Building of J Sainsbury
Warlingham Supermarket |
PREPARATION OF CHELSHAM BUS GARAGE SITE FOR SAINSBURY'S
SUPERMARKET |
MAY 1993. Much activity was taking place locally on Thursday
27th May 1993 when it was noted that No. 11 Chelsham Road was now
empty, The bungalow (No.9) had been vacated for some time. Hedges
were removed along the edge of Chelsham Road and Limpsfield Road
and replaced firstly by temporary steel fencing, then a new wooden
fence gradually replaced all the old green hoardings. |
JUNE
1993. New steel
gates were erected at the entrance to the old Bus parking area opposite
Chelsham Close on Wednesday 9th June, and the most of the old Green
hoardings were removed on Friday 11th June, the only remaining part
along with the low brick wall and steel bus company poster board
holder was alongside the southern boundary between the Norwood Aquarium
and the old Chelsham Bus Garage site. |
DEMOLITION OF HOUSING IN CHELSHAM ROAD
& SUNNY BANK |
OCTOBER
1993. On Monday
4th October 1993, Contractors commenced demolition work on No.s
9 to 15 Chelsham Road and No.1 Sunny Bank. Work was also taking
place on altering the Old Bus Park Site entrance to make it suitable
for the movement of contractors lorries. Monday 18th October saw
the final remains of No. 1 Sunny Bank falling to the hands and machinery
of the demolition men. |
NORWOOD AQUARIUM - DEMOLITION OF WARLINGHAM
POSTAL SORTING OFFICE |
It
was necessary for the Norwood Aquarium warehouse which stood on
land adjacent to the old Chelsham Bus Garage to be demolished and
re-located elsewhere, it was agreed that the Postal Sorting Office
situated opposite Warlingham Library would close down and all sorting
office business would be transferred to Caterham Valley, then the
Warlingham Postal Sorting Office could be demolished to make way
for the replacement Norwood Aquarium warehouse which would be built
on the site.
A notice was fixed to
the sorting office door stating that after 16th October 1993 all
mail operations will be dealt with from the sorting office in Caterham
Valley.
On Monday 18th October,
hoardings were being unloaded and posts were being erected around
the Old Sorting Office, and by Wednesday 20th were all in place.
Demolition commenced
on Wednesday 20th October and the last bricks of the Sorting Office
fell on the morning of Friday 22nd. The rubble was taken by lorry
to the Old Chelsham Bus Garage site.
On Tuesday 17th October
at 11 a.m., a board was erected on the corner of Limpsfield Road
and Chelsham Road proclaiming
SAINSBURY'S Supermarket
Opens Autumn 1994.
Work on breaking up
the old Bus Parking area and clearing the site continued during
the following weeks. |
NOVEMBER
1993. AMEC arrived
on the site of The Old Chelsham Bus Garage on Monday 29th November
1993, with Three Orange Portacabins and a toilet, these were sited
in the old bus parking area next to the Ambulance station. |
ERECTION OF NEW NORWOOD AQUARIUM WAREHOUSE |
Higgs
and Hill, the builders arrived and erected notice boards around
the old Postal Sorting Office site on Monday 1st November 1993.
On Monday 29th November 1993, the first girders for the New Norwood
Aquarium Warehouse were noted to be in place. |
WORK CONTINUES ON BUILDING
SAINSBURY'S NEW STORE |
DECEMBER
1993. Seven
more Portacabins arrived at the south end of the old bus parking
area on Friday 3rd December and were placed in position, and the
original three were moved alongside them. The fencing by the site
of old bus shelter was rearranged and moved back on Wednesday 8th
December. At this time it was noted that foundations for the Supermarket
were being laid along the rear of properties in Sunny Bank. |
JANUARY
1994. The Request
Bus Stop flag fixed to a lamp post, originally part of and just
within the boundary of the old Bus Garage in Chelsham Road was resited
on Thursday 6th January 1994, to the next lamp post down the road.
Further activity took
place on Thursday 13th January, when an additional notice board
was being erected at the contractors entrance to the site, also
two poster boards, and two large notice boards were being put up,
one of each boards close to the Norwood Aquarium building and the
other two near to the Ambulance station. On Monday 24th January
the Coal Tax post had been dug up from the corner of Limpsfield
Road and Chelsham Road, and a sign stating, "SAINSBURY'S Project
Team" was placed on the top of the new notice board opposite
Chelsham Close, with space below for individual signs which eventually
stated :-
AMEC
Archictects, Douglas
Mariott Worby & Robinson.
GLEEDS CHARTERED QUANTITY
SURVEYORS.
Consulting Civil &
Structual Engineers, John Allen Associates, New Ash Green.
The two large notice
boards stated in Orange and Dark Blue
SAINSBURY'S Supermarket
opens Autumn 1994. Good food costs less at SAINSBURY'S
The two large poster
boards showed posters stating :-
SAINSBURY'S Supermarket
Opens here Autumn 1994.
One poster also showed
a SAINSBURY'S carrier bag with a variety of fish, while the other
showed a SAINSBURY'S carrier bag with an assortment of bakery items,
these posters were periodically changed with two other versions
showing varieties of Fresh Vegetables and Fresh Fruit. |
FEBRUARY
1994. On a bitterly
cold and snowy Valentines Day, Monday 14th February 1994 the first
girders of the shell of the Sainsbury's Supermarket were erected.
|
MARCH
1994. By the
4th March the whole of the steelwork for the Chelsham Road frontage
and half of the rear backing onto Sunny Bank was in position. |
OPENING OF NEW AND DEMOLITION OF OLD NORWOOD
AQUARIUM WAREHOUSE |
The
New Norwood Aquarium Warehouse in Warlingham on the site of the
old Postal Sorting Office opened for business on Monday March 7th
1994.
Demolition of the old
Norwood Aquarium warehouse commenced on Monday 7th March 1994, and
was seen to be completed on Wednesday 16th March, when the low brick
wall which originally seperated The Norwood Aquarium and Chelsham
Bus Garage came down.
The Caterham Advertiser
newspaper of Friday 18th March 1994 stated that Sainsbury's were
interested in acquiring the Warlingham Surrey Ambulance Station
and using the land for additional car parking space for the supermarket,
but no suitable alternative site for the Ambulance Station could
be found, so the plans were dropped.
On Monday 28th March
the first roofing tiles were being layed on the roof facing the
Chelsham Road, The Car Park entrance was taking shape and the island
seperating inwards and outwards car park traffic was being built,
a temporary parking area for construction workers was made on the
site of the old Norwood Aquarium warehouse building. |
THE FINISHING TOUCHES ARE MADE TO SAINSBURY'S
NEW STORE |
APRIL
1994. On Tuesday
19th April it was noted that work had commenced on asphalting the
Supermarket Car Park at the corner to rear of the Ambulance Station,
this space was then used for repositioning the orange portacabins
which included the site office, staff canteen and toilets, additional
cabins arrived in the form of a Recruitment Office for staff at
the new supermarket. |
MAY
1994. On Wednesday
May 4th the first kerbing stones for the Chelsham Road / Limpsfield
Road Roundabout were being layed, although a week later they had
been taken up again, and were noted being relayed again the following
week.
A new footpath was in
use on Monday 23 May around the corner of Chelsham Road / Limpsfield
Road, and SEEBOARD erected the first two street lamps on the Roundabout
site on Tuesday 24 May.
Work on the associated
road alterations commenced on Tuesday May 31st. |
JUNE
1994. The Chelsham
Road / Limpsfield Road Roundabout was first used by road traffic
on Monday 6th June 1994. |
JULY
1994. Buses
first called at the new southbound bus layby on Tuesday 5th July
1994.
The new road direction
signs for the new roundabout were put up on Thursday 21st July.
The Coal Tax boundary
post was positioned in its new location on Wednesday July 27th at
the corner of the new pedestrian walkway between the bus layby and
the supermarket entrance. |
AUGUST
1994. The Northbound
bus shelter was taken up on Wednesday 24th August, to be replaced
a few yards further north to the new pull-in bus stopping place.
The AMEC Canteen cabins
were removed on 26th August, this saw the last of the "Orange
Boxes" being towed away from the site.
The First Sainsbury's
delivery lorry L321GYW arrived when non perishable goods were unloaded
at the new store on Wednesday 31st August 1994. |
WARLINGHAM
SAINSBURY'S GRAND OPENING DAY |
SEPTEMBER
1994. The Grand
opening took place on Tuesday 13th September 1994 at 9.30 a.m.,
when the then Deputy Chairman of J Sainsbury, David Sainsbury and
Kevin Plant, the new store Manager greeted the first customers who
had waited at the doors from 8 a.m. (who were My Wife and Myself)
with A bottle of Champagne and Gift Vouchers.
On Wednesday evening
28th September, as a gesture of thanks to those who gave their support,
many local residents were invited to "See behind the scenes"
and were given a guided tour, which included seeing the cold stores,
meat preparation area, the delivery bays and all the places not
generally open to the public. The evening concluded with an excellent
buffet which was enjoyed by all those present.
Warlingham Sainsbury's,
known by the company as "023" includes It's own In-Store
Bakery, Fresh Fruit and Vegetables, Flowers and Plants, Newspapers,
Magazines and Cigarette Kiosk, Delicatessen Counter, Toilets including
a Disabled Persons Toilet, Baby Changing Room and has 21 checkouts.
Since 1994 there have
been many improvements to the store and plans are in hand for further
expansion of the store during 2003. |
