Murray
Appearances
The Planet Reigate Podcast
39: The Reigate Summer Festival, Wrayfest, and remembering a well-known Redhill and Reigate shopkeeper... and more
I used to work at the Reigate Post Office in Bell Street when it fronted Bell Street opposite Bancroft Road before its demolition ultimately to lead to the Safeways development. I was a regular customer in Jimmy Bridger's sweet shop opposite and he was a very amiable sort of person, always smiling. He had a great rapport with the public. He knew so many people and he had such longevity in his shop
The Planet Reigate Podcast
39: The Reigate Summer Festival, Wrayfest, and remembering a well-known Redhill and Reigate shopkeeper... and more
People used to go there with their parents as children. When they became parents themselves, their offspring also used to patronise the shop. On one particular occasion, when I was thinking of taking up running, to ask him, because preceding that, Ask Jeeves and all that and Googling, you would ask Jimmy. One of his customers was a coach for Rygate Priory Athletics Club.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
39: The Reigate Summer Festival, Wrayfest, and remembering a well-known Redhill and Reigate shopkeeper... and more
We used to pick up a running magazine and Jimmy very kindly put me in touch with him which enabled me to get the information about Rygate Prairie Athletics Club, where they met, and I went along to one of their sessions and ultimately joined. You know, a local oracle. He was a very amiable bloke.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
39: The Reigate Summer Festival, Wrayfest, and remembering a well-known Redhill and Reigate shopkeeper... and more
He must have run that shop for a number of years, and it was very sad to see that Jimmy had died a few days ago. But he was a legend. He was a legendary figure in Rygate. I think he must have been so well-known amongst so many people, you know, successive generations.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
39: The Reigate Summer Festival, Wrayfest, and remembering a well-known Redhill and Reigate shopkeeper... and more
So many kids went in for sweets, and it was an old-fashioned sweet shop. So jars on the wall, that kind of thing. Yes, all these different varieties of sweets and... You could probably pick and mix as well. I'm sure Jimmy would do anything.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
39: The Reigate Summer Festival, Wrayfest, and remembering a well-known Redhill and Reigate shopkeeper... and more
Yes.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
39: The Reigate Summer Festival, Wrayfest, and remembering a well-known Redhill and Reigate shopkeeper... and more
Yes. Palmer Violets. You've got a better recall than I have of all those. Sugar mice.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
39: The Reigate Summer Festival, Wrayfest, and remembering a well-known Redhill and Reigate shopkeeper... and more
Oh, I think he did everything. Because I remember going in there at Easter. I mean, he used to have a great selection of Easter eggs as well. He did things seasonally. I mean, he was so attuned to what was going on. So at Easter, that would be a go-to place for a fantastic range of Easter eggs.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
39: The Reigate Summer Festival, Wrayfest, and remembering a well-known Redhill and Reigate shopkeeper... and more
It was almost like a social going in. I mean, apart from whatever you went in, whatever you wanted to purchase, it was like a social. And of course, the abiding memory, of course, of Jimmy was that he always wore one of these coats like you see in hardware stores and that kind of thing. A long coat that went down to his knees.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
39: The Reigate Summer Festival, Wrayfest, and remembering a well-known Redhill and Reigate shopkeeper... and more
Yes, exactly that.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
39: The Reigate Summer Festival, Wrayfest, and remembering a well-known Redhill and Reigate shopkeeper... and more
Oh yes, it was in Bell Street. So what is it now? It's at the tile shop and it's a couple of doors along from Wagamama's. It was next to the lighting shop. I'm pretty sure now that's the tile shop, yes. I don't know when it actually closed but it was a long-term fixture in Bell Street.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
39: The Reigate Summer Festival, Wrayfest, and remembering a well-known Redhill and Reigate shopkeeper... and more
Originally, the Mellish and Neill Brewery occupied a very big site.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
39: The Reigate Summer Festival, Wrayfest, and remembering a well-known Redhill and Reigate shopkeeper... and more
Hensborough Yard yes indeed and there used to be rails embedded in that yard there used to be because it presumably had an internal distribution production line but it was I mean if you look at old pictures I do remember that it was a car park because it was an extensive area and the Bell Street Post Office got demolished to make access to it and it was very good for Rygate because what Safeway said before obviously Morrison's took it over
The Planet Reigate Podcast
39: The Reigate Summer Festival, Wrayfest, and remembering a well-known Redhill and Reigate shopkeeper... and more
They would allow it to be used as a community car park as well as a free car park. So, you know, they were very good neighbourly to begin with. And it was a big boost for having such a large supermarket coming to Reigate.