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Crawley Down
Crawley Down photos
Displaying the first of 19 old photos of Crawley Down. View all Crawley Down photos
Crawley Down maps
Historic maps of Crawley Down and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Crawley Down maps
Crawley Down area books
Displaying 1 of 19 books about Crawley Down and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Crawley Down
Displaying a selection of personal
memories of Crawley Down.
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The Old Post Office, Turners Hill Road
I lived in the old post office for approx. 18 years but my family lived there for about 10 years longer. When my parents bought the property they spent a lot of time and effort making it into a family home, whilst trying to keep as much of the traditional persona of the house.
I have a lot of happy memories living at the Old Post Office with my mum and dad and 2 younger brothers. It was situated next door to Crawley Down Nurseries run by Mary Warren - a very kindly lady, who didn't stand for any nonsense from us kids!
I liked living just outside the village but still within walking distance of all amenities.
I now live in North London and it is very different in the way that you walk down the street and rarely see someone you know. Everyone knew me and my brothers and parents and therefore not much got past them!
I remember the shop on the corner of Sandy Lane and... Read more
My Memory of Crawley Down School in The Sixties
I went to Crawley Down school for a few years in the mid sixties and when I went back recently to have a look I found the Parish Church and school (now a private house and so much smaller than I remember it as being) - and I walked down the path from the church to the road.
The old building which used to be the dining hall was still there. My sisters and I also went to Brownies in the same building - probably still smelling of cabbage - the building - not me and my sisters! Brown Owl was Mrs Streeter, who's husband taught us piano.
I remember the classrooms we started in were Terrapin huts behind the dining hall. Miss Sabine was my first teacher there as our family had moved from another area. There was also a Mrs Barrowclough (probably not the right spelling) who drove a Morris Minor estate car with wooden trim.
I remember there were bars to climb on in the playground... Read more
Police House
I moved to Crawley Down in 1959 and for four years I lived in the police house in Hophurst Road with my Mum, Dad and sister Denise, Dad being the village policeman. For two years I attended the village school and remember Mrs Fry as my dinner lady and Miss Drew as head teacher. They were happy carefree days. We played out all day when we could on our bikes, only popping indoors for a drink or something to eat. Sad how things have changed. From Crawley Down we moved on to Lewes. Then when I married I moved to Seaford and live in the same road as Jacki Moon.
School
I was at the village school from June '54 when we moved to a new house in Grange Road, until '59 when I and 3 others went to the Grammar school in EG. I remember Mrs Fry the school cook, (mentioned in another memory) from when I was a dinner monitor. There were only 4 classrooms. Miss Drew was the head and the next class was Mr Mills. It was a friendly school and we had some church services - it was a C of E school - and I remember reading one of the lessons in church I continued living in the village (Sandy Lane from '61) until 1968 when I was married and moved to Bristol.
HAPPY MEMORIES OF SCHOOL HOUSE
I was born at School House, Crawley Down in 1941. My Gran and Grandad (Reg & Florrie ... known as Ducky ...Fry) lived there for many years. My elder sister Jean and I (Jacki) lived there with my Mum, Marjorie and Dad Jack Hilton, until we moved to Crowborough. My sister and I spent the long school summer holidays with our lovely grandparents. Gran was caretaker and cook at the school and Grandad was verger at the church. His Mum Elizabeth, known as Granny Fry or Lizzie, was a wonderful lady who lived to be a few weeks short of 100yrs, her grave is on the corner, as you go to the side door of the church. She and her husband Job looked after the church for many years too, before Grandad took over! Mr Guy Blaikie was the Vicar as I grew up.
I now live in Seaford, but do go back to see the changes, to the place that holds so many happy memories for me.... Read more
West Sussex memories
The Village Green
I lived in Turners Hill from 1941 on Tulleys Farm just down the road from the village. On a Sunday evening my family would first go to St Leonard's church then we all went and sat on the wall over looking the village green to watch and listen to Copthorne Brass Band. Some weeks my grandfather Charlie Covey would play in the band, other weeks he would be on point duty directing the small amount of traffic that trundled up North Street (to the right of the photo). He also went around with a wooden collection box for the band. Another bit of excitement were the coaches that stopped (Timpsons I think) on the way back to London from Brighton. I live about 5 miles away now but I still go to Turners Hill a lot as my oldest brother still lives there, and I go to Tulleys Farm as an old friend of mine still lives there.
Grove Farm, Paddockhurst Road
I used to live at Grove Farm Cottages, Paddockhurst Road, Turners Hill. My father was Noel Sargent and worked as a farm employee for Grove Farm which was either managed or owned by a Mr. Hocken.
My father's name was Noel, married to Dorothy (daughter to Charles and Elsie Clark of Ardingly). I had 2 brothers, Michael the eldest and Colin the youngest of the trio. My brother Michael also worked as a farm employee on Hocken's farm. I can remember sitting on the mud-guard of the tractor my brother was driving when ploughing one of Hocken's fields.
I can remember attending Turners Hill School in the very early 1960's. I then changed schools and remember catching a double-decker bus to Ardingly. I used to travel with my older brother Michael. We can both remember two other males around the same age as us who used to get off the bus at a row of houses just south of The White Hart along Selsfield Road. All four of... Read more
