Croydon, 1963: the reconstruction in action!
Terrific footage of postwar Croydon being built, from the BFI's archive. This 1963 amateur footage is full of gems, including the rise of the Nestle tower and the sinking of the underpass. There are strange voids and demolition sites as the Victorian grandeur makes way for the clean lines of the modernist world. A proper geeky treat.
Remarkable film. Thanks for posting. Most interesting part for me was the glimpse of a half demolished Katharine Street with what looks like a stone colonnade oposite the Town Hall and War Memorial. Under the Mid-Croydon Masterplan we are supposed to be getting a "Town Square" there but in the developer's planning application it is referred to as a "Civic Space", rather a diminuative term. Development in Croydon is driven by private developers now and the Council planners spend most of their time playing catch up. They are probably under resourced following all the financial cuts. Also we have had a spell of less controlled development following central governments PDR permitted Development Rights scheme, now withdrawn, whose aim was to allow the conversion of offices, a large proportion of which in Croydon had fallen empty, into residential flats. (Historic Croydon Group on Facebook)
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