Let’s deal with the ‘Down’ part first. Steve Wilkins claims that there was no Speltham Down when he grew up; just Speltham Hill. A few years ago Brigid Goldsmith recalled sledging on Speltham Hill in the winter of ’63. Asked about ‘Hill’ she replied oh yes, it was always Speltham Hill, never Speltham Down.
Rising from the junction of High Street, East Street and West Street, this road is wide initially but then narrows to a single vehicle width as it turns sharp left to ascend the steep slope of the down. One of the most picturesque lanes in the village, it needs our imagination to grasp its original layout: In the late 1700s the old Market Hall was still standing where the People’s Market is today though in such a dilapidated state that it collapsed in 1818 and all of its rubble removed by 1819.
