Opening in 1934, you may have once upon a time been there for dates or trips out with friends. Sadly it closed on May 13, 1999 and was reopened as residential flats. The Beatles played there the night of March 21, 1963, and their first album, Please Please Me, was released the following day. One former Croydon resident who knew the store well told the News Shopper magazine: "Kennards had a little zoo in the new building. The animals exhibited were quite a large collection of different monkeys in cages with wire fronts, various species of parrots and pet animals such as rabbits and guinea pigs. Agatha Christie featured Croydon in her novel Death in the Clouds, which involves the mysterious death of a French moneylender, as her plane comes in to land at Croydon Airport. There's also a book by Freeman Wills Crofts called The 12.30 from Croydon, in which there's another peculiar fatality on a flight — this one setting off from Croydon Airport. Just as well they shut the place down, what with all those sky-high murders... Spending more Friday and Saturday nights sober, instead of crouched over a bush throwing up all those shots you should never have downed, means we all tend to reminisce a bit more about the glory days of going out.

If Turtles is the shop we are most nostalgic about, perhaps Joe Bananas is the bar we all get teary eyed over.The chain sadly went into administration in 2016 and the last store closed in August that year. Read More Related Articles Sharon Bruce: The Focus cinema on Crown Hill where my dad would leave us and we had to meet him at The Dog and Bull pub in Surrey Street where he bought us coke and sausage and tomato crisps. We watched all the Disney films there and the ABC cinema on London Road. It was later turned into Safari and we also went to Odeon where we watched Escape To Witch Mountain. Saturday mornings were great. I would love running up the walking escalator to The Forum pub in the Whitgift Centre and meeting Dad there. Best days ever. The department stores, like the one in Croydon's Whitgift Centre, were usually set across two floors and were filled with clothes, homewares, gifts and usually a cafe. One of its most memorable features was the full length windows which ran the length of the store – a very unique feature at the time of its opening.

There must have been a park for the pony rides because I do recall taking a pony several times and was so keen, going into a work closeby. My keenness dwindled as one day the saddle was loose and I was sliding off the horse and too shy to tell the lady, gripping on for dear life. She eventually turned round and was horrified, gave me extra time, which I would normally have enjoyed but not this time. 😫 Despite suffering significant damage in the Second World War, the shop battled on and stayed open until 2012, when it went into administration. It was quite crowded up there as the balcony was not that wide, which put you quite close to the animals, although I never heard of anybody getting bitten. As an added attraction, a pair of lion cubs were put on display for a limited time and, although too young to harm the public, I did notice at one stage the door of the large cage was kept shut with a garden broom." It went on to become The Club but was closed down in December 2010 after police compiled a dossier of alleged criminal activity associated with the premises.A young crowd used to frequent this Purley pub and had a reputation as a spot for a cheeky lunchtime pint. Kennards was a small department store chain that was started in 1853, founded on the principle of selling reliable goods at low profit margins. Sadly for the young children of Croydon, the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939 forced the zoo to close and the animals were found safe lodgings elsewhere. A photograph shows the chetah sitting nonchalantly on a dining table while a waitress shows it a menu, probably hoping it will chose something to eat from the sweet trolley rather than one of the diners!