Championing hidden histories at the Museum of Croydon

At the Museum of Croydon, we see our communities as experts in their own histories. We work to create opportunities for people to explore Croydon as a place, a culture and an identity in its own right.

Beneath the skyscrapers and supermodels that Croydon is most often associated with, a rich diversity of lesser-known stories is being written. Creativity is carried on the breeze over our pastures and urban parks, vibrating in tower blocks and tramlines, communicated in our choirs, churches, community cinema and concert hall.

Uncovering this hidden history and celebrating seldom seen communities was at the heart of the London Borough of Culture programme, This is Croydon.

With the population of a diverse, medium sized city, this was a big ask, made greater by the council issuing two S114 notices of effective bankruptcy in the run up to the programme.

The Museum of Croydon team halved to three specialist museum staff between 2019 and 2023 with the permanent galleries closed since Covid lockdowns, disrupting visits and community engagement.

The model adopted to deliver London Borough of Culture was largely devolved to culture sector partners with a small, central council team of three. This impacted marketing and audience development and support for smaller scale partners to develop skills, particularly those who were new to delivering heritage projects and exhibitions.

Despite the challenges, a huge amount was achieved and, thanks to prudent management, Croydon is no longer operating under Section 114.

London Borough of Culture has successfully put Croydon back on the map for the right reasons with over £250K invested in platforming seldom seen communities and the museum playing an important role, showcasing Croydon’s culture and building pride amongst local visitors and participants.

A partnership with the National Portrait Gallery’s Citizen UK project celebrated the impact of Croydon’s Caribbean Community, the second largest in the UK.

Stories were told creatively through oral histories, poetry and portrait commissions in the Caribbean Influencers exhibition, which opened at Museum of Croydon in May 2023, and transferred on to the National Portrait Gallery.

The borough’s mid-century architectural heritage was celebrated through the Little Manhattan project with Digital Drama including participatory workshops, a walking trail and an exhibition.

With funding from National Lottery Heritage Fund, we uncovered heritage stories from South Asian and African Caribbean communities through silk crafts, photography, carnival arts, and a community archiving project, with Talawa Theatre Company, Our Croydon.

The museum also led a National Lottery Heritage Fund-supported project spotlighting the borough’s rich music heritage and influence, bringing it out onto the streets through a mural, walking trail and large-scale projections.

Resonating widely with residents, this told the story of the birth of dubstep; the importance of the BRIT school and Croydon School of Art, the inspiration of Surrey Street market on Ralph McTell’s Streets of London; and Croydon’s impact on leading contemporary artists Stormzy, Nadia Rose and Still Shadey.

The Rewind: This Is Croydon’s Music exhibition, running until December 2024,  enabled the permanent galleries to reopen for the first time since 2020.

Although London Borough of Culture has come to an end, the year has been game changing for the Museum of Croydon.  It has highlighted the role heritage can play in shaping local identity and resulted in new partnerships, new audiences and a more sustainable model of working.

Community engagement and exhibitions are continuing, supported this year with a £30k grant from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. The museum is also a partner in a Young Archivists programme for Global Majority communities aged 14-18 to diversify the collection at Croydon Archives, supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

This is Croydon set out to amplify and champion the many communities and cultures which make our borough what it is. Together, we told a different story to London and beyond through exhibitions, poetry, theatre, dance, photography, tours and trails. The Museum of Croydon is now looking forward and building on this vision.

Stephanie Wilson is head of Culture, Leisure and Libraries at Croydon Council