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Itchenor
Itchenor maps
Historic maps of Itchenor and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Itchenor maps
Itchenor area books
Displaying 1 of 19 books about Itchenor and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Itchenor
Displaying a selection of personal
memories of Itchenor.
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Childhood Memories
I am wondering if the child bending down and putting his wellies on is me, as I spent every minute I could of my childhood down on the shore, especially as dad's boatyard, Haines was right there. The picture reminds me of myself as I had a bobble hat and jacket exactly the same as the boy in the picure. I would have been 9 years old at the time.
My Childhood in IIchenor
My memories of Itchenor are as strong now as they were for all the time I lived there, which was from 1951 when I was born till 1971 when I was married. My family owned and ran Haines boatyard which is still there today but owned by the sailing club now. We lived at number 5 The Street and I spent most of my childhood along with my brother playing among the boats and along the shore. The pictures in this collection are amazing. I would love to know if there are any more.
West Sussex memories
West Wittering in The 1940s And 50s
My first memories are of playing on the huge expanse of sand at West Wittering and the bombing tower which used to be there after the war. We stayed on the beach till late and were put to bed in the back of the car. Usually we travelled in convoy with two other families. We loved to paddle in the deep water of East Head. One summer my mother nearly drowned being pulled out by a 'rip.'
We had a sailing dinghy which we pulled across the mud and sea lavender at Roman Landing and sailed across to East Head. My family had a caravan on a farm in (I think) Elm Lane with the same families returning every year. We stayed for 6 weeks and cycled on the quiet roads into the 'Cherries' for provisions. Happy memories of cockeling with the Lee family (from Peaslake) and flying kites, hiding in the straw bales on the farm and the sheer fun and freedom of those days. I remember when the... Read more
Church Road Corner, East Wittering
I moved to East Wittering in 1966 and worked in the area for the next 20 years. The two cottages on the left were originally the village post office but have long since been demolished although a local resident acquired the front porch for a garden feature. The large building in the centre is the Royal Oak Public House which in the 1960's had a fish and chip shop beside it and beside that was the Royal Oak Garage run by a Mr Wiggington. This chip shop and garage have now gone. East Wittering is no longer a village, having to my mind been ruined by large areas of modern housing. Still, photographs and fond memories remain.
Bracklesham Lane, Bracklesham Bay
I lived and worked in the area for 20 years from 1966 and this was a time of slow change starting for Bracklesham. The lane is now called Sea Lane, the flowing tamarisk bushes have gone and both side of the road are lined with housing or shops with a pay car park on the seafront. In the early days there was a Pontins holiday camp in Farm Road (now a large housing estate) and Gibson's holiday camp half a mile back from the sea in Bracklesham Lane. Gibsons had the old fashioned wooden family chalets until it was burned down in a massive fire in the late 60's and was rebuilt as South Downs Holiday Village.
Pontin's Holiday Camp
I had a holiday job for 8 weeks at Pontin's in the summer of 1967 before going up to Oxford University. I worked in the staff canteen with Philipe, a young Frenchman; and then also part-time as a barman. The camp deputy manager (Mr. Brown?) was reputed to have been Prince Charles' protection officer until the cherry brandy incident led to his resignation. Some of the chalet maids came over each summer from Dublin, including the enchanting and high-spirited Helen Maher, whom I have never forgotten.
The Perfect Holiday
In the late 1950s we had a couple of holidays in Bracklesham bay, which was then a tiny, but growing village. I had never seen shops which were the equivalent of wooden shacks mounted on bricks. There were some modern bits; the post office/newsagent had recently opened, and new shops were being completed across the street. My Uncle George ran one of Henleys(?) shops; the one with the hardware and souvenirs, with racks of li-los displyed outside. I think the other was a grocer's. There was a cafe run by a man called Ruby! I was astounded, but I think his name was Ruben. Uncle lived in Garden Avenue. I came from the coaly north east and this village was the most amazing place I had ever seen. They say you should never go back, and Bracklesham is now just a housing estate for Chichester, but the memories will live with me forever.
