Reigate

See also: Reigate (UK Parliament constituency)

Reigate
Reigate Heath Windmill
Reigate  Reigate shown within Surrey
Population	21,820
OS grid reference	TQ2649
District	Reigate and Banstead
Shire county	Surrey
Region	South East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	REIGATE
Postcode district	RH2
Dialling code	01737
Police	Surrey
Fire	Surrey
Ambulance	South East Coast
EU Parliament	South East England
UK Parliament	Reigate
List of places: UK • England • Surrey

Reigate ( /ˈraɪɡeɪt/) is a historic market town in Surrey, England, at the foot of the North Downs, and in the London commuter belt. It is one of the main constituents of the Borough of Reigate and Banstead. Reigate and the adjacent town of Redhill form a single urban subdivision of the Crawley Urban Area.

Colley Hill, one mile (1.6 km) north of Reigate, is the sixth highest point in Surrey at 756 feet (230 m). Reigate Hill, 2.5 miles (4.0 km) to the east of Colley Hill, is the seventh highest point in Surrey at 723 feet (220 m).

History

Kiln fire channel

There are neolithic flint mines on the ridge of the North Downs above Reigate. The Bronze Age barrows on Reigate Heath indicate there was ancient settlement in the area. A Bronze Age spearhead was recovered on Park Hill in Reigate Priory Park. In 2004 a circa 92 AD Roman tile kiln (pictured left) was recovered from the grounds of Rosehill in Doods Way, Reigate. Tiles on the Rosehill site were first discovered in the 1880s. The tiles would have been used for important buildings in the area. The Rosehill find is also the oldest recorded use of Reigate Stone (Upper Greensand) for "ashlar masonry work".

The town lay within the Reigate hundred, an Anglo-Saxon administrative division. Reigate appears in Domesday Book in 1086 as Cherchefelle which appears to mean 'the open space by the hill'. (The name has nothing to do with the church and the element Cherche is a later corruption). It was held by William the Conqueror as successor to king Harold's widow Editha. Its Domesday assets were: 34 hides. It had 2 mills worth 11s 10s, 29 ploughs, 12 acres (49,000 m²) of meadow, pannage and herbage worth 183 hogs. It rendered £40.

Castle

The earlier site was located, at least in part, in what is now the Church Street area of Reigate, close to the church. Part of the site was excavated in the 1990s. It was shown that the settlement moved during the earlier part of the 12th century when the present new town was formed. William I granted the land around Reigate to one of his supporters, William de Warenne, who was created Earl of Surrey in 1088. It is believed that his son, William de Warenne, 2nd Earl of Surrey, ordered that Reigate Castle be built, although the de Warennes had their southern base in Lewes, Sussex, as well as castles in Yorkshire and Normandy. Around 1150 the Earl de Warenne set out a new town below the castle. This town forms the basis of modern-day Reigate. Little is known of the Castle which has never been excavated on any great scale. Local legend says prior to the signing of the Magna Carta, the rebellious barons met to hammer out the details of the document in the extensive caves beneath the castle. The story however has no truth to it. The castle later fell into decay and the remains demolished at the end of the 17th century, though the grounds remain as a public garden, and the caves are occasionally opened for tours.

The origin of the name Reigate is uncertain, but appears to derive from Roe-deer Gate, as the town was situated near to the entrance to the de Warenne's deer park

The medieval town is centred on a north—south road of some antiquity as it incorporates the pre-Conquest road pattern. The story of the Pilgrim's Way passing through Reigate is a myth, although in the 13th century a chapel to St Thomas was built in the town centre for their use.

Areas of the town have been the subject of extensive archaeological investigation. Bell Street was certainly in existence by the middle of the 12th century and Mesolithic implements have been found here. Much of the High Street appears to be slightly later although there appear to have been buildings along the south side of the Street near to the junction with Bell Street by the 13th century at the latest. The market place was originally around Slipshoe Street, at the junction of West Street, but became encroached upon by infilled houses and it was moved to the east end of the High Street by the end of the 16th century. The results of much of this work has been published; many of the finds are held in the museum of the Holmesdale Natural History Club in Croydon Road.

Probably early in the 13th century Reigate Priory was founded for regular Canons of the Order of St Augustine although it was strictly speaking the Hospital of the Crutched Friars - a suborder. After the dissolution of the monasteries in 1535 the estate was granted by Henry VIII to William Howard, 1st Baron Howard of Effingham, who soon converted the Priory buildings into a residence. The Effingham branch of the Howard family, including the Earl of Nottingham who as Lord High Admiral commanded the force which defeated the Spanish Armada, lived there until their heirs sold it to the wealthy London brewer, John Parsons in 1681. Remains of the former monastery buildings are known to lie beneath the lawns to the south of the present mainly 18th century house, which is now used as a school.

The town developed a large trade in oatmeal during the 16th century but this had ceased by about 1720. There was a noted tannery at Linkfield Street which was expanded in the 19th century. It burnt down about 1930.

The coming of the Brighton railway in 1841 led to a rapid expansion of the parish, concentrated around the railway station in an area that was previously uninhabited.

The old (non corporate) Borough of Reigate (roughly the town centre of Reigate) elected two MPs until the Reform Act of 1832 when it lost one. Further amendments to the electoral boundary occurred. In 1863, the whole parish was formally incorporated as the Borough of Reigate with Thomas Dann as its first Mayor.

Reigate has two windmills: the Post mill at Reigate Heath and the tower mill at Wray Common. Previously there had been about a dozen animal powered mills for making oatmeal as well as several water and windmills. Reigate is also the setting for the Sherlock Holmes short story The Adventure of the Reigate Squire, also known as The Adventure of the Reigate Squires and The Adventure of the Reigate Puzzle. It is one of 12 stories featured in The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle expressed it to be his 12th favourite Sherlock Holmes story.

Modern day Reigate

In Reigate town centre, there are many shops, bars, and restaurants. Most of the shops are smaller independently owned boutiques. Unusually, the town still has a small toy shop nestled among the coffee shops and charity shops. Due to the wealth of the area many designer labels can be picked out from the charity shops. Although there are two supermarkets in Reigate, Morrisons (formerly Safeway), and M&S, the town still manages to keep hold of a village feel.

There are 9 bars within the shopping area offering a very different atmosphere in each establishment all of which are very welcoming and very popular on weekends. Eating out in Reigate is excellent with everything on offer from pizza, tapas, Indian cuisine, Thai curry, Nepalese, French and even a celebrity chef, Tony Tobin, offering the finest English food for miles around.

The most popular park in Reigate is the Priory Park, which is located behind the High Street, adjacent to Bell Street. It has a massive enclosed area for smaller children as well as football fields, tennis courts, a skatepark, a huge wooded area and a serene lake with an abundance of wildlife.

Travel

• Reigate is served by Reigate railway station. During peak times direct trains run to London Victoria and also London Bridge in 40 minutes. Off peak trains run to Gatwick Airport, Reading, Redhill and London Bridge (cut back from London Charing Cross in the December 2009 timetable). Trains to London are run by the (New) Southern Railway company & those to Gatwick Airport & Reading by First Great Western.
• Reigate is a few minutes from Junction 8 of the London orbital motorway M25. The town's one-way system includes parts of the A25 and the A217.

Economy

At one time the airline Air Europe had its head office in the Europe House in Reigate. Redland plc the FTSE 100 building materials company was headquartered in Reigate prior to its acquisition by Lafarge. The insurance company Esure is now located in the former Redland headquarters, the Redland brick sculpture remains in front of the building.

Sport

Reigate is home to Old Reigatians Rugby Football Club located on Park Lane just off the main high street.

Famous residents

• Ray Alan, ventriloquist, and Lord Charles lived their final years in Reigate.
• George Best, Manchester United and Northern Ireland football player lived his last years near Reigate.
• Roger Bisby, Journalist, television presenter and radio personality.
• Hermann Bondi, the Austrian Physicist and mathematician lived in Reigate in the 1970s.
• Charlie, a parrot whose owner claims was taught by Sir Winston Churchill to curse Adolf Hitler
• Tom and Max Chilton, racing drivers, born and live in Reigate.
• James Cudworth, Locomotive Superintendent to the South Eastern Railway lived in Reigate from c1879 to 1899.
• Bob Doe- Royal Air Force Wing Commander
• Norman Cook, DJ was born in Reigate and attended Reigate Grammar School.
• Newton Faulkner, songwriter and musician, was born here.
• Dame Margot Fonteyn, ballet dancer, was born here.
• Francis Frith, the prolific photographer, lived here.
• Susan Gritton, opera singer, was born here in 1965.
• Melvyn Hayes aka Gloria in It Ain't Half Hot Mum was a resident of Glovers Road.
• Kate Maberly, actress and star of the 1993 feature film The Secret Garden, was born here and attended Dunottar School
• Ian McKay (formerly Laidlaw), art critic, writer and publisher, lived here and attended Reigate School of Art & Design.
• Ray Mears, survival expert, studied at Reigate Grammar School.
• Jean Metcalfe, broadcaster
• Cliff Michelmore, broadcaster
• Spike Milligan, writer and comedian, used to live in Woodhatch in Orchard Way.
• Alan Minter, the former Undisputed World Middleweight boxing champion, currently lives in Reigate.
• Nicholas Owen, BBC News presenter, currently lives in Reigate.
• Samuel Palmer, visionary British artist, is buried in Reigate St Mary's churchyard, having lived in Reigate from about 1860-1862.
• Pat Pocock, former England and Surrey cricketer, currently lives in Reigate.
• André Previn and his then wife Mia Farrow, used to live in Leigh in the early 1980s.
• Caroline Quentin, actress, was born in Reigate.
• Mike Sammes, of the Mike Sammes Singers was born in the town and educated at Reigate Grammar School
• Richard Thomas, the former Information Commissioner currently lives in Reigate
• David Walliams, writer and star of the Little Britain comedy series attended Reigate Grammar School

Education

Secondary

• Reigate College (Sixth form college)
• Reigate Grammar School (Secondary school)
• Reigate School (Secondary school)
• The Royal Alexandra and Albert School (Secondary school)
• Dunottar School (Girls' secondary school)

Primary

• Dovers Green Infant School (Infant school)
• Holmesdale Community Infant School (Infant school)
• Orchards Infant School (Infant school)
• Reigate Parish Church School (Infant school)
• Reigate Priory School (Junior school)
• Reigate St. Mary's School (Prep school)
• Sandcross School (Junior school)
• Wray Common Primary School (Primary school)

Other

• Reigate School of Art and Design

Places of Worship

Reigate has several churches. St Mary's Parish Church is located in Chart Lane to the East of the town with its chapel of ease St. Cross in the windmill on Reigate Heath. Reigate Methodist church is located in the town centre. Reigate Baptist, Reigate Park URC, Sandcross Church, and Reigate and Redhill Community Church are slightly further out. The Holy Family Catholic Church is the only Catholic Church in Reigate. The Religious Society of Friends have a meeting house on Reigate Road (Thomas Moore House)

See also

• London Defence Positions

References

• W. Hooper. Reigate; its story through the ages. 1945
• J. Greenwood. Turnpikes and the economy: the case of Reigate

External links

• Reigate - 1911 Encyclopædia article
• Reigate Society
• ReigateandRedhill.co.uk - Reigate information
• Reigate Roman tile kiln excavation