Saturday 17 June will see the launch of Croydon’s Music Heritage Trail, as part of This is Croydon, our year as the London Borough of Culture. The trail will be an exploration of the past and present musical culture of Croydon supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund.
The breakthrough genres of punk, dubstep, grime and drill, run through Croydon’s DNA, spanning the eras, from classical music composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor to grime artist Stormzy, from punk singer Captain Sensible of The Damned, to dub music producer Mad Professor and from singer Kirsty MacColl to rapper Nadia Rose.
Croydon’s music scene crosses many genres with jazz and soul in the 1960s, punk and indie rock in the 1970s, electronic club scene in the 1990s and grime and drill in the 2000s and 2010s. The trail celebrates five music genres and the venues:
- Bass – including reggae, grime, dubstep and dancehall – The Brit School
and Big Apple Records - Rock – including punk and indie – Saint Etienne at RMS Studios, Kirsty
MacColl and Bonaparte Record Store - Blues and jazz – Ruskin House
- Indian – including classical and Bollywood – Lloyd Park
- Classical – Samuel Taylor Coleridge and Fairfield Halls
Unfortunately, like many London boroughs, many of Croydon’s music venues that supported the production of music through the decades have closed, been redeveloped or knocked down and a lot of the music heritage has been lost. This includes the Davis Theatre where Bill Hailey, Buddy Holly and Etta James performed and The Underground where The Stranglers, The Fall and Sputnik played.
These venues may be lost but the memories of music lovers from that time are still here – the Croydon Music Heritage Trail plays an important role in continuing the legacy of the borough’s musical history.
Supported thanks to money raised by National Lottery players, a new, free to use app will serve as the trail guide, highlighting the top 25 artists and venues around the borough, voted for by 11,000 people from the local community. Each of these venues will be celebrated with a permanent plaque commemorating the artist, location or organisation.
The trail app will be a guide through the streets of Croydon to the commemorative plaques and will also include photos, videos, audio clips, and a selection of oral histories from people including Saint Etienne’s Bob Stanley, Mad Professor, and more.
To bring the trail to life this summer as part of the This is Croydon programme, the app will be launched alongside a celebration on Saturday 17 June in Queen’s Gardens to unveil Croydon Symphony, a new mural designed by ATMA Art showcasing the great faces who have sustained and carried on Croydon’s legacy as a music hub.
This will be followed by a silent disco, open to the public with separate performances by 2022 MOBO award winning artist, Still Shadey.
Finally, there will be a live music event hosted at The Oval Tavern on the evening of Saturday 17 June. This launch will mark the opening of the trail and will also include guided tours in
July and August building up to the Croydon Music Heritage Trail Exhibition which will open at the Museum of Croydon in November 2023.
Nadia Rose, British rapper, said: “I’m an incredibly proud Croydoner and a foodie so I decided to have plaque located in front of a hometown favourite, Tasty Jerk, just down the street from Crystal Palace Football Club where my dad took me to watch my first match.”
Jason Perry, Executive Mayor of Croydon said: “Croydon has been home to a rich tapestry of musical talent, from Samuel Coleridge-Taylor through to Kirsty MacColl, Nadia Rose and Stormzy – our borough is a place where new genres come to life in our venues and in our communities. As this year’s London Borough of Culture, I am pleased that we are launching the Croydon Music Heritage Trail. This is a chance for us all to learn and celebrate Croydon’s contribution to UK and
International music creativity.”
Jason Perry, Executive Mayor of Croydon
Deputy Mayor for Culture and the Creative Industries, Justine Simons, OBE said: “Croydon has such a rich history of musical talent and has developed so many influential artists over the years – from dubstep and grime to classical and jazz. Now, for the first time, Londoners and visitors will be able to explore the people and places that tell this story through this brilliant trail. Music has the power to inspire, educate and unite and as the Mayor’s London Borough of Culture, Croydon is bringing communities together to celebrate its creative heritage, as we build a better London for everyone.”
Stuart McLeod, Director of England – London and South at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “This is a fantastic celebration of the Borough’s musical heritage, something that has helped to shape Croydon into the place it is today. Thanks to National Lottery players, we supported this project as part of Croydon’s Borough of Culture year. Through projects like these, we hope to enable people to discover the fascinating heritage on their doorsteps as it’s a great way of bringing people together and creating a sense of pride of place.”
Find out more about the trail on the This is Croydon website.
