SUNDAY SUPPLEMENT: For his first column of the year, DAVID MORGAN has delved into the Minster archive to look at newspaper reports of what was happening in Croydon 100 years ago
It is almost as if nothing has really changed. Taking a copy of the Croydon Times, dated Saturday January 5, 1925, it is quick to see that readers back then found plenty of articles about pantomimes and the Crystal Palace Circus, there was FA Cup football, together with predictions for the New Year.
A century of change: Croydon High Street in the 1920s, with the Almshouses and, of course, a tram
The major Christmas attraction at the Croydon Grand Theatre (on the High Street, just to the south of where the Flyover is today; the grand Victorian building was demolished around 1959) was Jack the Giantkiller which was pulling in the crowds. The newspaper’s theatre critic deemed it to be a great success and urged its readers to go along and see the show.
“Not only is the plot well maintained, but the speciality acts, interposed, add much to the enjoyment of the evening,” they wrote.
What is striking about the panto review was the large number of different acts performing in the pantomime.
100 years on: New Year sales were a feature in the 1920s
The Brooklyn Comedy Four were praised not only for their comic routines but also for their close harmony singing. Their singing of Il Trovatore, performed in Louis XIV court costumes, was “an item of exceptional brilliance.”
As might have been expected, there was plenty of dancing. Ivina and Babs contributed a fine Russian Dance, the Six Electric Sparks got several encores for their routines and there was some clever dancing by little Juliette Jose and four children.
There was an audience sing-a-long number, Rather, performed by Leonard Morris in the part of Simple Simon. Miss Connie Crighton went down a ball as Dame Trot and there was a magic mirror routine which would have “graced any pantomime.”
The costumes got a special mention, too. “The dresses of the players were beautiful, those in the farmyard scene being most attractive, as were those in the finale.”
The Grand Theatre was up against stiff competition though. The Crystal Palace Circus was also doing brisk business. They were giving away 5,000 tickets to children under 12 if they entered a colouring competition.
The most popular act at the circus was the Austin Brothers. Their clowning “proved that clowns are born and not made”. Lots of interest was generated by a new act where people from the audience were brought into the ring to ride one of the horses. An apparatus called “The Mechanic” was attached to the riders so that they couldn’t fall and hurt themselves. There was never a scarcity of volunteers.
Vast arena: by the 1920s, the once grand Crystal Palace was staging a two-show daily circus
Another story in the paper from 100 years ago was a celebration of a Croydon resident who was the recipient of a New Year’s Honour. In this case, it was the Chief Officer of Croydon Fire Brigade, JW Dane. He was awarded the King’s Police Medal.
Dane was a well-known figure in Croydon. He had been appointed as the Chief Fire Officer in December 1904, and led a very efficient and professional force. Dane came to prominence during World War I, gaining great kudos for the way he led his men in the aftermath of the Zeppelin raid in October 1915, their dealing with the munitions fire in 1916 and their professionalism through the strenuous days of fires and raids in 1917.
Dane was already an OBE, which was awarded for his services in connection with the air raids and he also held the Professional Fire Brigades Association Medal with Bar for 25 years’ service.
The newspaper finished the article on Dane by saying that Croydon possessed one of the best-known fire fighters in Europe, as he was an honorary member of the Belgium, French and Italian Fire Brigades (Dane was to retire in 1933).
One hundred years ago, many churches celebrated the New Year by holding Watchnight Services, beginning at 11pm and timed to finish just after midnight. Twelve brief reports on each of the services were printed in the paper. There was a large congregation at the Parish Church, there were over 200 people at the Wesleyan Church in London Road, Rev Gilbert Lawes led a service at West Croydon Baptist Church and 150 people met at the Clifton Mission Hall in Thornton Heath to sing hymns and then listen to Mr Price’s address, “The parting of the ways.”
Those churches with bellringers had their teams in place to ring in the new year.
New Year Honours: the head of Croydon’s fire brigade was lauded for his service
The newspaper contained other stories about personal and family tragedies.
One man who died in Mayday Hospital on Christmas Eve was the victim of lockjaw – what we today would know as a tetanus infection.
At his inquest his wife told the coroner that her husband had taken a penknife to cut a corn from his big toe. He later told his wife that he thought he had cut too deep.
After a few days, the victim felt unwell and struggled to eat because he couldn’t use his jaw to chew properly. Despite hospital treatment, the man could not be saved
In another tragic story a 47-year-old woman, living on Waddon Marsh Lane, collapsed on Christmas Eve. Her husband said she was in the kitchen preparing the fowls for Christmas dinner when she had to sit down, saying that “she felt queer”.
Her condition grew worse and she became unconscious, dying the next morning. Death was from a cerebral haemorrhage, which was what her father had died from according to the husband’s evidence at the inquest.
Crystal Palace Football Club might not have been playing top-flight football 100 years ago but there were still articles written that they weren’t playing particularly well.
Safe hands: Palace keeper Jack Alderson, caricatured by Football Special in the 1920s
Back then Palace were in Division Two, along with the likes of Stoke, Derby County, Fulham and Nelson (a Lancashire club who lost their Football League status in 1931).
The newspaper was concerned for the upcoming FA Cup home tie against Spurs.
In their last game, Palace had played Coventry in a league match with supporters fuming that a “reserve team half-back line” had been sent out and that they would be overrun. Of course, the reserves stepped up to the plate, the team played well and came away with a point in a goalless draw.
Jack Alderson, the goalkeeper, came in for some special praise in that game, especially after some wayward performances where he would come out of his goal to challenge for the ball and then find himself stranded. By 2005, and a poll of fans, Alderson would be rated the club’s third-best keeper of all-time.
The Glaziers’ supporters (even the club nicknames were different back then) needn’t have worried about the cup match, either, which was played on January 12. Crystal Palace beat Spurs 2-0 in front of a crowd of 17,000.
Mayor’s message: ‘brave words’
At a time of the year when it is easy to have a drink or two too many, there was a good news story from 1924. Alderman Lillico, who was presiding at the Croydon Borough Police Court, wanted to congratulate the court in the fact that there were no New Year’s Eve “drunks”. He pointed to the fact that the Croydon public had behaved exceedingly well on the whole.
The magistrate’s clerk, Mr Eldridge, said he would like to publicly state that the whole of Christmas week had been practically free of cases of drunkenness.
Just as today, politicians were quick to offer their best wishes for the new year. The MP for Croydon North, Lieutenant Colonel GK Mason, hoped that there would be real peace between the nations of Europe and that there would be a consequent improvement in trade which would benefit everyone.
He also wrote that “Be prepared” would be a useful watchword for the coming year in politics.
The Mayor of Croydon, Alderman Southwell, was exhorting the people of Croydon to a life of activity coupled with optimism. He wanted everyone to strive to give value to what they were doing, both “master and servant”. In his message there was even a comment about cheap foreign labour undercutting wages.
Which, of course, would never happen today…
- David Morgan is a former Croydon headteacher, now the volunteer education officer at Croydon Minster, who offers tours or illustrated talks on the history around the Minster for local community groups
If you would like a group tour of Croydon Minster or want to book a school visit, then ring the Minster Office on 020 688 8104 or go to the website on www.croydonminster.org and use the contact page
Other recent articles by David Morgan:
- Croydon lad who did a Runner for the Blind Beak of Bow Street
- The Cause of Many Troubles: Handel Lucas’s lifelong struggles
- The church fire that consumed a thousand years of history
- If you have a news story about life in or around Croydon, or want to publicise your residents’ association or business, or if you have a local event to promote, please email us with full details at inside.croydon@btinternet.com
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