I lived in Redhill in the late sixties and early seventies (Regent Crescent).I remember passing the cottage on my way to school(Woodside)

I was looking for a picture of the school when i came across this picture.I remember it very well it was much more in dissrepare than on the photo (which must be late 40's or 50's)because I do not recall the roof in the background.I remember the old man that lived in the house.He lived alone and judging by his looks he d?dn't have a housekeeper or anyone else to look after him.He sometimes gave a barly sweet.I never knew his name,but after he passed away the cottage became a ruin.The letter box sparks some memories.My mother asked me to deliver christmas cards to the neighbours.Instead of posting them directly. I put them in the letter box,when I told her they were in the red post office box she was not amused.There were no adresses or stamps on the envelopes.She had to wait in the cold until the postman came to empty the letter box.Later I went to Springvale school across to the road.I moved back to the Netherlands in 1975 and visited in 1986 and was supprised to see how Redhill center had changed.If you have any info or foto's of Woodside school it would be welcome.I only have vivid memories of the old school on Linkfield lane.It was an old Victorian or Edwardian house which was demollised in the seventies to make room for a new estate,

My comments are similar to Serge Boom exept I remember it from 1950/-/60 period. My uncle lived and was caretaker of Water Research Offices next door which was Ashmead, 18, Linkfield Road. The cottage did look as above in the early 1950's, sitting on the courner of the then un-madeup Park Road. I remember my uncle talking to the old man who lived there and still have a letter that would have been posted in the mail box shown. By the early 1960's the thatch was preety run down, I heard thst the occupant had died. I seem to remember returning briefly in 1968 by which time the rof had collapsed and 20 years on i think it is now built over with flats. If Serge is still looking, I can help him with photos of what became the school he attended. I am looking for history of that house.

I'm responding about Woodside School. My great-aunt Sylvia Lloyd ran the school - I never went there but remember her well; my aunt on the other side of my family, Sylvia Goulder, taught there too. I have a photo of my parents' wedding reception in the grounds of Woodside, but I don't know how to upload a photo within this Comments section. Sylvia Lloyd's sister Violet Lloyd (whom I often stayed with in the 60s-70s) lived at 12 Oxford Rd, backing onto Linkfield Lane, and I think the cottage in the photo was opposite the end of her back garden.

Hi, I went to Woodside School 1955-1961. The headmistress was a Mrs Godsiffe but I do remember a Mrs LLoyd too. I think the school was demolished in the 1970s to build a new estate.It was quite a pretty Edwardian building with extensive grounds and a riding school attached.

Sue Sheppard - very good to hear from you! My lovely great-aunt Miss Sylvia Lloyd was born in 1896 so probably retired from running Woodside (handing over to the new headmistress) just about when you joined; she may well have stayed in Redhill/Reigate for a bit but in due course retired to Kent. I was very young then so I don't recall G-A Sylvia's comings and goings, though certainly used to enjoy visiting her in Kent. Interesting about the riding school, as G-A Sylvia was passionately interested in horses.

I have very, very fond memories of Woodside School and Sylvia Lloyd so it was good to find this thread. I was a pupil there in the late 1940s and remember Miss Goulder. I believe she was upstairs in the Nursery and there was a large rocking horse up there. Yes, Sylvia had a riding stable and I was told that during the war years she would go and collect children for school in a pony and trap. It was here that I learnt to ride and when I finally left school I went on to work with horses and teach riding – and I still ride now. Believe it or not I can remember all the names of the ponies at Woodside and the riding instructors! Sylvia also had a Sealyham dog called Chippy. With her sister Violet she arranged what were then known as ‘Sales of Work’ in village halls or similar, where you could buy hand embroidered table linen, knitted and crocheted items along with other handicrafts and home baking, the profits going to charity. I still have some of these items that would have been purchased by my mother and grandmother. Sylvia was very strict but fair, treated us as individuals and taught us according to our ability rather than our age. We were encouraged to read a daily newspaper before coming to school each morning, and I can clearly remember her putting up a map of Korea at the outbreak of that war, which would have been June 1950. We were entered into national handwriting competitions (I think I might have won some certificates!). Sadly my next school was not a good experience – if only I could have stayed at Woodside, I’ll never forget my years there.

Hello Wendy! I was so pleased to read your post, with its memories of my lovely great-aunt Sylvia Ll and aunt Sylvia G. Yes, Sylvia G eventually went on to start a kindergarten in Hampshire. The rocking-horse was probably 'Beauty', a much-loved creature from my mother's childhood. Sylvia Ll continued to have small dogs all her life; and goodness me, I certainly remember all the sales of work and bazaars - a great part of life with my great-aunt Violet. She and her sister Sylvia Ll were ardent supporters of the Church Missionary Society, and also of St Matthew's Church in Redhill. I would love to hear more from you - and I have a photo or two that you might like.

I remember going to the Woodside School, 1969 - 1972, when we lived in South Nutfield. Mrs. Godsiffe was the Head Mistress at that time. I recall researching her sometime later, to find that she had moved to Canada or the U.S. - Seattle, perhaps, to live with her daughter, I believe. I'd love to find some old, old friends again....Susan Watling comes to mind...and a few others!

Hello Helen! Interesting to hear about Woodside after my great-aunt Sylvia Lloyd's time. I'm still wondering exactly where Woodside school was? If it was in Linkfield Lane, was it on the part where the lane bends to go north? I am starting to wonder whether it was the house/smallholding where my great-aunts lived after the First World War, and which they moved from some time after that, my great-aunt Violet buying a house in Oxford Rd (now demolished). It could have been that great-aunt Sylvia turned it into a school. Serge and Alan, who have commented above, might be able to help about location? I have some photos of the garden of the old house

I attended Woodside School, 1955 onwards. Remember Mrs Lloyd and Mrs Godsiffe, both wonderfully warm and caring teachers. I lived in Park Road off Linkfield Lane, remember the cottage on the corner. The school was on Linkfield Lane and had lovely grounds at the rear. The building had a crescent driveway in/out. In my time they had built a wooden hut at the side with one/two extra classrooms inside. Remember the beautiful old building with magnificent staircase, felt huge but I was only 5yrs old when first attended.

I have just attended my uncle’s funeral and a photograph was displayed of him with other children being collected by a pony and trap to attend Woodside school. He and my father both attended. I was sent to the school aged 4yrs6months in 1953 and was there until 1960/1. I was Rosemary Simmons then and remember both Susan Sheppard and Jenny Baldwin. Miss Lloyd was headmistress is in my father’s time and when I first started before Mrs Godsiffe took over. Miss Lloyd continued to keep in touch with us and I recall going to summer fete parties at a house on Linkfield Lane. There were stables with horse riding in Miss Lloyd’s time and the School Secretary - I cannot quite remember her name but she was a Miss - lived in the mews. Mrs Robins was my first teacher and I can still remember the smell of the raffia cupboard!

Hello Rosemary - very good to hear more reminiscences about my lovely great-aunt Sylvia Lloyd's school! Yes, she was very keen on horses. I wonder whether you also recall my aunt Sylvia Goulder at Woodside? She was in charge of the kindergarten class. One thing that I'd love to find out is where Woodside was? Any clues? I'm interested to hear about fetes at a house in Linkfield Lane. Sylvia Lloyd had grown up in a house on Linkfield Lane where it meets North St, but the family moved from there in the 1930s; I suppose there may have been neighbours that Sylvia Lloyd knew and who put on fetes. The family home moved to a tall Victorian house at the W end of Oxford Road, near where it meets Linkfield Lane; but the garden was a bit small for a fete. The only other house that I know about in Linkfield Lane is at the W end, just W of where Batts Hill starts; a good friend of Sylvia's, Peggy Hillman, lived there; the house was demolished some time ago. I'd love to hear from you with any clues about the location of Woodside.

PS Update! To my delight, I have just heard from another poster on this page, Wendy Fraser, that Woodside was on the N side of Linkfield Lane immediately to the E of the Daneshill turning. I shall be off soon to inspect!!

Hi Jill I am sorry to be so slow in replying to yoy. We had grandchildren at Half Term - lovely but takes a week to recover! Wendy Fraser is correct in her placing of Woodside. I could take you there almost with my eyes shut but difficult from Suffolk. If you walk up Linkfield Lane, cross Park Road where the old cottage was sited and go a little further, you will see the blocked first driveway entrance, then the wall I knew so well and finally the 2nd driveway. The house on the corner of Daneshill was the mews behind which were the stables. The school secretary _ Miss ?? Possibly Coleman - lived there. I hope you enjoy your inspection.

I attended Woodside school from 1967 to 1969 before moving with my family to Kent. I always had fond memories of my time there but sadly was not in touch with anyone after moving. As soon as I bought my first motorcycle in 1975 I remember riding back to visit old childhood haunts. I was so disappointed to find that the old school and it’s lovely grounds had been replaced by a new housing estate. 😢

Hello Richard Hooper - so lovely to hear from you about my great-aunt Sylvia Lloyd's school! though of course she'd long retired when you were there. So the school was demolished in the early 1970s - a shame, but understandable as the grounds were needed for housing. Many thanks for posting!

I went on line to look for info on Woodside School and found all your comments - loved reading through them! I attended the school in I think 1968 to 1969, Mrs Godsiffe was headmistress (we called her Mrs Codfish behind her back!) My teacher was Mrs Lawson, but I would have liked Mrs Barklet instead as she was lovely. It was indeed a lovely house, I'd love to know more about its history

Somewhere around I still have photos of us in our grey and green Woodside School uniforms!

Jo Stewart-Long - lovely to see your comment about Woodside! As you'll have seen in the comments, it was started by my lovely great-aunt Sylvia who then handed it on to Mrs 'Codfish'. Very sadly I know nothing about the history of the house - Redhill must have been very different in those days

Hello Helen MacDonald - I've just seen your fascinating post about Woodside uniform photos! How absolutely lovely it would be to see them. I know that sadly (though understandably, of course) the site doesn't allow email addresses to be published, so I am most frustrated at how to contact you in order to see them. I was in touch, too, with several people too who were at Woodside at the same time, and who were interested in getting in touch with each other, which I'd love to do via a private email group. I hope that the excellent admin of the page can help (as some of the former pupils are now of very advanced years), so that ideally a few of us could exchange memories and photos. I'm ready to give an email address that can be freely published (starts with emmawoodhouse), and in my next post I'll give it and HOPE that the system won't block it and that some of us can communicate privately about Woodside. All the very best to all who knew and loved Woodside