Tag Archives: Ken Towl

Spooky goings on down in the basement at Stanley Halls

Posted on October 30, 2020 by

On the eve of All Hallows’ Eve, KEN TOWL ventured off to South Norwood to encounter a weirdly life-affirming live performance Isn’t it always Hallowe’en these days? As if the times aren’t scary enough, I was intrigued by the invitation … Continue reading →

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Posted in Art, Ken Towl, Stanley Halls, Theatre | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

READER OFFER: Join our post-covid guided ramble, Sep 19

Posted on September 3, 2020 by

UPDATED Sep 10: With great regret, following the government’s latest change to its covid-19 guidelines, we have taken the decision to postpone this event. Anyone who booked a place will be contacted directly. We apologise for any inconvenience – we … Continue reading →

Posted in Inside Croydon, Ken Towl, Walks | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Pub gardeners’ question time: Builders has others in the shade

Posted on August 13, 2020 by

Just where is the best beer garden to go in post-lockdown Croydon for a socially distanced, covid-safe drink with old mates? KEN TOWL, pictured right in his best new normal going-out gear, needed no second invitation to try a few … Continue reading →

Posted in Addiscombe West, East Croydon, Ken Towl, Pubs | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Feeling the heat on the way along the North Downs to Oxted

Posted on August 9, 2020 by

When the BBC Weather page tells you to expect 34 degrees centigrade by mid-afternoon in Merstham, you know you should prepare well before heading out to walk eight miles along the North Downs Way. The North Downs Way runs for … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, Ken Towl, Outside Croydon, Walks | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Bank robbers and Beethoven: life on the buses has changed

Posted on August 6, 2020 by

Our roving reporter, KEN TOWL, after months of observing lockdown, has been roving a little more than usual this past week, checking how Croydon’s public transport is coping with the new normal Friday, and I can’t help but think that … Continue reading →

Posted in Ken Towl, TfL, Tramlink, Transport, West Croydon | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Little Bay deserves top tips with Chancellor’s Dosh for Nosh

Posted on August 4, 2020 by

Vegans should probably look away now, as armed with his government eating out subsidy, KEN TOWL goes in search of a T-bone steak for little more than a tenner “To get customers back into restaurants, cafés and pubs, and protect … Continue reading →

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A covid pub crawl round Croydon: Mine’s a pint of sanitiser

Posted on July 7, 2020 by

While Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, does his Jimmy Pursey impersonation with a chorus of ‘We’re Going Dahn The Pub’, our roaming correspondent, KEN TOWL, right, took a more cautious approach to the reopenings Young people are, of course, immortal. So … Continue reading →

Posted in Addiscombe West, Business, Ken Towl, Pubs | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Learning lessons from teaching remotely during lockdown

Posted on June 29, 2020 by

Secondary school teacher KEN TOWL on how he and his pupils have managed to master the technology and the etiquette of staff meetings during the coronavirus quarantine With just 10 minutes of the lesson to go, instead of the expected … Continue reading →

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It is time for some difficult conversations, not virtue signalling

Posted on June 15, 2020 by

KEN TOWL on a tale of two (or is it three? Or four?) online petitions “What, another one?” is my default reaction these days to online petitions. There seem to be more of them than ever, perhaps a symptom of … Continue reading →

Posted in Chris Clark, Fairfield, Ken Towl, Niro Sirisena | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Mystery and suspense: a bit of lockdown theatre in your home

Posted on June 1, 2020 by

KEN TOWL is a little liar. And he’s more than a bit pleased about it, too I have always liked liars. Society places so much value on truth and the telling of it that we forget that sometimes we need … Continue reading →

Posted in Activities, Ken Towl, Theatre | Tagged | 3 Comments

Author tracks 20 years of history with Croydon Tramlink

Posted on April 22, 2020 by

KEN TOWL reviews an extensive and exhaustive new book about the local light rail network, which opened for service in May 2000 As former ITN newsreader and “The Voice of Tramlink”, Nicholas Owen notes in his foreword that the transport … Continue reading →

Posted in Ken Towl, Sandilands derailment, Sutton Link, TfL, Tramlink, Transport | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Size isn’t everything, but two metres is only just enough

Posted on April 6, 2020 by

CROYDON COMMENTARY: After a sunny spring weekend which saw the police move in and some parks in south London close their gates to the public because social distancing was not being properly observed, KEN TOWL (at a safe distance, left) … Continue reading →

Posted in Ken Towl | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Wot? No eggs? War-time rationing hits Addiscombe’s stores

Posted on March 19, 2020 by

“Armageddon! Ahm a getting outta here!” was once a gag in a Carry On film. But KEN TOWL, right, has opted to keep calm and carry on as he shopped around Addiscombe as the coronavirus shut-down begins to bite The … Continue reading →

Posted in Addiscombe East, Addiscombe West, Business, Croydon North, Ken Towl, Sarah Jones MP, Steve Reed MP | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

There’s high art, and then there’s art high up in Crystal Palace

Posted on February 29, 2020 by

Our resident culture vulture KEN TOWL has taken the high ground for an outstanding community event The second Crystal Palace Artists’ Open House, being staged this weekend and next, features more than 90 artists, ceramicists, photographers, printers, designers and miscellaneous … Continue reading →

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World War Three, Brexit, Boris… but there is always The Hope

Posted on January 6, 2020 by

There was a whole load of wassailing going on in Carshalton at the weekend. KEN TOWL went along to find out what the fuss was all about. Photos: SIMON BENTLEY I find myself speaking to a man who appears to … Continue reading →

Posted in Ken Towl, Pubs | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Brewers’ ‘smart’ pigeon brand homes in on Therapia Lane

Posted on December 23, 2019 by

There’s a new brewer in town, and KEN TOWL couldn’t wait to visit When Walter White realised that the cotidian lifestyle was not for him, he ended up breaking bad. When Messrs Anspach and Hobday decided to strike out on … Continue reading →

Posted in Anspach and Hobday, Broad Green, Business, Ken Towl, Pubs | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

This is how we have always run elections, since before there was TV or even radio, and no one’s noticed how pointless it is

Posted on December 5, 2019 by

KEN TOWL finds there’s not much recreational fun in this electioneering lark, as he attends last night’s set-piece hustings Having tried my hand at canvassing at the weekend, I thought I would really throw myself into the democratic melee by … Continue reading →

Posted in 2019 General Election, Croydon Central, Croydon Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Croydon Greens, Esther Sutton, Ken Towl, Mario Creatura, Sarah Jones MP, Simon Sprague | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Thornberry, white vans and taking canvassing on board

Posted on December 1, 2019 by

Just what are those political party activists, armed with clipboards and little slips of paper, doing when they come knocking at your door at election time? KEN TOWL set off to find out On Saturday at 10am, Emily Thornberry was … Continue reading →

Posted in 2019 General Election, Addiscombe East, Croydon Central, Ken Towl, Sarah Jones MP | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Gallery in South Norwood offers a bit of Brazil in batik

Posted on November 29, 2019 by

On a rainy night in Croydon, KEN TOWL heads off to Portland Road for a feel of Latin American sunshine At the weekend I was taking brunch with members of the self-titled FILTH – Failed In London – Try Hastings … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Ken Towl, South Norwood | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Wintry Thames towpath walk that’s like entering another world

Posted on November 23, 2019 by

WANDLE WANDERER: Croydon’s own river, the Wandle, eventually reaches the Thames itself, which provides a multitude of possible walks. Here, KEN TOWL sets off for Richmond to see what the towpath has to offer With friends visiting from Hackney and … Continue reading →

Posted in Ken Towl, Pubs, Walks, Wandle Wanderer, Zac Goldsmith MP | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

160 voices sing Verdi’s Requiem at Croydon’s People’s Palace: with Elton John in the toilets and ‘limited nibbles’ for £15

Posted on October 27, 2019 by

The Croydon Philharmonic Choir made its long-awaited return to the refurbished Fairfield Halls last night. And so, too, did KEN TOWL When a Croydon re-opening commands the presence of the Mayor of London himself, you know something big is happening. … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Ashcroft Theatre, Croydon Philharmonic Choir, Fairfield Halls, Ken Towl, London Mozart Players, Music, Savvy Theatre, Savvy Theatre Company, Talawa Theatre Company | Tagged , , | 8 Comments

Fanfare for the Common man, and here’s a toast to two ‘saints’

Posted on October 8, 2019 by

WANDLE WANDERER: Our non-resident rambler KEN TOWL is off on his travels again, but he hasn’t had to venture very far afield to discover some overlooked treasures St Reatham is not, of course, a church named after a saint, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Croydon parks, Ken Towl, Lambeth Council, Norbury, Pubs, Restaurants, Walks, Wandle Wanderer | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Colour Palace adds light to Picture Gallery’s Baroque and rolls

Posted on August 11, 2019 by

Need somewhere to take shelter from summer showers? KEN TOWL has been on his travels again, this time all the way by bus to Dulwich Village This summer, until September 22, a very modern pavilion is standing in front of … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Ken Towl, Outside Croydon | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Take a walk on the Weald side, but remember to bring a map

Posted on July 30, 2019 by

Having followed the waymarkers, just, all the way from East Croydon to Warlingham, KEN TOWL got back on the bus bright and early to pick up the Vanguard Way from where he left off, with some a-llama-ing findings along the … Continue reading →

Posted in Ken Towl, Outside Croydon, Walks | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Be in the Vanguard for a hike from Croydon to the south coast

Posted on July 27, 2019 by

In the middle of the hottest of heatwaves, KEN TOWL set off from East Croydon for the sea. He travelled not by train, but on foot along the Vanguard Way I am looking at a plaque on the side of … Continue reading →

Posted in Croydon parks, East Croydon, Environment, Ken Towl, Lloyd Park, Walks | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment