Kennards Menagerie in Store
Author: Walter F. T. Plummer
When Kennards (Debenhams), look over Batchelors furniture store many years ago the two shops were linked by an arcade with an all glass roof.
The famous pony rides were established at the Frith Road end as they always gave many rides to delighted children including my own eventually.
On the opposite side was a large aquatic shop selling aquariums and fish. It was owned by Mrs Riley who I got to know by paying many visits to her shop, who was a fellow of the Zoological Society of London.
Kennards had a little zoo in the new building. The animals exhibited were quite a large collection of different monkeys in cages with wire fronts, various species of parrots and pet animals such as rabbits and guinea pigs.
It was quite crowded up there as the balcony was not that wide, which put you quite close to the animals, although I never heard of anybody getting bitten.
Although the animals were kept this way the live-stock all looked quite healthy and well. The zoo came, under a lot of criticism as the cages wore, not considered to be ideal conditions for animals.
The local paper published many letters about the building being too cold or too little space for the birds to fly in.
One day I noticed that the Kennards zoo owners hit back at their critics by displaying a picture cut-out of a national newspaper of London Zoo's monkey hill (long demolished).
They suggested that even London Zoo kept monkeys out in the cold but what they failed to see was that monkey hill had caves with heating inside, so that animals did have a choice.
I cannot remember how long the Kennards zoo stayed for in the arcade, it just disappeared when the site was cleared for rebuilding.
The whole space was turned into an Elizabethan, Tudor street of half-timbered houses called Tudor Walk, which was quite a shopping experience.
It had the first Indian perfume shop to the delight of the lady shoppers, who had not seen a store like it before.
A brand new pet shop, on the second floor was opened. It had space, light and carpet on the floor and about ten tropical fish tanks in a window bay. I remember some angel fish priced at 8s 6d in old money.
As an added attraction, a pair of lion cubs were put on display for a limited time and although too young to harm the public, I did notice at one stage the door of the large cage was kept shut with a garden broom.
Animals and Kennards always seemed to go hand in hand, a brightly coloured toucan was kept in a large ease, with a bright yellow beak, an infa-red healer kept it warm in winter. 1 visited it many times and he lived to a ripe old age a really lovely bird and a real character of Croydon which was loved by everyone.
One place that I always wanted to visit in Kennards was the ball room, a large room which was a restaurant by day and an entertainment
venue at night. As it was a little expensive for me I had no reason to visit it, that was until fate took a hand.
I had done some concert party work in the army, so when I was de-mobbed I joined a local concert party also a semi-professional dance band, which I attended when needed.
The band-leader got in touch with me over a midweek booking that we wanted, me to attend, the venue was to be at Kennards blue room, wild horses would not have kept me away. Who did the booking or what the ball was for is a faded memory now, but I do remember a French magician. Also at the top of the cabaret bill was a very young 16 year old Petula Clark.
I never did get to see the ballroom properly as the walls were covered in heavy fancy drapes, and subdued lighting, but never the less I did get to sing two songs with the band that evening.
All this has been a passing of time for me. a life-time with Kennards from a child, to teenager, to adult and now senior citizen. We shall never the see the likes of this unique store again.