The full story of the south London town that became a byword for everything ugly and banal, but throughout history has always been ahead of the game, from continental air travel through Brutalist architecture to cutting-edge music.

Though everyone from D. H. Lawrence and DavidBowie struggled with being there, and comedians have made it a byword for theugly and banal, this town halfway between London and Brighton has a remarkablehistory at the centre of things. Eleven archbishops are buried there. London'sfirst airport was there. In the sixties it was a daring experiment infuturistic brutalist architecture. Its contribution to black culture began with our most notable black composer andculminated in the first black British artist to headline Glastonbury. Its BritSchool produced everyone from Adele to Amy Winehouse and Raye. Still want todiss Croydon? Croydonopolistells the amazing story of this much-maligned town, whose only fault was to betoo far ahead of the curve, and always go for broke.