November 2024 Lunch

Attendance in November was an improvement on last month and our Chairman John Goodhead had the pleasure of presenting a bottle of champagne to long standing member and past chairman Austine Young to celebrate his ninetieth birthday.

After a hearty lunch of steak stew and mash, followed by fruit tart with strawberry sorbet we settled down to listen to a talk by Stuart Sweetman from Banstead History about the road we now call the A217.

The A217 is not a Roman road, that went through Ewell on the the way to London, but was first recorded in the Highways Act of 1555. That Act required each Parish to have a Surveyor of Highways and for the residents to work 4 days a year maintaining and improving the highway.

During the 19th century the A217 through Banstead was a part of the Sutton to Reigate Turnpike Trust with toll gates, one of which was at the Tangier Pub which burnt down in 1874 and now the site of Aberdour School. Hence Tangier Way is a reminder of the Toll Gate.

Apparently the road was improved during this time using flints from Walton Heath and the quarry remains are still visible today.

Leaving Sutton the road passed through Little Hell, now re-named Belmont before passing through Banstead which in the 17th century was the local sheep farming area hence the Woolpack pub.

Thank you Stuart for a fascinating insight into our local history.