Redhill
Redhill maps (2 available)
Map of Surrey
Beautifully hand-drawn and coloured, dating from around 1840
Personalised maps
Create an historic map centred directly on any postcode!
Redhill books (32 available)
- 64 photos on Redhill appear in 5 Frith books - View photos of Redhill
- Read extracts and see photos from these books on Redhill and Surrey
Redhill memories
Read and share memories of Redhill and Surrey inspired by Frith photos
Redhill, 1963-1989 and Shaws Corner!
I was born in Redhill General Hospital in 1963 and lived in Redhill until 1989 when I moved to Crawley and got married. I went to St Matthews School in Station Road, then Springvale finally St Bedes (for one year it was Bishop Simpsons)
I visit Redhill now and then and am sad to see what a dump it has become. All the great buildings have gone only to be replaced by modern architecture. Theres no character now. I remember the old Odeon cinema, Rhythms and Cloakes the record shops, the Market Hall, Pendreds clothes shop (I wonder how much I spent there!!!) I used to go to St Matthews disco on a Sunday night and the Noke Drive youth club ...read more here
Contributed by Lin Pugh
Redhill 1970''s and 1980''s
I have lived in the Redhill area since I was born in 1969 at Redhill General Hospital- which now like most of the original town has since been demolished. I lived in Colman Way and spent my school days at Wray Common First and Middle Schools before attending secondary school at St Bedes before leaving in 1985. I was also a member of the local Sea Cadets based at T.S. Ark Royal in Hooley Lane which I enjoyed immensely (in fact my daughter now attends). I then went on to full time employment at Foxboro Yoxall-based in Wiggie Lane (great place to work!), unfortunately the firm closed down in 1990 resulting in everyone being made redundant. As a child I can ...read more here
Contributed by Barry Watts
Redhill, 1970's
I was brought up in Redhill from 1969 to 1983. Was known as Kay Trevillion then. Redhill has changed so much since those days, what a shame!!! I now live in West Sussex. Left Redhill area when I was about 15, but still attended Redstone School, Noke Drive until age 16. Used to travel from Horley to Redhill every day by train to attend the school. Went to Earlswood First, then Brambletye Middle, then on to Redstone. Attended Redhill Tech College, which was at Gatton Point. Nice to see T.S. Ark Royal is still there. I have fond memories of buying my records at Rhythum Record Store on a Saturday. Earslwood Lakes was another favourite, especially in the summer (when they ...read more here
Contributed by kay dorman
Working in the Rhythm record shop
Hello everybody!
I am Graham Cross - I used to work in the record shop 'RHYTHM Agencies' of Redhill (1961- 68, I started at 16 yrs old) as a musical instrument repairer and l also served in the radio & TV department whilst helping out in the downstairs Record part, more towards the end of the decade. I was the tall one, dark brown hair - towards the end I had a gingery beard - and sometimes played the Hammond Organ in the window of TVs and guitars. I had a friend who worked round the corner in Currys who was an organist/keyboard player...Roy Lynes who went on to be the keyboards in the STATUS QUO!!!! I used to go to ...read more here
Contributed by Graham Cross
Born in 1941- Redhill a wonderful place to have grown up.
I was born and raised in Redhill. It was a wonderful childhood and many great memories. I was born in 1941 at Thornton House. We lived on Ladbroke Road, and remember the fish and chip shop, Mrs Fentons Store, and Mr.Winchesters shoe repair. I attended St. Matthews School then attended Frenches Secondary School, then to Pitmans College in Croydon. After school I worked for the Federation Mutual Insurance Co, the Monotype and Zonal Films which was located on Wiggy Lane. We spent so many hours at the Redhill Swimming Baths, and had a ball.
I moved to the US in 1961. When I returned to Redhill, Oh what changes. So many of the childhood things ...read more here
Contributed by Nadine Campbell
Saturday Nights
What memories this building holds. It gave the opportunity for a lot of teenagers to have their first Saturday night outs. It usually cost 1s 6d entrance fee unless there was a fairly well known group appearing that night then it was 2s 6d. I attended Redhill Tech (my surname then was Watts) and worked on a Saturday in Woolies on the sweet counter and most of the day was spent chatting to various friends who used to come in and there would be great excitement in waiting for the evening to arrive.
I would rush home, wolf down some tea and then spend about 2 hours trying on outfits, usually wearing the first dress that I had put on. It ...read more here
Contributed by Sue Hoyland
Redhill General Hospital
The picture is of the old East Surrey Hospital and I can remember my mother being an in patient there for many weeks around 1954--- as children we were not allowed in to the wards and I can remember waving to my Mum through a window.
I did my nurse training at Redhill General-- starting as a pre nursing student in 1965 and qualifying in 1970. We went between the two sites -- the other one being Smallfield Hospital in Horley which was an old war time hospital. I trained in the days when every hospital had a Matron and there was very strict discipline. we wore starched caps and aprons and the stiff collars were very uncomforable. ...read more here
Contributed by Sally Pashby
Extracts From Redhill & Surrey books
Constructed on boggy, rough moorland in 1860, the foundations for this building required deep excavation. With the east and west wings added in 1891 and 1903, the building housed a post office, the county court and the headquarters of various societies, with the market in fields behind. After twenty-five years of argument, it was finally demolished in the early 1980s, and replaced by the Warwick Quadrant shopping mall, library and civic theatre.
An extract from from"Surrey Revisited Photographic Memories".
This bustling scene of Redhill's High Street, now a pedestrian precinct, captures the brash, commercial spirit of this town, which developed after the arrival of the railway in 1841. The welter of advertising and shop display signs along the left-hand side of the street bear close examination. Cross's Drug Store makes a feature of its sale of Bovril and teeth. The chain store grocery International Stores were prominent across the Home Counties into the middle of the century, and the Empress Tea Stores has a roof-top sign advertising the well-known brand of Maypole tea.
An extract from from"Surrey Revisited Photographic Memories".
Redhill grew from nothing after the
building of the London to Brighton
road in 1807 and the railway in 1841.
Thus in the 1950s the town has a
mainly Victorian character, although
not a very distinguished one. This view
of the High Street, looking south from
the Station Road crossroads, changed
dramatically when the M23 and M25
by-passed the town; much has been
pedestrianised and demolished.
Fortunately the Wheatsheaf of 1900
on the right survives as an O’Neills
pub, and so does the former Burton’s
on the opposite corner, but most of
the right-hand buildings have gone for
the Belfry Shopping Centre.
An extract from from"Surrey Living Memories".
Moving west, the route passes through
Merstham, a village of two parts: the older
part lies west of the railway, and to its east is
a large former London County Council
housing estate of the 1950s, now with the
vast M25/M23 junction nearby. Frith’s
photographer has wisely turned his camera
on the old village. This view looks north
along the High Street, which curves to the
right; the cottages beyond Merstham Garage
are in Quality Street. The main loss in this
view is the gabled stone hall on the right,
while the garage has been rebuilt, still
retaining the 1796 cottage.
An extract from from"Surrey Living Memories".
The Corner Shop and
Station Parade Post Office
still provides an invaluable
service to residents and
passers-by, but an extension
has been built on to the end
wall for Saab who also trade
from the garage premises
shown here. George Jones
commenced running The
Corner Shop in 1966 with his
wife, Pat.
An extract from from"Coulsdon, Chipstead and Woodmansterne Photographic Memories".