When people think of famous Brits they mostly think of London. But a lot of people who have come to define British popular culture in one form or another actually got their start in Croydon. Below, we’ve brought together a list of 10 celebrities that grew up in Croydon. Enjoy!
10 Celebrities That Grew Up in Croydon
Not every Brit that has made an impact on the national or global stage is from London. Here are 10 famous people who called our home town their home town.
1: Emile Smith Rowe –The Arsenal midfielder was born in Croydon where he attended various schools and developed his football skills. He was recently called up to the England national team and is likely to feature tonight against San Marino.
2: Kate Moss – Kate Moss exploded on the modelling scene in the 1990s. But she wasn’t born on the runway. She was actually born in South Croydon where she attended Ridgeway Primary School.
3: David Lean – The Academy Award-winning director of such all-time classics as Lawrence of Arabia and The Bridge on the River Kwai was born and raised at 38 Blenheim Crescent, South Croydon.
4: Tom Holland – Before he starred as Spiderman in some of the biggest movies of all time Tom Holland spent several of his formative years attending the BRIT school located in Croydon.
5: Kirsty MacColl – The singer/songwriter grew up in Croydon. She would go on to find fame as the writer of Tracey Ullman’s hit “They Don’t Know” and for singing on the Pogue’s biggest hit “Fairytale of New York”.
6: Stormzy – Michael Owuo Jr, aka Stormzy, was born here in 1993. His 2017 album Gang Signs & Prayer became the first grime album to reach #1 on the UK charts before winning British Album of the Year.
7: Amy Winehouse – While she wasn’t born here in our favourite town, multiple Grammy nominee and Brit Award winner Amy Winehouse did attend the BRIT school about 10 years before Tom Holland.
8: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle – The creator of Sherlock Holmes lived here for 3 years when he was in his early 30s and used the area as a backdrop for several of his stories.
9: Algy Ward – The bass player for the seminal punk band The Damned and founding member of heavy metal icons Tank, Algy Ward was born in Croydon in 1959.
10: Dame Peggy Ashcroft – This luminary of the Shakespearean stage was born and raised in Croydon before going on to achieve worldwide recognition and an Oscar in 1985.
