous ramblings on the town I call home.

Poor old Croydon, once the model Victorian town and more recently famous for being a 60's concrete jungle or worse, Britains foremost Chav town!! Argh!!

Hopefully this blog will help show the nicer side Croydon, it's there if you look for it. From parks and spaces, the best bars and restaurants, the quirky and the historic.

Park Hill Water Tower

Did you know the famous Croydon water tower has its very own twitter page?

Check it out http://twitter.com/croy_watertower

And find out more here http://bwtas.blogspot.com/2008/07/croydon-water-tower-blog.html

Love your water tower! x