Banstead Village

Does anyone remember the shop I think called 'Rays' next to the infant school? It sold everything and anything!

Hello Tracey I remember the shop in question and have a feeling you are correct in saying that it was called 'Rays' as you say it sold all sorts of goods. As a child I would go there to do my Christmas shopping for Grandparents,Aunts,Uncles and cousins.

Tracey, I have just found an entry in a local phone book dated 1975 and it is listed as Ray's Quality Bargains 100 High Street Banstead phone number Burgh Heath 57848

My Mum used to work in Rays in the 1970's. She may well have served you. Ray was a strange man. My Dad got his stepson a job in the city and he still works up there. Ray died quite a while ago I believe.

I used to work in Ray's on Saturdays around 1970/71 with Ray and his wife and yes, it stocked just about everything!

Old shops, but not that old except for FW Woolworth (and the Co-op just out of view) that was there long before. The High Street used to narrow at the junction Woolworth's and Taylor Bros. Shops built late 50s/early 60s?

Woolworth's had wooden floors and openly displayed goods in front of the sales assistants - very advanced for the time, but the manageress was always suspicious of us boys going there! There a large weighing machine with a huge dial near the entrance which, for 1d, produced a small stout card with a record of your weight. But then my bus fare cost 1½d each way!

The old wooden floors are still there!! in Lorimer's

I had a job in the school holidays with Ray - it would have been 1974-5, I think. I earned 36p an hour, and yes, we sold everything! He was a nice man. It was my first job.

I worked at F W Woolworth in 1961 having been transferred there from Woolworth in Epsom due to after Christmas over staffing.

I recall that Ray was a golfing pal of my late father; I think that he either gave up his regular employment, or was redundant, and decided to open a general "gifty/everything imaginable stocked" shop to fulfill a long-held dream. My memory (1960s schoolboy!) is that he was a very nice man, who looked a little bit like Bob Hope.

I worked at Woolworths for 3 years in the mid 60s, a very happy time in my life. How I remember the wooden floor – I swept it nightly for 3 years.

I recall that Victor Towler's were known as the "Smash 'n' Grab" shop due to their being victims of such raids. It was pretty much the "go to" shop in the area for anything lighting. (They had a branch at Tolworth as well.)

Does anyone remember the name of the vinyl record shop on Banstead High Street in the 1970's? I bought my first single there in 1972 but I now live in Hazel Grove near Stockport

Response from LNW; One suggestion is that it may have been called the Banstead Music Shop at 8 High Street.

I used to buy my records from the Ibis book shop. It had cubicles and you could listen to the records before you purchased them.
It had the most amazing collection of books too and you could order almost any book of your choosing. The owner was a real character.

It was called the Ibis and was owned by Martyn Gough who had his book on the shelves.
When I went there in 1967 and asked to listen to a new record. That was the first time I heard Pink Floyd's Piper at the Gates of Dawn.
WOW most revolutionary album ever.
Still a favourite and an inspiration to my guitar playing.

Note from LNW: See Pic 365 or search for Ibis on this site.

I bought a single there, "Let's twist again" by Chubby Checker.

I bought "Let's Dance"by Chris Montez.

Ray was a top bloke. In the 70s, my Mum often went in there. He had a cardboard box to the right of the doorway that was next to the till - the box had loads of cheap toys (simple small things in the pence price bracket). I used to love rummaging through that.

When I was older, he let me have a look (maybe I helped carry some stuff, I can't remember) in his lock up that was a garage just down the first bit of the footpath that ran beside the Midland bank (the first bit was wide enough for a small car/van back then - doubt a modern car would fit)

He sold just about everything household - detergent, cleaning supplies, everything.

I remember a quality hi-fi/audio shop on the other side going back towards the library – it was more or less opposite the post office; can't remember the name now but a pal at school (Nork Park) was the son of the owner or manager-possibly surname Reese?

Anyway, I bought my first hi-fi speakers there-Sonotone Solents – the manager was quite dismissive of them but he did order them for me.

Talking of the library, I wonder how many know now that the original one before the big one off Bolters Lane was built was in a small shop space way down the other end of the High Street opposite the police station? This must have been mid/late 1950s

I know about a previous library down the east end of the high street also the one above Boots the chemist, I don’t remember which one superseded the other but I used both, it was about the mid 50s.

Janice, the library at the east end of the high street was the official Banstead Library, part of the Surrey County Library service. It was more or lessopposite the police station and it later moved to the west end of the high street opposite the roundabout - where, of course, it still is today. As a kid I used the old library all the time.

Please add your comments about this picture using the form below.

Comments


Your Name


Your email address - this will be shown on the page and will allow the system to notify you of further comments added to this picture.