Kennards

A Memory of Croydon.

Was there really a live donkey in Kennards Arcade at some point? Was that just a childhood dream I had?
One highlight of my childhood was going to one of the big department stores with my grandmother and mother. Ladies dressed in black played violins while we ate coffee and cake. For a few brief hours we were rich, had a huge house and all the other things I once thought made life fun. I cannot remember if it was Alders, Kennards or Grants.
One day I wanted to take my grandmother there for coffee. Alas that wonderful experience had been replaced by a self-service cafe.
I have no idea of dates, but was born in 1955 and the self-service cafe disapointment happened when I was a teenager.