06/05/2026
Happening next week! ✈️
Will Noble - Londonist editor, and author of the book Croydonopolis: A Journey to the Greatest City That Never Was - explains how, for an all-too brief moment in time, Croydon was, in many ways, the centre of the universe.
⏰ Thursday 14th May | 18:30 - 20:30
📍Museum of Croydon & Braithwaite Hall, Level 1, Croydon Clocktower, Katharine Street, CR9 1ET
🎟 Tickets are £5 including a drink. Book via Eventbrite: https://tinyurl.com/mryc7jf7
"Whatever else it has done, Croydon Airport has certainly put Croydon on the map of Europe. Many foreigners instinctively think of Croydon when they hear the word England mentioned." - The Croydon Advertiser, 1938
In the 1920s and 30s, Croydon Airport was at the heart of a halcyon age of air travel. Imperial Airways would whisk you from Croydon to almost anywhere in the Empire. Hollywood stars, royalty and politicians poured in and out. French aristocrats flew to Croydon to get their suits tailored at Grants department store. World records were set and broken here. Those not wealthy enough to fly used the airport as a holiday resort, staying at the Aerodrome Hotel and plane-spotting from the viewing platforms. Croydon was uttered in the same breath as Paris, Cape Town and Brisbane.
