Complicated recovery: three carriages derailed near Lewes in Sussex on Thursday, Aug 13. Access to the site is almost impossible by road, according to Network Rail
It will be at least another 10 days before the rail line between Haywards Heath and Lewes is open for services again, following last week’s derailment in Sussex.
Passengers heading for the south coast “are advised to check before they travel and, where possible, use alternative train services via Brighton”, according to a joint statement from Network Rail and Southern.
The closure is while the derailed train is recovered and repairs to the railway are carried out. Continue reading
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Did Mayor Perry’s appointments committee bother to conduct a full background check into the employment record of the man they have just handed the council’s top job and £1,500 per day pay?
A big Croydon welcome to £1,500 per day interim chief executive Mike Jackson, who starts work at the cash-strapped council today.
Interim’s interim: Mike Jackson starts at Croydon Council today
Jackson is Croydon’s third CEO in the space of 10 months, and might yet give way early next year to a fourth CEO, as his new employers are advertising for someone to take over in a permanent capacity, offering £275,000 per year – making it one of the best-paid roles in local authorities in England.
Croydon Council is £1.7bn in debt and has been in special measures since 2020, with government-appointed Commissioners effectively in control since July 2025.
Now while Mike Jackson is very likely to have been fully aware of the straitened circumstances of the authority when he applied for the Croydon interim role, there are growing doubts over whether the cross-party appointments committee, chaired by serial incompetent Mayor Jason Perry, ever bothered to make the most basic of background checks.
Jackson’s last job was as CEO of Richmond and Wandsworth boroughs, where under an innovative dual authority arrangement, he was among the country’s highest-paid civic servants on £281,443 base salary. Continue reading
CROYDON CHRONICLES: A talented musician established a business that over the course of 60 years taught and encouraged at least 30,000 youngsters to sing, play an instrument or perform on stage. DAVID MORGAN looks at the life and career of Gilbert Matthers
Croydon has a long and distinguished tradition in classical music. Mendelssohn came and played the organ at the Parish Church in June 1832. Samuel Coleridge-Taylor and William Hurlstone were noted Croydon-based composers of the late 19th and early 20th Centuries.
During the 1960s and 70s the London Philharmonic Orchestra played regularly at the Fairfield Halls, a venue with a superb acoustic.
The Croydon Philharmonic Choir under the baton of Alan Kirby was considered to be the very best at interpreting the music of Edward Elgar in the 1930s. They also sang at two Prom concerts at the Royal Albert Hall.
More recently, the Trinity School Boys’ Choir has gained international renown, while the Croydon Minster choir have performed on both television and radio.
One name that deserves to be recalled alongside all those is Gilbert Matthers. Continue reading
Quite the view: and when you reach the summit of Croham Hurst, there are benches from where you can take it all in
THAT’S WHAT FRIENDS ARE FOR: This week, seeking pudding-like rock, a Bronze Age barrow and one of the highest viewpoints in Croydon without taking a lift in a tower block, KEN TOWL has been to Croham Hurst, where he may have found a new hobby
Hurst: in English
(hɜːst)
noun archaic
1, a wood
2, a sandbank
Word origin Old English hyrst; related to Old High German hurstCollins English Dictionary
If Inside Croydon went in for clickbait titles, this would be headlined something like “You won’t believe that there is a hill in the middle of Croydon made of pudding!”
Or “I found the Bronze Age barrow on top of Croydon’s best viewing point.”
But we don’t stoop so low.
Here’s the thing. Croham Hurst stands to the south of central Croydon. It forms a high ridge, steep on the western side, resistant to erosion (because of the “pudding”, but more of that later…) and is aloof from its suburban surroundings.
It is dramatic. It is interesting. Objectively so: it has been designated an SSSI, a site of special scientific interest. It is beautiful, a haven of woodland and birdsong and, at the top it boasts a stunning panoramic view to the west and north. Continue reading
Club night: DJs and MCs are performing on the roof of a Croydon town centre multi-storey car park, with an 8pm curfew
Westfield has once again turned the top floor of a multi-storey car park next to a shopping centre into a… beach. NADIA AZIZUDDIN went along to try out the new, adults-only Thursday club night
For those who are missing the beach, Centrale has brought the beach to Croydon.
In what genuinely feels like a different world as you approach the rooftop parking, Costa del Croydon’s Beach Club is an exciting and energetic way to spend the last few Thursday evenings of the summer. Continue reading
HOOK’S SHOT: This week marks the 50th anniversary of one of the greatest sporting performances in history, and one which marked out the 1976 fifth Test match between England and the West Indies at The Oval as one of the great Tests in history.
MARCUS HOOK talks to Michael Holding and Mike Selvey about a game which will stand long in cricket fans’ memories
It is the figures from the game which make it stand out. The West Indies winning The Oval Test by 231 runs, despite virtually forfeiting their second innings. Double centurions on both sides. And one fast bowler, one very fast bowler, taking 14 wickets in the match.
Unstoppable: Michael Holding was one of the fastest, and most accurate, pace bowlers cricket has ever seen
The fifth Test match of 1976 was played out 50 years ago this week at the Kennington Oval. It was one of the most significant contests in Test match history – with Michael Holding’s 8-59 and 6-57 marking him out as one of the great fast bowlers.
Viv Richards set the tone with 291 as the visitors racked up 687-8 declared in their first innings. Yet by the close of the third day, the Saturday, England were still in the match, at 305-5 with opener Dennis Amiss on 176 not out on his way to a double century of his own.
Yet it was Holding’s Herculean display which shattered the England batsmen’s stumps and, in some cases, their hearts, too.
As now, August 1976 saw the country in the grip of a heatwave – to the extent that the government appointed a Minister for Drought, Denis Howell, who urged us all to take baths together to save water. Standpipes and hosepipe bans defined the summer, and by the time the five-match Test series culminated at The Oval, the outfield was snay brown-coloured, instead of its usual lush green. Continue reading
Sun seekers: thousands gathered at Kenley airfield for the Croydon Astornomical Society’s viewing of the solar eclipse, one of three venues where special equipment was being used for the rare occasion
Spotted: eclipse pic taken by Rakesh Jaitly from their home near the Shirley Hills
The Croydon Astronomical Society estimates that close to 10,000 people turned out on Wednesday evening across three special gatherings that they organised to view – safely – the solar eclipse.
This week’s phenomenon is reckoned to be a once-in-a-lifetime event, with the next total eclipse not due for another 64 years – on September 23, 2090.
The Croydon Astronomical Society’s volunteers, with their telescopes and cameras, set up at three locations around Croydon: near the RAF Memorrial at Kenley, close to their Observatory and HQ; at the School Common, Warlingham; and at Bingham Recreation ground in Addiscombe. Continue reading
Petrol is sitting at around 160p a litre right now, and if you’re driving in and out of Croydon every day, that adds up fast. A return trip to Victoria is roughly 20 miles. A run down to Gatwick is about the same. Do that five days a week and you’re burning through fuel before you’ve even thought about insurance, road tax or servicing.
So what would the numbers actually look like if you swapped your petrol car for an electric one?
Let’s get into it and find out. Continue reading
We need to break out of our cycle of doom, despair and decline to become a confident, outward-looking country again, says ANDREW FISHER
Our planet is more connected than ever.
We switch on the television and see events from all over the world. Atrocities are livestreamed through apps on our phones, with first-hand accounts bringing home to us the realities of war, natural disasters and extreme poverty.
Yet we’re also becoming more insular as a country. Ten years ago, we voted to leave the European Union, narrowly. Despite war, famine and extreme inequality, we have cut back massively on the amount of international aid we give – from 0.7% of our gross national income to just 0.3%. Successive governments have also reduced spending on diplomacy and the “soft power” of the BBC World Service.
Events continue to show how interconnected our world is – from the impact on Britain of wars in Ukraine and Iran, to climate change and the covid pandemic. No matter how hard we try, we cannot close the borders and pretend the rest of the world does not exist.
Yet there have been more positive visions for the world and our responsibilities within it.
In 1977, Robert McNamara, the president of the World Bank, suggested something called The Independent Commission on International Development Issues. The commission was chaired by Willy Brandt, the former Chancellor of West Germany, so that when its report was published in 1980, it was known as The Brandt Report.
The report’s subtitle was “A programme for survival”.
At a time when global politics was defined by the Cold War, and East v West, The Brandt Report looked forward, towards the end of the century, and the potential for global economic conflict between the North and the South. It was a seminal work, perhaps one of the most important since the Second World War.
Brandt’s report recognised the interconnectedness of the world, as well as its divides. Continue reading
Croydon’s schools, state and private sector, were each claiming “best ever” outcomes on A Level results day.
In the frame: Whitgift was celebrating some outstanding A Level and Bacc results today
At Whitgift School, the £30,000 per year independent in South Croydon, 1-in-4 of their results were at the highest, A* grade, while close to 60% of all grades were A/A* double the national averaage.
Nearly 40% of Whitgift pupils achieved at least one A* grade and 22% got at least two A* grades.
Earlier in the year, Whitgift’s International Baccalaureate pupils also celebrated exceptional success, achieving an average of 40.4 points, compared with a global average of around 30. At Whitgift, 12% of their Bacc boys attained the maximum score of 45 points.
“These achievements reflect the hard work, determination and talent of a cohort of young men who have embraced not only academic study but every aspect of Whitgift life,” the school’s headmaster, Toby Seth, said. Continue reading
There are almost 30 venues in Croydon next month, many offering tours of normally off-limit buildings, as part of the annual London Open House Festival. And it is all free!
Roman remains: the tour of Leadenhall Market delves into its foundations
It is one of the better years for getting a sneak view behind the scenes of some of Croydon’s oldest, most famous or eccentric buildings, as part of the biggest architectural celebration of its kind in the world.
Elsewhere in London, a select view will get a guided tour of No10 Downing Street, and there’s rare opportunities to see inside the Old Admiralty Building, the Royal Naval College at Westminster, the Roman remains beneath Leadenhall Market or a Hobbit-like underground house by Putney Heath.
Across the city, last year’s London Open House saw 375,000 visitors to 830 open days and events across all 32 London boroughs and the City of London.
This year’s event runs from September 12 to 20, with booking opening next week for the higher-demand venues. Continue reading
A wildlife charity is offering a £2,000 reward after the “hearbreaking” and “disturbing” discovery of a fox who had been shot with “multiple pellets” from an air rifle, leaving her paralysed in fear and agony.
Sad ending: wildlife workers named the stricken fox Ripley. She was found in distress with multiple pellet wounds
The vixen was found suffering in a garden in New Addington. Because of the extent of her injuries, vets working for the charity, The Fox Project, were left with no alternative but to euthanise the otherwise healthy animal.
Wildlife rescuers from The Fox Project said the animal was reported as being in distress.
X-ray examination confirmed at least four pellet wounds:, with one pellet close to her stomach, a second pellet in her leg, a third pellet had narrowly missing her lung, while a fourth pellet was lodged in her spine, causing irreparable paralysis. Continue reading
INSIDE CROYDON INVESTIGATES: Nigel Farage is fighting a by-election in Clacton tomorrow because he wanted to avoid parliamentary scrutiny over his political donations. Here, we take a detailed look at the declarations being made by one of Croydon’s MPs
Shadow home secretary, shadowy finances: Chris Philp has been an MP since 2015
There is a parliamentary by-election in Clacton tomorrow that was brought about by an MP – Nigel Farage – who wanted to avoid a Commons investigation into his failure to declare millions of pounds in political donations. At Inside Croydon, we thought it was long overdue that we had a delve to check our MPs’ declarations.
To start, we looked at Croydon South’s Conservative MP, the shadow home secretary, Chris Philp.
Even before he was first elected 11 years ago, Philp has always been very secretive about his financial affairs. Unlike some other senior Conservative MPs of the past decade, Chris Philp has never published his tax returns, nor come clean about his income.
We are left with the details he does publish on Parliament’s register of members’ interests. As Clacton demonstrates, we can’t always rely on MPs to provide all the details required.
What Philp has provided leaves more questions than answers. Continue reading
Croydon Harrier Romell Glave is the European 100 metres champion – and the second sprinter from the club to win that title in 12 years.
Leading the way: Romell Glave dominated the European 100m final last night
Just before 10pm last night, in a tense Alexander Stadium in Birmingham, Glave burst from his starting blocks to seize the initiative and power down the straight, leaving some of his biggest rivals trailing.
His finger pointing up to the night sky as he crossed the finish line, Glave was a clear winner, clocking 10.09sec into a slight headwind.
With team mate Jeremiah Azu taking silver behind him in 10.16, Glave was able to declare “complete domination” of the event.
Germany’s Owen Ansah won the bronze medal in 10.19, as hobbling home behind the medallists a beaten man was Italy’s former Olympic champion Lamont Jacobs. The winner in Rome two years ago, when Glave won a bronze medal, Jacobs was never in the reckoning this time. Continue reading
Organisation with a school on Cherry Orchard Road has raised more than £130m in two years for international aid, slammed by US authorities as a ‘sham’
Under arrest: Mohammad Yousef Hasna faces possible extradition to the United States
A charity based in Croydon has had its finances placed under strict controls after the arrest of one of its directors who is alleged to have diverted more than £550,000 to the proscribed terrorist organisation Hamas.
Mohammad Yousef Hasna, 45, a Turkish national, was arrested on July 31 following an indictment by the US Department of Justice.
Prosecutors in America allege that Hasna used his senior role at the Croydon-based Al-Khair Foundation and conspired to provide material support to Hamas. Continue reading
Lake Addiscombe: every home on Teevan Road had a new water feature yesterday
After the Teevan Road burst main, when residents in Addiscombe went to fill the kettle or take a shower yesterday, this is the sort of response that they got from a privatised utility company that pays £1m ‘golden hellos’ to its bosses
Yesterday’s burst water main on Teevan Road in Addiscombe was caused by Thames Water.
Hundreds of households had no water supply for most of the rest of the day. As Croydon swelters in the hottest summer on record.
And yet when Thames Water customers went to their suppliers for information about the position, this was typical of the money-saving, AI-generated, couln’t-give-a-flying-fuck response they received… Continue reading
When in a hole…:Thames Water had excavated in Teevan Road, before the main burst yesterday, causing the flood. Pic: Thomas Aelbrecht
PHOTOSTORY: pictures by iC reader THOMAS AELBRECHT. Words by our failing utilities correspondent, JR HARTLEY
In too deep: the sign is not meant to be ironic
The road had already been dug up. August, after all, is when so many roads get dug up. It’s supposed to help reduce disruption.
But that wasn’t the case on Teevan Road in Addiscombe yesterday, as thousands of gallons of water gushed out of a hole being dug by Thames Water. In a drought. With a hosepipe ban.
The water rushed down the residential street, which runs between Blackhorse Lane and Lower Addiscombe Road. The water was brown and muddy.
There’s been no rain in these parts for two months. But this was no help. Continue reading
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