31 things you’ll only remember if you grew up and lived in Croydon in the 2010s

If you’ve never had to ask a Croydon bus driver to let you on the bus after forgetting your oyster card, consider yourself one of the lucky ones. For those of us who grew up in Croydon in the 2010s, you’ll no doubt remember the days when all we cared about was deciding which McDonald’s to go to after school, experimenting with new hairstyles and hoping someone had 50p extra. to buy a KA drink.

Gone are the days of spotting our teachers at Central Debenhams or hearing the constant calls of bargain hunters shouting at you as you walked down Surrey Street Market. Let’s go back in time and take a nostalgic trip through some of the unique experiences shared by those who grew up in Croydon in the 2010s.

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1. Grants Vue Cinema was the ideal place to catch a movie with friends at the weekend before it turned into some sort of eerie ghost town.

2. Going to the Central Library to “study” when in reality it was a meeting place for neighborhood schools.

3. Being bombarded by St Andrew’s students, John Fisher and Archbishop Tenison in the city center at 3.45pm each day.

4. They gather at McDonald’s on Church Street or inside the Whitgift Center immediately after school.

5. Also the disturbing time when the Church Street McDonald’s installed metal detectors to find knives.

6. Jump on the tram to go with friends to Wandle Park or Lloyd Park on a sunny summer’s day.

7. Speaking of Wandle Park, go here on a geography trip with teachers to measure and investigate the Wandle River.

8. Kidspace at The Colonnades on Purley Way was THE iconic birthday party location.

9. Everyone had a Blackberry phone with a rubber penguin case.

10. The local corner shops that only allow two schoolboys at a time and threaten to report any bad behavior to the Headmistress or Head of Year.

11. When they announced Westfield was coming to Croydon (sadly we’re still waiting).

12. When four chicken wings and chips at Flame & Fried cost £1.99 – now they cost more than £3.50.

13. The endless queues when Primark first opened in Croydon town centre.

14. Drivers on buses 468 and 250 pass you despite running and signaling for the bus.

15. Everyone called Building No.1 (or NLA) “The 50p Building”.

16. When Allders, the once bustling store, closed down and became a deserted space selling only old wigs, perfume and makeup.

17. The Croydon Riots.

18. The aftermath of the Croydon riots, which included the destruction of shops in South Croydon and the burning of Reeves Corner.

19. The glass lift in Centrale which looked down on the shopping center floor and Debenhams.

20. Pick up an Argos catalog in December to tick off all the Christmas presents you’d like your parents to buy.

21. Random but interesting museum located on the top floor of the Central Library.

22. When Lidl first opened, it became the go-to place to buy baked goods before school started.

23. Cosmos Buffet (now JRC) is coming to Purley Way, bringing us a fusion and all-you-can-eat buffet of pan-Asian cuisine.

24. You didn’t believe the rumors that Whitgift School had peacocks roaming the school grounds.

25. When the tram inspectors were eagerly waiting at East Croydon, Reeves Corner and Ampere Way to give you a fine for forgetting your oysters.

26. The day Boxpark came to Croydon and you felt like a celebrity as you walked down the black and white stairs for the first time.

27. Taking the shortcut behind TK Maxx to get into Central before it closes.

28. The colorful West Croydon block that came out of nowhere.

29. Going to Sabrina’s hair salon to buy lip gloss, gold hoops, and ecostyler gel.

30. The embarrassing times when your parents made you go shopping with them after school and you saw all your friends while walking up Crown Hill.

31. The enigma that was Croydon Airport.

*What happy memories did we miss from the list? Let us know by emailing [email protected]

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