Memories of Dorking

Not so much traffic then.

The photo was taken from the railway bridge and the new dual carriageway was only a year or two old. Round to the right opposite Deepdene Garage was Fairfield Drive and what a lovely area it was to be growing up in. We lived at no 4, the Parsons at no 6 and the Skiltons at no 8 or 10, the Barrows were no 8 or 10, but it was many years ago. The road was full of baby boomers. The Cooke twins lived at no 26  and the Chatfields at no 54. All this was in the 1950s and until the early 1960s. We had a stream to play in (which now runs under flats), there was Bonfire Night on the waste ground with the torch procession round the drive. We moved to a posher Yew Tree Road in 1963.  Hedges each side and now 16 years old and everything changed, but I still have photos of the first car, a little tin pedal job, and tea parties in the garden at Fairfield Drive. Was anyone else there at that time?

Working for British Railway's southern region

My mother, Valerie Evans, worked for British Railways southern region from 1957 -1960 at Deepdene House. She was a shorthand typist and remembers Deepdene House to be a beautiful building with extensive grounds. She has happy memories of friends in the typing pool.
The building hadn't changed much since 1891 although I don't believe there was a conservatory in 1957.  During her lunch breaks she would play tennis, table tennis and netball or just sit out on the grass and enjoy the scenery.

Pepsi-Cola and Merry Legs

These two ponies belonged to Dorking Riding School and they were popular characters with gentle dispositions. They retired in 1963 to good homes. Pepsi-Cola is in the foreground. I was a groom at the stables and regularly rode them around the area.