Post Office, 1911
|
 |
Although many of Cranleigh’s old buildings have been converted for different uses the character of the original can often still be detected on close inspection. How many visitors, or residents for that matter, realise that the restaurant opposite the Rectory (The Cardamon) was once a tailor’s shop or the The Cranleigh Jeweller at the top of Knowle Lane once housed the Post Office and the restaurant above (Antonio's) was the location of the Telephone Exchange. The shops opposite (The Bookshop and The Camera Shop) curiously have their narrower gable ends facing their road. At first sight they appear to be of similar age and build but closer inspection shows that one is a much older timber framed cottage dating from the 17th century.
|
Shops Opposite Knowle Lane
|
Fortunately Cranleigh has escaped the worst scourges of the modernist styles typical of the sixties and its shop fronts have retained an individual character despite the ingress of the multi-national chains. It still retains its village character despite phenomenal growth over the last three decades. Whilst its shopping and leisure facilities are shared with a large hinterland of neighbouring villages the sense of fellowship remains intact and comes to the fore when necessary to resist changes seen as detrimental to the welfare of the community as a whole.
A full collection of old photographs offering a glimpse into the past of a rural community that claims to be the largest village in England can be found in 'Around Cranleigh', compiled by Michael Miller, local historian and author, part of The Archive Photographs series. For more information on the life and times of the village, and the newly formed Cranleigh Local & Family History Centre, please contact the Cranleigh Library on 01483 272413.
