Historic Walk Guide To Redhill

Introduction

The relatively young town of Redhill grew from almost uninhabitable marshland with its many watercourses, much of it being a haven for wildlife such as wildfowl. Areas around Redhill, named Red Hill back in the 18th century, yielded excellent resources such as red clay, flint from the Downs, Fuller’s earth and timber mainly from the woods of Earlswood.
Redhill saw its expansion and sudden burst of population surpassing Reigate with the development of the railways when the London and Brighton Railway extending its tracks from Croydon to Brighton through Redhill in 1841. New roads were constructed early in the 1800’s with a section lying from Merstham to Wray Common, built in 1808; this road was built to connect the thoroughfare to Purley, continuing onto London. Over time, south of the town the road extended to Brighton creating the London to Brighton route now used by many events such as the London to Brighton Bike Ride and car rallies.

Redhill and nearby Reigate are neighbouring towns with varying characteristics. Reigate seems to have visibly kept much of its history and character over the years, whilst Redhill has always been a place of continual change, redevelopment and rejuvenation. This guide takes you on a journey through Redhill’s history and reveals the points of interest, hidden gems waiting to be discovered as we take the trip around the town.

Start of the Journey

The Belfry Shopping Centre.

The Belfry shopping centre has seen many transformations since its opening on the 15th October 1991.The surrounding area used to contain many old shops as seen in the photograph; businesses such as the Maypole Dairy, S.C. Jennings booksellers, stationers and printers, Jones and Berrett the drapers and outfitters, International Stores and Express Tea. A milk salesman could be seen with his cart and a shop displaying a vast array of shoes. Opposite these shops is Gatland’s Tailors with the adjacent Marketfield Road entrance to where the old cattle market stood. Gas lanterns hang from shop facias, gas lighting being first introduced in neighbouring Reigate in 1838 with Redhill following in 1865.

If we progress up to level one of the Belfry we come across an exhibition dedicated to The Reverend Dr Andrew Reed, founder of the Royal Earlswood Asylum For Idiots in 1850, a then politically correct name for the latter Earlswood Mental Hospital now redeveloped in favour of a high class housing estate. The exhibition houses much memorabilia including The Princess Alexandra, a ship created by one of the patients, James Pullen who showed remarkable artistic talents.

Progress out of the Belfry at the Station Road level entrance and turn right.
You are now in Station Road.

Many old buildings and shops are long gone such as the early sub-post office and Kennetts shop at 25 Station Road, which in 1905 sold goods such as Arms china and Frith’s picture postcards. As you walk out of the Belfry down the steps, the shops opposite 47 Station Road used to be T. Padwick’s the chemists established in 1849. The famous William E. Tanner’s Goldsmiths and Watchmakers traded from number 54 in 1911, with its large clock telling the time for everyone. The Cooke family, who also owned Wray Common Windmill in the late 1880’s, owned a bakers shop here.
Can you spot a building in the street showing that it was established in 1849?

Walking down Station Road towards the High Street, on the left is the (Strict) Baptist Chapel, which as can be seen on the front of the building, opened its doors on July 21st 1858 at the cost of £850.

The church maintains much of its original observances with the interior still maintaining segregated men and women’s seating. The NatWest building to the church’s left was once owned by Henry Summers the drapers in1897.

Station Road/High Street Crossroads walking towards the High Street.
We are now at the crossroads of Station Road and the High Street.

Redhill High Street has seen many redevelopments over the years, including the pedestrianisation of the High Street and the current town development scheme finished in 2004 with new street tree planting, resting areas and durable granite paving. The Wheatsheaf Hotel, now an O’Neills pub, stands on the corner of Station Road and was built in 1900, Lloyd’s Bank on the left used to be a tollgate and a cottage in the 19th century. Nichols the drapers was one of the previous major shopping establishments in the town and stood on the corner of Station Road and the High Street opposite the Wheatsheaf Hotel. The Nichols building was built in 1900, seen on the left of the photograph, and was run by Robert Nichol selling various goods such as clothes, house furnishings and china. He saw his beautiful building burn to the ground in 1901, the fire being so savage that it took the lives of employees and partially set the Wheatsheaf’s roof alight. The building was rebuilt to its original design and remains an impressive building in the town today.

As we look down Station Road towards the station, the photograph taken in 1906 shows Nichols shop on the right. Many of these shops have long since been demolished to make way for the highways. The arcade on the right used to house the Cinema Royal showing films on the silver screen throughout the early 1900’s. The art-deco style building across the road near Redhill Station Bridge, now the Embassy nightclub, used to be the Odeon Cinema built in 1938 on railway wasteland. The “Man With The Gong” (not the person who rang it before the films began!), filmmaker J Arthur Rank, owner of the Rank Organisation and the Odeon cinema chain lived nearby on Reigate Heath. Many people will remember going to the nightclub when it was Busby’s in the 1980’s and Millionaires in the 1990’s.

To our left is Warwick Quadrant

Warwick Quadrant.
The Warwick Quadrant to the left is named after a brief renaming of old Red Hill Town to Warwick Town. Established in 1860, it inherited the name from Countess Brooke of Warwick, widow of the fourth Lord Monson whose family owned much of the surrounding land in the 19th century. The Warwick Brewery situated in Warwick Road was the second brewery to set up its services in the town but was bought and closed down by a brewery business in 1902 in a bid to remove the competition from its other brewery concerns in the area. The Warwick Hotel stood on the corner of Warwick Road in the mid 1880’s.

Market Hall
The Market Hall used to stand on the present Warwick Quadrant site, now the Harlequin Theatre and Redhill library, undoubtedly one of the best libraries in Surrey.

The Market Hall, built on boggy ground, opened in 1860 with the first local council meeting here. Amongst its various uses throughout the years, the building provided room for markets, Barclays Bank in the 1920’s, the county court, a post office in the West wing, a theatre with many famous celebrities performing, a Literary Institute and dance floor.  The Post Office held its offices here from 1891 to 1932. 
William Booth, head of the Salvation Army, visited the Market Hall in 1905. Many local people came, eager to hear him. The Market Hall was demolished in 1982 to make way for the Warwick Quadrant.

Turn left walking alongside the Warwick Quadrant towards London Road past Sainsburys.
We’re going to take a quick detour on our walk and then double back on ourselves.

Cross the zebra crossing, past the Sun pub and onto London Road.

The scene in this photograph is unrecognisable today, as the Coleman Institute situated on the then quiet London Road on the right has been replaced with the Northerly part of the Warwick Quadrant and office complex. The Colman Institute was a working man’s club and a library, funded by Sir Jeremiah Colman of the Colman mustard company who owned Gatton Park in 1888. He is buried in the Gatton Park Church graveyard.

The old main post office on the right of the photograph between the two telephone boxes moved to its London Road position but has now been replaced by a restaurant. The South Suburban Co-operative Society was also here on the corner of Clarendon Road but closed in the 1980’s. Offices have replaced the Queens Arms pub in 1972 that existed near the site of the old post office.
We will be coming back to the nearby Memorial Park later but now we will turn back and return to the High Street.

 The Surrey Mirror had its offices on the corner of Ladbroke Road to the left, now the offices have moved to Reigate and houses occupy the old site. J. Hall Richardson founded the ‘Mid-Surrey Mirror’, first issued on July 26th, 1879. In 1964 the offices at Ladbroke Road burnt down but later rebuilt, moving to Reigate in the early 1980’s.

Return back to the High Street travelling past Woolworths towards Cromwell Road.

On the left is an open-air car park behind the shops down Market field Way that used to be a thriving cattle market at the turn of the last century. Walking over the crossing past the Dog and Duck pub you can see on the left the new office complex, Red Central, replacing the old unsightly Brabazon House in 2004. The Civil Aviation Authority used to house its offices here including its library resource centre but moved out of the building in 1988. The building was named after John Moore-Brabazon, Lord Brabazon of Tara, who formed the Brabazon Committee dedicated to furthering post-war aviation. In 1909 Brabazon flew his plane ‘Voisin’ in what is said to be the first ever British flight in history whereby he strapped in a live pig, proving that ‘pigs can fly’!

As we approach Reading Arch Bridge on Brighton Road, we sadly miss items of interest lost to Redhill’s redevelopments. Reading Arch Bridge was indeed an arch back at the turn of the 20th century but works were carried out in 1901 to widen and rebuild it in its straight form.  As the name suggests, the bridge was constructed to run from Redhill through to Reading in 1849. St Josephs Roman Catholic Church used to stand proudly at the corner of Chapel Road and Brighton Road but was demolished in 1984 with the large office block standing in its place. St Josephs Church has now been replaced by an attractive modern building in Ladbroke Road that we’ll come to later.
 Before continuing our walk by turning right into Chapel Road, take a few minutes to walk under the arch towards the south end of the town where we can see the remains of Phillips Stores to the right. Numerous items were sold here including musical instruments from 1801 through to the 1900’s. Advertising can still be seen on the walls today.

Gas works were situated further up Brighton Road and moved to the new site on Hooley Lane.

One famous business in Redhill is Buckland’s Furnishers on Grovehill Road, established in 1900 and still trading today. The Garlands pub opposite used to be named the Anchor.

Retracing our steps, walk up Chapel Road then take a right down Lower Bridge Road. At the Salvation Army hall, walk down Sincots Road passed Observatory Close to the Dragon pub at junction of St Matthews and Cromwell Road.

The Salvation Army Hall was established in 1890. As previously mentioned, William Booth visited the town in 1905. A tannery existed in the 19th century up Oakdene Road.

Carrington Close off Cromwell Road and Observatory Close on the Cromwell Road Estate derive their names from R.C. Carrington, an astronomer who lived in a house with an observatory called The Dome. This is the site of the highest building in Redhill behind St, Matthews Church in Dome Way, The Dome tower block.

Walk up to St Matthews Road to St Matthews Church on Station Road and head towards Linkfield Corner.

St Matthews Church built of Reigate Stone and consecrated in 1866

DID YOU KNOW BOX Reigate stone used to build St Matthew’s Church was mined from caves and areas around Reigate, Redhill, Merstham and along the North Downs. This sandstone material was used from the time of the Middle Ages to build churches and ornate buildings such as Westminster Abbey and Palace, St Paul’s Cathedral, Windsor Castle, and Hampton Court.

Walk up Station Road towards Donyngs Leisure Centre and The Red Lion pub on Linkfield Lane roundabout.

The South Eastern Railway Company built the original Station Road through to the top of Redstone Hill in order to gain access to the original Redhill Station in the mid 1800’s.

You are now at Linkfield Corner roundabout.

This scene of Linkfield Corner looking towards Station Road from Raffels Bridge in 1928 shows a completely different scene from the present. The YMCA in the background is now the roundabout and the Globe Temperance Hotel was situated on the corner of Linkfield Lane and Station Road. The Red Lion Pub and Donyngs Leisure Centre considerably named after old Donyngs Place house standing in the area, both are to the left of the YMCA building in the picture.
 The first brewery in Redhill, the Somers Arms Brewery, had its buildings on the west side of Linkfield Lane and in the 1880’s. Billingsgate Market acquired the building in 1939 but traded for only two weeks until local fishmongers complained about the competition. The old brewery buildings were demolished in 1972.
The Red Lion pub is an attractive ancient building inside and out with a very low ceilings dating from the 16th century.

At Donyngs Leisure Centre turn right into Linkfield Lane towards London Road.

 Walking down Linkfield Lane we find buildings of great historic interest.
This cottage at the junction of Batts Hill and Linkfield Lane still holds its ancient charm and is a very beautiful building, often passed by townsfolk without any thought to its heritage. It is a 16th century building and has undergone renovation to maintain its ancient charm.
The old number 8 Linkfield Lane was the last of the thatched cottages in Redhill to be redeveloped.

As we walk down Linkfield Lane, we see the build up of modern houses. This used to be a tranquil leafy street with only a few ancient houses (see picture below).

OPTIONAL DETOUR WALK 1   If you have time and the interest, then an item of historic importance to the town can be found by taking a quick trip up Danes Hill, down Coniston Way and up Batts Hill leading to Wray Common to where Wray Common Windmill stands, formerly entitled Redhill Windmill.

Built in 1824, the original mill was constructed of brick, standing 45 feet high and milling throughout its early life until 1895. It was named Redhill Windmill but stands on a Reigate postcode. Wray Common Mill was the last of the Reigate mills to produce flour. The Cooke family, owners in the late 1800’s, worked the mill as well as having a bakers shop in Station Road, Redhill. Dummy sails replaced the dilapidated ones in 1928 and the mill was then used amongst other things to house livestock. The sails were declared dangerous and fell off in 1980, never to be replaced due to wrangling between the council and the owner John Skinner. He carried out restoration of the windmill between 1966 –72. The Mill has since been bought in 2004 and renovation taking place with the aim to replace the sails and fantail.

OPTIONAL DETOUR WALK 2   Another interesting walk would be to take a trip to neighbouring Gatton Park in Merstham, bought by Lord Monson in 1888 and later owned by the Colman family of Colman Mustards fame who were important benefactors in the area. Colman Way on Batts Hill proudly honours Sir Jeremiah Colman with its name. The Japanese gardens seen in the photograph, believed to have been designed by H.E. Milner in 1910, were unearthed and restored by Monty Don and the BBC Lost Gardens crew in 1999.

Frenches Pond

Back on Linkfield Lane, we progress and cross over London Road towards Frenches Road and turn left down Budgen Drive to Frenches Pond for a well-earned rest to feed the ducks! This quaint pond used to be named the Fish Ponds on old maps and was desilted and cleaned in August 2004.
Near us is Alpine Road off Frenches Road, which held residence to the infamous Ronnie Biggs of the Great Train Robbery fame.

** DID YOU KNOW? RONNIE BIGGS ONE OF THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERS USED TO LIVE IN ALPINE ROAD, OFF FRENCHES ROAD**

Walk down Ladbroke Road towards Redhill Station.

 We see a curious tall building on our left just before the church, previously St Josephs Convent that became a school in 1889. Buildings and land belonging to St Josephs became the present housing estate on Abbots Rise in the early 1990’s.

We are now walking along the main London to Brighton route, completed by the London and Brighton railway in 1841. A station was situated in Battlebridge Lane, later resited to Merstham. The present Redhill station originated at Hooley Lane and was first called Reigate Junction. The station was resited to its present position and renamed Red Hill Junction in 1858 and renamed Redhill Station in 1929. The track from Redhill through Edenbridge, Tonbridge, and Ashford to Dover was completed in 1842.
Railway stations had their names painted in large letters on the station roofs to aid visually guided aerial map navigation in the 1920’s. A flight between Hendon and Le Bourget, France, would follow the railway lines to railway stations at Redhill, Edenbridge, Tonbridge, and Ashford constructed in 1842 before crossing the English Channel.

A track was laid from Croydon to Merstham in 1805 and claims to be the first public railway in the world, although no public actually travelled on it and was actually horse-drawn. The plaque and original lines can be found opposite the Feathers pub in Merstham.
 
Leaving Ladbroke Road and joining Princess Way, you will see the Memorial Park on our right.

A haven for office workers in the town, the park used to be called the Memorial Sports Park, formerly home to Redhill FC, founded in 1894. The park was reduced in size, making way for the Warwick Quadrant office complex.

Continue walking to Redhill Station Bridge leading to Redstone Hill.

We pass underneath Redhill Station Bridge that has seen many developments over the years. Initially built in the 1840’s as a tunnel under Redstone Hill, it was widened in 1903 due to it being perilously low and narrow. Between 1851 and 1861 the population of the parish doubled, largely due to completion of the railway network. An old advertisement for property in Hooley Lane up for auction in 1856 promoted the business advantage of the area by stating ‘In these various directions, upwards of 100 trains arrive and depart daily, of which 45 are to Redhill and London.’

After we walk under the bridge, we take a left into Noke Drive, walking past Redhill Post Office’s sorting office and carry on till we reach the end of Noke Drive and the little brook.

The stately Victorian building of St Anne’s School proudly stood in this area as you can tell by the St Anne’s road name references. The school was an orphanage and a school for destitute children closing in 1919. King Edward VII laid the foundation stone of St Anne’s in 1884 as well as laying the stone at Earlswood Asylum in 1869. The school eventually became an old people’s home and sadly demolished in 1980 due to it becoming a dangerous structure and replaced by a housing estate. I’ve no idea who St Anne was!

To our right we find a small bridge crossing the brook and cross over into Cavendish Road.

Some call this brook ‘Gurney’s Brook’ most probably named after the Gurney family who were once famous benefactors in the borough. Henry Gurney constructed and owned Nutfield Priory in the mid 1800’s. The bridge over the brook is a lovely gem of Redhill that I was pleased to stumble on one day.
To our left when crossing the bridge, we see what is believed to be the second oldest building in Redhill. This charming grade 2 listed copyhold cottage dates from the 15th century, bought in 1960 then restored to most of its original structure.

OPTIONAL DETOUR WALK 3   If you fancy the fresh breath of country air, then the cycle/pathway in front of us at the corner takes you east across towards Merstham quarry with views of the Downs. Walk far enough and you will be led to the charming Inn on the Pond pub. The land lying to the left of the path is a haven for wildlife and you can get a glimpse of what the land may have been like in pre-Redhill times.

DID YOU KNOW? In 1867, the swedish scientist Alfred Nobel successfully demonstrated dynamite for the first time at a quarry in Redhill. The chemist patented his mixture that year and after the test, news about the compound spread across the world. Nobel said that the new combination was "far more safe and convenient for transportation, storage, and use, than nitro-glycerine... without losing the great explosive power of nitroglycerine."

As we walk down Cavendish Road, we walk down a road of historical importance to Redhill. A convent was situated here in 1885 with a girl’s school opened in 1908.

Redhill Technical Institute was constructed in 1895 and was built to answer the need for trained mechanics and technicians in response to the industrialisation of Britain at the time. The Technical Institute was essentially a boy’s training school including the teaching of arts and sciences that ended in 1983. The college was renamed and joined with the East Surrey College at Gatton Point.  The old buildings were demolished in 1990.

Turn left up Redstone Hill and walk up the A25 to the top of Redstone hill.

This route has seen the M25 relieve much of its traffic. Over the road is the Lakers Hotel.

The Lakers Hotel was originally called the Reigate Junction Hotel. It was built in 1844 and changed its name to the Railway Hotel in 1861. Richard Laker owned the hotel in 1846 and the present hotel keeps his name as well as much of the features of the old building. The Home Cottage pub is also 19th century.
Redstone Hill derives its name from the red soil excavated from the area.
Fuller’s earth has been the major natural product exported from Redhill, with rich soil lying between here and Nutfield. It is said to be the best soil in England, used for refining oils and absorbent materials. Redland bricks and tiles company, whose wonderful brick sculpture stands in Castlefield Road in Reigate, began the roofing tile works near Philanthropic Road down Redstone Hollow in 1920.

Take a sharp right down Redstone Hollow leading to Hooley Lane.

As we walk down the hill, the Philanthropic Society Farm School, of which Philanthropic Road derives its name, was established just south of here in 1849 to train destitute children for work specialising in farming on the surrounding land between Redstone Hollow and Earlswood. The RNIB College now stands on the old farmland.

Walk along Hooley Lane, under the bridge and up towards Brighton Road.

This unsuspecting street holds an amazing wealth of history and if you listen carefully you will hear the sound of ancient horse-drawn carts carrying beer kegs up to the Marquis of Granbury owned by Samuel Relf at the turn of the 19th century and to the long gone Somers Arms coaching inn which closed on advent of the railways and is now The Firs apartments at the corner of Brighton Road and Mill Street. An old horse trough on the other side of Mill Street can be found. Hooley lane is one of the oldest thoroughfares through the town, which started from Bletchingley village down to Redstone Hollow, Hooley Lane, through Mill Street, up Whitepost Hill, past Redhill Common and up to Reigate.

Number 10 Hooley Lane is believed to date back to the 1590 and is one of Redhill’s oldest buildings. The oldest building is just up the road in Mill Street, which we will come to later.

Progress up Hooley Lane and cross Brighton Road at the crossing. Turning left, walk up Brighton Road towards Pendleton Road.

Turn right into Pendleton Road and continue up to St Johns Church.

ST JOHNS CHURCH.  The idyllic area surrounding St Johns Church, built in 1843 and then rebuilt with its spire in 1889. The area of St Johns used to be called ‘Little London’. The Elm Shades pub for a short while was renamed The Earlswood Arms.

 St Johns Church stands proudly on the hill in the area that was first called ‘Little London’. The small farming hamlet sprang to life when navvies working on the London to Brighton roads and railways during the first half of the 19th century pitched up temporary residence. Sand excavations on the nearby Redhill Common helped the area to have an industrious life. Around this area and further down the hill we see a row of pretty cottages, some dating from the 16th century. St Johns School began its life in 1845, a workhouse existed on Pendleton Road just west of St Johns Church.

We are well into our journey around Redhill, so pop down to the charming 16th century Plough pub in Church Road for lunch, you might not want to leave this low-beamed pub of great historic interest!

If you have time, then consider taking a trip to Earlswood Lakes and the surrounding Common, which is a lovely area for walks and relaxation. Earlswood has had several archaeological finds including a 12th century jug.

Another noteworthy point of interest at this stage is the Monotype Typography Company situated in Honeycrock Lane, Salfords just south of Redhill. Monotype manufactured typefaces and typesetting printing machines at their works in 1900 and brought considerable employment and financial gain to the area. British printing owes much to Monotype’s heritage.
Clients included George Bernard Shaw and The Times newspaper, redesigned by Monotype in 1932 and given the Times Roman font we use today.

At St Johns Church turn right into Kings Avenue leading to Carters Cottages.

We are now at the foot of Redhill Common and walk towards Carters Cottages. These cottages date from the late 17th century.

Just before Carters Cottages on our right is a path with steps that leads up towards Redhill Common. Walk up the path and progress straight to the top of Redhill Common.

We are now walking in an area undiscovered by many people who live and work around Redhill. The woodland walks here can be a lovely place to discover new tracks, particularly the northeastern part of the Common’s woods, to escape the hustle and bustle of the town. The ‘Pleasure Gardens’ were situated on the lower slopes of the common, designated for recreational activities in Victorian times.

Lower slopes of Redhill Common, extensively used for clay, gravel and sand quarrying particularly in the 19th century where Sandpit Lane derives its name.

Ancient flints and axe heads have been unearthed here with major archaeological works been undertaken.

We arrive at the top of Redhill Common and walk towards the direction indicator.

At the top of Redhill Common we can see the Spire of St John’s church through the trees and the direction indicator in front of us. There is a famous story of an oatmeal maker from Reigate named ‘Richard Rodes’ who murdered his housekeeper one night and buried her corpse in his garden. He later fled to Ireland where he frequented a pub but unfortunately for him, a sharp-eyed man reading an article in a newspaper with Rodes’ picture in it spotted him. Later he was arrested, brought back for trial in England and hanged outside his house. His body was later buried on the common. The story goes that a man dug up some bones and it was established that these most probably belonged to Rodes. Bodies were often buried here during the 16th and 17th centuries. This area was a proposed site for a Military Prison in 1862.

Using the direction indicator, walk due North West towards the woods and path and continue over crossing the path to wooden posts verging on a lane by Blackstone Lodge. Take second woodland path to the left leading to Whitepost Hill and monument.

Reigate and Redhill Hospital was moved from its 1866 beginnings in Reigate and built at Whitepost Hill in 1871. The Whitepost Health Centre now stands in its place.

Turning right, walk up Whitepost Hill to the junction of Whitepost Hill and Linkfield Street.

 We are now on the old route from Reigate to Nutfield. The original Mill Street below us holds many interesting facets of Redhill history. Roses Brewery existed in this street nearer Hooley Lane in the 19th century. If we travel down the hill we come to what is said to be the oldest building in Redhill, The Old Cottage dating from the first half of the 15th century and stood in ‘Reigate Foreign’, the area name before Redhill existed. It is believed that a farming family originally owned the house. The house was divided in two parts and occupied by railway workers during the 19th century.

At the top of Whitepost Hill at the junction of Ridgeway Road and Upper Bridge Road is ‘The Lodge’ house with an 1871 plaque on the side of the building.

Walk down Linkfield Street to the White Lion pub.

In front of us on Linkfield Street is the White Lion pub, the oldest pub in Redhill dating from medieval times. Much of the building dates from the 16th century and became a public house in the 17th century. Tales of gun toting highwaymen surround this charming pub, including the story of the ‘rogue landlord’ Mr Filewood, his life coming to a grisly end killed by a man on his travels.
A tannery and stables were situated around here in the 19th century.

Turn left into Elm Road.

We walk up Elm Road and pass Percival Villas with their 1888 date plaque on the front of the house. Take a left up White Post Hill towards houses 9-27. On our left we come to the Old Rising Sun which used to be a pub until 1910, closed down as it was said to have attracted undesirable characters!

Make our way up to steps on the right that lead to Whitepost Hill and turn right. Pass Brownlow Road and bear right to the Redhill United Reformed Church at Shaw’s Corner.

Hatchlands Road and the surrounding area were for the majority, farmland. It was originally called Workhouse Lane and renamed after a farm on the surrounding land. Blackborough Road used to have a windmill until its sad demolition.

Shaw’s Corner was named after Simeon Shaw, a blacksmith who made carts and wheels from his shop in the 1820’s. His family owned the Foresters Arms that is now The Hatch, a lovely building and a pleasant pub in which to socialise in.
The war memorial was unveiled on the 5th August 1918 and inscriptions to the Second World War were later added.

To the right, we make our way down Hatchlands road over Raffels Bridge towards Linkfield Corner.

The old Godstone to Reigate road once stood here. The train line had to be laid in a cutting with the above highway being raised to make the bridge. Raffles Bridge is misspelt and should be ‘Reffels Bridge’ named after Henry Reffell who had a brewery here in the mid 19th century. You can see the correction on the sympathetic street sign!

Walk back down Station Road to the Belfry.

I hope you enjoyed the trip around Redhill and discovered the many historic treasures kept in this understated town.