Reigate Tunnel

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Reigate Tunnel
Reigate Tunnel.JPG
Reigate Tunnel from the north
Overview
Location Reigate, Surrey, England
Coordinates 51°14′17″N0°12′22″W / 51.238°N 0.206°W / 51.238; -0.206
Statusopen
Operation
Constructed1823
Opened1824
TrafficPedestrian
Technical
Design engineerWilliam Constable
Length51 m (56 yd)

Reigate Tunnel is a former road tunnel in Reigate, Surrey, England. [1] [2] [3] It runs under the hill that was once the site of Reigate Castle and was built during 1823, although some sources report that it only opened in 1824. [4] The narrow and short tunnel formerly carried the A217 road, [5] [6] and is now pedestrianised. [2] It is grade II listed. [7]

History

The tunnel was designed by William Constable, the surveyor for the Reigate Turnpike Trust. [7] [8] It is 51 m (56 yd) long [9] [10] and runs through the Folkestone Beds beneath Reigate Castle. It provides a direct link between the High Street (to the south) and London Road (to the north), reducing the distance between the two by 0.25 mi (0.4 km). [8]

Construction began in 1823 and required the demolition of two shops on the north side of the High Street. [8] The two portals were built with bricks made from the local Gault clay and the tunnel is lined with red brick in a stretcher bond. [7] The work was funded by John Cocks, 1st Earl Somers, through whose land it ran, and was completed in the summer of 1824. A toll post was erected at the southern entrance and tolls were levied for horses and horse-drawn vehicles. Pedestrians were not charged for using the tunnel. [8]

Tolls in 1824 [8]
Vehicle typeToll
Coach with four horses6d
Coach with two horses3d
Chaise with one horse1+12d
One horse12d
Pedestrianno charge

The tolls were removed in 1858. [8] In 1954, the tunnel was closed to southbound motor traffic [11] and was fully pedestrianised in April 1970. [2] It was Grade II listed on 27 January 1989. [7] A plaque above the southern entrance gives the year of construction as 1823. [12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Surrey</span> County of England

Surrey is a ceremonial county in South East England and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the west. The largest settlement is Woking.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reigate and Banstead</span> Place in England

Reigate and Banstead is a local government district with borough status in east Surrey, England. It includes the towns of Reigate, Redhill, Horley and Banstead. The borough borders the Borough of Crawley to the south, the Borough of Epsom and Ewell and District of Mole Valley to the west, Tandridge District to the east and the London Boroughs of Sutton and Croydon to the north.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reigate</span> Town in Surrey, England

Reigate is a town in Surrey, England, around 19 miles (30 km) south of central London. The settlement is recorded in Domesday Book in 1086 as Cherchefelle and first appears with its modern name in the 1190s. The earliest archaeological evidence for human activity is from the Paleolithic and Neolithic, and during the Roman period, tile-making took place to the north east of the modern centre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Redhill, Surrey</span> Town in Surrey, England

Redhill is a town in the borough of Reigate and Banstead within the county of Surrey, England. The town, which adjoins the town of Reigate to the west, is due south of Croydon in Greater London, and is part of the London commuter belt. The town is also the post town, entertainment and commercial area of three adjoining communities : Merstham, Earlswood and Whitebushes, as well as of two small rural villages to the east in the Tandridge District, Bletchingley and Nutfield.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Surrey Iron Railway</span> Horse-drawn plateway in Surrey (1802–1846)

The Surrey Iron Railway (SIR) was a horse-drawn plateway that linked Wandsworth and Croydon via Mitcham, all then in Surrey but now suburbs of south London, in England. It was established by Act of Parliament in 1801, and opened partly in 1802 and partly in 1803. It was a toll railway on which carriers used horse traction. The chief goods transported were coal, building materials, lime, manure, corn and seeds. The first 8.25 miles (13.28 km) to Croydon opened on 26 July 1803, with a branch line off from Mitcham to Hackbridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A25 road</span> Road in southern England

The A25 road is an east–west main road in the South-East of England. Its carries traffic east from Guildford, Surrey, eastward through Surrey and into mid-west Kent, to the town of Sevenoaks, and then on to Wrotham Heath where it connects with the A20.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">London and Brighton Railway</span> Victoria-era rail company of South East England

The London and Brighton Railway (L&BR) was a railway company in England which was incorporated in 1837 and survived until 1846. Its railway ran from a junction with the London and Croydon Railway (L&CR) at Norwood – which gives it access from London Bridge, just south of the River Thames in central London. It ran from Norwood to the South Coast at Brighton, together with a branch to Shoreham-by-Sea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Merstham</span> Human settlement in England

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 community associations, an early medieval church and a football club.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Downs Line</span> Railway line in England, linking Reading and Redhill

The North Downs Line is a passenger-train line connecting Reading to Redhill and Gatwick Airport, along the Brighton Main Line, linking many centres of population in that part of the North Downs which it traverses en route.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Redhill railway station</span> Railway station in Surrey, England

Redhill railway station serves the town of Redhill, Surrey, England. The station is a major interchange point on the Brighton Main Line, 22 miles 40 chains (36.2 km) measured from London Charing Cross. It is managed by Southern, and is also served by Thameslink and GWR.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Earlswood</span> Human settlement in England

Earlswood is a suburb of Redhill in Surrey, England, which lies on the A23 between Redhill and Horley. Earlswood Common is a local nature reserve that separates the suburb from the southern outskirts of Reigate and has two lakes and picnic areas. Earlswood station is on the Brighton Main Line. To the east of the line are Royal Earlswood Park, the East Surrey Hospital and Whitebushes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meadvale</span> Human settlement in England

Meadvale or less commonly Mead Vale is a southern residential suburb that straddles borders of Redhill and Reigate in the borough of Reigate and Banstead in Surrey, and one of two which do so. The average elevation of the district is higher than the centres of each of the towns – Meadvale is bisected east-west by the Greensand Way at the top of a moderately low section of the Greensand Ridge. Its population, as broadly defined on its ward definition, is 3,090 spread over 64 hectares based upon the most recent national census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Betchworth</span> Human settlement in England

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 3 miles (4.8 km) east of Dorking and 3 miles (4.8 km) west of Reigate. London is 19.5 miles (31.4 km) north of the village.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buckland, Surrey</span> Village and civil parish in England

Buckland is a village and civil parish in the Mole Valley district of Surrey, England, between Dorking and Reigate, its nearest towns. The civil parish is bordered by the North Downs escarpment in the north. The area contains a number of sand pits.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reigate railway station</span> Railway station in Surrey, England

Reigate railway station serves the town of Reigate, Surrey, England, on the North Downs Line. It is 24 miles 27 chains measured from London Charing Cross via Redhill. The station is managed by Southern.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reigate Castle</span>

Reigate Castle is a former castle in the town of Reigate in the county of Surrey, England. None of the castle buildings survive today, but a cave below the site, considered to be part of the castle, still exists. Known as "Baron's Cave", it is occasionally open to the public for tours.

Dunottar School is an independent school in Reigate, Surrey, England, established in 1926.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reigate Town Hall</span> Municipal building in Reigate, Surrey, England

Reigate Town Hall is a municipal building in Castlefield Road, Reigate, Surrey, England. The town hall, which is the meeting place of Reigate and Banstead Borough Council, is a Grade II listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old Town Hall, Reigate</span> Municipal building in Reigate, Surrey, England

The Old Town Hall is a municipal building in the High Street, Reigate, Surrey, England. It is a Grade II* listed building.

References

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  4. "Reigate Tunnel 200 Celebration". Reigate Business Guild. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
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  10. "Reigate Corporation v Surrey County Council". The Solicitor's Journal. Vol. LXXII, no. 9. 3 March 1928. pp. 154–155.
  11. "David against the Philistines". Surrey Mirror and County Post. No. 4090. 17 December 1954. p. 9.
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