Nostalgic memories of Reigate's local history
Share your own memories of Reigate and read what others have said
For many years now, we've been inviting visitors to our web site to add their own memories to share their experiences of life as it was when the photographs in our archive were taken. From brief one-liners explaining a little bit more about the image depicted, to great, in-depth accounts of a childhood when things were rather different than today (and everything inbetween!). We've had many contributors recognising themselves or loved ones in our photographs.
Why not add your memory today and become part of our Memories Community to help others in the future delve back into their past.
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Displaying Memories 21 - 30 of 44 in total
I remember this restaurant well, my mother used to work there as a waitress part time. In 1950 when I was six years old, after school finished in Holmsdale Road I would often walk to the Dinner Gong to meet her and we would go into the Priory park before walking back to our house in Deerings Road. The Dinner Gong later became a very classy Chinese Restuarant, the food was really superb, and I used to eat there a lot in my late teenage years and early twentys.
The Hippodrome Cinema is the second premises on the right hand side of the picture. From the age of 11 (1955) I would go to this cinema with friends to see the latest small budget films, the more popular films would be shown at the Majestic Cinema in Bancroft Road. Bancroft Road starts on the right of this picture, you can make out the curve of the pavement in the picture marking the start of Bancroft Road.
I was born at No 26 Nutley Lane in 1937. Surname then was Bashford.
Doing my family tree I found there were a lot of Bashfords and Wares living in that road. Bashford being my father's side and the Wares my mother's side.
Have no actual memory of living there but nice to see a photo of where I started out.
Thank you.
I was born at the top of Reigate Hill (Mogador) and would catch the 406 bus every Saturday night to watch the latest films at the MAJESTIC cinema.
We would visit most of the local pubs in the area - Market / the Bell / The Queens /
The Sultan (this was opposite the Co Op), there was also the South Eastern, and the Locomotive' The Home Cottage we never used.
My girl friends father was George Pearman who was ...see more
This photo is of the shops in Western Parade, Woodhatch, Reigate. Also in the picture, partially obscured by the trees, is The Angel public house. Woodhatch is a suburb of Reigate, about 2 miles due south from the town centre and separated from Reigate by the "Infamous" Cockshot Hill. In the early fifties cars would break down regularly in the summer on Cockshot Hill due to over heating, most cars did ...see more
On the right is Rushworth Road. When I joined WH Newson they occupied the land that is now the Canon office and Homebase. Newson's was a timber merchants with sheds full of timber, boards, fencing products etc.. Customers would come in, see one of the staff who'd accompany them to the yard and start collecting their items.
I'd just left Reigate Grammar and was living in Raglan Close with my parents. We used to drink ...see more
Closer view of my last school. This photo is from 1955, the first year I went there and it took me about 18 months to settle in! After that the sense of freedom I had from being in such great surroundings was very inspiring! I was really quite sad to leave in 1960.
Reigate Priory County Secondary School to give it it's full name was my last full time school. I went here at 11 and stayed untill the summer of 1960 when I turned 16. The fields in front of the school were, and still are, part of the public park that surrounds the school. There were three football pitches in the winter and two cricket pitches in the summer. The school had playing fields, also open to the public, ...see more
I had lots of friends to play with up on the green and also the woods where we used to ride our push bikes or swing on the big rope swing over the sandy bank. I even fell off and broke my arm. I also broke my jaw falling out of a tree on the green at the top of the road. We also had two shops at the bottom of the road, Cornfield Stores, run by a man called Fred, on the other side was Portmans. There ...see more
In the 1960s I used to hurry down Nutley Lane each morning to my job as telephonist at WTC, which was situated a few road away at the distal end of Nutley Lane and has long since disappeared. WTC was a thriving, example of local industry in the area, producing biscuits and fruit squashes, alcoholic beverages and many more products of which I dont recall now. The offices were situated in a lovely old building ...see more