Childhood Memories

A Memory of Redhill.

How lovely to read all these memories and what a lot I had forgotten over the years!
I too, was born in Thornton House (1951) in Warwick Toad, I never realised that it used to be a school. In later years it was turned into flats and I returned there to visit my Great Aunt. We lived in Alpine Road, a few doors down from where Ronnie Biggs (Great Train Robber) had lived, then in 1956 we moved to Westway Gardens.

I attended Frenches Infant School,(now being turned into flats), Merstham Primary (where we were taught Scottish Dancing by Doris Cox) and then Bishop Simpsons.

I also learnt to swim at the Redhill Baths. I remember queuing on a Saturday and to relieve the boredom of what seemed a long wait to go in, we all used to scrape away at the wall outside with our sixpences, until it looked like it had been attacked by giant boring worms!

I also remember those awful cardboard boxes to put your clothes in which always seemed to range from being damp to wet.

What struck me most looking at the old photos is not only the loss of some lovely old buildings, replaced by nondescript office blocks, but the absence of traffic. We were so lucky in the 1950/60s, that we could roam anywhere, still play in the roads and had plenty of open spaces. One of our favourite games was to take our homemade go-carts and see who could go the furthest and the fastest down Rocky Lane at Gatton before they crashed (no brakes!). Not to be recommended nowadays, as it is a 'rat-run' for the M25.

Another memory that I recall, was a line of elephants trooping down Redstone Hill and under the railway bridge, to advertise a circus in the area.

When it came to 'teen times', Pendereds was THE place to shop. Robert Pendered ran the Boutique and his brother John the other shop which catered more for the mums. I started work in 1969 and with my first wages bought a three piece suit consisting of trousers, skirt and matching jacket all for the grand sum of £30! Many's the time I had to smuggle Pendered's bags home so that my mother wouldn't see I had been buying more clothes.

Does anybody remember the Fish and Chip shop along Frenches Road? It was run by Dench and you could smell it from half a mile away! I don't think the oil for frying had ever been changed in years and usually when you went in you just heard his voice as you couldn't see him through the fugg. But you did get a large bag of chips and a pickle onion for tuppence! The shop is still there, but has been derelict for years.

Happy memories!

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