But good things can't last forever and, in May 2004, the club's owners, First Leisure, went into receivership. I had done some concert party work in the army, so when I was de-mobbed I joined a local concert party also a semi-professional dance band, which I attended when needed. Alan Simpson: I used to love going out in Croydon! Worked in Allders for a while and used to go to Pals on a Thursday after work! Great nights and always rammed! Moonshine, Blue Orchid, Joe Bananas! Sadly all gone now! Do the kids of today even have anywhere to go to actually meet friends (old and new!) and have a good time. Too much ‘socialising’ is done online now I guess! One of its most memorable features was the full length windows which ran the length of the store – a very unique feature at the time of its opening.

If you were on this bandwagon you will remember the sad day it had to close its doors for good when in 1990 it folded and the shop was shut down. The chain sadly went into administration in 2016 and the last store closed in August that year. Read More Related Articles Agatha Christie featured Croydon in her novel Death in the Clouds, which involves the mysterious death of a French moneylender, as her plane comes in to land at Croydon Airport. There's also a book by Freeman Wills Crofts called The 12.30 from Croydon, in which there's another peculiar fatality on a flight — this one setting off from Croydon Airport. Just as well they shut the place down, what with all those sky-high murders...A brand new pet shop, on the second floor was opened. It had space, light and carpet on the floor and about ten tropical fish tanks in a window bay. He told a reporter that he would always remember the day he left as "ironic", as it was the day Elvis Presley died. Australian actor Barney Worth at the Kennards Christmas Show in Wimbledon, where he was playing the part of Santa Claus in November 1941. Worth weighed 42 stone, making him one of the largest Santas in London. The store claimed he was the largest in the world! I also remember going to Croydon at Christmas to buy a turkey, all the butcheries had them hanging outside and we chose the one we wanted. Too much elf and safety now so it would only be pre-wrapped today. Take care and thank you again That's right, before Norwood Junction was Norwood Junction, it was named Jolly-sailor — after the local boozer. And the Jolly-sailor played a particularly interesting role in rail history; it was part of Croydon's atmospheric railway — a pioneering, if ultimately flawed, piece of kit that propelled trains from one pumping station to the next, via a vacuum in a pipe laid in between the rails, attached to a piston on the bottom of the train. (Jolly-sailor was home to one such pumping station). The railway was opened in 1845, but shut down by 1847 — in part due to the fact rats kept gnawing through the equipment. 3. Lots of mediocre things were invented by Croydonites

The department stores, like the one in Croydon's Whitgift Centre, were usually set across two floors and were filled with clothes, homewares, gifts and usually a cafe.Of course, how could we leave out good old Woolies? The brand was actually founded in 1909 and was a staple of all the main British high streets until it closed down in 2008. Shoppers were devastated and some gathered at their local store on the last day of trading. Be this as it may, some of the animals were not always confined to their cages. In the mid-1930s a cheetah was on display in the restaurant where it, together with no doubt some slightly nervous diners, were serenaded by Ida Santerelli and her female band. The venue opened in 1908 - just 12 years after the UK’s first ever cinema, The Regent Street Cinema in Westminster, began offering public screenings.

Spending more Friday and Saturday nights sober, instead of crouched over a bush throwing up all those shots you should never have downed, means we all tend to reminisce a bit more about the glory days of going out.

Opening in 1934, you may have once upon a time been there for dates or trips out with friends. Sadly it closed on May 13, 1999 and was reopened as residential flats. Mark Fisher: Cinderella's in Purley. I saw Queen on their Crazy Lil Thing Called Love tour. Van Damme bar in Surrey Street, Littlewoods, Grants and Allders. Great childhood memories. If you think the pneumatic railway sounds like a damp squib, wait until you hear about some of Croydon's other great inventions. Among the gizmos coined by Croydonites are: the 'baby billiard table'; the' water bike'; a basket for milk bottles that can be attached to your letterbox; and the 'man-lifting kite'. Now we can hardly imagine life without them... 4. Charlie Chaplin was once kidnapped at Croydon Airport Kinematograph Weekly, 13 October 1921. From British Newspaper Archive

A young crowd used to frequent this Purley pub and had a reputation as a spot for a cheeky lunchtime pint.Kennards was a small department store chain that was started in 1853, founded on the principle of selling reliable goods at low profit margins. Ruth Pathalias: Kennedy's! I used to go there every weekend with my dad after a visit to Surrey Street Market! They just don't do butchers like that anymore! Gill Griffin: The old Kennards with its arcade and donkey rides. Grants where I had fish and chips with my nan and aunt on Saturdays. Turtles where you could buy the most unlikely items and Allders in its heyday when it was a proper department store that sold puppets and pianos. The pool was used for international polo matches in its day but it shut in 1979 - we are sure many will wish it was still there now to enjoy on a warm day.