Banstead Village

I can't now quite picture precisely where that is, but when I was at school 1949-54 I don't remember an overflow classroom or need for one. I don't recall a hall being in that area, but that's just my memory. There is a picture on this website of this area before the shops were built and that jogged my memory. Does that show a hall? Development next to Cullens, on the old tea shop grounds was in 1954 I think. Cullens was the last shop of the short parade.

Note from LNW: No luck finding a photo of this hall yet although we have found it mentioned on a map. Look out for our new publication, BANSTEAD URCHINS, a collection of humorous tales about a mischievous group of boys growing up in Banstead in the 1950s. The author, Peter Wells, attended Winkworth Hall, more or less opposite the old Post Office.

Following the comments from Lewis and Michael above, an absorbing copy of the Banstead County Junior School log for the years 1936-1978 is held in the BHRG archives.

While browsing its 538 pages (!) the other day, I came across these two entries, which show that the school did indeed rent Winkworth Hall – for four years, between 1956 and 1960. Here’s what they say:

4th September 1956: School re-opened after the holidays. Accommodation has now been provided at Winkworth Hall, High Street, and the class from the school hall has been transferred there.

13th June 1960: The lease of Winkworth Hall, which has been used as a classroom, has been surrendered. The outside class is now back in the school hall. The time-table will be modified from day to day.

Further research by James Crouch tells us that maps held at the library recorded the use of the building as:

1986 - Cut Price Pet Foods
1994 - Office for Edward Russell
1996 - Vacant office
2000 - Vacant outlet
2002 - Not shown (presume demolished)

2003 - Satellite photo shows block of flats built on site

I spoke to my sister recently who is younger than me, and she said she remembers walking along the High Street in Mr Fenton's class to a hall that she described as being around that location. I think that would have been school year 1956/57. She had no recollection of it being called Winkworth Hall though.

When I mentioned this to a friend of mine he also remembers walking to Winkworth Hall for lessons in the late 50s.

Interestingly chapter12 'Village School' in the 'Banstead Urchins' publication refers to Winkworth Hall and a humorous shenanigan that involved Babycham is recorded.


You can get Banstead Urchins and many other local history publications here. If you are local we will drop your copy round. If you live elsewhere in the UK we will post your copy free of charge.

This 1958 OS 1:2500 map surveyed 1957 has Winkworth Hall marked.
maps.nls.uk/view/103028658

I was in MR Gould's class which was held in Winkworth Hall.
On Fridays we would plays on the stage at the back of the classroom.
After school I would walk down the High Street and bang loudly on the metal shop sign outside the Corn Stores to annoy the shop staff, then run off down the High Street laughing.

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