Go on a a teen language study trip to England with LEC means treating yourself to the pleasure of discovering London in all its facets, as well as exploring the region south of the capital. With that in mind, our organization invites you today to learn a little more about the town of Reigate.
Reigate, a key part of the Reigate & Banstead district
It is in Surrey that the town of Reigate is located, in a county situated southwest of Britain’s largest city. The town forms the bulk of Reigate & Banstead, a district with a population of approximately 137,800 in 2011—roughly the same as cities like Limoges and Brest on this side of the English Channel.
Reigate, or the Deer Gate
The town of Reigate owes its name to a corruption of the phrase " Roe Deer Gate," which means the Deer Gate. This reference to the ruminant is itself due to the manorial enclosure housing the aforementioned mammals, located near the town.
Traces of Reigate in the Domesday Book
The city’s origins date back centuries—if not millennia. In fact, there are references to the city in the famous Domesday Book, a comprehensive inventory completed in 1086 and commissioned by William the Conqueror. It was William the Conqueror himself who would later grant the town to William de Varenne, his loyal comrade-in-arms with whom he orchestrated the conquest of England.
Reigate: From Sherlock Holmes… to Charlie, Winston Churchill’s famous parrot
The most devoted fans of Sherlock Holmes’s adventures will remember the The Reigate Landlords, one of the short stories featuring Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous character. As for historians for whom World War II holds no secrets, they may think of Charlie, the famous parrot from Reigate. The bird, owned by Sir Winston Churchill, is said to have learned from the famous statesman… to utter anti-Nazi insults.