34 things you’ll only understand if you’re from Croydon

Croydon is quite a unique place in London, with its roster of famous faces that have grown up on its streets to its tram network, which is not a common sight in other parts of the capital.

Wherever you are, there are always lots of little things unique to your hometown that everyone there will have noticed. Most visitors will be ignored by them. But we discovered things that will only make sense to Croydon locals.

So, let’s cut to the chase – here are 35 things you’ll only understand if you’re from Croydon.

READ MORE: The London Underground station is not where its name suggests

1: Everyone under 30 knows someone who knows someone who knows Stormzy

2: Watching the World Cup matches at Boxpark was better than being at the games themselves

3: You’ve always wondered where North Norwood and East Norwood are

4: Late night trains returning from London not intended to stop at Selhurst always stop at Selhurst

5: A new skyscraper is always being built

6: We have the best street art in the world

7: Looks like our Westfield will never be built

8: Ikea chimneys are strangely beautiful

9: You miss Beano’s, Tiger Tiger and Black Sheep Bar

10: Meridian High will always be Addington High

11: And Quest Academy will always be Selsdon High

12: We have a lot of Harris academies

13: The view of London from Crystal Palace is simply magical

14: Driving to Brixton, Dulwich or Catford can take hours, even though they’re supposedly only a few miles away

15: You have no idea what’s going on at the Webb Estate, but you wish you had a house there

16: An older member of your family once met Ronnie Corbett

17: We always seem to have someone on The X Factor. What happened to Ben Haenow?

18: We can’t agree if there is a Croydon accent

19: And we really can’t agree whether Croydon is in London or Surrey

20: CR7 means Thornton Heath, not Cristiano Ronaldo

21: There is no pond at Thornton Heath Pond

22: And New Addington doesn’t seem particularly new

23: While Old Coulsdon doesn’t look so old

24: We all went on a school trip to either Chislehurst Caves or the Natural History Museum

25: McDermott’s makes the best fish and chips you’ll ever eat

26: Summer evenings in the Dog and Bull Garden or the Oval Tavern are pure bliss

27: Most of the southern part of the neighborhood is golf courses

28: You’ve heard Greg Rusedski, Michael Buble and Status Quo’s Francis Rossi here, but you’ve never seen them

29: You secretly dislike Sutton a little just because it’s not Croydon

30: Miss Surrey County Cricket Matches Played at Whitgift School

31: You’ve had so many nights that started at the Skylark that you never made it downtown

32: You know Broad Green exists, but you’re not sure where it begins and ends

33: I should explain that Selhurst Park in Crystal Palace is neither in Crystal Palace nor in Selhurst

34: Thornton Heath can be called simply The Heath and New Addington just Addo

Get the biggest Croydon news, breaking updates and features straight to your inbox. Subscribe to our Croydon Central newsletter here.