5:40pm Tuesday 26th August 2008
By Kirsty Whalley
Fascinating pictures of North End in Croydon show the development of the well-to-do 1800s residential area into a thriving retail centre.
They appear in Ray Wheeler’s new book in which he hopes to promote Croydon’s great history by showcasing photographs of the borough’s past.
He said: “I wanted to give people a sense of roots and belonging. There is a sense of vitality and confidence about these photos which is missing in Croydon today. People need to regain a sense of confidence and belief in this place. I hope my book can help with this.”
In just thirty years, from 1860 to 1893, the houses on the left hand side of the road in North End had been transformed into shops with horse trams running up the road, en route from Thornton Heath.
By National Baby Week on July 4, 1917, the road had been widened and new shops had been built.
Two hundred babies and toddlers had been entertained by the Mayor the day before in a campaign which was run by the Government to educate women to be better mothers. Their slogan was “it is more dangerous to be a baby in London than a soldier in France”.
The road would also become home to the largest department store in Britain, Allders.
It was established by Joshua Allder, a linen draper and silk mercer, in 1862 and gradually expanded over the years taking over the Swan Inn in 1894 and the Scala cinema in 1952.
Joshua retired in 1902 and remained a well-respected member of the community, he was instrumental in advocating workers rights and got local stores closed for a half day on Wednesday to give workers time off.
Allders was sold in 1910, six years after his death, but retained its name.
Whitgift School was also originally located on North End, opening it’s doors in May 1871. In 1931 the school relocated to its present site in Haling Park with the Middle School taking over the North End building.
This was then replaced by the Whitgift Shopping centre which was officially opened in 1970. By 1990s it was beginning to look dated and so underwent a complete makeover to its new atrium design. The popular Roman-themed pub, The Forum, which was located in the centre, was demolished.
In the late 1980s, North End was pedestrians and became recognisable as the road we know today.
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