Waterslade Spring, Shaws Cross, Redhill, Surrey UK - Natural Springs on Waymarking.com

An ancient spring which seems to have been revered in the past, but fell into disuse. The Waterslade farming area was extensively redeveloped and is now a bustling housing district.
The spring has been marked with a brick wellhouse, and a stone plaque which read Waterslade Spring, although this is now illegible. A square trough area has been dug into the earth surrounding the spring which still sometimes holds standing water when the spring is active, which these days is sporadic.
Elm Road, Redhill, was once a farm track and, like Shrewsbury, Brownlow and Ranelagh Roads, was joined onto Whitepost Hill when the farmland forming the Waterslade area was developed.
The dictionary defines 'slade' as: 'a little valley or dell; a flat piece of low moist ground', so 'water' and 'slade' fit together to describe this area as land with an abundant water supply.
Most of the water probably ran into the valley from the slopes of Redhill Common, and a number of springs have been known. Although mostly dry now it supplied water to the holders of the allotments at the corner of The Chase and Blackborough Road at least as recently as the 1940s.
Another spring a few yards along the road to where Blackstone once stood provided water for the people of Linkfield Street.
Springs had a habit of suddenly appearing. One appeared in a garden in Linkfield Street and had to be diverted to prevent flooding. One in Charman Road flooded a garden for a few days before drying up.
When a WW2 delayed action bomb went off in Shrewsbury Road a basement not far from the explosion was flooded. It was assumed a water pipe had been fractured but when the basement was baled out there was no water pipe and the basement did not refill, possibly another example of a short-lived spring.
These springs seem far less active these days, probably due to building work and changes in the weather.

Free parking available on Elm Road, same coordinates.

Words taken from http://www.redhill-reigate-history.co.uk and http://www.megalithic.co.uk

Public or Private Land?: Public Public Land Fees?: No Private Land access?: Not listed

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Please post an original picture of the springs no GPS necessary along with your observations of the spring. What wildlife you saw if any and the condition of the springs. Water level was high, low. The area was clean, trashy ect. Any other knowledge or experiences you have had with this paticular spring that would help document it's history.

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Date Logged Log User Rating   05/03/2022 Master Mariner visited it