You were in Dorking at that fuel station and didn't take the opportunity to go to Cock roundabout, barely 50 yards away, point at it and say "Cock!". I am, quite frankly, astonished.
Incredible - a massive, steel cock sitting proud and erect in the centre of the roundabout, which must need constant polishing - and nary an entrendre, single or otherwise! :D
The world’s first road tunnel, the only consecrated “windmill church” in the world, a “privateer” formula 1 team and a disused pump house all in the same episode! You spoilt us today! Thank you Jon. 👏👏👍😀
"England is boring, lets go on holiday abroad." Really, really eh? I vote Jon as the UK tourism ambassador as each week I'm left thinking, "I could go there."
Whato all, I was in a converted farm building last week in Motcombe. A lovely part of the country and a nice selection of National Trust places nearby.
Perhaps it’s the allure of warm dry sunny days abroad that tempts folk. Abroad also has things to do and without the overcast chilly dampness of Blighty. Just offering a counterpoint that’s all.
@@moorlandmonster3540 when I was a lad my grandmother would subject us to monarch of the glen and then heartbeat. It was bad enough to make you look forward to all the detentions you'd get at school over the following week
Dorking's most famous son is Lord Olivier, born there 22 May 1907. John Logie Baird conducted his first TV test transmission from Box Hill to the roof of the Red Lion in Dorking High Street. William Mullins lived in West Street, Dorking and sailed on the Mayflower to America on 16th September 1620 as one of the Pilgrim Fathers. West Street is also great for antique shops!
fun fact: 10cc's 1978 album "Deceptive Bends" was named after a warning sign, now long gone, on the nasty dual-carriageway bit of A24 between Leatherhead and Dorking (Strawberry Studios' southern division was in Dorking, and 10cc often recorded there) if you want to see a largely unaltered and similarly hairy dual carriageway of a similar vintage, the Lesmahagow bypass in Lanarkshire is still fully intact, now part of B7078 and bypassed by M74 since 1968
That high accident rate he talks about, one of them was me! 🤣 Had a tour of Strawberry Studios back in the 80s as our form teacher was married to someone who worked there and we recorded some classroom noise for a record that never saw the light of day (the band's manager ran off with all the money apparently 😡)
Another interesting fact, in the middle of Reigate Tunnel is a door leading to a rather large shooting range. These also doubled up as air raid shelters during the 1940's troubles and before that to store wine...
That "dangerous" section of A24 was home to the only sign in the UK that warned of "Deceptive Bends" and 10cc who were recording nearby used this for the title of their album.
Occasionally I cycle up there from the leatherhead direction, which is always a long route cause I have to climb up to wrenmore common first then back down the valley to start the climb to Leith Hill. Views are always worth it though, and there’s a sick mountain bike route back down Leith Hill
We had the underpass abutments painted specially for you, they were covered in colourful graffiti until just recently! The Leatherhead pumping Station is still in use these days, just with electric pumps. There are two large standby generator sets for backup too. On occasion, the building has been floodlit in colour in support of a health charity. It's quite a striking building, the front doors are particularly imposing, being massive.
It’s amazing reading the comments from people local to these places and they have no idea what is in their neighbourhood Good work John for making people think about what is right next to them 👍👍🇦🇺
I can remember the tunnel at Reigate being open to traffic when it was part of the A217 and a major route from London to Brighton (and Gatwick Airport, I suppose). It was one of several bottlenecks along the way. Amazing to think how much went though there before the M23 and even the Reigate one way system were constructed. On top of Reigate hill is a 19th century fort that was part of the London Defence Scheme that was a chain of depots and underground stores that was intended to protect London in case of an invasion.
I lived in Reigate and went to school in Dorking in the 1970s. Used to go to Leatherhead a lot too. In the punk era there was a local band called The Heads who had a single called “Nothing to do in a town called Leatherhead”. Which was true. My sister had a copy but who knows where it is now…… Thanks for a trip down memory lane!
You missed a bit of history here - Epsom was home to the Epsom Cluster - five asylums, all now closed and I think all demolished. You can see the water tower of one (looks like West Park but I could be wrong) and the new development below it in the old hospital's footprint at 1:18.
Some have been converted to homes. I was a patient at one in the 1980s for a few weeks, and before that visted another one of the hospitals for a church group outing. Pertula Clark's parents were health workers in Epsom and the Kray Twins were in a secure section on the same site.
As a young child I remember we used to take the A217 from its start at Gatwick to West London and used the Reigate Tunnel but for central London we stayed on the A23 via Redhill. These days we always bypass both using the M23!
Did not expect to be thinking about Rob Walker this morning, yet here we are. Heir to the Johnny Walker distillery fortune, which is why is cars were in Scottish colors (blue with a white stripe across the nose) as opposed to BRG. As you mentioned, Rob Walker Racing is the last privateer team to win an F1 race; it's also the team that gave Lotus its first F1 victory, and the only team to win with a four wheel drive car. The team closed after the 1970 season, but Rob was associated with the sport as a journalist until the nineties. And for a man who listed "gentleman" as his occupation on his passport, that's wickedsweetawesome. Fun fact: in 1962 Walker had done a deal with Ferrari to run their cars out of his garage for the next season, with Stirling Moss driving, because Moss didn't want to live in Italy. With Moss' huge accident later in the year the whole deal came apart
And Rob Walker ran the great Jo Siffert who won the British GP at Brands in 1967 when both the works Lotus cars broke their transmissions. Rob was mildly excited!
So I’m guessing you filmed this Wednesday or Thursday last week judging on the weather, hope you didn’t get too soaked, should have popped in for a cuppa but you don’t know where I live so that blows that idea out the water, have a good week.
*Waves madly at the camera* "Goodbye, goodbye, bye, byeeeeee" "Pugh, Pugh, Barney McGrew, Cuthbert, Dibble and Grub" I Pressed the specific button to show I enjoyed it. Thankyou Jon. 🎆
I used to go to Box Hill each Sunday morning on my motorbike, that dual carriageway was awesome and I, and many others saw the 'Deceptive Bends' sign as more of a challenge than a warning😮 The early 1980's seem like a distant, bygone and carefree dream. The Health and Safety Stasi would faint at our antics now😂
On the A24 you would have driven past Box Hill which beautiful views over Surrey. At the base is a cafe called Ryka's which, since the 1920's, has been a focal point for motorcycle riders with dozens of bikes usually parked there.
Another great episode. It is rumoured that the Reigate tunnel was built because it shortened the distance by road between London and Brighton to less than 50 miles, this allowed the Prince Regent to be able to visit and enjoy Brighton, have a mistress and led to building the Brighton Pavillion.
Fascinating video, I lived in Reigate as a teenager, used to go shooting regularly in the club (which is still around) via a door in the tunnel you show, into the sand caves! You'd never know it were there walking through.
Great episode. I used to work for Rob Walker in the 70s, thoroughly nice man, we always received a bottle of the family brew at Xmas. Back in the day when you had to write your occupation in your passport his was "Gentleman".
When Stirling Moss drove for Rob Walker in the late 1950's/very early 1960's they never had a formal contract, just a verbal agreement between two absolute 'gentlemen' 👍
On the Leatherhead pumping station, that lovely 1930's concrete construction, take a look round the other side facing the river. Still to be seen are holes in the upper walls which rained down from on high during, what you refer to, the second dissagreement. Obviously no one ever thought to fill them up again as they're quite high up...
I'm such an old sad git, I remember when you both used to drive through the middle of Leatherhead (rather than the massive one way system that's now in place) and you drove through the tunnel in Reigate (have a feeling it used to have traffic lights on it at one stage as well}. Ah such memories
I had to drive through Leatherhead at rush hour every weekday for the last 4 years, it was 99% of the time quicker to drive through the town than it was go down that bastard of a bypass due to the roundabouts that created huge choke points.
My father worked for BCURA (British Coal Utilisation Research Association) from before the second small disagreement to the early 70s. They moved from West London to Randalls Road in Leatherhead during the war. Long since been replaced by housing. Quite a way out of London for a daily commute, but I guess there were plenty of trains
Hi Jon. You missed out on showing the grossly oversized Dorking Chicken on the roundabout. It is just up the road from Pippbrook Garage. Thinking about it, I can understand why you didn't bother.
Very surprised there wasn't a mention of the fact Epsom was home to the 'Epsom Cluster', the group of five mental hospitals which were built in the late 1800s through to mid 1920s in the town in order to house all of that part of Greater London's psychiatric patients after the hospitals in the city reached capacity. Manor, Long Grove, Horton, West Park and St. Ebba's Hospitals were constructed in the west of the town, and parts of them are still around today - only the manor house part of Manor remains, Horton and Long Grove were mostly demolished and converted by the mid 2000s, St. Ebba's was largely demolished in the late 2000s and West Park, which closed in 2003, was mostly converted into housing between 2010 and 2013.
I used to workk on a vineyard iin Dorking (Ranmore hill, next to Box hill. ) I had read that Reigate tunnel was built for the Prince Regent so he could go to the coast without encountering any poor people. Dorking wasn't much but there was some stunninng ladies in Shere.
On the Mickleham bends there used to be the unique road sign, 'Deceptive Bends' which is now no longer there when the carraigeway was reduced to a single track and the speed limit also reduced to 50mph. Interesting fact, Deceptive Bends, is the fifth studio album by rock band 10cc...
@@flickthenick No you didn’t, as it wasn’t mentioned 🤓 Stevie wonder also recorder at Strawberry Studios, with Paul McCartney, although arguably not the best work!
Nice one Jon. Finally you drove right by my house. Amazed of all the interesting stuff around here that I've never heard of. Thanks for the video, mate.
Can't believe that you've made a journey round my home towns. My parents were living a few miles south of Epsom Downs and then a few years later we moved to one village and then another between Dorking and Reigate. Never knew that about Pippbrook petrol station. I was told the purpose of Leigh Tower was to raise the height of Leigh Hill to 1000ft making it a mountain.
The cup of tea and a biscuit approach to sending the police on their way is a short term win, longer term you'll find police officers craving a cup or tea and a biscuit turning up claiming there have been complaints which need investigating. It's the same as the rule about never feeding the IT dept when they come to fix your PC.
@@himofthenorth-east The storage areas off to the sides are rumoured to be storage areas for the old castle, but more recently were expanded and dug out and mined by hand for the good quality sandstone/sand that used to be sent up to London and used for glassmaking. I took my niece round the caves a few years ago ( ahem ) and you can still see the old pickaxe marks in the ceiling. The caves were used as a bomb shelter during the war and fortunately for everyone they were never hit, as the soft sandstone would have collapsed immediately at the mere whiff of a bomb and killed everyone taking "shelter" there. There's also a gun range down there, so that the locals can blast away without making any noise at ground level. The caves are opened to the public three of four times a year.
John, I’ll be brief: you sir are the most entertaining thing on the telly. Even if you’re not technically on the telly. Unless I’m at my mums, cos she can access TH-cam on her telly and I can’t be arsed to buy a new one for myself. But if I did, your vids would be the best thing on it. That and the Captain Scarlet reruns that are on some obscure channel at the moment 👍🍻🍀
Went through a tunnel just like that recently but it was in Derbyshire, apparently it started life as a railway tunnel but it was a shock to discover it after driving up a narrow winding single track road stopping to let the lycra brigade pass every ten yards or so :)
John - what a great video ... I am biased as I know Epsom, Dorking and Reigate well... a friend of mine organised a celebration of the Reigate tunnel last year and another friend drove a horse and passenger cart through it. As for the Reigate tunnels even when they were closed you could still gain access behind the antique shop on the ring road in the 1980's. Great videos and keep up the good work.
Just passed through Woking a couple of hours ago. My son called it "Wocking". Oh how we chuckled at the idea of a Chinese take away called "The Wok King"
He is following me around again. I visited Leith Hill for my channel. It is worth climbing the tower for the view including views over Gatwick. Don't let that put you off. Very nearby is the home of composer Ralph Vaughan William who wrote Lark Ascending. I also visited the windmill chapel including rare access inside (I think Jon just used a stock photo there)
When I used to do Dorking's market one of my loyalest customers at my old shoe stall was a former Aston Martin test driver who had broken every major bone in his body for Aston Martin and been paid a lot of money to do so by Aston Martin, lovely old bloke with his missus.
Horse Racing used to be at Pollards Hill but moved to Epsom - where a substantial network of stables was created by different trainers, some of the stables have closed of recent years and been developed into rather expensive housing
If I'd known you were going to be mentioning formula one locations in Surrey I'd have reminded you of Tyrell - you were quite close to Ockham (near the A3 / M25 junction that's being 'improved') when you were in Woking last week ... though that might have overloaded that episode after mentioning McLaren
Leith Hill was one of the Naval telegraph Hills for transmission of messages by semaphore flags from the Admiralty to Portsmouth. Telegraph Hill was close and was one of the shortest distances between signal stations.
Following the A24 north, it becomes the A240. I used to live next to it at Surbiton Hill where it is single lane and dives down and twists towards Kingston. Number of accidents and screaming I have heard on that road was occationally disturbing. Can be solid snail pace traffic at rush hour, or by 8pm you can get London boy racers in supercars trying to do 80mph.
My Dad worked at Rob Walker’s garage at Pipbrook. He used to look after Robs Ferrari’s along with his wealthy friends fast cars. He was once lent a 300SL Gulwing for 3 months 😮
Great video, Jon. You finally came to my adopted town of Reigate! (I had a feeling I saw you drive out of Morrisons in your Saab recently!) The road tunnel was built (I think) because it was a ball ache to go around the castle - it celebrated its 200th anniversary last year!
You were in Dorking at that fuel station and didn't take the opportunity to go to Cock roundabout, barely 50 yards away, point at it and say "Cock!".
I am, quite frankly, astonished.
So am I!!! So many jokes and double entendres missed.
Incredible - a massive, steel cock sitting proud and erect in the centre of the roundabout, which must need constant polishing - and nary an entrendre, single or otherwise! :D
Or Box Hill. I can't believe the 1929 guide would have missed that one. But missing the Cock is more disappointing.
😂
there is a Cockpit roundabout in Derby
The world’s first road tunnel, the only consecrated “windmill church” in the world, a “privateer” formula 1 team and a disused pump house all in the same episode! You spoilt us today! Thank you Jon. 👏👏👍😀
Only thing missing was a railway...
@@garethaethwy Awaiting the Surrey Iron at sometime
@@garethaethwy Ah yes indeed. Hopefully next week. 👍
"England is boring, lets go on holiday abroad." Really, really eh? I vote Jon as the UK tourism ambassador as each week I'm left thinking, "I could go there."
Yep. Caravan in Norfolk this week and it is excellent.
@@willtricks9432Cottage in Moffat 🏴 this week, abroad doesn’t appeal to me and the wife at all. We don’t even have passports.
I keep saying this to my missis,loads to see in Britain
Whato all,
I was in a converted farm building last week in Motcombe. A lovely part of the country and a nice selection of National Trust places nearby.
Perhaps it’s the allure of warm dry sunny days abroad that tempts folk. Abroad also has things to do and without the overcast chilly dampness of Blighty. Just offering a counterpoint that’s all.
I think they need to turn that old pump house into a jam factory, where they can really pump up the jam........... I'll get my coat... :P
PUMP UP THE JAM!
@@samholdsworth420 PUMP IT UP!
@@TheChiefSmeg69 WHILE YOUR FEET ARE STOMPING
I thought it would be a great pub. The Pump House.
PUMP UP THE VOLUME !!! 🙌🏻
That walk and sit at the beginning was borderline professional tv presenting.
And yet strangely better 😂
Countryfile, Antiques Roadshow, Songs of Praise, Auto Shenanigans - the four corners of the essential British Sunday.
Don't forget, the creeping dread of work/school/Monday in general that lies at the centre of those four corners...
You forget Jago...
Don't forget Retropower Cars................
@@moorlandmonster3540 when I was a lad my grandmother would subject us to monarch of the glen and then heartbeat. It was bad enough to make you look forward to all the detentions you'd get at school over the following week
Not forgetting Jago (already mentioned) and Paul Whitewick, so maybe six corners, unless you know better.............
If you think the Leatherhead to Dorking part of the A24 is meandering, wait until you try the Dorking to Horsham part.
Dorking's most famous son is Lord Olivier, born there 22 May 1907. John Logie Baird conducted his first TV test transmission from Box Hill to the roof of the Red Lion in Dorking High Street. William Mullins lived in West Street, Dorking and sailed on the Mayflower to America on 16th September 1620 as one of the Pilgrim Fathers. West Street is also great for antique shops!
fun fact: 10cc's 1978 album "Deceptive Bends" was named after a warning sign, now long gone, on the nasty dual-carriageway bit of A24 between Leatherhead and Dorking (Strawberry Studios' southern division was in Dorking, and 10cc often recorded there)
if you want to see a largely unaltered and similarly hairy dual carriageway of a similar vintage, the Lesmahagow bypass in Lanarkshire is still fully intact, now part of B7078 and bypassed by M74 since 1968
1977 but close enough. 🙂 Interesting fact.
Stevie Wonder recorded there too, although not his best work 😮
Go ahead and say that 3 times fast. ''Lesmahagow''
That high accident rate he talks about, one of them was me! 🤣
Had a tour of Strawberry Studios back in the 80s as our form teacher was married to someone who worked there and we recorded some classroom noise for a record that never saw the light of day (the band's manager ran off with all the money apparently 😡)
And Jimmy Page grew up in Epsom. His old house is still there on Miles Road.
Another interesting fact, in the middle of Reigate Tunnel is a door leading to a rather large shooting range. These also doubled up as air raid shelters during the 1940's troubles and before that to store wine...
Yeah, I used to shoot there when I lived in Reigate! It's still going.
That "dangerous" section of A24 was home to the only sign in the UK that warned of "Deceptive Bends" and 10cc who were recording nearby used this for the title of their album.
So they use churches as fire stations and windmills as churches?
You're a funny lot you Southerners...
I used to walk past that windmill on my way to work every day. Never knew it was a church
Proposed to my wife up the top of Leith Hill Tower, some really good views up there.
I’m assuming one of those good views was your future wife. Hence the proposal. 👍👍👍🤣
Occasionally I cycle up there from the leatherhead direction, which is always a long route cause I have to climb up to wrenmore common first then back down the valley to start the climb to Leith Hill. Views are always worth it though, and there’s a sick mountain bike route back down Leith Hill
@@Kj_Gamer2614 IIRC Box Hill nearby was part of the Olympic cycle route in 2012. A race of that order, anyway.
@@David_Crayford it indeed was, I’ve cycled up there plenty as well
No, you proposed to your girlfriend 🤓
Argh! - There I was quietly surfing 'the net' when I was attacked by your hidiously amusing anecdotes. Thank you for saving me from a very boring day.
Are you a dentist or an oil rig worker? ;-)
We had the underpass abutments painted specially for you, they were covered in colourful graffiti until just recently!
The Leatherhead pumping Station is still in use these days, just with electric pumps. There are two large standby generator sets for backup too. On occasion, the building has been floodlit in colour in support of a health charity.
It's quite a striking building, the front doors are particularly imposing, being massive.
I was going to say can we just stop and discuss that unfeasible clean and actually quite well done non-graffiti underpass. One of the few in Britain.
Another fwickedsweetawesome video, Jon. Another Sunday Sundayed
It’s amazing reading the comments from people local to these places and they have no idea what is in their neighbourhood
Good work John for making people think about what is right next to them 👍👍🇦🇺
That "Thinning bath salts" ad is absolutely incredible and just gets better the further on you read. Laxative thinning pastilles!!
Hello Jon, how the devil are you, have you have a good week?
How do you cram so much quality viewing in such a short space of time. Just Brilliant. Well done 👍
I can remember the tunnel at Reigate being open to traffic when it was part of the A217 and a major route from London to Brighton (and Gatwick Airport, I suppose). It was one of several bottlenecks along the way. Amazing to think how much went though there before the M23 and even the Reigate one way system were constructed.
On top of Reigate hill is a 19th century fort that was part of the London Defence Scheme that was a chain of depots and underground stores that was intended to protect London in case of an invasion.
I lived in Reigate and went to school in Dorking in the 1970s. Used to go to Leatherhead a lot too. In the punk era there was a local band called The Heads who had a single called “Nothing to do in a town called Leatherhead”. Which was true. My sister had a copy but who knows where it is now……
Thanks for a trip down memory lane!
Ashcome or Sondes?
Oh finally an episode where I recognise the entire route and most of the facts properly, in fact passing close to my home village even
this is the only content on all of TH-cam that is worthy of my attention. Learning & laughing.
You missed a bit of history here - Epsom was home to the Epsom Cluster - five asylums, all now closed and I think all demolished. You can see the water tower of one (looks like West Park but I could be wrong) and the new development below it in the old hospital's footprint at 1:18.
There are still NHS Mental Services on at least one of the sites,
Some have been converted to homes. I was a patient at one in the 1980s for a few weeks, and before that visted another one of the hospitals for a church group outing. Pertula Clark's parents were health workers in Epsom and the Kray Twins were in a secure section on the same site.
Episode only been up 30 minutes and over 600 likes/watches, what a sad bunch we are! Can't wait for next Sunday. 🙃
Everyone else's new videos can wait, we need to see Jon's been up to this week
As a young child I remember we used to take the A217 from its start at Gatwick to West London and used the Reigate Tunnel but for central London we stayed on the A23 via Redhill.
These days we always bypass both using the M23!
Someone finally found my petrol station!
Did not expect to be thinking about Rob Walker this morning, yet here we are. Heir to the Johnny Walker distillery fortune, which is why is cars were in Scottish colors (blue with a white stripe across the nose) as opposed to BRG. As you mentioned, Rob Walker Racing is the last privateer team to win an F1 race; it's also the team that gave Lotus its first F1 victory, and the only team to win with a four wheel drive car. The team closed after the 1970 season, but Rob was associated with the sport as a journalist until the nineties. And for a man who listed "gentleman" as his occupation on his passport, that's wickedsweetawesome.
Fun fact: in 1962 Walker had done a deal with Ferrari to run their cars out of his garage for the next season, with Stirling Moss driving, because Moss didn't want to live in Italy. With Moss' huge accident later in the year the whole deal came apart
And Enzo had agreed the cars could be painted in Walkers colours rather than Italian scarlet ( or Belgian yellow !) .
And Rob Walker ran the great Jo Siffert who won the British GP at Brands in 1967 when both the works Lotus cars broke their transmissions. Rob was mildly excited!
So I’m guessing you filmed this Wednesday or Thursday last week judging on the weather, hope you didn’t get too soaked, should have popped in for a cuppa but you don’t know where I live so that blows that idea out the water, have a good week.
Yeah he did a video right next to my house and I was disapointed that I was unaware until it was posted, because I would have given him tea and toast.
The original Pippbrook Garage building was lovely.
Rob Walker is from the Johnnie Walker Whisky family.
*Waves madly at the camera* "Goodbye, goodbye, bye, byeeeeee"
"Pugh, Pugh, Barney McGrew, Cuthbert, Dibble and Grub"
I Pressed the specific button to show I enjoyed it. Thankyou Jon. 🎆
Pugh, Pugh, Barney McGrew, Cuthbert, Dibble, Grub :D
You called?
Time for Trumpton.
I used to go to Box Hill each Sunday morning on my motorbike, that dual carriageway was awesome and I, and many others saw the 'Deceptive Bends' sign as more of a challenge than a warning😮 The early 1980's seem like a distant, bygone and carefree dream. The Health and Safety Stasi would faint at our antics now😂
New subscriber here, I was led by a comment in a Jago Hazzard video... very nice to hear elevations in feet rather than metres 😁
On the A24 you would have driven past Box Hill which beautiful views over Surrey. At the base is a cafe called Ryka's which, since the 1920's, has been a focal point for motorcycle riders with dozens of bikes usually parked there.
When I was a child in the 1950s I went through Reigate Tunnel a number of times by car.
Another great episode. It is rumoured that the Reigate tunnel was built because it shortened the distance by road between London and Brighton to less than 50 miles, this allowed the Prince Regent to be able to visit and enjoy Brighton, have a mistress and led to building the Brighton Pavillion.
Fascinating video, I lived in Reigate as a teenager, used to go shooting regularly in the club (which is still around) via a door in the tunnel you show, into the sand caves! You'd never know it were there walking through.
walking around and saying "according to my guide book" makes you the automotive version of Portillo and train journeys
I used to workk on a vineyard iin Dorking (Ranmore hill, next to Box hill. )
Dorking wasn't much but there was some stunninng ladies in Shere.
Me too.
I did student pruning / hole digging when Bert and Hans ran the show in 88/90.
Great episode. I used to work for Rob Walker in the 70s, thoroughly nice man, we always received a bottle of the family brew at Xmas. Back in the day when you had to write your occupation in your passport his was "Gentleman".
My Dad worked for him in the early 60’s and reported the same 😀
When Stirling Moss drove for Rob Walker in the late 1950's/very early 1960's they never had a formal contract, just a verbal agreement between two absolute 'gentlemen' 👍
On the Leatherhead pumping station, that lovely 1930's concrete construction, take a look round the other side facing the river. Still to be seen are holes in the upper walls which rained down from on high during, what you refer to, the second dissagreement. Obviously no one ever thought to fill them up again as they're quite high up...
Bit you missed, Leatherhead was the home of the Campbell family who used to keep that rather large vehicle, the Bluebird in the garage...
From the top of Leith Tower you can watch planes land at both Heathrow and Gatwick
I'm old enough to remember when the traffic used to go through that tunnel in Reigate town centre.
I liked this video so I pressed the button specifically for that 👉🏻
All I can say to that is Hello, how the devil are you; have you had a good week?
I liked your comment so I pressed the button specifically for that 👉
I also enjoyed the video so the button was pressed that is specifically for that.
f’wicked sweet awesome
Button, specific, appreciation for the use of, pressed.
"Leatherhead" really should have been the name of a Hammer Horror monster movie villain.
Well theres actually a teenage mutant ninja turtles villain which shares its names so close enough
I'm such an old sad git, I remember when you both used to drive through the middle of Leatherhead (rather than the massive one way system that's now in place) and you drove through the tunnel in Reigate (have a feeling it used to have traffic lights on it at one stage as well}. Ah such memories
I had to drive through Leatherhead at rush hour every weekday for the last 4 years, it was 99% of the time quicker to drive through the town than it was go down that bastard of a bypass due to the roundabouts that created huge choke points.
I remember it all too!
My father worked for BCURA (British Coal Utilisation Research Association) from before the second small disagreement to the early 70s. They moved from West London to Randalls Road in Leatherhead during the war. Long since been replaced by housing. Quite a way out of London for a daily commute, but I guess there were plenty of trains
agreed. leatherhead town centre up for huge redevelopment following the one way system debarcle of the last 40 years.....
Me too
That windmill/church is 100 years older than the USofA 😅
As is that concrete and rubble filled tower.
265th yes.
Hi Jon. You missed out on showing the grossly oversized Dorking Chicken on the roundabout. It is just up the road from Pippbrook Garage.
Thinking about it, I can understand why you didn't bother.
Maybe chickened out?
I work in Dorking. It’s a shame I didn’t see you filming as I’d have bought you a coffee. Love your work, John. Keep it up! 🤩
Very surprised there wasn't a mention of the fact Epsom was home to the 'Epsom Cluster', the group of five mental hospitals which were built in the late 1800s through to mid 1920s in the town in order to house all of that part of Greater London's psychiatric patients after the hospitals in the city reached capacity.
Manor, Long Grove, Horton, West Park and St. Ebba's Hospitals were constructed in the west of the town, and parts of them are still around today - only the manor house part of Manor remains, Horton and Long Grove were mostly demolished and converted by the mid 2000s, St. Ebba's was largely demolished in the late 2000s and West Park, which closed in 2003, was mostly converted into housing between 2010 and 2013.
I used to workk on a vineyard iin Dorking (Ranmore hill, next to Box hill. )
I had read that Reigate tunnel was built for the Prince Regent so he could go to the coast without encountering any poor people.
Dorking wasn't much but there was some stunninng ladies in Shere.
Oh man, Bath Salts… 👀😵💫🫨
On the Mickleham bends there used to be the unique road sign, 'Deceptive Bends' which is now no longer there when the carraigeway was reduced to a single track and the speed limit also reduced to 50mph. Interesting fact, Deceptive Bends, is the fifth studio album by rock band 10cc...
That was recorded in Dorking 👍🏻
@@DontPanicDear yes thanks, got that from the video...
@@flickthenick
No you didn’t, as it wasn’t mentioned 🤓
Stevie wonder also recorder at Strawberry Studios, with Paul McCartney, although arguably not the best work!
Love that view of London looking north-east
Another great video John ⚓️🧲👍
Nice one Jon. Finally you drove right by my house. Amazed of all the interesting stuff around here that I've never heard of. Thanks for the video, mate.
Can't believe that you've made a journey round my home towns. My parents were living a few miles south of Epsom Downs and then a few years later we moved to one village and then another between Dorking and Reigate. Never knew that about Pippbrook petrol station.
I was told the purpose of Leigh Tower was to raise the height of Leigh Hill to 1000ft making it a mountain.
The Reigate Tunnel was built to save time for the Mail Coaches going from London to Brighton.
Always interesting. Please dont stop.
Love the humour
Thank you Jon, for another Great British road journey 👍👍👍
Jon, you're starting to feel dangerously like a professional presenter! 😂 The old walk-then-sit in the beginning. 😂
Lived near Dorking for almost 40 years, and didnt know about the Pipbrook garage, and i fill up there couple times a week
Ah well Rob Walker packed in F1 in 1970, so you post-date it a we bit.
Some great drone views man!
"And its know Doubt It's Quite the eye sore to local Residents. I Quite like it :)"
That was wicked Sweet awesome 🤣🤣 👏
The cup of tea and a biscuit approach to sending the police on their way is a short term win, longer term you'll find police officers craving a cup or tea and a biscuit turning up claiming there have been complaints which need investigating.
It's the same as the rule about never feeding the IT dept when they come to fix your PC.
That pump house was stunning.
Cheers Jon 👍🏼
That pumping station is begging to be preserved and converted into a fantastic house.
The tunnel looked interesting. It appeared to have bricked up vaults, stores or storage areas off to the sides.
Funnily enough I was thinking the same, wondering what the purpose was or whether it was part of the construction process...
@@himofthenorth-east The storage areas off to the sides are rumoured to be storage areas for the old castle, but more recently were expanded and dug out and mined by hand for the good quality sandstone/sand that used to be sent up to London and used for glassmaking. I took my niece round the caves a few years ago ( ahem ) and you can still see the old pickaxe marks in the ceiling. The caves were used as a bomb shelter during the war and fortunately for everyone they were never hit, as the soft sandstone would have collapsed immediately at the mere whiff of a bomb and killed everyone taking "shelter" there. There's also a gun range down there, so that the locals can blast away without making any noise at ground level. The caves are opened to the public three of four times a year.
@@jamesharmer9293 blimey, that's really interesting, thanks for all that info 🙂👍
@@jamesharmer9293 cool. Thanks for the info.
I believe there is a gun club with a range in one side
John, I’ll be brief: you sir are the most entertaining thing on the telly. Even if you’re not technically on the telly. Unless I’m at my mums, cos she can access TH-cam on her telly and I can’t be arsed to buy a new one for myself. But if I did, your vids would be the best thing on it. That and the Captain Scarlet reruns that are on some obscure channel at the moment 👍🍻🍀
Went through a tunnel just like that recently but it was in Derbyshire, apparently it started life as a railway tunnel but it was a shock to discover it after driving up a narrow winding single track road stopping to let the lycra brigade pass every ten yards or so :)
By the Beaminster Tunnel isn’t far behind, built in 1830 and opened in 1832 and is actually still in daily use!
John - what a great video ... I am biased as I know Epsom, Dorking and Reigate well... a friend of mine organised a celebration of the Reigate tunnel last year and another friend drove a horse and passenger cart through it. As for the Reigate tunnels even when they were closed you could still gain access behind the antique shop on the ring road in the 1980's. Great videos and keep up the good work.
Just passed through Woking a couple of hours ago. My son called it "Wocking". Oh how we chuckled at the idea of a Chinese take away called "The Wok King"
I remember the time when you could drive through the Reigate tunnel, and I remember the installation of the terrible one way system that replaced it.
He is following me around again. I visited Leith Hill for my channel. It is worth climbing the tower for the view including views over Gatwick. Don't let that put you off. Very nearby is the home of composer Ralph Vaughan William who wrote Lark Ascending. I also visited the windmill chapel including rare access inside (I think Jon just used a stock photo there)
You whizz through these towns like a dose of salts.
Very Enjoyable
I like the leatherhead pumping station. People say Dorking isn't a nice place. I have been to Reigate a few times, a lovely town.
Another excellent and informative video Jon.
When I used to do Dorking's market one of my loyalest customers at my old shoe stall was a former Aston Martin test driver who had broken every major bone in his body for Aston Martin and been paid a lot of money to do so by Aston Martin, lovely old bloke with his missus.
Superb episode. I can't believe some knob decided to demolish the Pipp garage :/
You missed Box hill, Coldhabour with allegedly the South Easts highest pub and Reigate hill along with its restored fort.
‘Box Hill’? The one made famous by the band ‘Dumpy’s Rusty Nuts’, in the seminal tune ‘Box Hill or Bust’?
@@razzle1964I ain't happy til I'm doing a ton \m/
Horse Racing used to be at Pollards Hill but moved to Epsom - where a substantial network of stables was created by different trainers, some of the stables have closed of recent years and been developed into rather expensive housing
Looking forward to your commentary on Redhill....
Epsom, born and brought up there.
If I'd known you were going to be mentioning formula one locations in Surrey I'd have reminded you of Tyrell - you were quite close to Ockham (near the A3 / M25 junction that's being 'improved') when you were in Woking last week ... though that might have overloaded that episode after mentioning McLaren
Leith Hill was one of the Naval telegraph Hills for transmission of messages by semaphore flags from the Admiralty to Portsmouth. Telegraph Hill was close and was one of the shortest distances between signal stations.
I recently stumbled across your channel, and I'm very pleased I did, excellent content ! Thank you 👍🏻
Ah 2024 the summer of wind and rain! Well documented in this video. Nice work good skills filming this John. 👊😎👍
Another beauty of a video.
I love a good hill tower in particular.
Following the A24 north, it becomes the A240. I used to live next to it at Surbiton Hill where it is single lane and dives down and twists towards Kingston. Number of accidents and screaming I have heard on that road was occationally disturbing. Can be solid snail pace traffic at rush hour, or by 8pm you can get London boy racers in supercars trying to do 80mph.
Now time for Great British Road Journeys with Jon
My Dad worked at Rob Walker’s garage at Pipbrook.
He used to look after Robs Ferrari’s along with his wealthy friends fast cars.
He was once lent a 300SL Gulwing for 3 months 😮
Great video, Jon. You finally came to my adopted town of Reigate! (I had a feeling I saw you drive out of Morrisons in your Saab recently!)
The road tunnel was built (I think) because it was a ball ache to go around the castle - it celebrated its 200th anniversary last year!