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Category Archives: Ken Towl
Tasty way to enjoy a cool temper on Purley’s Old Lodge Lane
Roving reporter KEN TOWL visited Croydon’s own chocolatiers and got a flavour of the hand-made chocolate business “Your next assignment,” said the Editor, “is to visit Cocoa Jones in Purley and make a bar of chocolate. That’s what they do … Continue reading
Posted in Business, Ken Towl, Purley
Tagged Chocolate, Cocoa Jones, Ken Towl, Old Lodge Lane, Purley
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Woodland wonderland that’s hidden behind Selsdon’s suburbia
THAT’S WHAT FRIENDS ARE FOR: For his latest visit to a group of hard-working conservationists and volunteers, KEN TOWL retraces his steps from one of his LOOP walks to discover ‘Selsdon’s secret wood’ You know that look you get when … Continue reading
Posted in Activities, Community associations, Croydon parks, Environment, Friends of Littleheath Woods, History, Ken Towl, Selsdon and Addington Village, Selsdon Vale and Forestdale, South Croydon, Walks
Tagged Friends of Littleheath Woods, Ken Towl, Littleheath Woods, London Outer Orbital Path, LOOP, Monks Hill, Selsdon, Vanguard Way, Walks
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Thanks to the magic of Merlin there’s more to see in the woods
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 … Continue reading
Comedy Fyles are worth seeing when they get to Edinburgh
FRINGE REVIEW: As the Croydonites festival enters its final two days, KEN TOWL (Croydon’s answer to Tynan), pictured right, conducts a compare and contrast of two of the shows this week, and marks your card for tonight and tomorrow, and … Continue reading
Posted in Art, Comedy, Croydonites Festival, Ken Towl, Poetry, Stanley Halls, The Front Room, The Front Room, The Oval Tavern, Theatre
Tagged Croydonites, Croydonites Fringe, Edinburgh, Edinburgh Festival, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Emma Davies, Emmy Fyles, HR, Human Resources, Ken Towl, Stanley Halls, The Front Room
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Social media ban is the chance to reclaim children’s childhoods
CROYDON COMMENTARY: The government wants stronger controls on how under-16s use their phones. KEN TOWL welcomes the move We are arming our kids with weapons we hardly understand and, up to now, the rules around these weapons have been principally … Continue reading
Posted in Education, Ken Towl, Schools
Tagged Croydon, Elon Musk, Facebook, Ken Towl, Molly Rose Foundation, Online Safety Act, Sir Keir Starmer, SnapChat, Social media ban, TikTok, Twitter, X
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From Morocco to the Whitgift, captured in broken egg shells
One night in Morocco in 2014, a young artist lay on the flat roof of her home and stared up at the stars in a clear sky. She thought about a documentary she had seen, about the use of eggshells … Continue reading
Posted in Art, Ken Towl, Turf Projects
Tagged Croydon, Egg shell art, Hammersfield, Ken Towl, Sara Hayfa, Turf Projects, Whitgift Centre
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Take a turn around Shirley Windmill for a history masterclass
Making a strong pitch for a promotion to becoming Inside Croydon’s tea and cakes correspondent, KEN TOWL pictured left, makes a visit to the Shirley Windmill and adds it to your summer ‘To do’ list We started on the dust … Continue reading
It’s really time to go when they throw ‘Mix’ into gesture politics
CROYDON COMMENTARY: Are you a ‘Mr’, a ‘Ms’, or a ‘Mx’? You’re unlikely to be a ‘Mix’, unless you’re a member of the Labour Party in its troubled Croydon East CLP. KEN TOWL, pictured right, explains A couple of days … Continue reading
Back to the LOOP to pass site of Tudor palace like none other
SUNDAY WALKS WITH KEN TOWL: Our resident rambler has set off on his travels again, this time picking up on the LOOP – the London Outer Orbital Path – to explore a short stretch of the Surrey Hills between Banstead … Continue reading
Posted in Ken Towl, Surrey, Walks
Tagged Banstead Downs, Ken Towl, London Outer Orbital Path, LOOP, Nonsuch Palace, Nonsuch Park
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We’re glad all over! The Croydon Insider looks back on Leipzig
The Croydon Insider returns to its more eclectic look at recent local news, with a visit from the website’s football correspondent to share his experience of travelling to Leipzig for the European Conference League final. Plus, the panel discusses how … Continue reading
Posted in 2026 council elections, Andrew Sinclair, Annabel Smith, Croydon Council, Croydon Insider, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Education, Inside Croydon, Ken Towl, Old Palace, Schools, SEND, Tom Bowell, Trinity School, Under The Flyover, Whitgift School
Tagged Andrew Sinclair, Annabel Smith, Croydon, Croydon Council, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Crystal Palace FC, Ken Towl, Leipzig, Oliver Glasner, SEND, Special Educational Needs and Disabilities, Steve Parish, The Croydon Insider, Trinity School, Under The Flyover, Westfield, Whitgift Centre, Whitgift Foundation, Whitgift School, Yusuf Osman
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At Croydon’s Fairfield Halls, Abba becomes a five-piece band
KEN TOWL has a night out in Croydon, but not for the first time, he’s heard it all before Mamma Mia! Here I go again! My, my, how can I resist the Fairfield Halls when they put on yet another … Continue reading
Posted in Art, Ashcroft Theatre, Fairfield Halls, Ken Towl, Music
Tagged Abba, Ashcroft Theatre, Croydon, ELO, Fairfield Halls, Francis Rossi, Ken Towl, Michael Jackson, Steeleye Span, Thank you For The Music
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#DigitalDebate: Inside story from Croydon’s first e-hustings
Our hustings correspondent, KEN TOWL, has seen plenty of pre-election meetings before, but never one quite like this, as Inside Croydon brings the candidate debate into the 21st Century Charmingly chaired by Cheryl Fergus-Ferrell, this was like no other hustings … Continue reading
Posted in #DigitalDebate, 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Ben Flook, Croydon Greens, Inside Croydon, Ken Towl, Mayor Jason Perry, Michael Pusey, Peter Underwood, Richard Howard, Rowenna Davis, Under The Flyover
Tagged #DigitalDebate, Cllr Rowenna Davis, Conservative, Coulsdon, Council Tax, Councillor Rowenna Davis, Croydon, Croydon Council, Green Party, Ken Towl, Labour, Liberal Democrats, London, London Borough of Croydon, Major Richard Howard, Mayor, Mayor Jason Perry, Peter Underwood, Richard Howard, Rowenna Davis, Tony Newman, Tory, Waddon
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‘Decency’ hustings as no one missed the missing candidate
ELECTION SKETCH: In a cramped ‘hub’ in Broad Green, the first full hustings of the 2026 Croydon Mayor campaign took place last night. KEN TOWL was there, so you didn’t need to be (and you couldn’t have squeezed in, anyway) … Continue reading
Posted in 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Community associations, Croydon Business Association, Ken Towl, Mayor Jason Perry, Michael Pusey, Peter Underwood, Richard Howard, Rowenna Davis, Ruskin House
Tagged 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon mayoral election, 2026 local elections, Ben Flook, Cllr Rowenna Davis, Conservative, Councillor Rowenna Davis, Croydon, Croydon Council, Dan Tebbutt, Green Party, Ken Towl, Labour, Liberal Democrats, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Peter Underwood, Richard Howard, Rowenna Davis, Taking The Iniative Party, Tory, TTIP
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Bruising drama that delivers a punch against the patriarchy
KEN TOWL goes 12 rounds with the latest must-see play to be staged at the Coulsdon Community Centre. Photos by STEVE NORTH Director Anya Destiney has not made things easy for herself. The Sweet Science of Bruising makes big demands. … Continue reading
Take a step back in time for the start of the election campaign
KEN TOWL was at last night’s Ruskin House election debate, so that you didn’t need to be The great red-green face-off at Ruskin House last night answered some burning questions, such as who will Your Party support? And, what will … Continue reading
Posted in 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Ken Towl, Peter Underwood, Rowenna Davis, Ruskin House
Tagged 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon mayoral election, 2026 local elections, Cedar Hall, Cllr Rowenna Davis, Councillor Rowenna Davis, Croydon, Croydon Council, Derek Hatton, Green Party, Ken Towl, Labour, Liverpool, London Borough of Croydon, Militant Tendency, Peter Underwood, Rowenna Davis, Ruskin House
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Standing ovation for Ukrainian cast of Carmen at Fairfield Halls
There were knife fights in central Croydon on Friday, but no teenagers were involved. KEN TOWL reviews Ellen Kent’s passionate production of Bizet’s Carmen by Opera International Kyiv at the Fairfield Halls Four years after Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, … Continue reading
Posted in Art, Fairfield Halls, Ken Towl, Music
Tagged Bizet, Carmen, Fairfield Halls, Ken Towl, Music, opera, Opera International Kyiv, Ukraine, Ukraine invasion
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Dara Ó Briain is a BIG act. Fairfield Halls needs more like him
It was a big night at the Fairfield Halls on Saturday, with Dara Ó Briain, one of the biggest stand-up acts around, performing in front of a full house. KEN TOWL fills in the venue’s audience feedback form The minute … Continue reading
The Sweet Science will be landing a blow for women’s cause
KEN TOWL got a behind-the-scenes preview of the next production from Coulsdon’s acclaimed theatre group, which he says will be a real knock-out In December, when I went to the Coulsdon Community Centre, I saw a great performance of My … Continue reading
Croydon becomes winter wonderland as forecast snow arrives
PHOTOSTORY: Locals woke up this morning to a dusting of light snow, turning parts of the borough into picture postcard scenes. ALAN ROBSON, on Farthing Down, and KEN TOWL, in the Addington Hills, were out and about bright and early … Continue reading
PANTO WARS! Which is the Beauty? And which is the Beast?
Christmas 2025 has Beauty and the Beast as the seasonal pantomime at the Fairfield Halls. And Beauty and the Beast is also on at the Churchill Theatre, just a short bus ride away in Bromley. Oh yes it is! KEN … Continue reading
Posted in Art, Ashcroft Theatre, Bromley Council, Churchill Theatre, Comedy, Fairfield Halls, Ken Towl, Music, Theatre
Tagged Ashcroft Theatre, Beauty and the Beast, Churchill Theatre, Croydon, EastEnders, Ellie Dadd, Fairfield Halls, Hi De Hi!, Ken Towl, pantomime, Royal Variety Performance, Samantha Womack, Su Pollard
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Coombe Lodge open at last, but it doesn’t seem quite finished
EXCLUSIVE: After a three-month closure for a £1m refurbishment, what is it like in the first Wetherspoons pub to open in Croydon for 25 years? KEN TOWL went to find out They reckon that last year, across the country, around … Continue reading
Posted in Business, Ken Towl, Lloyd Park, Property, Pubs, Restaurants, South Croydon
Tagged Beefeater, Brexit, Coombe Lodge, Frank Lloyd, JD Wetherspoons, Lloyd Park, Premier Inn, South Croydon, Wetherspoons, Whitbread
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