St.George's House, Croydon

Image: © Peter Trimming Taken: 24 Jan 2009

Many years ago, when I was a small boy, the Fire Station used to stand on part of the site now occupied by St.George's House. 1960's Croydon needed a larger Fire Station, so the old one was demolished. Sadly; I never did see the engines come racing out, although people might look upon that as a good thing! The Fire Station went, and, with the passage of time, a large hole appeared in the ground. I'd never seen such a huge excavation. Months later, a building started to rise out of the ground, and my parents and I used to check on progress every couple of weeks or so. When the building reached about 8 storeys, we agreed that we understood the need for such a large hole. However, the building continued to rise. When finally completed, there were 24 storeys! Years came and went, and 1974 saw me working in this building, for Nestlé UK Ltd. In a career which spanned over 28 years, I spent 25 years in this building, before "escaping" in 2002. A month later, I was back on a short-term contract, finally leaving in January 2003. Happy days (generally), although when I photograph the building, or pass it, I think I still prefer my freedom!

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