Land was first offered for Borough Municipal Buildings in 1863.

Mr GE Pym was asked to negotiate with the vendor but to no avail. Council meetings were held alternately at the Market Hall, Redhill, and the Public Hall or the Old Town Hall at Reigate.

In 1880 a plot of land was again offered and rejected. Various other sites came up and accepted but later revoked as the council changed its mind.

The matter became urgent when Redhill police station was faced with losing its certificate of efficiency and a large grant from the Home Office.

Mr Pym managed to persuade the inspector to issue the certificate on condition that the council would erect Municipal Buildings incorporating a new police station.

The word'centralised' was attached to the project, to most people meaning a site midway between Redhill and Reigate.

After a bitter dispute about its location the Municipal Buildings were opened in November 1901 in Castlefield Road, Reigate. The title Municipal Buildings was officially changed to Town Hall in July 1935.

Words and pictures used courtesy of Alan Moore, author of A History of Redhill volume 2