A new Croydon art project is set to reveal the hidden stories and people behind the borough's iconic buildings.

Croydon is a town with a rich history of culture and change as it has grown and changed with the times.

From a Saxon Minster to medieval almshouses, a grand Victorian town hall to 1920s airport, mid-century office buildings, and a brutalist library, history is all around.

A new project dubbed as Croydon Unlocked will allow people to experience the secret life of some of the borough’s most extraordinary buildings, as seen by the individuals who see the buildings when they are silent and empty at the end of the day.

(Image: Rachel Adams)

These include key holders, caretakers, cleaners and concierges.

The project has been commissioned as part of this year’s Open House Festival, a London-wide festival that opens up and celebrates the city's architecture.

Commissioned by Croydon Council, artist and photographer Rachel Adams has developed a new body of work celebrating the borough’s iconic architecture and the people who look after these buildings.

The images feature the fabric of local buildings and portraits of their keepers.

Croydon Unlocked was inspired by Rachel’s 2020  project, Life is Brutalist, which focuses on Southampton’s acclaimed Lyons Israel Ellis housing block Wyndham Court. 

 To uncover the histories behind each building, Adams collaborated with John Grindrod, a writer born in New Addington.

Rachel Adams said: “I was keen for the project to focus on the beauty of these iconic structures, but more importantly, on the personal stories and the everyday lives of the people who care for them - the details of daily life that perhaps go overlooked or unnoticed.” 

John Grindrod, author, said: “Rachel Adams’s work has revealed a new side to familiar buildings, and brings a human face to places we seldom get to explore.

“She’s captured both the rough texture of these places and the curious details of their private lives to create a new way of looking at the town.”

Executive Mayor of Croydon, Jason Perry said: “This fascinating exhibition by photographer Rachel Adams celebrates the borough’s famous architecture and the people who look after these buildings. 

“It gives a new way of looking at these properties and as a Croydonian myself, I will be interested to see the hidden histories Rachel has uncovered.

“I invite everyone to take a look at this exhibition and get a new perspective on Croydon.”

Adams spoke to the keepers of the Croydon Town Hall, Croydon Minster, Croydon Airport, Electric House, the Whitgift Almshouses, as well as Lunar and Apollo House (which are currently being decommissioned as the base of the UK government Home Office).

A 2018 winner and 2023 shortlisted of the British Journal of Photography’s Portrait of Britain award, Adams works across editorial, documentary and portrait photography, and is a regular contributor to the UK national press.

She is particularly interested in documenting style, performance and cultural practice that remain neglected by the mainstream media.

The event will start from September 14, 2024, until February 2, 2025.