Four new road signs have been unveiled at The Village, once the home of Caterham Barracks, in celebration of the site’s military heritage.
The signs were officially unveiled during a procession on Sunday (31 July), thanks to the sponsorship of seven local organisations, including Caterham-based housebuilder Vistry South East.
The £60 million redevelopment of the barracks was led by Linden Homes – which now forms part of the Vistry Group – in association with the Guinness Trust and Tandridge District Council.
Brigade Place, Grenadier Place, Nicholls Close and Weston Drive were the signs unveiled at the event, some of which carry the names of veterans and regiments of The Caterham Barracks.
A further 11 street signs recognising the site’s military past are set to be installed within the next couple of weeks.
The Village Association, a resident-run management board, obtained consent from Tandridge District Council to put in the new road signs to raise awareness of the site’s history.
Caterham Barracks was the largest army depot of the Victorian age, and was a dominant presence in the town from 1877 until the last regiment of the Guards moved out in 1995.
The event, which ran from 11:15 am until 2 pm, included speeches about the person or regiment after whom each road was named, a short speech by the CEO of the Caterham Barracks Community Trust discussing the heritage of the site, a toast to the Guards and refreshments. The Bourne Society, the local history society for north east Surrey, produced an exhibition charting the history of the Barracks and those individuals after whom the roads are named. The exhibition can be seen in The Arc (originally the Barracks gym).
Vistry South East sponsored the production and installation costs of three of the 15 new signs, including Nicholls Close which was named in honour of Lance Corporal Harry Nicholls, V.C. Other sponsors of the new road signs were the Village Association, Caterham Hill Parish Council, The Danny Gallivan Trust, Caterham Barracks Community Trust, Hazelvine Limited and Simon Nunn & Associates. CSE Chatterbox, The Arc and Tescos sponsored the cost of the unveiling event.
Michael Pritchard, a resident working with The Village Association, said: “Given the legacy behind this former barracks site, we thought it would be a nice gesture to place fresh road signs on each of the estate’s 12 roads, which bear names that honour both people and regiments of Caterham Barracks.
“We are very grateful to Tandridge District Council for granting us permission to do this and would like to thank our generous sponsors for their support with the production and installation costs of the signs and of the unveiling event.
“We hope everyone enjoyed the event and finding out more about the fascinating stories of our brave forces, and we look forward to installing the 11 remaining street signs shortly.”
Work on The Village, a mixed-use development which comprises hundreds of new homes, started in 1999 and was completed in 2006. Existing buildings were carefully restored or retained, including a listed gymnasium and chapel.
Alex Jordan, Regional Managing Director for Vistry South East, said: “The Village at Caterham Barracks has a fascinating history, and when we were informed about plans to rename the streets in celebration of its heritage, we were very keen to get involved.
“It is our privilege to have sponsored three of the new road signs – Nicholls Close, Adair Gardens and Guards Avenue.”
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