Shirley Singers (formerly Spring Park Choral Society) was founded in February 1946 as part of Spring Park Residents' Association. The first Musical Director was Mrs Bertha Hudspith and the first concert took place in December 1946. They began with eight members meeting in private houses around Shirley but the choir soon began to grow and they needed larger premises so they moved to St John's Hall.
For a short period due to the fact that the choir lacked funds to pay for rehearsal halls and music they became part of Croydon Adult Education. The choir continued to grow until it reached 72 members and at this point the choir left Adult Education and began to flourish independently. Eventually they moved to Shirley Parish Hall where the choir remains to this day.
Bertha Hudspith entered the choir in a number of competitive music festivals in which it achieved , in 1948, an Honours award in the Coulsdon and Purley Festival, and placed second in the Croydon Music Festival for three years from 1948 to 1950. In 1951 and 1954 they came top. These certificates are now kept in the Choir Archive together with Mrs Hudspith's baton. Her time as MD came to an end in 1956 due to the ill-health of her husband. In the subsequent 68 years 13 Musical Directors have worked with the choir, the MD with the longest record being Tom Ruddle who conducted the choir from 1968 to 1982.
In the archives there are 78 rpm records that have stood the time very well. Concerts have been recorded on tape and CD for nearly 30 years. The choir also had a logo which appeared on every programme. It also existed as a shield which would be on display at every concert. There is an image in the Gallery but an original colour photo has not been found.
The way in which the choir has moved with the times can be gleaned from the concert programmes. In the early years the standard fare was folk songs, traditional religious songs, Victorian and Edwardian ballads, Gilbert and Sullivan and other light popular operas.
Special occasions inspired special concerts.. A Coronation Concert was staged in 1953 and in May 1977 the choir performed "Merrie England" to mark the Jubilee of the Queen's accession to the throne.
Music from West End shows began to be included from 1964 and by 1997 the concerts were devoted entirely to songs from the shows.
In the 21st century the choir decided to change the name and become Shirley Singers to better reflect the kind of music we sing.
Musical Directors, pianists and choristers come and go , but the choir as a body lives on, meeting every Monday evening. Numbers fluctuate and presently stand at around 60 and the age range is wider than might be expected. Tenors and basses are, and always have been in short supply! The record for the longest period of membership is held by Mrs Audrey Sandford who belonged to the choir for sixty years serving as a committee member for much of her time.
Original research by Janet Hills