The Planet Reigate Podcast
69: 4/4 - The story of Bancroft Road, Reigate 4 - behind the scenes at the abandoned swimming pool
Fri, 03 Jan 2025
69: The story of Bancroft Road, Reigate 4 - behind the scenes at the abandoned swimming poolSaturday 4th January 2025Now, our four-part mini-series over Christmas and New Year concludes, with what you might call a bonus edition. We have been given special access to part of Bancroft Road that is not normally open to the public. With grateful thanks to Spencer Copping of WS Planning and architecture, whose offices are in the appropriately named Pool House, listen as we go behind the scenes and underground as we record interviews in what was the actual pool. Hear what is left on the site now, including the café. And hear our chat with local historian Sean Hawkins, whose research led to this mini-series. Hear us reflect on the lives and work of Harry and Emmy Bancroft, including some new information, as we stand on the road that bears their name. Part one was in episode 66 – We started the story with Harry Bancroft and Emmy meeting, marrying and running the Hippodrome cinema on Bell Street. You can hear it here: https://tinyurl.com/prp66bancroft1 (tap the link and then tap ‘play’). Part two in episode 67 – told the story of the lido. We described where it was, what was there, the opening and the cost. https://tinyurl.com/prp67bancroft2 In episode 68 we ended the story, with the opening of the Majestic cinema, and the decline of both ventures; Emmy’s untimely death and then, that of Harry. And we discovered the couple’s grave in a nearby churchyard and paid our respects. https://tinyurl.com/prp68full If you get value from The Planet Reigate Podcast, please give us value back in return; click here to support us with a small donation: www.buymeacoffee.com/theplanetreigatepodcast or share us with your colleagues. A list of ‘the best of the guests’, and a link to hear each one, is on this Facebook post: https://tinyurl.com/prpbest Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Full Episode
This is the Planet Reigate Podcast.
I'm Peter Stewart. Welcome to Episode 69. And over the past few weeks, we've been bringing you a mini-series over the Christmas and New Year period, telling you about the rise and fall of Reigate's picture house and pool on Bancroft Road, and the legacy of the husband and wife who got them built.
In the first part, in episode 66, we started the story with Harry Bancroft and Emmy meeting, marrying, and running the Hippodrome Cinema on Bell Street. In part two, in episode 67, we told the story of the Lido. We described where it was, what was there, the opening, and the cost. And last week, in episode 68, we ended the story with the opening of the majestic cinema...
and then the decline of both ventures, Emmy's untimely death, and then that of Harry, and we discovered the couple's grave in a nearby churchyard and paid our respects. Now, in our four-part miniseries, Episode 4, we conclude with what you might call a bonus edition. We've been given special access to part of Bancroft Road that is not normally open to the public,
With grateful thanks to Spencer Copping of WS Planning and Architecture, whose offices are in the appropriately named Paul House, listen as we go behind the scenes and underground as we record interviews in what was the actual Paul itself. Hear what is left on the site now, including the cafe. And hear our chat with local historian Sean Hawkins, whose research led to this mini-series.
Hear us reflect on the lives and work of Harry and Emmy Bancroft, including some new information, as we stand on the road that bears their name. We bring you part four of the story of Bancroft Road, only on the Planet Reigate podcast.
This is the Planet Reigate podcast with Peter Stewart.
I'm just driving into the Bancroft Road multi-storey car park, which strikes me as an appropriate place to park. Because this, as you would have heard from previous podcasts, is the place that became possible when the Bancrofts decided that they would buy some land...
round the back of the Hippodrome cinema that they were running at the time, the one on Bell Street where Wagamama's is at the moment, so that they could create their own cinema called The Majestic. on a newly formed road which came to be known as Bancroft Road.
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