Pubs prepare for coronation

On Thursday afternoon Danielle Biles at the Porter and Sorter was getting a blue, red and white balloon arch ready for the weekend. The pub, next to East Croydon railway station, has a packed schedule ahead started with a DJ playing ‘best of British’ tunes tonight.

Danielle said: “We are showing the coronation on TV so will be opening from 10am on tomorrow, then we will have a band in the evening who will be doing British classics. On Sunday we’ve got a royal themed quiz.

“We are hoping it will be a good weekend. We had a good turnout for the Queen’s jubilee last year so we are hoping to have a busy weekend. I am very excited; it is something that I’ve never lived through, it is a huge bit of history.”

Over at the Crown and Pepper in the High Street the bunting is already up. It will also be opening its doors at 10am on Saturday, a few hours earlier than usual to show the coronation.

Callum Barnes, head barman, said the pub which usually specialises in Indian and Chinese food, will be serving up English classics to celebrate the coronation.

He said: “We’ve started creating some cocktails for the day, you’ve got a blue and a red one. We’ve got bunting all around the pub, we will have a few flags to give to people.”

Callum added that the pub has a lot of loyal customers he expects to see over the weekend. Across Croydon more than 100 roads will be closed over the weekend for street parties and lunches.

Mayor of Croydon, Jason Perry, said: “The coronation offers the opportunity for our residents to celebrate and feel part of this national event and we are glad to support our local communities.”