Redhill () is a
town
A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city.
The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...
in the borough of
Reigate and Banstead
Reigate and Banstead is a local government district with borough status in Surrey, England. Its council is based in Reigate and the borough also includes the towns of Banstead, Horley and Redhill. Parts of the borough are within the Surrey ...
within the county of
Surrey
Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...
, England. The town, which adjoins the town of
Reigate
Reigate ( ) is a town status in the United Kingdom, town in Surrey, England, around south of central London. The settlement is recorded in Domesday Book of 1086 as ''Cherchefelle'', and first appears with its modern name in the 1190s. The ea ...
to the west, is due south of
Croydon
Croydon is a large town in South London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a Districts of England, local government district of Greater London; it is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater Lond ...
in
Greater London
Greater London is an administrative area in England, coterminous with the London region, containing most of the continuous urban area of London. It contains 33 local government districts: the 32 London boroughs, which form a Ceremonial count ...
, and is part of the
London commuter belt. The town is also the
post town
A post town is a required part of all postal addresses in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, Ireland, and a basic unit of the postal delivery system.Royal Mail, ''Address Management Guide'', (2004) Including the correct post town in t ...
, entertainment and commercial area of three adjoining communities :
Merstham
Merstham is a town in the borough of Reigate and Banstead in Surrey, England. It lies 17 miles south of Charing Cross just beyond the Greater London border. Part of the North Downs Way runs along the northern boundary of the town. Merstham has ...
,
Earlswood and
Whitebushes, as well as of two small rural villages to the east in the
Tandridge District
Tandridge is a local government district in east Surrey, England. Its council is based in Oxted, although the largest settlement is Caterham; other notable settlements include Warlingham, Godstone and Lingfield. In mid-2019, the district had a ...
,
Bletchingley and
Nutfield.
The town is situated on the junction of the north–south
A23 (
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
to
Brighton
Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London.
Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...
) road, and the east–west
A25 road which runs from
Guildford
Guildford () is a town in west Surrey, England, around south-west of central London. As of the 2011 census, the town has a population of about 77,000 and is the seat of the wider Borough of Guildford, which had around inhabitants in . The nam ...
through to
Sevenoaks
Sevenoaks is a town in Kent with a population of 29,506, situated south-east of London, England. Also classified as a civil parishes in England, civil parish, Sevenoaks is served by a commuter South Eastern Main Line, main line railway into Lo ...
. It is also on the railway junction, served by
Redhill railway station, of the
Brighton Main Line
The Brighton Main Line is a railway line in southern England linking London to Brighton. It starts at two termini in the capital, and , and the branches from each meet at , from where the route continues southwards via to the coast. The line ...
,
North-Downs line, and
Redhill-Tonbridge line.
Geography
Redhill is located within the
Weald Basin, and the
Weald-Artois Anticline. The town is situated in the east–west lying
Vale of Holmesdale at a place where there is a natural water-cut gap in the
Greensand Ridge
The Greensand Ridge, also known as the Wealden Greensand, is an extensive, prominent, often wooded, mixed greensand/sandstone escarpment in south-east England. Forming part of the Weald, a former dense forest in Sussex, Surrey and Kent, it ...
, which connects the town with the low-lying land of the
Low Weald to the south. Today the Redhill Brook runs through the gap in the Greensand Ridge on its way to join the
Salfords Stream and the
River Mole to the south. (The brook is now mainly culverted through the town centre: it enters a culvert behind Redhill station and briefly reappears in town at the Halford's car park, before emerging as a free-running stream again in
Earlswood). The gap through the Greensand Ridge provides a way south for the
London to Brighton railway and the
A23 road
The A23 road is a major road in the United Kingdom between London and Brighton, East Sussex, England. It is managed by Transport for London for the section inside the Greater London boundary, Surrey County Council and West Sussex County C ...
.
Gatwick airport
Gatwick Airport , also known as London Gatwick Airport (), is the Airports of London, secondary international airport serving London, West Sussex and Surrey. It is located near Crawley in West Sussex, south of Central London. In 2024, Gatwic ...
is also nearby 7 miles south of the town. The housing of the town is built in the Vale of Holmesdale, and on the hillsides of the two ends of the Greensand Ridge (Redstone Hill and the hillside of Redhill Common), and on the flat of the water-cut gap in between.
To the north, the town joins with the village of
Merstham
Merstham is a town in the borough of Reigate and Banstead in Surrey, England. It lies 17 miles south of Charing Cross just beyond the Greater London border. Part of the North Downs Way runs along the northern boundary of the town. Merstham has ...
, north of which there is a "wind gap" in the
chalk
Chalk is a soft, white, porous, sedimentary carbonate rock. It is a form of limestone composed of the mineral calcite and originally formed deep under the sea by the compression of microscopic plankton that had settled to the sea floor. Ch ...
hills of the North Downs, at an elevation of above sea level, through which the A23 road heads in from London. Geologists have speculated that there may once have been a
consequent-flowing river, flowing northwards from the centre of the Weald-Artois Anticline and towards the
River Thames
The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, s ...
, which originally cut both the Redhill Gap in the Greensand Ridge and the Merstham Gap in the chalk hills of the North Downs, before its waters were caught by
subsequent streams of the River Mole (which itself cuts gaps northwards through the ridge at
Betchworth
Betchworth is a village and civil parish in the Mole Valley district of Surrey, England. The village centre is on the north bank of the River Mole and south of the A25 road, almost east of Dorking and west of Reigate. London is north of the ...
, and through the Downs at
Dorking
Dorking () is a market town in Surrey in South East England about south-west of London. It is in Mole Valley, Mole Valley District and the non-metropolitan district, council headquarters are to the east of the centre. The High Street runs ro ...
, on its way to the Thames). Today the whole Redhill area is part of the catchment area of the River Mole, and hence the Thames.
The east–west running road the
A25, approaches Redhill from the east along the elevated Greensand Ridge from
Nutfield, and proceeds westward from Redhill along the Vale of Holmesdale towards
Reigate
Reigate ( ) is a town status in the United Kingdom, town in Surrey, England, around south of central London. The settlement is recorded in Domesday Book of 1086 as ''Cherchefelle'', and first appears with its modern name in the 1190s. The ea ...
and Dorking.
To the immediate north-east of the town are The Moors nature reserve and the large 2010–2012 (
mid and low-rise) Watercolour housing development, comprising of lakes, paths and wildlife habitat managed by the Surrey Wildlife Trust.
Redhill is one of the few places in the UK where
fuller's earth
Fuller's earth is a term for various clays used as an absorbent, filter, or bleaching agent. Products labeled fuller's earth typically consist of palygorskite (also known as attapulgite) or bentonite. Primary modern uses include as absorbents ...
can be extracted, though production ceased in 2000. Sand used to mined from a quarry in what is now
Mercers Lake in Merstham.
History
A settlement was formed here in part of the rural parishes of
Reigate
Reigate ( ) is a town status in the United Kingdom, town in Surrey, England, around south of central London. The settlement is recorded in Domesday Book of 1086 as ''Cherchefelle'', and first appears with its modern name in the 1190s. The ea ...
Foreign and Merstham when a
turnpike road was built in 1818.
The
London-Brighton road passed through the Merstham Gap in the North Downs,
[The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland, 1868. Much of the road was built on the course of a Roman road.] and the Redhill Gap in the Greensand Ridge. The settlement was originally known as "Warwick Town" after Warwick Road, and became known as Redhill when the post office moved from Red Hill Common in the south-west of the town in 1856.
A major factor in the development of the town was the coming of the railways. The gap through the Greensand Ridge at Redhill was a major advantage for routing a railway from London to Brighton. A railway station opened in Redhill on 12 July 1841, after the
London and Brighton Railway created a rail line by excavating the first of
two rail tunnels under the North Downs at Merstham. Another railway station at Redhill followed on 26 May 1842, located on the
South Eastern Railway's London to
Dover
Dover ( ) is a town and major ferry port in Kent, southeast England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies southeast of Canterbury and east of Maidstone. ...
to line, which branched off the original line south of the Merstham tunnel. Then on 15 April 1844 both these two stations were closed, as a new combined station was opened at the junction that same day, serving both railways, at the site of the
present station. In 1849 a branch line to Reigate was added.
St John the Evangelist
John the Evangelist ( – ) is the name traditionally given to the author of the Gospel of John. Christians have traditionally identified him with John the Apostle, John of Patmos, and John the Presbyter, although there is no consensus on h ...
, built in 1843, was the first of Redhill's three Anglican parish churches. The parish originally stretched from
Gatton in the north to
Sidlow in the south.
Richard Carrington, an
amateur astronomer, moved to Redhill in 1852, and built a house and observatory. Dome Way, where one of Redhill's two tower block stands, is named after it. The site suited an isolated observatory, being on a spur of high ground surrounded by lower fields and marsh. Here in 1859 he made
astronomical observations that first corroborated the existence of
solar flare
A solar flare is a relatively intense, localized emission of electromagnetic radiation in the Sun's atmosphere. Flares occur in active regions and are often, but not always, accompanied by coronal mass ejections, solar particle events, and ot ...
s as well as their
electrical influence upon the Earth and its
aurorae. In 1863 he published records of
sunspot
Sunspots are temporary spots on the Sun's surface that are darker than the surrounding area. They are one of the most recognizable Solar phenomena and despite the fact that they are mostly visible in the solar photosphere they usually aff ...
observations that first demonstrated
differential rotation
Differential rotation is seen when different parts of a rotating object move with different angular velocities (or rates of rotation) at different latitudes and/or depths of the body and/or in time. This indicates that the object is not rigi ...
in the
Sun
The Sun is the star at the centre of the Solar System. It is a massive, nearly perfect sphere of hot plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core, radiating the energy from its surface mainly as visible light a ...
. In 1865 ill health prompted him to sell his house and move to
Churt, Surrey. A pub is named the sun in recognition of his work.
In 1855, a large
psychiatric hospital
A psychiatric hospital, also known as a mental health hospital, a behavioral health hospital, or an asylum is a specialized medical facility that focuses on the treatment of severe Mental disorder, mental disorders. These institutions cater t ...
complete with well-trimmed grounds, was opened in Earlswood, south of Redhill.
Prince Albert had laid the first stone in 1852. One inmate
James Henry Pullen (1835–1916) was an autistic savant. He was a brilliant craftsman and artist whose work was accepted by
Queen Victoria
Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...
and Prince Albert. Some of Pullen's ship models, designs and artwork used to be on display at the town's Belfry Shopping Centre, but have now been moved to the Langdon Down Museum in
Teddington
Teddington is an affluent suburb of London in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. Historically an Civil parish#ancient parishes, ancient parish in the county of Middlesex and situated close to the border with Surrey, the district became ...
. The asylum was renamed The Royal Earlswood Institution for Mental Defectives in June 1926, and more recently was simply named the
Royal Earlswood Hospital or the royal Earlswood asylum. In 1941, the hospital became home to two of
Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother
Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon (4 August 1900 – 30 March 2002) was Queen of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 to 6 February 1952 as the wife of King George VI. She was al ...
's cousins,
Katherine Bowes-Lyon and Nerissa Bowes-Lyon, both of whom had learning difficulties. The hospital closed in March 1997 following the introduction of
Care in the Community
Care in the Community (also called "Community Care" or "Domiciliary Care") is a British policy of deinstitutionalisation, treating and caring for physically and mentally disabled people in their homes rather than in an institution. Institutional c ...
.
The buildings were then converted to residential apartments and the site is now known as Royal Earlswood Park.
In 1868
Alfred Nobel
Alfred Bernhard Nobel ( ; ; 21 October 1833 – 10 December 1896) was a Swedish chemist, inventor, engineer, and businessman. He is known for inventing dynamite, as well as having bequeathed his fortune to establish the Nobel Prizes. He also m ...
demonstrated
dynamite
Dynamite is an explosive made of nitroglycerin, sorbents (such as powdered shells or clay), and Stabilizer (chemistry), stabilizers. It was invented by the Swedish people, Swedish chemist and engineer Alfred Nobel in Geesthacht, Northern German ...
for the first time at a Merstham quarry, two miles north of Redhill.
[ page 140]
In 1884, a large residential school for children, called St Anne's School, was opened by the St Anne's Society (a
city of London
The City of London, also known as ''the City'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county and Districts of England, local government district with City status in the United Kingdom, city status in England. It is the Old town, his ...
charity) to accommodate 400 boys and girls. Built on a rise to the east of the town, and overlooking the railway station and the countryside around, it had a swimming bath, a gymnasium, tennis courts (asphalted and grassed), an external recreation ground as well as covered playgrounds, 21 pianos, a clock turret, a chapel and a dining room both capable of seating 600, a bakery, a steam laundry, an infirmary, an isolation hospital, and extensive gardens and orchards, all in property of 17½ acres. The school closed in 1919 after funding difficulties. In 1926 the
Foundling Hospital
The Foundling Hospital (formally the Hospital for the Maintenance and Education of Exposed and Deserted Young Children) was a children's home in London, England, founded in 1739 by the philanthropy, philanthropic Captain (nautical), sea captain ...
used the site to house its own school, until moving elsewhere in 1935. Later,
Surrey County Council
Surrey County Council is the county council for the non-metropolitan county of Surrey, England. The council is composed of 81 elected councillors, and in all but one election since 1974 the Conservative Party has held the majority.
The leader ...
used St Anne's as a
Home for the Aged. In 1973 it became a home for the homeless, but closed in 1975 after being damaged by fire, and was demolished in 1987, to be replaced by housing.
The construction, to the east of Redhill, of the
M23 motorway
The M23 is a motorway in the United Kingdom, running from the south of Hooley in Surrey, where it splits from the A23 road, A23, to Pease Pottage, south of Crawley in West Sussex where it rejoins the A23.
The northern end of the motorway star ...
between 1972 and 1975 reduced north–south traffic through the town.
Localities
Holmethorpe
Holmethorpe can refer to two neighbouring developments, one residential, the other commercial/industrial and separated by the west track of the
Brighton Main Line
The Brighton Main Line is a railway line in southern England linking London to Brighton. It starts at two termini in the capital, and , and the branches from each meet at , from where the route continues southwards via to the coast. The line ...
directly north of Redhill. A Holmethorpe Industrial Estate member's organisation exists to provide security to and advertise recruitment among its 66 businesses and to work on traffic and local authority planning matters. Holmethorpe had at the 2001 census a population of 1,128.
Watercolour
Watercolour is a 2008–2012 built settlement and neighbourhood in Redhill towards the village of
Merstham
Merstham is a town in the borough of Reigate and Banstead in Surrey, England. It lies 17 miles south of Charing Cross just beyond the Greater London border. Part of the North Downs Way runs along the northern boundary of the town. Merstham has ...
across lakes from the
Greensand Ridge
The Greensand Ridge, also known as the Wealden Greensand, is an extensive, prominent, often wooded, mixed greensand/sandstone escarpment in south-east England. Forming part of the Weald, a former dense forest in Sussex, Surrey and Kent, it ...
of the wooded village of
Bletchingley and on the site of the former Holmethorpe Gravel Quarry.
Redstone Hill
Redstone Hill is above the Royal Mail sorting office and depot, centred around one of three Redhill
conservation area
Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural or cultural values. Protected areas are those areas in which human presence or the exploitation of natural resources (e.g. firewoo ...
s, across the station using the A25 or subway from most of the town. This neighbourhood includes a hotel-restaurant and unusually for a conservation area, no nationally
listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...
s though some buildings are locally listed. Deep underneath the conservation area non-stopping services of the east branch of the
Brighton Main Line
The Brighton Main Line is a railway line in southern England linking London to Brighton. It starts at two termini in the capital, and , and the branches from each meet at , from where the route continues southwards via to the coast. The line ...
run.
Redhill Common (north) and Linkfield Street
This area includes four nationally listed buildings: three at Grade II and one, Fengates House, at Grade II*. Fengates is a
Georgian three-storey building built of red brick with grey
headers and a moulded band above the second floor. Its roof is high and extends over the walls creating
eaves
The eaves are the edges of the roof which overhang the face of a wall and, normally, project beyond the side of a building. The eaves form an overhang to throw water clear of the walls and may be highly decorated as part of an architectural sty ...
. Its six-panel door has a moulded
architrave
In classical architecture, an architrave (; , also called an epistyle; ) is the lintel or beam, typically made of wood or stone, that rests on the capitals of columns.
The term can also apply to all sides, including the vertical members, ...
and porch with
dentil cornice
In architecture, a cornice (from the Italian ''cornice'' meaning "ledge") is generally any horizontal decorative Moulding (decorative), moulding that crowns a building or furniture element—for example, the cornice over a door or window, ar ...
.
Redhill Common (south) and St John's

St John's is a compact urban area on a narrow
promontory
A promontory is a raised mass of land that projects into a lowland or a body of water (in which case it is a peninsula). Most promontories either are formed from a hard ridge of rock that has resisted the erosive forces that have removed the s ...
of Redhill Common that is upland, with moderately sized gardens between Earlswood Common and Redhill Common, reached by a hillside access road from London Road. Unusually, the addresses of many of the buildings in the hamlet do not include a road name but are merely "
umber
Umber is a natural earth pigment consisting of iron oxide and manganese oxide; it has a brownish color that can vary among shades of yellow, red, and green. Umber is considered one of the oldest pigments known to humans, first used in the Ajant ...
St. John's".
The disproportionately large St. John's church was built in anticipation of the development of a town in the East of Reigate Foreign close to the railway station that opened in 1841. In 1844, after the church's construction, the railway station was closed and a new one opened about a mile to the North, around which Warwick Town and then Redhill developed. It was not until 1866 that Redhill got a church of its own in the form of St. Matthew's.
St
John the Evangelist
John the Evangelist ( – ) is the name traditionally given to the author of the Gospel of John. Christians have traditionally identified him with John the Apostle, John of Patmos, and John the Presbyter, although there is no consensus on how ...
is one of five listed buildings (Grade II*) in the hamlet of St. John's.
John Loughborough Pearson
John Loughborough Pearson (5 July 1817 – 11 December 1897) was a British Gothic Revival architect renowned for his work on churches and cathedrals. Pearson revived and practised largely the art of vaulting, and acquired in it a proficie ...
remodelled it following its 1842-3 construction by James T Knowles (senior), retaining only the aisles added in 1867 by Ford & Hesketh. Pearson was awarded the
RIBA
''Riba'' (, or , ) is an Arabic word used in Islamic law and roughly translated as " usury": unjust, exploitative gains made in trade or business. ''Riba'' is mentioned and condemned in several different verses in the Qur'an3:130
Royal Gold Medal in 1880 and is remembered for a series of exceptionally fine churches. These often display strong French influence: the spire at St John's has been likened to the spires of
Abbey of Saint-Étienne in
Caen
Caen (; ; ) is a Communes of France, commune inland from the northwestern coast of France. It is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Calvados (department), Calvados. The city proper has 105,512 inha ...
(St Steven's Abbey). Other Pearson characteristics at St John's are the stone-vaulted chancel and the
transverse arches across the
nave
The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...
. Pearson's most famous building is
Truro Cathedral
The Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a Church of England cathedral in the city of Truro, Cornwall. It was built between 1880 and 1910 to a Gothic Revival design by John Loughborough Pearson on the site of the parish church of St Mary.
His ...
(1880) and the first English cathedral to be built on a new site since Salisbury in the early thirteenth century. This
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is an architectural style that was prevalent in Europe from the late 12th to the 16th century, during the High Middle Ages, High and Late Middle Ages, surviving into the 17th and 18th centuries in some areas. It evolved f ...
is reflected by several nearby buildings.
Shaw's Corner

Shaw's Corner centres around the junction formed on the Reigate Road, in more precise terms named Hatchlands Road before becoming here Reigate Road close and includes homes on both sides of Reigate County Court, St Paul's Church and a chapel. At this junction, on the south side in the middle of the street Blackstone Hill, is
Richard R Goulden's Shaw's Corner War Memorial, a Grade II listed grand base and statue: a bronze figure on a square-set tapering stone plinth, of a man, carrying a child in one arm, and holding a flaming torch aloft with the other. At the top of the plinth is the inscription:
On its other sides are the capitalised words Courage; Honour; and Self-Sacrifice. A further inscription beneath is graphic and includes "Flames consume the flesh. The spirit is unconquerable."
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
dates have been added since the first unveiling by
Earl Beatty. Halfway along Blackstone Hill is access downhill through Redhill Common to London Road Redhill where Common expands and adjoins the south of Redhill, also known as
Earlswood.
Transport
Road
Redhill is at the junction of the
A23 and
A25 roads. It is also located within three miles of the
M25 and
M23 motorways, which interchange north-east of the town. Access from the M25 is via junction 6 (for
Godstone
Godstone is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Tandridge District of Surrey, England. It is east of Reigate, west of Oxted, east of Guildford and south of London. Close to the North Downs, both the North Downs Way ...
) from the east and junction 8 (for
Reigate
Reigate ( ) is a town status in the United Kingdom, town in Surrey, England, around south of central London. The settlement is recorded in Domesday Book of 1086 as ''Cherchefelle'', and first appears with its modern name in the 1190s. The ea ...
) from the west, while access from the south is signed on M23 junction 9 (for
Gatwick Airport
Gatwick Airport , also known as London Gatwick Airport (), is the Airports of London, secondary international airport serving London, West Sussex and Surrey. It is located near Crawley in West Sussex, south of Central London. In 2024, Gatwic ...
).
Rail
The town is served by
Redhill railway station which is located at the junction of three rail lines: the
Brighton Main Line
The Brighton Main Line is a railway line in southern England linking London to Brighton. It starts at two termini in the capital, and , and the branches from each meet at , from where the route continues southwards via to the coast. The line ...
, the
North Downs Line
The North Downs Line is a railway line in South East England. It runs for from in Berkshire to in Surrey. It is named after the North Downs, a range of Chalk Group, chalk hills that runs parallel to the eastern part of the route. The name wa ...
and the
Redhill to Tonbridge Line. Train services are provided by
Southern,
Thameslink
Thameslink is a mainline route on the British railway network, running from , , , , , and via central London to , , , Rainham, , , and . The network opened as a through service in 1988, with severe overcrowding by 1998, carrying more than ...
and
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a History of rail transport in Great Britain, British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, ...
.
The station is a rail hub and is served by regular train services to , , , , , and .
Until 1845 there was a separate station from which one could travel to
Ashford and
Dover
Dover ( ) is a town and major ferry port in Kent, southeast England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies southeast of Canterbury and east of Maidstone. ...
.
Buses
London Buses
London Buses is the subsidiary of Transport for London (TfL) that manages most bus services in London, England. It was formed following the Greater London Authority Act 1999 that transferred control of London Regional Transport (LRT) bus s ...
route
405,
Metrobus routes 400, 410, 411, 420, 422, 424, 430, 435, 460 and
Fastway 100, Compass Bus route 32 and Cruisers route 315 serve the town. All bus services in the town stop at Redhill Bus Station.
These buses provide connections to
Reigate
Reigate ( ) is a town status in the United Kingdom, town in Surrey, England, around south of central London. The settlement is recorded in Domesday Book of 1086 as ''Cherchefelle'', and first appears with its modern name in the 1190s. The ea ...
,
Sutton
Sutton (''south settlement'' or ''south town'' in Old English) may refer to:
Places
United Kingdom
England
In alphabetical order by county:
* Sutton, Bedfordshire
* Sutton, Berkshire, a List of United Kingdom locations: Stu-Sz#Su, location
* S ...
,
Epsom
Epsom is a town in the borough of Epsom and Ewell in Surrey, England, about south of central London. The town is first recorded as ''Ebesham'' in the 10th century and its name probably derives from that of a Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain ...
,
Caterham
Caterham () is a town in the Tandridge (district), Tandridge district of Surrey, England. The town is administratively divided into two: Caterham on the Hill, and Caterham Valley, which includes the main town centre in the middle of a dry valle ...
,
Oxted
Oxted is a town and civil parish in the Tandridge District, Tandridge district of Surrey, England. It is at the foot of the North Downs, south-east of Croydon, west of Sevenoaks, and north of East Grinstead.
Oxted is a commuter town and Ox ...
,
Croydon
Croydon is a large town in South London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a Districts of England, local government district of Greater London; it is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater Lond ...
,
Dorking
Dorking () is a market town in Surrey in South East England about south-west of London. It is in Mole Valley, Mole Valley District and the non-metropolitan district, council headquarters are to the east of the centre. The High Street runs ro ...
,
Guildford
Guildford () is a town in west Surrey, England, around south-west of central London. As of the 2011 census, the town has a population of about 77,000 and is the seat of the wider Borough of Guildford, which had around inhabitants in . The nam ...
,
Gatwick Airport
Gatwick Airport , also known as London Gatwick Airport (), is the Airports of London, secondary international airport serving London, West Sussex and Surrey. It is located near Crawley in West Sussex, south of Central London. In 2024, Gatwic ...
,
Crawley
Crawley () is a town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in West Sussex, England. It is south of London, north of Brighton and Hove, and north-east of the county town of Chichester. Crawley covers an area of and had a populat ...
and
East Grinstead
East Grinstead () is a town in West Sussex, England, near the East Sussex, Surrey, and Kent borders, south of London, northeast of Brighton, and northeast of the county town of Chichester. Situated in the northeast corner of the county, bord ...
.
Air
Air access is available at
London Gatwick Airport
Gatwick Airport , also known as London Gatwick Airport (), is the Airports of London, secondary international airport serving London, West Sussex and Surrey. It is located near Crawley in West Sussex, south of Central London. In 2024, Gatwic ...
, which lies about seven miles to the south, as well as the small
Redhill Aerodrome (EGKR) south-east of Redhill town centre.
Heathrow airport
Heathrow Airport , also colloquially known as London Heathrow Airport and named ''London Airport'' until 1966, is the primary and largest international airport serving London, the capital and most populous city of England and the United Kingdo ...
is thirty miles to the north-west and both Luton and
London City airports are accessible by train.
Shopping
Redhill has a pedestrianised High Street, which is adjoined by
the Belfry Shopping Centre. More shops are available at the Warwick Quadrant. There is also a street market each Thursday, Friday and Saturday, sometimes including a French market. The Light, built in July 2023, has shops and a new cinema which was the first since 2011 in Redhill and an arcade. This is the first ever permanent arcade to be opened in Redhill.
Culture and community
Redhill is part of the
Reigate and Banstead
Reigate and Banstead is a local government district with borough status in Surrey, England. Its council is based in Reigate and the borough also includes the towns of Banstead, Horley and Redhill. Parts of the borough are within the Surrey ...
local government district. Not far from the town is
Gatton Park, an estate once owned by the
Colmans; the estate has a private chapel (now open to the public) and a
Japanese garden
are traditional gardens whose designs are accompanied by Japanese aesthetics and philosophical ideas, avoid artificial ornamentation, and highlight the natural landscape. Plants and worn, aged materials are generally used by Japanese garden desig ...
.
The town has a distinctive red-brick complex called the Warwick Quadrant, which houses the Harlequin Theatre and Cinema, and the public library, as well as Sainsbury's and other shops. It has been refurbished and the red canopy and clock has been removed despite local opposition.
The former Odeon cinema was built in 1938. It was converted into a nightclub in 1976, operating under various names, most recently Liquid and envy, until 2011 when it was closed down permanently to make way for new housing. Despite a plan to retain the listed
Art Deco
Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...
façade, delays in rebuilding and a reluctance to use the façade meant it "fell into decay" and was demolished in December 2017.
The
London to Brighton Veteran Car Run passes through the town each year.
Local media
Local news and television programmes are provided by
BBC London and
ITV London.
BBC South East and
ITV Meridian can also be received.
The town’s local radio stations are
BBC Radio Surrey
BBC Radio Surrey is the BBC's local radio station serving Surrey and north-east Hampshire.
It broadcasts on FM, DAB, digital TV and via BBC Sounds from studios at the University of Surrey in Guildford.
According to RAJAR, BBC Radio Surrey ...
on 104.0 FM,
Heart South on 102.7 FM, Susy Radio on 103.4 FM and Radio Redhill that broadcast from the
East Surrey Hospital on 100.4 FM.
Local newspapers are the ''
Surrey Advertiser'' and ''Redhill and Reigate Life''.
Economy
SES Water,
Santander Consumer Finance,
AXA breakdown assistance,
Travelers Insurance, and
Aon plc Risk Services have their headquarters in the town. There are also three industrial and business estates: Holmethorpe Industrial Estate, Kingsfield Business Centre, and Reading Arch.
Redhill Aerodrome (IATA: KRH, ICAO: EGKR) lies south-east of Redhill and operates pleasure flights, flying courses, and private commercial flights.
Whilst the town is a hub in commercial terms, with a shopping centre and several offices of large companies, a large proportion of the economically active population work in Greater London and other parts of Surrey.
For some central government statistical purposes, Redhill and Reigate are classified as a subdivision of the
Crawley
Crawley () is a town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in West Sussex, England. It is south of London, north of Brighton and Hove, and north-east of the county town of Chichester. Crawley covers an area of and had a populat ...
Urban Area. Redhill is 18 miles east of
Guildford
Guildford () is a town in west Surrey, England, around south-west of central London. As of the 2011 census, the town has a population of about 77,000 and is the seat of the wider Borough of Guildford, which had around inhabitants in . The nam ...
. The average commuting distance in 2001 for workers was in Redhill East and in Redhill West. Unemployment stood at 1.81% in the east and 2.13% in the west in 2001.
The first iteration of
British Island Airways had its head office at Congreve House in Redhill.
Demography
Population, type of home ownership and population density were provided by the
2011 census. The proportion of households in Redhill who owned their home outright was below the regional average of 32.5%. The proportion who owned their home with a loan in each ward was within 5.5% of the regional average, in Redhill East being 5.3% greater, or 0.9% greater than the average for the borough. The data in each
ward
Ward may refer to:
Division or unit
* Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward
* Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...
and overall for these combined showed a proportion of rented residential property and of
social housing
Public housing, also known as social housing, refers to Subsidized housing, subsidized or affordable housing provided in buildings that are usually owned and managed by local government, central government, nonprofit organizations or a ...
close to the average in
South East England
South East England is one of the nine official regions of England, regions of England that are in the ITL 1 statistical regions of England, top level category for Statistics, statistical purposes. It consists of the nine counties of england, ...
and to that of the local authority, significantly greater in Redhill West than in Redhill East where 21.8% of property was rented from a registered social landlord or directly from the local authority.
[
]
Notable residents
* Dave Askew professional darts star who reached the semi-finals of the PDC World Championship on two occasions is from Redhill.
*Ronnie Biggs
Ronald Arthur Biggs (8 August 1929 – 18 December 2013) was an English criminal who helped plan and carry out the Great Train Robbery of 1963. He subsequently became notorious for his escape from prison in 1965, living as a fugitive for 36 y ...
was living at Alpine Road, Redhill, when he was arrested for his part in the Great Train Robbery.
* Bernard Bresslaw, actor, best known for his part in the '' Carry On Films'', used to live in Redhill.
*Liz May Brice
Elizabeth May Brice (born 8 September 1975) is an English actress. She is known for roles such as the convicted murderess Pat Kerrigan on ITV1's '' Bad Girls'', and Agent Johnson in '' Torchwood: Children of Earth''.
Career
Brice was born in ...
, actress, best known for her role in '' Bad Girls'' was born here in 1975.
* Eric Brown, British Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...
officer and test pilot
A test pilot is an aircraft pilot with additional training to fly and evaluate experimental, newly produced and modified aircraft with specific maneuvers, known as flight test techniques.Stinton, Darrol. ''Flying Qualities and Flight Testin ...
died here in 2016.
* Richard Christopher Carrington, a self-taught astronomer, lived in Redhill from 1852 to 1865. It was at his observatory in Redhill that he made his famous solar flare
A solar flare is a relatively intense, localized emission of electromagnetic radiation in the Sun's atmosphere. Flares occur in active regions and are often, but not always, accompanied by coronal mass ejections, solar particle events, and ot ...
observations.
* Max Chilton, racing driver and former Formula 1 driver for Marussia F1
The Marussia F1 Team (subsequently Manor Marussia F1 Team) was a Formula One racing team and constructor which was based in Banbury, Oxfordshire and then later Dinnington, South Yorkshire, Dinnington, South Yorkshire in the United Kingdom and co ...
was born in Redhill.
* Mike Christie, singer and composer, was born and raised in Redhill.
*Aleister Crowley
Aleister Crowley ( ; born Edward Alexander Crowley; 12 October 1875 – 1 December 1947) was an English occultist, ceremonial magician, poet, novelist, mountaineer, and painter. He founded the religion of Thelema, identifying himself as the pr ...
, occultist. He and his family lived at The Grange, Redhill between 1881 and 1884.
* Nick Falkner, cricketer
* Sir Myles Fenton, of Redstone Hall, railway manager
* Michael Greco, past ''EastEnders
''EastEnders'' is a British television soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the East End of London, the ...
'' actor who played Beppe DiMarco, went to school at St Bede's in Carlton Road, Redhill.
* Carole Hersee, notable for appearing as an eight-year-old child in the central image of the television Test Card F, was born in Redhill in 1958.
*David Hewlett
David Ian Hewlett (born 18 April 1968) is an English-Canadian actor, writer and director, known for his role as Dr. Rodney McKay in the ''Stargate'' science-fiction franchise. He first gained fame for his roles as Grant Jansky in the Canadian ...
, actor, writer, director and voice actor best known for playing Dr. Rodney McKay in ''Stargate Atlantis
''Stargate Atlantis'' (usually stylized in all caps and often abbreviated ''SGA'') is an Adventure film, adventure and military science fiction television series and part of MGM's Stargate, ''Stargate'' franchise. The show was created by Brad W ...
'' and ''Stargate SG-1
''Stargate SG-1'' (often stylized in all caps, or abbreviated ''SG-1'') is a military science fiction Adventure fiction, adventure television series within Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's Stargate, ''Stargate'' franchise. The show, created by Brad Wrig ...
'', was born here in 1968 before he and his family later emigrated to Canada.
* Bevis Hillier, biographer of Sir John Betjeman, was born here in 1940.
* Nick Hornby, author, was born in Redhill on 17 April 1957.
* Gareth Hunt, actor. Remembered for playing the footman Frederick Norton in '' Upstairs, Downstairs'' and Mike Gambit in '' The New Avengers''.
* Omari Hutchinson, Chelsea F.C. footballer, was born in Redhill.
* Kevin Kenner, American-born concert pianist, lives in Redhill.
*Jessie Mei Li
Jessica Mei Li (born 27 August 1995) is an English actress. She is best known for her starring role as the main character and protagonist Alina Starkov in the Netflix fantasy series '' Shadow and Bone'' (2021–2023). She also played as Ellie ...
, actress was raised in Redhill.
* John Linnell, painter, rival to John Constable
John Constable (; 11 June 1776 – 31 March 1837) was an English landscape painter in the Romanticism, Romantic tradition. Born in Suffolk, he is known principally for revolutionising the genre of landscape painting with his pictures of Dedha ...
, lived in Redhill.
* Diana Liverman, well known geographer, lived and went to school in Redhill
* Ian McKay (formerly Laidlaw), art critic and writer, lived here between 1976 and 1980.
* Robert Milsom, Aberdeen F.C.
Aberdeen Football Club is a Scottish professional Association football, football club based in Aberdeen, Scotland. They compete in the and have List of unrelegated association football clubs, never been relegated from the top division of th ...
midfielder, was born here.
* Samuel Palmer, landscape painter, etcher, and printmaker, lived in Redhill from 1862 until his death in 1881.
*Derek Paravicini
Derek Paravicini (born 26 July 1979) is an English Savant syndrome, savant pianist. He resides in London.
Biography
On 26 July 1979, Paravicini was born at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading, Berkshire, Reading, He was preterm birth, born ...
, the celebrated blind savant
Savant syndrome ( , ) is a phenomenon where someone demonstrates exceptional aptitude in one domain, such as art or mathematics, despite significant social or intellectual impairment.
Those with the condition generally have a neurodevel ...
prodigy, lives at the RNIB College in Redhill
* Henry Thomas Pringuer, organist and composer, was organist at St. Matthew's Redhill c. 1870–1880.
* Sophie Raworth, journalist and newsreader, was born here in 1968.
* Alec Harley Reeves, electronics engineer, inventor of pulse-code modulation
Pulse-code modulation (PCM) is a method used to digitally represent analog signals. It is the standard form of digital audio in computers, compact discs, digital telephony and other digital audio applications. In a PCM stream, the amplitud ...
, was born here in 1902.
* Chris Robshaw, current San Diego Legion and Former England Rugby captain, was born in Redhill in 1986.
*Emily Ronalds Emily Ronalds (25 September 1795 – 10 December 1889) was a British social reformer. She supported pioneering cooperative communities, and also had extended theoretical and practical involvement in early childhood education through the formative ye ...
, social reformer, lived at Earlswood Common from 1853 for over twenty years
* Anna Smith, tennis player, was born in Redhill in 1988.
* George Smith, England footballer and league manager, coached Redhill F.C. 1951–52.
* David Wiffen, singer-songwriter, born in Redhill, 1942.
Government
Surrey County Council
Surrey County Council is the county council for the non-metropolitan county of Surrey, England. The council is composed of 81 elected councillors, and in all but one election since 1974 the Conservative Party has held the majority.
The leader ...
has two representatives from Redhill, elected every four years. As of the 2021 Surrey County Council election, the representatives are:
* Jonathan Essex, representing the division of Redhill East, of the Green Party
* Natalie Bramhall, representing the division of Redhill West & Meadvale, of the Conservative Party
6 councillors sit on Reigate and Banstead
Reigate and Banstead is a local government district with borough status in Surrey, England. Its council is based in Reigate and the borough also includes the towns of Banstead, Horley and Redhill. Parts of the borough are within the Surrey ...
borough council, who are:
Sport and recreation
The town features:
*Redhill Bowling Club, a lawn Bowling club based in Redhill
* Redhill FC, a non-league football
Non-League football describes association football, football leagues played outside the top leagues of a country. Usually, it describes leagues which are not fully professional. The term is primarily used for football in England, where it is ...
club who play at Kiln Brow
*Donyngs leisure Centre, which includes an indoor swimming pool and a gym
*Sailing, canoeing and windsurfing are available at Mercers Country Park
*The Gym Group, Quadrant Shopping Centre, Redhill
Education
* St. Bede's School, a secondary school specialising in Music and IT.
* East Surrey College is based in Redhill.
* Carrington School, a state secondary school
A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., b ...
is in Noke Drive.
* Dunottar School, close by Redhill Common. Founded in 1926, this independent girls' school moved here in 1933, into "High Trees", built by Walter Blanford Waterlow in 1867.
* Earlswood Nursery, Infant and Junior School, neighbouring nearby Warwick School. It is a federation of primary schools in the suburb of Earlswood..
St.John's primary school is to the south of the town.
See also
* List of places of worship in Reigate and Banstead
References
External links
{{authority control
Towns in Surrey
Reigate and Banstead