Sorry Bromley

[Seabag]

I'm sorry Bromley, I've been a bit harsh

Had I have been to West Croydon and around the Whitgift centre I'd have been more kind about you

I had to wait while my VW was serviced this morning, so I had a few hours to kill. Any longer and I'd have probably thought about throwing myself under the tram

West Croydon must be twinned with Sheerness, or a care in the Comunity drop in centre. Bad teeth and just down right scary people prevail. Had Hogarth been alive today, he'd be painting the residents I'm sure. Ha ha, and I did say I'd move this way if I had too. I utterly retract that statement

Mind you, one redeeming factor. If it's leisure wear or trainers your after,then this is THE place to shop.

And eyebrows, in jet black or mouse brown feature, just like Bromley. But the little Joey Essex count is lower

[binkylilyput]

Seabag Wrote:

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> I'm sorry Bromley, I've been a bit harsh

>

> Had I have been to West Croydon and around the

> Whitgift centre I'd have been more kind about you

>

> I had to wait while my VW was serviced this

> morning, so I had a few hours to kill. Any longer

> and I'd have probably thought about throwing

> myself under the tram

>

> West Croydon must be twinned with Sheerness, or a

> care in the Comunity drop in centre. Bad teeth and

> just down right scary people prevail. Had Hogarth

> been alive today, he'd be painting the residents

> I'm sure. Ha ha, and I did say I'd move this way

> if I had too. I utterly retract that statement

>

> Mind you, one redeeming factor. If it's leisure

> wear or trainers your after,then this is THE place

> to shop.

>

> And eyebrows, in jet black or mouse brown feature,

> just like Bromley. But the little Joey Essex count

> is lower

This post really stinks IMO Seabag. Shame on you

[DuncanW]

A little bit snobby??

[Seabag]

DuncanW Wrote:

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> A little bit snobby??

Yeah but, have you been to West Croydon? Really, to shop or just hang out?

[Salsaboy]

Not at all. Never mind West Croydon, the whole of Croydon is a shithole. It makes Gravesend look good.

And I feel entitled to comment. I was born in Croydon.

DuncanW Wrote:

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> A little bit snobby??

[DuncanW]

I have been to Croydon. I wouldn't go so far as to say I hang out there though.

It always used to be good for music with Rock Bottom for music gear in West Croydon and some v good record shops dotted around; Beanos, 101, Mi-Price...

[Jeremy]

Yeah used to be alright music-wise with a couple of rehearsal studios, instrument shops, a couple of venues, and some interesting record shops... especially "Shake Some Action" - a decrepit indie/punk record shop which had in-store gigs. But it was still bloody grim.

There's major redevelopment going on... not sure whether a soulless "Westfield" centre and loads of new-build apartments will be that much of an improvement, but they can't really make it much worse...

[malumbu]

Both frightening on a Saturday night but West Croydon as ace South Asian restaurants so wins hands down

[Louisa]

Seabag you have once again surpassed yourself on my 'snobometer' scale, well done. The ED 'blow in's finest', strikes again!

Were these "care in the community" folk supping on cans of 'Special Brew' by any chance? Lamenting zone 2 life before the 15 quid organic burger twats arrived? Did the streets stink of piss? and more importantly, how many fried chicken shops could you count in this zone 12 slum?

I guess when someone believes they live in such a perfect place as ED they can judge other neighborhoods however they like. Ever considered that some of these 'scumbags' floating around West Croydon station and its environs, were priced out of this area because of rising house prices?

Long live Bromley (and West Croydon).

Louisa.

[Laddy Muck]

Seabag, you auld dawg...enjoying yourself winding EDFers up?

Anyway, re. West Croydon, I actually have very fond memories of it. I lived in the waiting room of W. Croydon's Train Station for a short while it was THAT safe back then. What is it about the people that is so "scary"?

Of record shops, does anyone remember "Diamond Records"...you could hear the reggae beat pumping out of that place for what seemed to me like miles. I loved it...and spent most lunchtimes (and half my salary) in there. Aaaahhh they were the days...

[Seabag]

Louisa Wrote:

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> Seabag you have once again surpassed yourself on

> my 'snobometer' scale, well done. The ED 'blow

> in's finest', strikes again!

>

> Were these "care in the community" folk supping on

> cans of 'Special Brew' by any chance? Lamenting

> zone 2 life before the 15 quid organic burger

> twats arrived? Did the streets stink of piss? and

> more importantly, how many fried chicken shops

> could you count in this zone 12 slum?

>

> I guess when someone believes they live in such a

> perfect place as ED they can judge other

> neighborhoods however they like. Ever considered

> that some of these 'scumbags' floating around West

> Croydon station and its environs, were priced out

> of this area because of rising house prices?

>

> Long live Bromley (and West Croydon).

>

> Louisa.

Good god no Louisa

No cans or burger lamenting (those are your very own inverted snobbery prejudices)

Wierdly it all looks fairly normal, clean and a raft of development going on. But the place is teeming with oddities I'd not seen in one place. Every where are people trying to flog or sign you up for something. 'Lawyers4U Have you had an accident?'on one stand, a 15 stone woman demonstrating a vibrating excercise stand on pad thingy. She wobbled as it shook her.

More shoe/trainer stores than I'd seen anywhere

And yeah, many odd bods, fake tans and dodgy eyebrows

Oh and 'bags 4 u' a vaping shop and a shop that played ear bleeding loud 'cheesy pop' music

All in all, very immersive

😳

[Louisa]

If anything, it sounds to me like West Croydom has more in common with Lewisham or Peckham about 5/10 years ago than it does with Gravesend or Bromley. It just sounds like a zone 2 community has upped sticks and moved further out (possibly because of house prices, possibly for other reasons). Nothing to be scared of though, talk them, you might walk away with a lawyers4U free Parker pen and a demonstration fake tan, you lucky thing.

I find NCR market more frightening on a Saturday morning. No such colourful characters or fake tans/eyelashes to be seen. Just lots of expensive food items being auctioned off to the highest bidding yummy, for fear of losing face at the next school fete if they're forced to buy from a supermarket! I know where I'd rather be!

Louisa.

[Seabag]

It's like a place that sales team are 'trained in the field' and if you survive West Croydon, you can crack it anywhere

My favourite was a caffeinated suited sales guy, all perky "Yes, lady there with the runny nose, can I talk to you?"

"Keep away from me if I were you" she scolded him

[Louisa]

Yeah I must confess he did push his luck with me somewhat. I couldn't resist sniping back.

Louisa.

[Seabag]

Louisa Wrote:

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> Yeah I must confess he did push his luck with me

> somewhat. I couldn't resist sniping back.

>

> Louisa.

V funny Lou, now I know what you look like

X

[TheArtfulDogger]

Peep Show is based in West Croydon and they show shots of Zodiac Court where the boys flat is based (it was actually filmed in a flat in Zodiac Court for the first two series before the owner of the flat objected to its use)

Peep Show Kind of sums up Seabags experience of West Croydon

Come around for a cup of tea and therapy my friend (or bring your own special brew)

[Jeremy]

Seabag sounds like a man who has never been to Hartlepool...

[red devil]

He worked in interior design, do we need to add more?..

[Otta]

Louisa Wrote:

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> Seabag you have once again surpassed yourself on

> my 'snobometer' scale, well done. The ED 'blow

> in's finest', strikes again!

>

>

Seabag doesn't live in ED.

I'm not overly keen on either area, but ad I've said before, Bromley is all fur coat and no knickers. Croydon is just a proud Ann Summers slut making no pretence at class.

If I have to go for one or the other it tends to be Croydon.

[steveo]

Fond memories of the lunchtime strip at Van Damms

[Jeremy]

I don't actively dislike Bromley... from certain angles you can even convince yourself it's nice-ish... but there's just nothing of interest there, it's just generic, bland middle England. You could be anywhere.

[Seabag]

Jeremy Wrote:

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> Seabag sounds like a man who has never been to

> Hartlepool...

Where's Hartlepool?

Oh but, I've been to Yarmouth & Littlehampton

[Seabag]

red devil Wrote:

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> He worked in interior design, do we need to add

> more?..

Obvs, I'm sensitive to garish colours and the like RD

West Croydon with fake tans/eyebrows and general out kilter vibe, is a little like watching a 1970 TV with the colour card out of whack

I genuinely saw a guy in a wheel chair smoking a fag, with his helper doing the same. He also had a can of lager and was wearing a vest. It's all very Little Britain X Grayson Perry writ large down there

I'm actually planning a trip back there, to see if what I saw was real

[Earl Aelfheah]

Bromley seems fine to me. don't really know Croydon, but driving through it feels like a strange shrunken city (with lots of tall, shiny buildings that on inspection aren't really very tall or shiny). The perspective seems all a bit off. Seabag makes it sound Quite an interesting place, I wonder whether he works for the West Croydon Tourist board.

[TheArtfulDogger]

rahrahrah Wrote:

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> Seabag makes it sound Quite an interesting

> place, I wonder whether he works for the West

> Croydon Tourist board.

Sadly the Croydon Business Improvement District (BID) shut down the Croydon Visitors Centre last year (as close as you got to a tourist board for Croydon.) So if Seabag works for them he is very much down and out on his luck now :-(