Brightling, East Sussex

Going to school

I remember walking to school (the old school) through the woods at the back of the church 1958ish,we then moved to the 'new' school at Darvel Down, I myself lived at 49 Darvel Down up until about 1963 when we moved to Crowhurst. I also remember making camps on the 'waste' and playing down in the 'gorse', if by any chance... [more]

Batemans - My Grandfather

My grandfather, A J Hurd, was, for a time, Rudyard Kipling's head gardener at Batemans. He, my grandmother and my mother (now Joyce Richardson) and her sister (now Barbara Wainwright) lived in one of the cottages (which still exists) near the mill adjacent to Batemans. In addition to his responsibilities in the gardens, Grandpa also worked with the private hydro-electric turbine... [more]

school memories at st.Josephs

I went to school at st.Josephs Salesian school a mile outside Burwash from 1939-1946
I recall there were about 10 pubs in the village and I stayed one summer with the Davies family who lived just before the church in a smugglers house where we went to bed through a hole in the wall .I remember the Hollamby's,Miles'and the Woodalls who... [more]

Christmas in the Snow

My maternal grandparents owned "Old Timbers", the 15th century cottages in the High Street (numbers 55-59, I think) from the early 1950s to around 1970 or 1971.  They actually lived in one of the cottages from 1960 to around 1966 or 1967.  My family spent many happy summer holidays with my grandparents during the mid 1960s, but my favourite memory was... [more]

Visits to my Uncle at Robertsbridge

As a small child I would travel down by train with my nan and stay at my Uncle George Bowen who lived in Langham Road,
Most important thing before boarding the train in London was to get in the right section for Robertsbridge, the platform was too short for the train - get in the wrong place and you would... [more]

Where I grew up

I was born at 19 London Road, Tanyard Cottages near Holy Trinity Church. My grandadparents lived in Station Road near the village hall.  My great aunts owned Hope Cottage Farm, Station Road. Many times when I was a kid I would stay on the farm and helped in the shop, milking the cows, bottling the milk which then would be delivered... [more]

Cousins

I have an original of this photo as a postcard and I am sure that the two boys seen at the end of the lane on their bikes are my cousins, who lived in a big guest house along that lane, I have many happy memories of those years, including my own christening

My place of birth

I was born in the cottage behind the school (Woodlands Cottage).  I attended the school in 1958 untill going to secondary school at Battle in 1964.