In February and March 2024 the Museum of Croydon has conducted a project to preserve the history of the former Croydon department store ALLDERS. For this project they received funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund. The oral historian and filmmaker Rolf Killius conducted oral history interviews with 15 former employees and produced full-length interviews and 19 short films to highlight certain aspects of ALLDERS' history.
Many interviewees emphasised that ALLDERS, the largest department store outside central London at the time, was the main attraction for visiting the Croydon Town Centre. Therefore the former MD, Peter Saunders concluded, 'ALLDERS WAS CROYDON'.
As with every great business, it is made and run by its employees: therefore the idea to formally interview former staff is a distinctive and creative way to explore the history of this company and its workforce.
In 1862 the 'linen draper and silk mercer' Joshua Allders founded ALLDERS. In its long history the business went through numerous incarnations. At its height, in the 1970s, the company traded from a 46,000 square meter shop front and employed up to 1700 members of staff. By that time it had grown into the third largest department store in the UK (after Harrods and Selfridges). For several reasons - changing ownership and management and a fluctuating retail sector - the company finally closed down in 2012/13. In 2019 the Croydon Council took possession of the building, which is presently empty.
Apart from collecting the memories of former employees the intention of the project is also to collect ideas and suggestions how to redevelop the Croydon Town Centre and to reuse the huge ALLDERS building.
Videos of Interviews on You Tube
Museum of Croydon Allders Website
Jay Prentice interviewed by Rolf Killius
Peter Saunders
Ronald Stevens
Chau Dinh
Chau Dinh's Mementos
Cliff Colvin
