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Tag Archives: Ken Towl
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 travelsagain, this time picking up on the LOOP – the London Outer Orbital Path – to explore a short stretch of the Surrey Hills between Banstead and … Continue reading
Posted in Ken Towl, Surrey, Walks
Tagged Banstead Downs, Ken Towl, London Outer Orbital Path, LOOP, Nonsuch Palace, Nonsuch Park
2 Comments
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
Et tu Brute: Fringe party claims credit for getting Perry elected
There’s more than a sense of the Ides of March about some of the rhetoric coming from public meetings as the 2026 local election campaign gets into its stride, as WALTER CRONXITE, Political Editor, writes It seems somehow appropriate that, … Continue reading
Posted in 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Gabriel MacArthur, Peter Underwood, Rowenna Davis, Ruskin House
Tagged 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon mayoral election, 2026 local elections, BBC Question Time, Cedar Hall, Charles Gordon, Cllr Rowenna Davis, Councillor Rowenna Davis, Croydon, Croydon Council, Derek Hatton, Donna Murray-Turner, Farah London, Fiona Bruce, Gabriel MacArthur, Green Party, Ken Towl, Labour, Liverpool, London Borough of Croydon, Militant Tendency, Peter Underwood, Question Time, Rowenna Davis, Ruskin House, Taking The Initiative Party, TTIP
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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
9 Comments
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
From staging a revolution in the woods to our absurd Mayor on the high street: our contributors take their pick of 2025
What was your favourite or stand-out article from Inside Croydon over the past 12 months? We asked some regular iC contributors to nominate their picks of 2025, including articles which they had had published on this website, and to explain … Continue reading
Posted in Inside Croydon
Tagged 2025, 2026, Annabel Smith, Cheryl Fergus-Ferrell, Croydon, Dave Burton, Happy New Year, Inside Croydon, Ken Towl, Lee Townsend, New Year
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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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Strange world evoked by surreal assemblages of NDP Fraser
There was a one-day-only, not-to-be-missed art exhibition in a house on Portland Road. KEN TOWL made sure he didn’t miss it I went to Portland Road the other Saturday, to see what was behind the net curtains. For many years, … Continue reading
Posted in Art, Ken Towl, South Norwood
Tagged Art, Clocktower Gallery, Ken Towl, NDP Fraser, Portland Road, South Norwood, South Norwood Community Kitchen, Surreal
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Podcast review: Taylor Swift to Ruby Wax to… Jason Perry
From Taylor Swift to Stanley Tucci. From Olivia Colman to… Mayor Jason Perry. Oh well… you can’t have everything. But all of them, and more, get a mention in our latest episode of the Croydon Insider, our wide-ranging, irregular and … Continue reading
Posted in Croydon Insider, Inside Croydon, Under The Flyover
Tagged Alison Butler, Anna Arthur, Cheryl Fergus-Ferrell, Croydon Insider, James Gandolfini, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Ken Towl, Oumesh Sauba, Paul Scott, Rebel Wilson, Review of 2025, Stanley Tucci, Taylor Swift, The Croydon Insider, Tony Newman
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Intriguing secret societies offer more than conspiracy theories
KEN TOWL delved into the little-known world of local literary societies, the ‘Lits’, where talk is cheap and at least the fruitcakes promise ‘no nuts’ I have discovered a hidden world, a world that exists in the shadows, a world … Continue reading
Posted in Activities, Addiscombe West, Church and religions, Community associations, Croydon Natural History and Scientific Society, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Education, History, Ken Towl, Norwood Society, Purley, Purley Literary Society, Redhill, Sanderstead
Tagged Addiscombe, CNH&SS, Croydon, Croydon Natural History and Scientific Society, East Croydon, Ken Towl, Literary Societies, Margaret Thatcher, Purley, Purley Literary Society, Redhill, Sanderstead, Sanderstead Literary Society, Shaw's Corner Literary Society, St Mildred's Literary Society, The Lit
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Our journey through Beaujolais provided a nouveau experience
KEN TOWL’s unrelenting quest to uncover the best of Croydon culture sees him sent on some very demanding assignments. Thankfully, he managed to survive his latest “Spit or swallow?” I asked, though only to myself. A virgin in the wine-tasting … Continue reading
