#merstham | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

thepastisalreadywritten · 2 years

Text

By: Luke Weir | 22 January 2022

Updated: 7 April 2022

There are few things so intrinsically linked with old-fashioned British culture as the red telephone box.

These became synonymous with paths all over the country during the 20th century, but inevitably, the introduction of mobile phones led to its decline from the 1980s onwards.

After decades of abandonment - with many boxes left in a derelict state - action is being taken by a local restoration company that set up the nation's largest 'telephone box graveyard' in Merstham in Surrey.

Unicorn Restorations proudly restore these iconic boxes back to their former glory following a period of them rusting away.

Staff spend up to 30 hours stripping each old kiosk, repainting them in the identical shades of red once stipulated by the General Post Office, and putting in new glass to complete the look, at the site just outside Redhill.

Once rejuvenated, they sell for a variety of prices ranging from just under £4,000 to as much as £20,000, with the price being higher for the older designs.

These include the three classic models of red telephone kiosk: the K2, the K6 and the K8.

The K6, which was designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott to commemorate the Silver Jubilee of King George V's coronation in 1935, is largely identified as THE red telephone box.

60,000 examples of these were installed across Britain, which is why the K6 has come to represent what many regard as the typical red phone box.

The K2 is deemed as the original phone box having been created in 1926, while the K8 was introduced in 1968 and was a radical change to suit the mood of the Sixties in a more futuristic design.

This was the last of the red kiosks to be produced and very few are in service.

The restoration experts are also able to redesign the interior of these kiosks and offer the ability to personalise the dial centre to carry your current number, but with the old exchange or with a memorable number from the past.

As stated on their website, they supplied the landmarks that you see across the UK and the heart of London such as in Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus, The Tower of London and Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

They also carried out many prestigious kiosk restorations for BT, The Corporation of London and English Heritage.

📷: The phone boxes were originally planned to be painted yellow before the iconic cherry red was chosen (Image: Unicorn Restorations)

Their handiwork has even been showcased on the big screen, having supplied period pieces for film and TV productions such as Harry Potter, Paddington and the John Lewis Christmas adverts.

The necessity for these landmarks may have become non-existent in the modern era, but it's perhaps reassuring to know that they're going on to enjoy a second life.

During a 2016 interview with the Daily Mail, photographer Nicolas Ritter stated how he visited the yard back when he was just starting out as an assistant in 2012.

He said:

"Being at the telephone graveyard was a great experience for me. It felt like a journey back into the history of the country as the phone boxes are such a unique symbol of British culture."

These easily-spotted, brightly coloured boxes were once adored by Brits; by the time the 1980s rolled around, there were more than 73,000 dotted around.

Sadly, those numbers started to dwindle shortly after, with just 21,000 reported to be left standing today.

Thanks to Unicorn Restorations, though, it's clear to see that British people still have a great fondness for the old-fashioned phone box - just maybe not for their original, intended purpose.

#Unicorn Restorations #red telephone box #telephone box graveyard #Merstham #Surrey #General Post Office #Sir Giles Gilbert Scott #phone box #Nicolas Ritter #British culture

29 notes · View notes

london-ghosts · 1 month

Text

The Merstham Tunnel Murder Mystery

One of the greatest unsolved English murder cases is The Merstham Tunnel Mystery that happened in 1905. The body of 22-year-old Mary Sophia Money, 22, was found in a railway tunnel on the South-Eastern Railway line south of London. Mary was a bookkeeper employed at a dairy in Lavender Hill where she lived with the owner Mr Bridger and his family. Her body was so badly mutilated that only the…

View On WordPress

#crime #death #execution #history #London #The Merstham Tunnel Murder Mystery #Victorian

0 notes

tonyrossmcmahon · 1 year

Text

The Merstham Tunnel Murder Mystery

EDWARDIAN TRUE CRIME: In 1905, Mary Money was found dead in the Merstham Tunnel believed murdered but events suggested otherwise!

One of the greatest unsolved English murder cases is The Merstham Tunnel Mystery taking place in the year, 1905. The body of 22-year-old Mary Sophia Money, aged 22, was found in a railway tunnel on the South-Eastern Railway line south of London. She was a bookkeeper employed at a dairy in Lavender Hill where she lived with the owner Mr Bridger and his family. Her body was so badly mutilated that…

View On WordPress

#coroners court #death #history #London #Mary Money #Merstham Tunnel murder #Merstham Tunnel mystery #murder club #Robert Hicks Murray #Robert Money #true crime #verdict

0 notes

thetemplarknight · 1 year

Text

The Merstham Tunnel Murder Mystery

EDWARDIAN TRUE CRIME: In 1905, Mary Money was found dead in the Merstham Tunnel believed murdered but events suggested otherwise!

View On WordPress

#coroners court #death #history #London #Mary Money #Merstham Tunnel murder #Merstham Tunnel mystery #murder club #Robert Hicks Murray #Robert Money #true crime #verdict

0 notes

puravida-clinic · 2 years

Photo

This also applies to your treatment & rehab plan!

Flare ups and set backs can be frustrating, but that doesn’t mean it’s time to abode everything. You need to #getbacktolife

Our Osteopaths can help identify alternative options such as different treatment techniques or exercises, or further investigations.

We need to find what works for you, #getaplan & #getmoving!

Understand your body, empower yourself

#getaplan getmoving getbacktolife understandyourbody empoweryouself healthcareprofessionals reigate redhill merstham

0 notes

skull-designs · 10 months

Text

“Sundays shining / Silver linings” Ghosts Again / Depeche Mode

St Katharine’s, Merstham, Surrey

#cemetery #graveyard #grave #gravestone #surrey

102 notes · View notes

its-a-rat-trap · 1 year

Video

Bob Geldof on Top Gear: Interview and Lap

Season 17, Episode 5 Original Air Date: July 24, 2011

----------------

Video is a screen recording of the clip available here on TopGear.com because I couldn’t figure out how to directly save the file from the site. The control bar is only visible over the BBC intro, not any of Bob’s bits!

If anyone wants to save this video for themselves, you can download it from here in either 1080p (119MB file) or in 720p (compressed 61MB file).

I highly recommend downloading the video or watching it on TopGear.com to see it in better quality!

Video transcript is below the cut.

----------------

Jeremy Clarkson: Now, though, it is time to put a star in our Reasonably Priced Car. Now my guest tonight has long, straggly hair, and an incredible ability to heal the sick and feed the hungry. Ladies and gentlemen… Jesus! It’s Bob Geldof!

(Audience applauds as Bob Geldof walks onto set and shakes hands with Jeremy.)

Jeremy: How are you? Have a seat. Sir Bob! Great to have you here.

Bob: Thank you.

Jeremy: Now obviously you’ve topped what used to be called the hit parade, you fed the world… but what a lot of people don’t know is that you built the M25.

Bob: I built the M23 and M25, Jeremy.

Jeremy: Do you know, I didn’t even know you built the road to Gatwick as well.

Bob: If you know the Merstham interchange, where you come off the 23 onto the 25, that’s more-or-less where I had my road digging… career.

Jeremy: Yeah.

Bob: And that’s Geldof Corner. I know you’ve got Gambon Corner, which I’m sure we’ll see later…

Jeremy: Yes, yes we will.

Bob: Geldof Corner is there, hence the tailbacks for miles on the M25.

Jeremy: So it’s when you go around that… Actually, it’s a fantastic- It’s one of the best corners on the motorway network, that.

(Bob makes a joking, “Yes, that was me.” sort of gesture.)

Jeremy: And you built that?

Bob: I built that. Yeah, long before I could drive a car they gave me the chance to drive these immense machines with, I think it’s 11 forwards gears and six reverses. Two engines, you’ve gotta- There’s two throttles, you’ve gotta sit like this with both feet on the throttles, and there’s a big bucket in the middle which you drop, and off you go.

Jeremy: And is it hard?

Bob: It is hard, I was crap.

(Audience and Jeremy laugh.)

Jeremy: What sort of driver are you?

Bob: Not good. Really, I’m not. I’ve got a Previa, because I have 600 children. And uh, you know...

Jeremy: With 900 names between them.

Bob: Yeah, and all excellent.

(Audience and Jeremy laugh.)

Bob: And, y’know, it’s just a superb thing. You’re up high, you’ve got this big, broad vision, you go like this and the wheel turns and you’re… You’ve just got endless amount of power in the thing.

Jeremy: There isn’t an endless amount of power in a Toyota Previa.

(Audience laughs.)

Jeremy: It’s a horrible car! Is it really-

Bob: No it’s not. It’s really not. I mean I’m Mr. Big on Toyota. I’ve got a Lexus so I don’t pay the congestion charge…

Jeremy: Oh, the hybrid one?

Bob: Yeah. And also, Jeremy, you know I think you should start now becoming a little more environmentally aware, you know?

(Jeremy rolls his eyes and feigns boredom.)

Jeremy: I am very aware of the environment. And I’m still not interested in it.

(Audience and Bob laugh.)

Jeremy: Um, you’re a business man now…

Bob: Sometimes.

Jeremy: Yeah, and you’ve got a lot of TV production companies. So how much time do you have left for music?

Bob: Most of the time I’ll do music… So there’s still, you know, a lot of the time is spent on the Africa stuff, and business stuff, music and the family. But the only thing I like doing, being specific the only thing I like doing is music.

Jeremy: Really?

Bob: Mm.

Jeremy: You’re touring soon, aren’t you?

Bob: Yeah, September and November here. So, you know, north and south…

Jeremy: Because you had the album out… What, three months ago?

Bob: Three months, yeah.

Jeremy: Which was Bob Geldof Aged… Well it’s actually, what was it, 58 and three-quarters?

Bob: It was 58 and a half.

Jeremy: 58 and a half, so…

Bob: I was going to call it that. And then I saw a book called How to Compose Popular Songs That Will Sell, and I thought that was… more ironic.

Jeremy: It’s a good title, that.

Bob: Yes.

Jeremy: Doesn’t fit on iTunes very easily. How to… Oh, wait a minute.

(Audience laughs.)

Jeremy: But no, so, you released that three months ago and-

Bob: Why? You went onto- You know how to use iTunes?

Jeremy: I do!

Bob: What do you listen to in the car?

Jeremy: What do I listen to?

Bob: Yeah.

Jeremy: Uh… Rat Trap, I Don’t Like Mondays…

Bob: Classics.

(Bob points to himself and mouths “Mine!”)

Jeremy: Classics. From the late 70s.

Bob: Yup.

Jeremy: You’ve got… Presumably you’ve got an iPhone…

Bob: No, I don’t have that. We spent about two hours before this extolling the virtues of the Nokia 6310! Does anyone remember a 6310?

Jeremy: Yeah.

(A few quiet Yeah’s from the audience.)

Bob: Five days without a charge, without a recharge- Five days!

Jeremy: Well that’s how long I do because I’ve got no friends, so nobody rings me up.

(Audience laughs.)

Bob: For self-evident reasons, the jeans being one.

Jeremy: At least I put socks on!

Bob: No he came here-

(Audience keeps laughing.)

Jeremy: Look, I’m wearing a sock!

Bob: But you don’t have beautiful ankles. A beautiful turned ankle is something that I admire in someone.

(Audience laughs as Jeremy fakes a nervous look.)

Jeremy: Um… Your lap. How did it go out there?

(Bob buries his face in his hands and shakes his head.)

Bob: I’m so crap at this. You start off and you’re really nervous, I’m not a speed-head… And then I started to enjoy it and be able to focus on what Stig told me, and I slowed down!

(Audience and Jeremy laugh.)

Jeremy: Well who’d like to see The Lap?

(Cheers and Yeah’s from the audience.)

Bob: Not me!

Jeremy: Come on, let’s have a look, let’s see how it sent!

(Clip of Bob’s lap starts to play. He drives off the starting line with a loud squeal from the tires.)

Bob (in the clip): C’mon, *beep* sake.

Jeremy (in the studio): Already we’re going to need the beep machine there… Ah, right, first corner, that’s- oh uhh where are we going… Nice wide line, like the look of that… Might be time to change gear…

Bob (in the studio): It’s so slow.

Bob (in the clip): Go, go, go…

Jeremy (in the studio): You have to change up! Where are we going now- Ooh, wide. You see that’s too fast in there.

Bob (in the studio): Uh-huh. Okay.

Jeremy (in the studio): That’s wide, went skidding wide…

Bob (in the clip): Clarkson, Stig said it’s raining now and the track’s getting slippery, so that’s going to slow me down. So shut up, I’m not making excuses.

(Audience and Bob in the studio laugh.)

Jeremy (in the studio): Let’s have a look at this torrential rain… Yeah, I can see what the Stig means, that is pouring down out there!

(Audience laughs as the clip clearly shows no rain.)

Jeremy (in the studio): No, wait, I don’t mean pouring down, do I? Hang on…

Bob (in the studio): It looks so slow, it feels so fast.

Jeremy (in the studio): No, that is just quite slow. Change gear!

Bob (in the clip): Take this extreme bend at full throttle, which is… If I can…

(Clip cuts to exterior of the car with a lot of tire squeal.)

Jeremy: Oh I say, that’s good!

Bob (in the clip): Every instinct in you tells you to slow down.

Jeremy (in the studio): Ooh, you managed to stay off the bumpy bit there… And second-to-last…

Bob (in the studio): This is the worst.

Jeremy (in the studio): Oh it is the worst.

Bob (in the studio, over Jeremy): Gambon Corner, I couldn’t get it-

Jeremy (in the studio, over Bob): Absolutely awful- No, that’s the second-to-last, this is Gambon…

Bob (in the studio): Yeah. Couldn’t get it.

Jeremy (in the studio): And you… A little bit too slow, didn’t use all the road, but nevertheless! Across the line!

(Clip ends, audience applauds.)

Bob: Last!

Jeremy: Where do we think?

Bob: Third last.

Jeremy: Third last?

Bob: Yeah.

Jeremy: What, Louis Spence speed?

(Audience laughs.)

Bob: Yeah.

Jeremy: 1:53… No that was wet, yours was dry. These are all wet. Realistically you need to be looking above-

Bob: I know they are as people, but I mean with regards to the…

(Audience laughs, and Bob giggles at his own joke.)

Jeremy: So anyway. Bob Geldof.

Bob: Mm-hm. Don’t say it, and I’ll watch it at home. I’m embarrassed! Seriously, I thought that was rubbish!

Jeremy: You did it…

Bob: Look at him!

(Bob points to a very amused and smug Jeremy.)

Jeremy: You did it…

Bob: Mm.

Jeremy: Two minutes.

(Audience laughs. Bob nods.)

Jeremy: I’m joking!

(Audience laughs louder.)

Bob: I fully expect that!

Jeremy: (inaudible over audience laughter) …going “Mm! Mm, really?” One minute… forty… eight point one. And I don’t think- That is…

(Audience applauds.)

Jeremy: Faster than Jeff Goldblum!

Bob: Oh, god. Average at everything!

Jeremy: Well not really, I was just thinking… You’re a, what, you’re a Knight of the British Empire?

Bob: Mm-hm.

Jeremy: You were nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize.

Bob: Mm-hm.

Jeremy: And now you’re the 14th fastest celebrity ever to go around our track in a Kia Cee-Apostrophe-D.

Bob: You could’ve walked faster than that! Hands up, those who think you could do… who could be in the Top Ten, if you did it.

Jeremy: C’mon, hands up, you think?

(Murmurs and laughter from the audience as quite a few of them put their hands up. Bob makes a gesture like, “You see what I mean?”)

Bob: Thank you!

Jeremy: Ladies and gentlemen… Liars!

(Audience and Bob laugh.)

Jeremy: Bob Geldof!

Bob: Thank you.

Jeremy: Well done, thank you very much. Bob Geldof, everybody!

----------------

Note: For reference, the Toyota Previa that Bob mentions would have looked something like this (photo is of a 2009 model)

And for those unfamiliar with the Nokia 6310, it looked like this:

#bob geldof #top gear #jeremy clarkson #bob #mine

10 notes · View notes

wikimediauncommons · 4 months

Text

file: A winter walk, Merstham (6836416551).jpg

#outdoors #organism

0 notes

lindsaywesker · 9 months

Text

Good morning! I hope you slept well and feel rested? Currently sitting in my study, attired only in my blue towelling robe, enjoying my first cuppa of the day. Welcome to the working week although, for those of you working in the NHS, welcome to just another day.

As many of you saw on Friday night, The Mighty Josiah arrived late, as he’d been to his own Laser Tag birthday party and received the kind of birthday presents a nine-year-old loves: roller skates, mini football net, football cards, Lego, toy guns and bullets etc. People often ask me why I call him The Mighty Josiah. The reason: he was born very premature and he was in the ICU in Dunstable for a while, but he’s a fighter and the staff in there were brilliant, so Josiah emerged a very healthy (and mighty) toddler. On Saturday, he went roller skating and, on Sunday, I took him to the park, so he had a good birthday weekend!

Many thanks to everyone that listened to the radio show on Saturday, and those that will listen to it on Mixcloud. It’s a cracker! ‘The A-Z Of Hip Hop Breaks’, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of hip hop, suggested by my brother, Ec Forde. Great idea, mate! I hope I did it justice? Back to The Letter P (Part Four) next Saturday.

Straight after the show, we were down the A20, around the M25 and up the A23 to a little town in Surrey called Merstham to see our lovely friend Tash Tillyard, who I call ‘Dolly’, probably because she calls me ‘Dolly’. Dolly was a listener to my radio show on Colourful Radio. She came to have a drink with me at a bar in Vauxhall back in 2008 and we’ve been mates ever since. Back in the day, her dad actually lived on the road we now live on and Dolly was brought up in Brent, so we consider her an honorary Brent resident, although she likes to reside in Surrey. We enjoyed a very civilised dinner at a lovely local restaurant. Note my use of the word ‘civilised’. We are mature, experienced professionals with responsible jobs, thus we have x-ray vision and we can see through people and situations.

It was the start of the football season on Friday night. This is Heaven for footie fans and an absolute living Hell for non-footie fans! Oh, yes, I know there are lots of people that don’t give a toss about football so, I apologise in advance; get used to male, peri-menopausal mood swings! If our team loses over the weekend, we’re a painful nightmare to be around, until mid-week, when we start feeling optimistic again! I shan’t bore you with the transfer drama I’ve had to endure!

For my sanity, I try to avoid Twitter but, unfortunately, everyone has their ‘crack’ and that is mine. I’m addicted to it. Every day, it confirms what everyone has always known. The United States Of America are not! America is 50 different countries in one. Each with their own laws, their own customs and their own codes of etiquette. The NAACP has advised black people to take precautions when travelling to Florida. I’ve been to Orlando twice with my family but, in recent years, it’s changed drastically. Wisconsin ranks as the worst state in the country for black Americans. I’d love to do a cross country drive one day but it’s probably not that wise!

My Facebook page will run as normal this week: Too Much Information Tuesday, Wednesday Words and Throwback Thursday for memories triggered by a different word each week. Hope you can all get involved? Strangers are actually making friends on my page!

Hope your week goes well? I shall be saying my atheist prayers for you. Have a marvellous and momentous Monday. I love you all.

#mixcloud #mi soul #dj #music #new blog #lockdown #coronavirus #books #weekend #democracy #brexit #cronyism #election #radio

0 notes

redhillreigatepaintingdecorating · 1 year

Text

RR Painting

At Redhill & Reigate Painting and Decorating we are committed to producing a paint & decorating service to the highest standards!

We work with home owners, landlords, property management companies and other businesses all across Surrey. We welcome end of tenancy painting and re-decorating projects.

With over 55 years combined experience providing residential and commercial painting and decorating services, you can take comfort that you are in safe hands for your decorating project.

Fully insured up to £1,000,000.

We are a painting and decorating company based in Redhill Surrey that covers all the neighbouring areas, such as Reigate and Banstead, Dorking, Ashtead, Horley, Merstham, Salfords and Epsom. For a full list of the areas we cover, click the button below!

1 note · View note

acidrefluxuk · 2 years

Text

Supply Teachers Job in Dorking, Surrey

Apply for Supply Teachers job in Dorking, Surrey in Education. Job Description: Supply Teacher Required / Dorking / Surrey Areas Class Cover are looking to recruit both experienced and newly qualified teachers for local primary and secondary schools in Dorking as well as /Caterham/ Merstham/ Redhill/ Guildford and schools in Surrey and surrounding area. At Class Cover we can offer a variety of…

View On WordPress

0 notes

forestraydentists · 2 years

Text

Croydon

Croydon is a large town located in south London, England. It is the seat of the London Borough of Croydon, and is one of the largest commercial areas in Greater London. The city is home to a wide range of shops, and a lively night economy. There are many museums and attractions in the city, as well as a large sports complex.

The town’s name is derived from the Old French word croie dune, meaning “chalk hill”. It is located on the northern edge of the chalk hills known as the North Downs. The area is a major centre for both the labour and temperance movements. In the early nineteenth century, Croydon was a thriving commercial district of London. Public houses were the sites of early labour meetings. However, Croydon also had a strong temperance movement. Georgina King Lewis, an early member of the Croydon United Temperance Council, set up a dry center for the labour movement in the town. Learn more.

The town is home to several political parties. The Conservative Party controls the council, with approximately 45% of seats being held by Conservatives. The Lib Dems hold just one seat in the town. Croydon Borough Council is divided into 24 wards, and all of the seats on the council were up for re-election in the 2006 local elections. The Conservatives took 10 seats from Labour and one from the Liberal Democrats. This makes the Conservatives the majority party in Croydon.

Croydon has several theatres, and many community arts groups. The town has a large, landscaped green space that is adjacent to the town hall and Clocktower art centre. It is also home to several small comedy venues and community arts groups. The Spread Eagle Theatre is a modern 50-seat studio theatre, which collaborates with the Old Joint Stock Theatre in Birmingham.

The city’s history dates back to the 18th century, when the town became an important stop for stage coaches. The town was also the endpoint of two early commercial transport links with London. The Surrey Iron Railway arrived in Croydon in 1803, and it was extended to Merstham in 1805. The Croydon, Merstham and Godstone Railway followed in 1809. The Croydon Canal branched off the Grand Surrey Canal at Deptford. Later, in 1839, the London and Croydon Railway began running between London Bridge and West Croydon.

The town is also home to several historic buildings. The Croydon Town Hall is the city’s third town hall, which was built in 1895. The town’s first town hall was built in 1566, and the second one was constructed in 1808 and demolished in 1895. The current town hall was designed by local architect Charles Henman and was officially opened by the Prince and Princess of Wales on 19 May 1896. The building is built of red brick from Wrotham in Kent, with green Westmorland slates used for the roof.

In the past, Croydon was a bustling market town. It was the gateway between Brighton and London, and was home to the Surrey Iron Railway. In 1809, it was followed by the Croydon Canal and then the London and Croydon Railway. In the early twentieth century, Croydon opened an aerodrome, which operated until 1959. Sadly, this historic site was badly damaged during World War II. The last scheduled flight to Croydon departed from Croydon on 30 September 1959.

A great place to also visit is:

Originally published here: https://forestray.dentist/london/croydon/

#Forest & Ray Feeds

0 notes