Croydon residents past and present are being asked to record their memories of Croydon’s skyline between the 1950s and 1970s as part of a project to capture stories and the history of the borough.
Croydon’s archive, museum and libraries services will support Digital Drama in delivering Little Manhattan, a National Lottery Heritage Funded (NLHF) project.
The project is named after the nickname given to Croydon after the post-war building boom transformed the Croydon skyline to rivalling that of major cities.
Starting in April, Digital Drama will run a year-long series of community activities and events to record and preserve local stories of the town’s distinctive high-rises. These will be brought together to create a free audio walking trail and short film using little-seen archive footage of the area.
An artistic representation of Croydon’s skyline will be created by families and young people during a series of community craft sessions during the summer holidays, and digital skills workshops will train local young people in interviewing, audio recording and editing for digital content creation.
The project will culminate in a Museum of Croydon exhibition in January 2024.
“Croydon is known for its high-rise buildings with No.1 Croydon, also known as the Threepenny Bit building, being one of the most famous. This is a great opportunity for residents past and present to get involved and share their stories and memories of our skyline. These audio trails, short film and exhibition will present the history of Croydon’s architecture, capturing memories and creating an important legacy piece for generations to come.”
Jason Perry, Executive Mayor of Croydon
Kate Valentine of Digital Drama added: “We are thrilled to have received this support thanks to National Lottery players and are confident the project will bring together people across the borough to celebrate the rich diversity of Croydon’s architectural heritage.”
If you have a memory or story to share about the rebuilding of Croydon, please contact Digital Drama via email info@digitaldrama.org.
For more information visit: www.digitaldrama.org/project/little-manhattan/
