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Spencer

👤 Person
391 total appearances

Appearances Over Time

Podcast Appearances

The Planet Reigate Podcast
69a: *Extra Episode - The (Full) Story Of Bancroft Road, Reigate

We can let you get on. Thank you. All the best. Thank you so much.

The Planet Reigate Podcast
69: 4/4 - The story of Bancroft Road, Reigate 4 - behind the scenes at the abandoned swimming pool

around the back yes it is yeah so quite a few of these buildings obviously were obviously there as part of the original development and it's always intrigued us moving into pool house just what existed underneath it was fantastic to to learn a little bit more about the history so let's go and have a little wander down around the back and we will uh we'll have a closer look so coming around the back of ws planning and architecture spencer is opening up the gates

The Planet Reigate Podcast
69: 4/4 - The story of Bancroft Road, Reigate 4 - behind the scenes at the abandoned swimming pool

around the back yes it is yeah so quite a few of these buildings obviously were obviously there as part of the original development and it's always intrigued us moving into pool house just what existed underneath it was fantastic to to learn a little bit more about the history so let's go and have a little wander down around the back and we will uh we'll have a closer look so coming around the back of ws planning and architecture spencer is opening up the gates

The Planet Reigate Podcast
69: 4/4 - The story of Bancroft Road, Reigate 4 - behind the scenes at the abandoned swimming pool

The lights are coming on now and there's a ramp down into the basement. All right.

The Planet Reigate Podcast
69: 4/4 - The story of Bancroft Road, Reigate 4 - behind the scenes at the abandoned swimming pool

The lights are coming on now and there's a ramp down into the basement. All right.

The Planet Reigate Podcast
69: 4/4 - The story of Bancroft Road, Reigate 4 - behind the scenes at the abandoned swimming pool

And along the side, you'll see the original hand rails, the concrete hand rails here for the actual pool itself. So this is the walk down into the pool. Well, this may have been added at a later date in order to be able to get out and use this as a storage area. But you can clearly see that this is the original sides of the pool. Just watch your step.

The Planet Reigate Podcast
69: 4/4 - The story of Bancroft Road, Reigate 4 - behind the scenes at the abandoned swimming pool

And along the side, you'll see the original hand rails, the concrete hand rails here for the actual pool itself. So this is the walk down into the pool. Well, this may have been added at a later date in order to be able to get out and use this as a storage area. But you can clearly see that this is the original sides of the pool. Just watch your step.

The Planet Reigate Podcast
69: 4/4 - The story of Bancroft Road, Reigate 4 - behind the scenes at the abandoned swimming pool

Several different rooms that they created. So rather than filling in the entire basement and building on top, they built up the walls inside to allow for storage. And you'll see in here... Six foot nine on the side of the wall shows you the depth of the original pool.

The Planet Reigate Podcast
69: 4/4 - The story of Bancroft Road, Reigate 4 - behind the scenes at the abandoned swimming pool

Several different rooms that they created. So rather than filling in the entire basement and building on top, they built up the walls inside to allow for storage. And you'll see in here... Six foot nine on the side of the wall shows you the depth of the original pool.

The Planet Reigate Podcast
69: 4/4 - The story of Bancroft Road, Reigate 4 - behind the scenes at the abandoned swimming pool

It does have a pump. It does flood every now and then. We've got a stream at the back, so I guess it does hit the water table at some point. But, no, it's an unusual space and not something that people get to sort of see very often when you cover up the old... buildings in town.

The Planet Reigate Podcast
69: 4/4 - The story of Bancroft Road, Reigate 4 - behind the scenes at the abandoned swimming pool

It does have a pump. It does flood every now and then. We've got a stream at the back, so I guess it does hit the water table at some point. But, no, it's an unusual space and not something that people get to sort of see very often when you cover up the old... buildings in town.

The Planet Reigate Podcast
69: 4/4 - The story of Bancroft Road, Reigate 4 - behind the scenes at the abandoned swimming pool

Reigate it did have a swimming bath of course up top of Tunnell Road you know just opposite the council buildings but this was this was something rather different more of a Lido and one of the central rooms now again you can see that original wall that they you know it would have been a large space to actually fill in this void so they obviously just realised that it's more probably more cost effective to to build the internal walls and retain most of that original structure.

The Planet Reigate Podcast
69: 4/4 - The story of Bancroft Road, Reigate 4 - behind the scenes at the abandoned swimming pool

Reigate it did have a swimming bath of course up top of Tunnell Road you know just opposite the council buildings but this was this was something rather different more of a Lido and one of the central rooms now again you can see that original wall that they you know it would have been a large space to actually fill in this void so they obviously just realised that it's more probably more cost effective to to build the internal walls and retain most of that original structure.

The Planet Reigate Podcast
69: 4/4 - The story of Bancroft Road, Reigate 4 - behind the scenes at the abandoned swimming pool

But it also... I think they may have used it as a firing range. So we can hear the offices above. Yes, absolutely, yeah. Yeah, we'd better not linger too long down here, otherwise... Keep talking so I don't pick up their conversation. No, no. But it's been used for a mix of different uses down here over time. And like I say, it's always intrigued us ever since we came in.

The Planet Reigate Podcast
69: 4/4 - The story of Bancroft Road, Reigate 4 - behind the scenes at the abandoned swimming pool

But it also... I think they may have used it as a firing range. So we can hear the offices above. Yes, absolutely, yeah. Yeah, we'd better not linger too long down here, otherwise... Keep talking so I don't pick up their conversation. No, no. But it's been used for a mix of different uses down here over time. And like I say, it's always intrigued us ever since we came in.

The Planet Reigate Podcast
69: 4/4 - The story of Bancroft Road, Reigate 4 - behind the scenes at the abandoned swimming pool

So all the buildings on the periphery are those original, and they're shown in those photographs that you shared with us. Right. So the changing rooms are now converted into store buildings, which is, again, another bit of history that's still there. But really, to those who wander by, wouldn't really understand what was there before.

The Planet Reigate Podcast
69: 4/4 - The story of Bancroft Road, Reigate 4 - behind the scenes at the abandoned swimming pool

So all the buildings on the periphery are those original, and they're shown in those photographs that you shared with us. Right. So the changing rooms are now converted into store buildings, which is, again, another bit of history that's still there. But really, to those who wander by, wouldn't really understand what was there before.

The Planet Reigate Podcast
69: 4/4 - The story of Bancroft Road, Reigate 4 - behind the scenes at the abandoned swimming pool

I moved into Reigate and started working for Brian 25 years ago, but we didn't move in until sort of three or so years ago here. And obviously we're shown down here and thought it was incredible when we saw it really, to be honest, it's quite unusual. And everyone wondered why Paul House or why the name. And obviously that just sort of put two and two together, really. It was a nice revelation.

The Planet Reigate Podcast
69: 4/4 - The story of Bancroft Road, Reigate 4 - behind the scenes at the abandoned swimming pool

I moved into Reigate and started working for Brian 25 years ago, but we didn't move in until sort of three or so years ago here. And obviously we're shown down here and thought it was incredible when we saw it really, to be honest, it's quite unusual. And everyone wondered why Paul House or why the name. And obviously that just sort of put two and two together, really. It was a nice revelation.

The Planet Reigate Podcast
69: 4/4 - The story of Bancroft Road, Reigate 4 - behind the scenes at the abandoned swimming pool

And again, followed up with the email from you as well, which provided some of those photographs as well. So we've got a nice little bit of history collected. Well, there you go. It's just a little bit.