On my mum’s side my family came from Crawley. Granddad was born over one of the shops on the High Street, and that was where he spent his childhood. The town was very different in those days, of course. In fact, it wasn’t a town at all – it was a village with a small station and a level crossing. That was about it.
Crawley CollegeÂ
Attribution George Redgrave under CC by ND 2-0
Crawley Level Crossing and the Old Signal Box
© Copyright Peter Trimming and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.
One of the stories granddad liked to tell about his childhood actually revolved around that level crossing. Apparently there had been a bank robbery in South London and the get away car was thought to have headed down the Brighton Road, chased by the police. It is hard to believe in these days of the M23, but Crawley High Street WAS the main London to Brighton Road back then! Apparently a message was sent ahead to the local policeman by telegraph. He arranged with the signalman to close the crossing gates, with no train coming, thus blocking the road and apprehending the miscreants.
I have no documentation for this story apart from my own memories of a man who has himself been gone for many years – but I think of it, and of him, whenever I am in Crawley town.
Crawley High Street in 1922
The Old Punch Bowl Pub, Crawley High Street
Crawley Asda. A whole street vanished when this megastore was built – Robinson Road is no longer on the map. The little chapel there was where my great-grandparents were buried.Â
Attribution George Redgrave under CC by ND 2-0
Much has changed in Crawley. The village became a New Town, and now that new town is not so new. Kitchens need upgrading, extensions need building, bathrooms need sprucing up. With Affordable Granite just 17 minutes away from the town centre, it is hardly surprising that we do many kitchen worktop installations. And given that the vast majority of homes are relatively new, suiting a contemporary style, the dominance of quartz worktops in Crawley is assured.
One of our very first stock Crawley quartz worktop installations – Cimstone Arcadia (like Quarella Blanco Paloma) for a family in the town
Quartz worktops Crawley – a general view of the same kitchen
For info on our stock range of quartz worktops, please see here. For full info on this installation, see our case study.
We are the original Affordable Granite company. We have installed granite worktops in many parts of the UK since our beginnings, but anything within ten miles radius of our Charlwood factory is obviously a key area, and we price very keenly to win local business as a result. If you are in Crawley or the surrounding area, and are thinking about granite or quartz worktops for your kitchen, then please contact us, fill in our quotation form. or just give us a call on 01293 863992.
