- published: 27 Jul 2015
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Coordinates: 51°13′48″N 0°11′17″W / 51.230°N 0.188°W / 51.230; -0.188
Reigate /ˈraɪɡeɪt/ is a historic town in Surrey, England. It is in the London commuter belt and one of three towns in the borough of Reigate and Banstead. It is sited at the foot of the North Downs and extends over part of the Greensand Ridge. Reigate has a medieval castle and has been a market town since the medieval period, when it also became a parliamentary borough.
Colley Hill, one mile (1.6 km) north-west of Reigate, is 722 feet (220 m) high. Reigate Hill, 2.5 miles (4.0 km) due east of Colley Hill, is 771 feet (235 m) high, and they both have panoramas along the North Downs Way.
There are neolithic flint mines on the ridge of the North Downs above Reigate. Bronze Age settlement in the area is indicated by barrows on Reigate Heath. A Bronze Age spearhead was recovered on Park Hill in Reigate Priory Park. In 2004 a Roman tile kiln, dated from around AD 92 (pictured left), was recovered from the grounds of Rosehill in Doods Way. Tiles on the Rosehill site were first discovered in the 1880s. The tiles would have been used for important buildings in the area. The Rosehill find is the oldest recorded use of Reigate stone (ironstone of the Upper Greensand) for ashlar work.
Coordinates: 51°19′19″N 0°12′14″W / 51.322°N 0.204°W / 51.322; -0.204
Banstead is a residential town/village in the borough of Reigate and Banstead in Surrey, England, on the border with London, 2.5 miles (4 km) south of Sutton, 5 miles (8 km) west of Croydon and 7.5 miles (12 km) south-east of the administrative hub of the county council at Kingston-upon-Thames, a 'major metropolitan centre' of London. The county town, Guildford is 17 miles (27 km) west south-west.
On the North Downs, Banstead is on three of the four main compass points separated from other settlements by open area buffers with Metropolitan Green Belt status. Echoing its much larger historic area and spread between newer developments, Banstead Downs is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). Regarding its "town status", Banstead has never had the right to a regular (traditional) market; however it forms a post town.
Supporting interpretation as a village, one of its wards currently used is "Banstead Village". The ecclesiastical parish was abolished when its Urban District was created. Both included many outlying parts not only the part currently still associated heavily with today's village, contiguous Nork which contains Banstead station, is dependent on the amenities of Banstead and is included in for example county-level population analyses of Banstead.
Coordinates: 51°14′56″N 0°09′36″W / 51.249°N 0.160°W / 51.249; -0.160
Reigate and Banstead is a local government district with borough status in East Surrey, England. It includes the towns of Reigate, Redhill, Horley and Banstead.
The district was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972 as merger of the former borough of Reigate with Banstead Urban District and part of Dorking and Horley Rural District. There are two civil parishes towards the south the borough: Salfords and Sidlow and Horley. The remainder of the area has two rather than three tiers of local government; the next tier up is Surrey County Council.
After elections (held on a one third up-for-election basis in three out of four years) on 3 May 2012, there are 37 Conservatives councillors, 7 Reigate and Banstead Residents Association, three Green councillors, two Liberal Democrats and two Independent councillors.