A father and daughter from Croydon have created a documentary to explore and revive the forgotten stories of the town's abandoned pubs.

Poet and community artist Phoebe Wagner, 27, and dad Roger have made a short documentary called (Pub)lic House centred around closed pubs in Croydon and pub culture made in collaboration with the community.

Phoebe said: "This is a film about bringing new life to Croydon's old pubs and rediscovering the stories and culture that made them special.

“We want to invite people into pubs but also think about what pubs and to consider ways we can use the empty buildings of where pubs once stood.”

Phoebe said that her dad had a deep connection to these pubs, having performed in them since the early 1990s.

The short film was commissioned by Turf Projects, based in Croydon, as part of their aim to reuse disused placed across the town, giving the community access to them a lot of different ways.

(Pub)lic House premiered as part of the This Is Croydon, London Borough of Culture 2023 celebrations.

It was screened at Turf Projects in March and at The Cricketers Pub in April, followed by “discussions where viewers contributed to a manifesto for how these spaces could be used in the future".

Phoebe explained that the manifesto has been sent to local council members, landlords, and key influencers, aiming to restore these buildings to their “former communal glory”.

Phoebe interviewed people who had a connection to Croydon pubs, and they explained their attachment to and experiences in the old pubs.

The documentary also points out some of the struggles certain individuals had when it came to pubs.

Phoebe said: “It was difficult for women in the past.

“For example, my mum is in the film, and it was difficult for her to come to the pub when she had work.

“Sometimes the childcare would come first.

“It’s exploring those different ideas.”

The documentary is supported by Save The Glam, a campaign to that strives to stop The Glamorgan Pub from being demolished.

Phoebe added: “The Glamorgan recently lost its title as an asset of community value and the owners are trying to build flats over it.

“So, the film is in full support of preventing that, but instead of letting these spaces rot, we want them to be used by the entire community and become a Public House for public use.”

(Pub)lic House was filmed outside of several Croydon pubs, including The Leslie Arms, The Glamorgan, and The Oval Tavern.

Since June 2024, the film has been shown under what Phoebe called the “CR0 Film Tour” where the film screened at Cronx Tap, Riff Raffs and The Royal Standard.

The film will be shown at The Ship of 47 High Street on July 6, and at The Tree House at 78 South End on July 27.

The tour will feature “When Hendrix Played the Star”, a music session led by Roger Wagner that celebrates Croydon’s rich history of pub music.

These sessions will run alongside the film at select venues, in Phoebe’s hope to offer a taste of the vibrant pub musical traditions.