Showing 723 results

Authority record

Phyllis Devereux

  • P039
  • Person
  • 1914

Phyllis Devereux was born on 14th March 1914 in London, the third of six children. After a period of living in Wales, she moved to Shirley in 1920.

In 1930, she started work as a draughtswoman for The Metal Propellor Company, Purley Way and later worked for the London Passenger Transport Board at Thornton Heath Pond followed by a period with Engineering, a technical journal. During the war, she worked for the Royal Dutch Shell Oil Company at Teddington followed by periods of employment with the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company and the Kuwait Oil Company. Between 1949 and her retirement in 1970, she worked at the Geological Museum, Knightsbridge. She currently lives in Caterham.

St. James' Church

  • CB171
  • Corporate body
  • 1829

The church was consecrated on 30 January 1829 as a Chapel of Ease to the parish of Croydon and became a parish on the 11 March 1853 with the right of soleminisation of marriages. Soon after opening, the church became associated with the East India Company College at Addiscombe and their services were held here; the south aisle was reserved for their use, many were buried and their were several memorials in both the interior and exterior of the church.

A declining congregation from the 1960s onwards eventually led to closure and the final service was held on 27 January 1980. The parish was dissolved and the area merged with St Michael and All Angels. Following a long period of disuse, during which time it was subject to vandalism, the building was acquired in 1985 for sheltered accommodation and, following conversion, opened for that purpose in the early 1990s. It is now known as Speakers Court and consists of 27 flats.

64th Croydon Scout Troop

  • CB169
  • Corporate body
  • 1935

The 64th Croydon Scout Troop was formed on 01 April 1935 at South Croydon Methodist Church Hall, Bartlett Street. The General Scout Master was Eric C. Cleaver of 77 St Peters Road.

15th Southern Croydon, St Peters Scouts Group

  • CB168
  • Corporate body
  • 1927

The 15th Southern Croydon, St Peters Scouts was formed in November 1927 under Scoutmaster Rev. Peter Thornton. By the time of their first concert in November 1928 the membership was over 100 Rovers (17 to 25 years), Scouts (11 to 16 years) and Cubs (7 to 11 years). The Troop met in their headquarters on Selsdon Road. Reports of their activities appear in the St Peters parish magazine.

In 1935, the Rovers leave the 15th and set up a new Troop (St Peters parish magazine, May 1935, p.7).

Croydon Foreign Language Club

  • CB167
  • Corporate body
  • 1888 - 1961

Croydon Foreign Language Club was founded in October 1920 on the initiative of John Marshall Silver (c1888-1961), a teacher. It was modelled on the Foreign Circle at Bradford, with which he was familiar.

The aim of the Club was always to provide an environment in which foreign languages could be heard and practised. (Tuition was never offered, on the grounds that this was better provided by other types of organisation.) The central activity was always a programme of lectures in foreign languages, normally engaging native speakers. There were also, at different periods, plays, excursions, and social events. The Club always took pride in the fact that (unlike other language clubs) it was not tied to a single language, but catered for several. These included French and German invariably; Italian and Spanish less regularly; and Russian sporadically from the mid-1960s onwards. It usually met in Croydon Library. The Clubs activities were suspended from 1940 to 1945 but resumed after the war. The Club was wound up in 1997.

Gilbert Scott School

  • CB059
  • Corporate body
  • 1950

Addington National (later Addington Village and then later still St Marys, Addington) School which stood at the foot of Spout Hill on the east side, was open by 1868, and may have commenced in 1844. On 30 January 1950 it was closed (and demolished) and the staff and children were transferred to the new Gilbert Scott Infant School, and to Wolsey Infant School, and the recently opened Gilbert Scott Junior School. The Headmistress of the Village School became the first Head of Gilbert Scott Infants. The Infant and Junior Schools were combined in September 2007.

There had also, between 1874 and 1908, been an Addington Hills Infant School (the building, converted to private residence, still stands just south of the Sandrock Public House). This school had only one Headmistress throughout its existence; her log books, despite (or on account of) her illiteracy, are a joy to read.

For further details of these two Addington schools see under ST MARYS ADDINGTON (CE) SCHOOL.

First Croydon Scout Group Old Boys Association

  • CB166
  • Corporate body
  • 1907

Membership of the First Croydon Old Boys Association was open to all ex- Scouts or Rovers of the First Croydon Scout Group who had served for 12 months or more.

The First Croydon Scout Group formed in 1907, making it one of the oldest groups in the Scout Movement. The inaugural meeting was held on 02 June 1908. It moved to its own premises at Beverley Hall, Grant Road, Addiscombe in 1927 and continues to serve the Addiscombe and Park Hill districts.

1st Sanderstead Scout Troop

  • CB165
  • Corporate body
  • 1938 - 1939

Although the postal address of the 1st Sanderstead Scout Troop HQ was on Sanderstead Road, the Troop actually met in a hut next to the allotments north of Sanderstead Road. The entrance to the path was next to Broomhall Road and the path ran alongside the railway. The hut was situated at the point that the path diverged. It is shown on the 1988 aerial survey but has gone by the 2001 Ordnance Survey map.

George Richardson

  • P038
  • Person
  • 1874

Contemporary directories list George Richardson, builder and undertaker, at Southbridge Place 1874-1888.

Sidney Joseph Madge

  • P002
  • Person
  • 1874 -1961

Dr Sidney Joseph Madge D.Sc.,F.S.A., a local historian and Purley resident began work on the history of the district in 1890. He was Assistant Keeper of the books at the British Museum for many years and was also a co-opted member of Coulsdon and Purley UDC Library Committee 1944 - 48. In October 1952 he was presented with an illuminated address at the meeting of Coulsdon and Purley Council on Monday, as a token of the councils thanks for the long and fine work done by him in connection with the historical records of the district which he has given to the library. Dr Madge , in return, presented the chairman, Coun. A G V Page with an early history of the Manor of Coulsdon from Cuthred to the Crusades [SJM/2, Coulsdon and Purley Advertiser 31 October 1952 p.1 col.2]

At the time of his death on 3rd February 1961 he lived at 23 Russell Hill Road, Purley. There is a short obituary to be found in the Coulsdon and Purley Council minutes for 1960 - 61 vol. XLV1 p.959 which is held in the Local Studies Library.

Croydon Community Theatre

  • CB164
  • Corporate body
  • 1932

The Croydon Repertory Theatre was a professional repertory theatre company situated at 23 Wellesley Road (just south of the junction with Poplar Walk) and was administered by Croydon Community Theatres Limited. The Managing Director throughout its life was J.Baxter Sommerville. It grew out of the Greyhound Theatre Players which performed at The Greyhound before the premises on Wellesley Road, with a capacity of 390, was obtained. The opening ceremony on September 13 1932 was performed by actor, poet and playwright John Drinkwater (1882 - 1937) who had been heavily involved in setting up Birmingham Repertory Theatre. Between 1932 and 1940 the Rep staged a different play most weeks with a period over the summer when the theatre was dark although it appears to have been regularly used by visiting companies at these times. The outbreak of WWII meant that it never reopened after the 1939/40 season and the building was subsequently badly damaged by enemy bombs while being used for furniture storage. It was described by one local historian* in 1949 as a small, convenient theatre....very popular and had a satisfactory record, producing really good plays with young players, many of whom are now famous. Among the subsequently famous actors to appear at Croydon Rep were John Le Mesurier, Denis Price, Richard Wattis, Leonard Sachs and Joan Hickson.

Home Guard

  • CB162
  • Corporate body
  • 1940

The Home Guard, also known as the citizen army developed as a response to Prime Minister Anthony Edens appeal for volunteers on 14 May 1940, to defend Britain who was on the brink of invasion. Thousands of men volunteered and it remained a voluntary organization until 1942, when service was made compulsory and was brought up to the same level as the Field Army. However it remained unpaid and equipment including weapons, uniforms, meeting places and administration had to be pulled from all resources as it received limited funding from the government.

By the end of 1942 it had over 1.8 million members and had helped develop the Womens Home Defence, which by 1943 had merged in to the Home Guard, and the Youth Forces which was seen as a pre-service body.

After the D Day landings, the Home Guard was stood down in November 1944 but was not officially disbanded until 31st December 1945.

The Croydon Area had eight Surrey Battalions of the Home Guard, serving the areas of Croydon, Norwood, Norbury, Purley, Addington and Wallington. The organization of the Z zone was the responsibility of Major Norman Gillett who spent May 1940 drawing up boundaries, organizing the volunteers, the equipment and weapons. The zones Head Quarters was first at 5 Friends Road and then moved later to 4 Fell Road.

Major Gillett saw the prime direction from which the threat of attack would come from was the rural end of Croydon so Purley, Addington and Wallington battalions were the top priority. The 61st Surrey (Norwood) Battalion was seen as one of the back areas, though was still important. It was lead by Sector Commander Lt Col F.L. Walker and was made an official unit on 21st April 1942. It was a part of the Queens Royal Regiment (West Surrey) and known within the Z zone as Z5.

When the Home Guard was stood down a parade was held on November 26 1944, and the members of the Home Guard marched past the Lord Lieutenant of Surrey and other associated guests at the Town Hall. The following week the individual battalions held their own parades to thank their family, friends and supporters.

Croydon Centre for Unemployed Men

  • CB161
  • Corporate body
  • 1932

The Croydon Occupational Centre for Unemployed Men opened in 1932 was one of the first occupational centres in the country to open, and did so temporarily in the old Whitgift Middle School building in Church Road. For a short period in 1934 the centre was housed in the British Legion Hall on the London Road, until their new premises at Robin House, 6 Morland Road were ready in December 1934. These premises had formerly been an Industrial School and Detention Home. Within the second year of operation, it was decided to omit the word Occupational from the centres title, making it the Croydon Centre for Unemployed Men.

Soon after opening, the centre was seeing almost 300 men a day. Activities within the centre developed the mens skills in carpentry, cooking, gardening, cleaning, gardening and maintenance. The centre also had a library and reading room, guest lectures, and sports and games facilities available to the men. The centre operated with the help of volunteers and helpers. It was funded mainly by annual subscriptions.

In November 1936 a Womens Section of the centre started up in the Methodist Church Hall in Parchmore Road, providing a meeting place for the wives of the unemployed men. They organized drives and fund raising for the Centre, and by the outbreak of the Second World War had moved to Robin House.

The Centre received two royal visits in June 1933, from Edward, Prince of Wales and Prince George. Edwards visit was an informal one but George included the centre in his tour of the borough, which was a part of the celebrations for the Jubilee of Croydons Incorporation. During the visit he toured the building and its facilities, and also chatted with the men at the centre. (Croydon Times 10th June 1933).

The 1943 Annual Report mentions that funds were low, and it probably closed soon afterwards. By 1955 the building was in use as a Corporation Day Nursery.

Florence Mabel Bridges

  • P036
  • Person
  • 1920

Florence Mable Bridges was the wife of Fredric Henry Bridges of 8 Sefton Road, Croydon

The Roads Act of 1920 placed the county, county boroughs and the large burgh councils as the registration and licensing authorities for both vehicles and drivers within the area. This followed on from the Motor Car Act of 1903 ,which had first created the system of registration and licensing of motor cars and motorcycles together with the annual issuing of Driving Licenses by local authorities. Croydon County Borough continued as a licensing authrity until 1965 when responsibility was passed to the newly formed Greater London Council.

Growth in vehicle ownership, the transferring of the vehicles between owners and the increase in both the number of Licenses being applied for and the ease in which disqualified drivers were making false claims to other areas, prompted the need for change. The Vehicle and Driving Licenses Act of 1969 created a new centralised record system for registration and licensing drivers and vehicles and the Driving and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) was subsequently formed.

Many local authority records of vehicle and drivers have been lost or destroyed. It is presumed that those of Croydon County Borough were destroyed following transfer to the GLC.

Lanfranc School

  • CB160
  • Corporate body
  • 1950

23 boys and two teachers (Messrs Harman and Firth) from Lanfranc Secondary Modern Boys School visited Plougasnou near Morlaix in Brittany, France during the Whitsun holiday 1950. The party stayed at the Hotel d Amerique with M. and Mme. Jegon. The school log book records that the party was away from 30 May until 09 June. It was the first time that the school had visited a foreign country and the first school trip abroad by a Croydon school since the Second World War.

One of the boys in the party was Derek Edward Croissant (05 Oct 1935 - 07 Jan 1999) who was a pupil at Lanfranc Boys School from 02 September 1947 to 19 December 1950, having formerly been a pupil at West Thornton Boys School. His address at the time was 286 Mitcham Road.

Croydon War Supplies Clearing House

  • CB158
  • Corporate body
  • 1914

The Croydon War Supplies Clearing House was formed in October 1914. Its aim was to act during the period of the war as a publicity, collecting, distributing agency, and general information bureau, in respect of all appeals for the Army and Navy, Red Cross Society, St. John Ambulance, and other duly accredited bodies, and to prevent the overlapping of gifts in kind that are being made in answer to the various appeals.

By the time it closed on 17 April 1919, it had collected and despatched 2,373 cases containing 260,170 separate items to the forces as well as 786 other cases on behalf of The Croydon Association of Voluntary Organisations. These items included tea, coffee, chocolate, tobacco and clothing.

Sir Thomas Edridge

  • P035
  • Person
  • 1818 - 1892

Sir Thomas Edridge (1814 - 1892) was a notable businessman of Croydon and was a director of the Hudson Bay Company. Edridge also performed philanthropic work within Croydon. At his own expense he built a new wing of the Croydon General Hospital and was actively involved in many institutions and legal boards. Edridge was Chairman of the County Bench, Chairman of Croydon General Hospital, Representative of the County Magistrate for the Whitgift Foundation and an official of the Croydon Board of Guardians. Edridge married Miss Martha Godbold and had four sons and two daughters. He died on 18 August 1892.

Henry Horace Pereira

  • P034
  • Person
  • 1845 - 1926

Henry Horace Pereira (1845 - 1926) was vicar and rural dean of Croydon from 1895 to 1904. On 24th of January 1904 he became the first bishop of Croydon and his consecration took place at Westminster Abbey. Before obtaining a position at Croydon, Pereira had also been a rector to Chilbolton in Hampshire and rural dean of Stockbridge. Pereira was a devoted supporter to the Church of Englands Temperance Society. His work in this society affected the public of Croydon. He resigned as Bishop on 6 May 1924. His commitment to the Temperance Society remained strong. Pereira was happily married to Adela de Courcy Stretton who was the eldest daughter of Col. and the Hon. Mrs Stretton. They had two children, the daughter Miss Violet Inez Pereira married a local vicar Rev. A. Reeve. Pereira died on the 1 January 1926 aged 80.

J A Trythall Auctioneers

  • CB157
  • Corporate body
  • 1890

Trythalls is first listed in the 1890 Croydon Directory, at 73 Selhurst Road. By 1900, they also had a property at Station Road South Norwood and by 1920, another property at Station Road, West Croydon.

As well as being an auctioneer and estate agent, J. Anthony Trythall (d.1927) served on the Croydon Board of Guardians from 1895 to 1927 and on Croydon Council from 1901 to 1927. He was made a Justice of the Peace in 1912 and an Alderman in 1917.

Ronald Murthwaite

  • P033
  • Person
  • 1944

Ronald Murthwaite was born in Wealdstone, Harrow in 1920. He married Joyce Baldock at Croydon Parish Church in December 1944 and they subsequently lived at 10 Tamworth Road, Croydon. During the 1950s he served with Croydon Division of the Civil Defence Corps.

Ronald Murthwaite died in 2004.

Manor of Croydon

  • CB156
  • Corporate body
  • 1832

The Archbishop of Canterbury was lord of the manor throughout this period. The steward of the manor is named as Christopher Hodgson from 1842 to 1855. The volume bears on the cover the name of Frederick Markby, Bailiff: inside the volume, however, the only bailiff named is James Andrews, who signs the records of court proceedings from 1832 to 1847.

Woodford School

  • CB155
  • Corporate body
  • 1867

Woodford School was a superior private day-school for girls. A few boarders were also taken. Boys were taught in the preparatory classes. The school originated in 1867, established by Miss Annie Waters, who was joined shortly afterwards by her sister, Jennie Waters. It was originally located in the family home at 9 George Street, Croydon; but in 1878 the family and school moved into a new house at 8 Dingwall Road. This was named Woodford House after the village of Woodford, Wilts, where the family originated. The school subsequently expanded into the two neighbouring houses, 7 and 9 Dingwall Road. The Misses Waters retired in 1900, and Miss AHB Walford became headmistress; she was succeeded in 1927 by Miss Mary Horsley, an old girl of the school, who had taught there since 1919. The name changed in 1916 from Woodford House School to Woodford School. The school went into decline during World War 2, and closed in 1945, after the death of Mary Horsley.

Venturas Club

  • CB154
  • Corporate body
  • 1946

The Venturas Club was a youth club started by the Thornton Heath Ratepayers and Residents Association in c.1946. It continued until c.1958. Jeanne Joy (n233e Bamford) was a member and her late husband, Monty Joy, was Secretary and later Chairman. His brother Vic was also a member in the early days. Jeanne has written a detailed history of the Club which is included in the collection (see accession file).

Tenterden Road Fire Watchers

  • CB153
  • Corporate body
  • 1940

The pressure on the Fire Brigades during the heavy bombing on the London area in the winter of 1940/1 led to the formation of Street Fire Parties.

Because at any time there might b/e too many fires for the fire services to deal with; members of the general public were therefore formed into fire fighting parties, under the control of the Fire Brigade and known at first as Supplementary Street Fire Parties. This is reflected in the date of commencement of this log book.

Later in 1941 an Order was made compelling all men between the ages of eighteen and sixty to register for Civil Defence duties, and fire watching duties, to secure that not only homes but business premises as well were guarded at all times. These were under the Warden Service.

A Street Leader was appointed and the men in the street formed rotas to watch night and day. They were trained to use stirrup pumps in quenching small fires directly they occurred and the normal incendiary bomb, and later they learned to deal with the heavy explosive incendiary. Each wore a steel helmet and brassard and, after a simple examination, was given a card indicating that he was trained.

A second Order, in 1942, brought women between the ages of twenty and forty five into the scheme as fire guards and also compelled certain men who had been exempted from fire duties at their places of employment now to undertake them and the women filled the gaps in street fire parties. By this Order owners of business premises and factories were required to produce a fire guard scheme, in conjunction with adjacent premises where that would be more effective. Altogether about fifty thousand men and women did fire duties.

Eleanor Macdonald OBE

  • P032
  • Person
  • 1910 - 2004

Although born in Essex, Eleanor Macdonald (1910 - 2004) lived in Croydon for most of her life and attended Woodford School. With her brother Ian, An accomplished fencer, she founded the Croydon School of Fencing on Wellesley Road in 1928 with her brother Ian and which took her to Paris where they worked on routines for stage and screen. The School of Fencing continued until 1939 when she volunteered for war duty. Her work in intelligence resulted in her being awarded an MBE. After the war she gained qualifications in business and rose to become the director of a number of Unilever group companies.

In 1969 she founded her own consultancy business, Women in Management, which encouraged women at all levels to learn techniques of effective management and self development. Her work earned her the OBE. Her autobiography, Nothing by Chance, was published in 1987. She lived at Mapledale Avenue and attended St Andrews parish church. Among her interests was the history of the theatre in Croydon. She never married.

Woodford School was a private day-school for girls. A few boarders were also taken. Boys were taught in the preparatory classes. The school originated in 1867, established by Miss Annie Waters, who was joined shortly afterwards by her sister, Jennie Waters. It was originally located in the family home at 9 George Street, Croydon; but in 1878 the family and school moved into a new house at 8 Dingwall Road. This was named Woodford House after the village of Woodford, Wilts, where the family originated. The school subsequently expanded into the two neighbouring houses, 7 and 9 Dingwall Road. The Misses Waters retired in 1900, and Miss AHB Walford became headmistress; she was succeeded in 1927 by Miss Mary Horsley, an old girl of the school, who had taught there since 1919. The name changed in 1916 from Woodford House School to Woodford School. The school went into decline during World War 2. The Senior School closed in 1942; and, after Mary Horsley died in 1945, the surviving Junior School also closed.

The Old Girls Association (WOGA) was established in March 1902. It went into abeyance during World War 2; and was wound up after the death of Miss Horsley, and the closure of the school, in 1945. It was revived in 1951 by Phyllis Fretwell (nee Densham) and Valerie Williams, who became joint secretaries. It established strong links with Mary Horsleys sisters, Misses Margaret and Gwendolen (Dee) Horsley: Margaret, who had been Secretary of the school, was elected President of WOGA. The Association was finally wound up in 1984.

Eleanor Macdonald founded the Croydon School of Fencing to ease her family financial situation. It was based at Wellesley House on Wellesley Road from 1928 until it was closed due to the Macdonalds war service in 1939. Eleanor and Ian Macdonald built up a national and international reputation in tournaments, exhibitions, consultants (including for motion pictures) and publications on fencing.

Results 551 to 575 of 723