Crawley memories
Here are memories of Crawley and the local area. You can start now: Add your own Memory of Crawley or a Crawley photo.
The Old Coach House
I used to live in the Coach House (now park offices) of Tilgate Mansion, when I was a very little boy. I went to school at Desmond Anderson. The Coach House and courtyard made up four dwellings. The groundsman lived in one, his name was Francis, with his wife and little boy - they later moved to Holmbury St Mary in Surrey. In those days, the lake was almost surrounded by rhododendrons. Mr Francis used to take us out on the lake in a rowing boat, from a very dark and scary boatshed. I only have fleeting memories of this place, but they always make me smile.
Evacuees
As a small boy, my father-in-law Derek Munson was evacuated with his siblings to Crawley. They stayed at a farm house (which was later owned by Peter Butterworth - any further info on this would be much appreciated) but used to go to Tillgate Mansion for their baths once a week. He was very sad to hear that it had been demolished.
Tilgate Mansion Crawley West Sussex
This is the first time I have ever seen such a wonderful photo of Tilgate Mansion, other than bits of it in the backgound of faded family snaps. It means a lot to me because my father, Peter, spent part of his youth living there sometime in the late 1950s with his family (Tayman of the Crawley area) and when he was courting my mother, Elizabeth Robinson, they spent many happy hours walking around the estate and lake.
Dad regaled me with many tales of ghosts and I can see why! It is such a shame they tore this place down, it was magnificent - all I have ever seen were some steps when I visited the site and some old photo's long since lost...
Dad used to play by the lake and took me there when I was a little girl.
Thank you so much for posting this picture...Blessed be. Pixi in Australia.
Wolseley Cars
The car in the photograph is a Wolseley. I am the Secretary of the Wolseley Register and recognise the car. The interesting thing is that a similar car exists in Hertfordshire and that also has the wicker tubular basket on the rear of the car.
My Parents Were Married Here
My mum and dad were married here and I was christened in this lovely old church. My parents were both from old Crawley families.
Gamekeeper
My great grandad worked as a gamekeeper on the Tilgate estate. He moved with his family from Suffolk to Crawley in the 1880s.
I have many happy memories of visiting my grandparents at Tilgate estate. They lived in the house next to the walled garden. I used to help pick the peaches and strawberries that my grandad grew. They were sent to London to be sold.
The estate was beautiful in those days. It is now a public park...
County Oak A23 Southdown Coach Station
The Coach Station had a cafe (or restaurant) backing a large parking area for London to Brighton Southdown Coaches. It was sited 100 yards south of the County border opposite "Overton's" Beehive workshop on the main Brighton Road. Unfortunately accidents did occur involving coaches turning right into the park when travelling south, mostly due to drivers not seeing the coach signal trafficator arms protruding from the offside. I remember Mr Brunker was the manager when the Coach Station reopened after the Second World War. His daughter was a friend of mine. Where is she now?
Life in County Oak
I was born in the cottage that was named Morning Dawn in 1937. The house is now a Muslim mosque. I remember the recreation area very well. We played there often. My dad had an allotment nearby. I remember the Covey and Brown farms that were just across London Road from my home. My aunt, Joan Brown, was married to my mother's brother, Major Stewart Collett, and I remember the Brown family. It sticks in my memory that in front of the Brown house was what had at one time been a swimming pool. It certainly had water in it. I remember collecting tadpoles in it on numerous occasions. Next door to Morning Dawn was the house occupied by the Haywards. He looked after the sewage farm, I think. Olive Hayward often took me on the bus to school in the mornings. I remember one morning watching a German bomber dropping bombs on the town and... Read more
County Oak/Tushmore Sports And Social Club.
So named because members were from north of Crawley on the main A23 Brighton Road, not big enough to be a village, but a hamlet stretching half a mile north and south of todays Manor Royal Estate original entrance. County Oak boasted one general store, a garage, and occasionally an additional sweet shop. There had been two Cafes at some time, but the main one in my memory from 1945 to1955 has to be the "Blue Pencil". This was for Commercial vehicles having a fair size parking area at front and rear. Even the Police would stop by for an egg and bacon sandwhich at their beat's southerly border. The Surrey boundary was marked by a footpath to the west at this point, and to the east was a hedge and ditch.
County Oak And Tushmore Sports And Social Club
Tushmore Lane and either side of the main A23 had properties forming the catchment area for club members, also another general store and petrol station. County Oak boasted a recreation ground with one swingboat and a six by five foot pavilion. Many an enjoyable "Stoolball" match was played out on the grass mowed by Mr Barratt, a local bus driver. Although cycling was not allowed, some of us would race round the field perimeter, or if stopped, then the square enclosed by the Brighton Road to the east, the County boundary footpath on the north side, the farm drive on the west, and the track along the southern edge back to the recreation ground gate. By about 1953 the "club" commitee managed to organise enough fund raising to assemble a new hut on the gifted extension to the recreation ground. This was officially opened by (local builder) Mr Percy Wales, the Mayor for that year. I well remember the first dance when the new red floor... Read more
Memorial Gardens/Recreation Ground
I am researching the history of the Memorial Gardens and wonder if anyone in Crawley has memories of when this was a recreation ground, and when exactly it bacame known as the Memorial Gardens - I think during the 1960s.
Thank you if you can help.
A Small Boy's Paradise
Moving from Lewisham in London to Three Bridges in 1953 was wonderful. I was only 9 and we were, I believe, the first family in the Birches. We had the river mole with rainbow trout, horses, rabbits, all manner of wildlife and forests to play in with hectic construction going on all around. It was just amazing - great memories.
Memories of West Sussex
Barmaid
I worked as a barmaid in the Fox when Three Bridges had the bad flood and the pub was flooded, it was an old fashioned pub in those days with a public bar and saloon bar with darts on a Friday night, good old fashioned fun.
The Fox
My parents managed the Fox for most of the 1950' and '60's. My love of railways came from the Loco crew who drank there and gave me (unofficial) footplate rides!
Barkers
When I was a kid I had to walk from Pound Hill to Barkers every Saturday morning to fetch a gallon of Blucole paraffin for my dad. Barkers was the local garage/taxl rank. We lived in Pearson Road and then moved to Mill Road, Three Bridges around 1960.
You can imagine 8 year old kids nowadays walking the best part of a mile there and back on their own actually out in the fresh air with no hand held gaming device to keep them happy.
Three Bridges/Pound Hill
I lived at Cornerstones which was built for me in 1963/4, this is on Milton Mount Avenue. Both my sisters went to the Convent and then Milton Mount College.
I used to fish in the lakes at Milton Mount with my Uncle in 1950/4.
The Fox
The Fox was demolished in the 1990s and replaced by a modern pub a bit further back from the main road, now called The Snooty Fox I think.
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- Easington Colliery, County Durham
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- Figheldean, Wiltshire
- Southgate, Greater London
- Almondsbury, Avon
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