Redhill is located about 2 miles east of Reigate town centre and 20 miles south of London. It embraces three ecclesiastical parishes, namely, St John's formed in 1844 which serves Earlswood, St John's and Meadvale, St Matthew's formed in 1867 and Holy Trinity formed in 1907 both of which serve Redhill town and adjacent areas.
Redhill - The High Street, 1906
Reproduced courtesy of The Francis Frith Collection
Prior to the coming of the railways, the local scene where Redhill stands today was a quiet rural backwater, with the low lying parts mostly bog land and higher levels mainly used for growing cereal crops. The area was divided into sub-manors of Reigate which included Linkfield, Frenches, Redstone and Hooley. Small hamlets existed around Linkfield Street; Linkfield Lane and Wiggie. The oldest public house was the White Lion in Linkfield Street. The London to Brighton road constructed c.1818 resulted in rapid development around Warwick Road and North Street, which became known as Warwick Town.
With the building of the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (circa 1840), Redhill developed rapidly as a sub-district to Reigate. The railway provided the opportunity for people to move into the countryside and commute to their work in the city. The station was known as Reigate until 1849 when a branch line was built linking Redhill, Reigate, Guildford and Reading. It was then known as Reigate Junction until 1858 and then as Redhill Junction, becoming Redhill in 1929. Station Road intersected by the London to Brighton road became the main shopping areas of the town and by 1901 the population of Redhill had increased to 26,000.
Key buildings and sites
- Redhill Market Hall (1860)*
- St Anne’s School (1884)*
- St Matthew's Church (1867)
- St John’s Church*
- Philanthropic Society Farm School (1849)*
- St Joseph's Roman Catholic School*
- St John’s School*
- Provincial Police Orphanage (1901)*
- Redhill Technical School (1895)
- Royal Earlswood Mental Hospital (1856)
- Fullers Earth
- Reigate & Redhill Hospital (1910)
- Fire Station *
- Colman Institute*
- Water Company*
- Local Telephone Service*
- Holy Trinity Church*
- Police Force*
- London Road *
- Redhill High Street*
- Union Workhouse
- Post Office*
Items with an asterisk * can be viewed on Alan Moore’s website listed below.
Further Information
Search for records related to Redhill on this website
- Redhill Centre for Local & Family History www.surreycc.gov.uk/redhilllocalhistory
- Alan Moore’s local history website http://redhill-reigate-history.co.uk/index.htm
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