Memories of Banstead

Hairdressers Banstead High Street 1969-1973

I worked as a Saturday girl at the hairdressers opposite the church in Banstead High Street when I was 15 in 1969. It was called Nicolette then and I worked for Margaret and her mother Mrs Anscombe. Margaret was a lovely boss, she taught me many things. The salon seemed huge to me in those days, but on a recent visit I was surprised at how tiny it is now. When I worked there we had seperate booths and front was basins. The curtain was pulled across once the customer was seated within. I recall one client who worked at the church would request a foot stool while under the dryer and would read her bible while waiting for her hair to dry. Miss Deacon (Deaky) was her stylist. The salon also had a barbers attached and Ian and Trevor were the two barbers. Famous clients were Peter Osgood and Peter Bonetti - both footballers playing for Chelsea at the time. My school friends were really jealous of me over that! Ian was an amateur photographer, and I still have the photos he took of me, sadly I have no photos of the interior of the salon.

I used to 'Cardinal red' the hearth floor in the staff room and keep it spic and span. The towels were hauled up to dry on an old Victorian railed airer over a heater. I worked with Joan Townsend who lived in the village, she used to wash the hair and take care of the clients - and us. Elsie Henderson was the receptionist, I think she lived in Chipstead.  They were both lovely ladies. The salon was taken over by Pam and Graham Attwell, in about 1971, by then I was an apprentice and was soon working for Margaret, a very talented stylist,  we still keep in touch by Christmas cards each year. Teri and Mike Rabin took the shop over just after I left, they renamed it Oscar's after Mike's grandfather, the famous band leader - Oscar Rabin.

I can recall the camera shop, I think it was owned by Mr and Mrs Dexter, Mrs Dexter was a client, and the bakery, where we bought lunch - small shepherd's pies and Rum Babas! Woolworth's was across the road, it had the wooden flooring when I shopped there. I still have the metal back comb I bought there for 6p. I made my own clothes in those days and bought fabric every Saturday from a little shop by the bus stop, opposite Waitrose, near the roundabaout.  One of my favourite clients was Mrs Bevan, she made marmalade for the village fete each year, she was in her 80s then. Nearly everyone had their hair set on rollers and I used to have clients come to me for half price while I was training. I charged 30p for a Shampoo & Set, rather than the full price of 60p! I had Marcel waving irons and learnt wig making (boardwork) at college. Pin curls were common and blow drying had just started to come into fashion. Nearly everyone had their hair permed and colouring was used to cover the grey rather than for fashion. How times have changed.

I have my own salon now - The Salon at Prestwood in Buckinghamshire, where I eventaully settled. My mum still lives in Tadworth, so when I next go to Banstead I will take a recent picture of the High Street showing the salon as it is now. I have enjoyed looking at all the old postcards - well done Francis Frith, they are great.

toy shop

We came to Banstead from New Zealand and my parents bought 2 shops in High Street, the toy shop down one end which had some nursery things in it also, and the nursery shop up the middle of town. I was so blessed to see this photo as we are now living in Australia and trying to do a family tree book. This photo was just a wonderful find. I loved living in Banstead, it has always been a lovely memory of my youth. I was 13 years old at the time. My brother and sister went to Banstead Primary and I went to Nork Park. My name then was Corinne Stubbins. It would be great to catch up with anyone who remembers the shops or us...

Information Request - Banstead Asylum 1950's

Hi

I personally do not have a memory of Banstead Asylum - but I am looking for any details that anyone can give me of it in the 1950's. I am trying to trace anyone who worked there, or relatives of anyone who worked there. My gran died there in 1956, unfortunately my father was adopted at birth, so never knew his mother. I am trying to build up a picture of her life with the very limited details I currently have. Also I would like to know if any admission records, patient notes etc still exist and if so where I would be able to find them.

Thanks

Banstead Residential School, Fir Tree Road

I was at the school from 1929/1939. My name is Stanley Thomas, I would like to be in touch with anyone who was there at the same time. When the Second World War broke out we were evacuated to Reigate, Surrey. I remember Reginald Boulton, David Seeley, William Lee, Cyril Seeley. If any of you are still about, please get in touch.  The head master was C L G Raynor, the house mother was a Mrs Bell of C Cottage. I now live in West Sussex. My e-mail address is classicnats@talktalk.net    Phone 01903877106.

banstead station

I well remember Banstead station in the 1950's. I used it to go to school in Wallington from 1953 to 1959 and then to go to College and then to work in London. At this time I lived in Nork and of course in those days the trains were all steam trains. My father used to go to work by train in the 1940's and always said that at 8.00am , standing on the platform waiting for the London Bridge train, you could hear a nightingale sing. Sadly as the station became busier, this ceased, but it was always one of his abiding memories of Banstead Sation.

Catching a train

After visiting my aunt and uncle who were the Matron and Superintendant of the Banstead Residential School, which was adjacent to the railway line, my mother and I would hasten along to the station to begin our journey home. If a train was drawing into the station on the way towards London mother would call down to the station staff on the platform, which was well below the footpath, and the train would be held until puffing and out of breath we could continue to the station and run down the stairs. What a service. Today the staff would strain to keep to the timetable!

The schools have long since been demolished and a housing estate has taken their place.

Banstead War Memorial in its original position

This card shows the Banstead War Memorial before it was moved to its current positition in the 1990s.

Sutton Lane was very narrow in earlier times and conductors used to have to get off the bus to check that there was not another one coming the other way. Often the buses had a hard time coming up the hill from Sutton and an old watering can was kept by the Woolpack to enable the driver to top up the radiator.

If you would like to know more about the history of Banstead, check out the Banstead History Research Group website. You will also find an ongoing project to research the history of the memorial and the stories of the men listed on it.

I would particularly like to find any information about the rededication of the memorial after WWll. Please contact me via this site or the Webmaster link on the  BHRG web site.
Thank you.

Moving of the war memorial

Note in this photo that the war memorial has been moved back and the wall lowered. Flats have been built on the Banstead house site. You could always see the green houses over the high wall from the top of the 164a bus. The corner shop, which I think used to be a bakery (top left) has gone and the road widened. The bus always used to mount the curb on this corner when turning towards the downs and Greenacre school roundabout.

Bassett House

The large oblong building on the left was Bassett House of which the ground floor was Waitrose. The Bassett Family lived at Hunters Lodge, Banstead and the three children grew up to represent England. Sheena in running and swimming marathons and Pippa and Karen won bronze medals for the British team in the horse four in hand World Driving trials They are both short listed for this years team [2006] and Karen is the leading lady driver in GB and the World.

Opposite the school

Does anyone else remember the chain railings and posts, painted black and white around the green in front of these shops? I used to jump over them as a small child. They enclosed all the grass area.