Palers' base-camp for Procol in Croydon 2002

Where to stay / How to book / Palers' Fair / 'One more Toast'

Experience shows that all the fans have a good time if we stay in the same hotel ... 'Beyond the Pale' started organising this for fans before Redhill 1997, and followed this with Guildford 1998, Guildford 2000, Kristiansand 2001, and Manchester 2001.

'Beyond the Pale' has once again selected Jury's Inn to be the Palers' Base Camp for Croydon 2002. Exactly five minutes' walk from where Procol Harum play in the evening, Jury's is a brand-new three-star hotel, very similar to the one that fans stayed in at Manchester, where we were very well treated and had a great time. Prices and booking details are further down this page. A Palers' picture guide to Croydon may be found here

Jury's Inn is on Wellesley Road, Croydon, CRO 9XY [map]. It is very convenient to Gatwick Airport, and only a 15-minute train ride from Central London: see map on this page, and transport links here: more details at the foot of the page. It will be the Procol fans' base for accommodation; its Arches Restaurant for breakfast and dinner, its Inn Pub for drinks and snack lunches, and its Il Barista all-day Coffee Bar offer a perfect setting for Palers to congregate and relax. For those who fancy shopping, the famous and extensive Whitgift Centre is just across the road.

In addition BtP has organised two special social functions (on a single ticket that you can buy in advance):

• The Palers' Fair: this takes place on the afternoon of Saturday 25 May – Palers gather to chat, drink, acquire the latest merchandise at a discount price – in a hired room with licensed bar two minutes' walk from Jury's Hotel. Now sold out.
• 'One More Toast': a Champagne Reception will take place on the evening of Saturday 25 May directly after the Procol gig, in a privately-hired room with licensed bar within the Fairfield Halls – here we will gather, until 12.30 am, to celebrate exactly 35 years of A Whiter Shade of Pale – and to drink 'One More Toast' to Procol Harum … whom we have of course invited to join us. Now sold out.

Rooms

'Beyond the Pale' has reserved a block of Jury's hotel rooms, identical to the accommodation we had at Manchester, but six pounds cheaper per night at 49 pounds per room. (Incidentally we did find slightly cheaper hotel rooms in Croydon, but did not consider that they were such good value for money as Jury's, which is a brand new hotel that opened on 15 February 2002.) All Jury's rooms are family-sized and can accommodate two adults and two children, or three adults, all for 49 pounds.

All Jury's rooms have en-suite bath or shower : they have air-conditioning, satellite TV, modem line, hairdryer, and tea/coffee facilities; Jury's can cater, on request, for disabled guests. Breakfast is charged per person in addition.

How to Book

1. Send an e-mail to 'Beyond the Pale' specifying how many rooms you want and what nights you want to stay. Bear in mind that Croydon is an excellent shopping centre and only fifteen minutes from central London by train: you might well make a long weekend of it!
2. BtP gathers Palers' information and passes it to the hotel (please don't initially contact the hotel yourself). We also add you to BtP's list of who's staying at the hotel, unless you ask us not to, of course: then you'll know which fellow-fans to look out for.
3. The hotel makes a provisional booking for each Paler, and sends the Paler an e-mail containing a personal Booking Number.
4. The Paler immediately contacts the hotel to confirm the booking, by stating the Booking Number and credit-card details. You may do this by e-mail, or with a short phone call. The hotel doesn’t actually charge your credit card until the Procol weekend, of course: you pay on departure in the ordinary way. If you need to cancel for any reason, you must do so before 4 pm on the day of scheduled arrival.

Jury's Inn is situated in the very heart of Croydon, directly opposite the Whitgift Shopping Centre.

To get there by road:
Croydon is on the A23, the main route south out of Central London. London's Orbital motorway, the M25, also provides convenient access. Jury's Inn and the Fairfield Halls lie on the A232 in Central Croydon. 'Buses coming into Croydon are within easy walking distance.

To arrive by rail:
There are excellent rail links to Central London: it is just fifteen minutes from London Victoria. There are direct services from Croydon to the Midlands, the North West, Home Counties and the South Coast.

Access by air:
London's Gatwick Airport is about 25 minutes' drive away. London Heathrow is also accessible via the M25 orbital motorway.

Using the tram:
Croydon's new transport system passes right by the Fairfield Halls, and connects Croydon to Wimbledon, New Addington, Beckenham and Elmers End every few minutes.