Photo Index

PHOTOGRAPHS OF ASHTEAD BY ALBERT PRUDEN - NOW AVAILABLE IN A COLOUR BOOK "ASHTEAD IN FOCUS" AVAILABLE AT LOCAL SHOPS PLUS VIA THE WEBMASTER. Email ashteadra@tiscali.co.uk for details.

"The idea of taking the photos had seeped into my brain, so by 1 January I was eager to start. I walked to North Lodge and at 09.13 took my first one — by lunchtime I had taken 34 more! I told my wife that I’d taken some photos of the churches and she asked if I’d taken one of the Baptist Church; I hadn’t, so I set out again — by the end of the day the total was 51. By the end of January it was 230, which made me think about a strategy: I should be taking a few every week of different places and in different weather conditions. From an artistic viewpoint, I was hoping for fog and snow, but as a “bonus” I got the floods!

I have always been interested in photography, so treated this project as an extension to my hobby. I have learned more about the roads in Ashtead, have seen the rural aspects of the area; the Common, the Pond and the Park, and the hub of the village, The Street. I managed to get pictures of the Pond frozen at the beginning and the end of the year and have taken other views with a variety of weather conditions. It became an historical study for me, rather than a photographic one. I found many Coal Posts and snapped them and discovered the electricity sub-station under the bridge in the Park.

Looking at the results, I keep finding details that I hadn’t noticed before. I have taken some of the shopkeepers outside their businesses and mothers pushing prams, but mainly houses, roads and rural views. I am going to continue photographing projects started last year — e.g. St.George’s Church, WS Atkins building in The Street and 92 Links Road — so that I get the full picture for the record.

Whilst walking around taking the shots, people sometimes asked me if I was from the Council, possibly thinking that I was trying to capture on film some “illegal activities”, but I just asked if they were members of the ARA (most said “yes”) and told them that I was taking part in the Association’s Millennium project; then they were appreciative.

Now that I have all these photos, which I have been dating and referencing, I am going to scan them into a computer and index them so that people can find the pictures they want.

Finally had a chance to sit down and read this lovely book from cover to cover. As an ex resident of Ashtead, having lived there all of my childhood and part of my adult life this book brought back many memories. Of particular interest were the photos of the three Ashtead schools I attended (Barnett Wood Lane, St Giles and St Andrews) plus also the various photos of Ashtead common. I lived in Links Road so it was interesting to see the changes that have taken place in that time and how much everything has grown up.

I also found interesting the chapter on the various shops that are now in Ashtead and amazed to see that some of the same names still exist. One in particular I am thinking of is Knitcraft on Craddocks Parade as I remember this range of shops being built and Knitcraft was one of the first shops there!! Plus Ken Hewlett who could forget this shop, I used to love going in there with my Dad at a very young age and seeing all the different coloured bicycle bells on the counter - my very first bike of course came from here!

The photo of Bryan Elphick also brought back memories as I used to work for Osenton Lamden at their Leatherhead office (I must say he has hardly changed in 30 years!). The front cover photo of the chestnut avenue sums up Ashtead beautifully and this has barely changed in fifty years. All in all this is an absolutely lovely book with so much hard work, skill and dedication put into it - thank you Albert for signing it and thank you also David Baker for letting me know about it. . The book is on the shelf along with other treasured books and I have also bought another copy to give to my sister Delphine for Christmas, she too has many fond memories.

Estelle Pickard (née Cox)

Devon

Any friends of Estelle who would like to re-establish contact with her should email ashteadra@tiscali.co.uk and the webmaster will forward them on to her.

Chris Roberts-Bolton, ex-Greville Park Road has also bought a copy of "Ashtead in Focus" and one of his memories is as follows:-

"One quite interesting memory from my time in Ashtead concerns an old house. Half of the length of our garden in Greville Park Road adjoined a large house and gardens. It was a proper old "estate" style house. I have looked it up on an old map of Ashtead and it was called The Paddocks. As young children the gardens were a magnet to me and my brother, and we often used to go exploring. The gardens were fantastic, with large rose gardens, hedge bound walkways and large lawns. Also, quite near the top of our garden, was a wooded area with a big ornamental lake surrounded by rhododendron bushes. We had great fun collecting frog spawn, although we often had to hide when the gardener was around.

After a few years the place became vacant, and we became brave enough to go to the house. We sneaked around the back, and there was a ladder up to a flat roof area. We climbed up and peered in through a window, only to see people inside! The next thing was a voice saying "Come down immediately" We were then escorted back to our garden and told that the next time we would be in big trouble!

The bulldozers moved in and demolished the lovely house and ripped up those amazing gardens and filled in the lake.

This is where Paddocks Way and Paddocks Close are today. Just before we moved in 1972 my father sold the top half of our garden so that they could extend Paddocks Close."

Any friends of Chris who would like to re-establish contact with him should email ashteadra@tiscali.co.uk and the webmaster will forward them on to him.

In addition, there is now a new book published by the Leatherhead & District Local History called

Albert, taken by his daughter Alison Pruden.

Choose the letter below for the road, street or avenue in Ashtead. If we have a picture loaded you will see a thumbnail copy. Click on the copy to be taken to a full screen picture. The pictures are copyright of Albert Pruden and the Ashtead Residents Association.

Additional photographs were taken by Meredith Worsfold and Maurice Buckley.

Terry Drewitt has also kindly donated some old photographs of Ashtead Pond and Station area.

If your road is not included, E-Mail the webmaster on ashteadra@tiscali.co.uk and I will look for Albert's prints to include on the next update.