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Firle
Firle maps
Historic maps of Firle and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Firle maps
Firle area books
Displaying 1 of 19 books about Firle and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Firle
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East Sussex memories
Scraps of History
Never had any direct connection with Alciston but have known it since my teens in the early 1960s and have visited many times over the years. What caught my interest is that the village has stayed relatively unchanged in the 20th and 21st centuries because it is just off the main road and has no through traffic.
A few things I have learned about Alciston:
In mediaeval times the village was 'owned' by the monks of Battle Abbey who operated as Lords of the Manor. The 'big house' Alciston Court was designed like a church building with pointed arches, some of which were retained when the house was converted to a farmhouse in the 18th/19th century. The Great Barn, once used to store the Lord's produce still exists and is still in use as a farm building. It is said to be the largest Sussex Barn still in existence.
The original road to Alciston ran just south of the village immediately below the downs.... Read more
Some Berwick Memories
I was a Dutch student of English and spent my summer holidays at a farm at Berwick in the years 1959-61. The farm was run by John and Chris Buckland, their phone number was RIPE 393. I can't remember the name of the farm (if it had one) or the name of the road, but I do remember the road led to the railway station. Also, if memory serves me, when one went from the farm to the station one could enter a lane on the right at the end of which was a small, beautiful but dark and cold house which was owned by an elderly lady who slept outside, year round, and still rode side-saddle. We had tea there once or twice but I have forgotten her name. I had wonderful times and loved the countryside.
Married in Rodmell
I was born in Rodmell on 25th November 1964 at Mill Furlong. I continued to live there until my father built Abergavenny House. I eventually married the son of the Pearce family who bought Mill furlong from my father Terry Denyer. I continued to live at Abergavenny House until I married Steve Pearce in 1986. I have lots of memories of Rodmell but I am sure my brothers and sister have more.
Coopers
My husband's ancestors were mostly Coopers. Has anybody any information about Coopers in Rodmell (John Pace, born Rodmell 1728) or in any of the surounding towns? Some of them were Coopers in East Grinstead, Brighton, Lewes...
If you have any information, please, please contact me at carine.luyckx@skynet.be. I am totaly stuck for any further findings of the family tree.
Summer Holidays in Piddinghoe
I have very fond memories of my holidays in Piddinghoe, spent at my Aunty Rene's home which stood on the bank of the River Ouse. I loved walking into the village to buy cream soda pop from Mr Caplin's shop. He would call me & my little sister "his little Welsh friends" as that's where we travelled from to visit our family. Our walks along the river with the dog. Piddinghoe holds a special place in my heart.
My Memories of Burnt House Farm Alfriston Circa 1938
I remember being taken down to Alfriston in the 1930s before the Second World War. My great-aunt and great-uncle, Polly and Arthur Newell, had a smallholding on the downs, about half a mile from the village, where they kept chickens and ducks, and a few sheep. My mother told me that Aunty Polly helped a cousin, Jack Butland, to buy the farm, where he lived for many years with his wife, and children - but more details I cannot recall, as I was very young, and not long after, the Second World War started. Aunty Polly and Uncle Arthur had their property 'taken over' by the War Office and I understand Canadian soldiers were billeted there. After the war the property was an absolute ruin, and my uncle and aunt went to live in Eastbourne, in a Victorian house in Ceylon Place.
Many memories stay with me of our visits to Alfriston, where my young brother and I spent many many happy hours.
2 Years in The Village
Sometime around 1956, for about two years, two of us shared a cottage in Iford village (one of the first two as you came off the main road from Lewes). We worked for Mr Robinson milking his Guernsey herd and doing the dairy work for one of the Shorthorn herds, in those days there was a bottling plant at the other end of the village and the milk was taken to Hove each day to be sold. I can remember occasionaly getting a lift and spending time on the beach.
I kept my horse in the village and would ride him on the downs or should I say try and ride him as his greatest aim in life seemed to be to unseat me.
Two village names I can remember working with were Denyer and Honeysett, I think we were regarded with great interest when we arrived, '2 young girls' living in a cottage on their own and outsiders at that.
There used to be a dance at... Read more
