You are here:
Litlington
Litlington maps
Historic maps of Litlington and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Litlington maps
Litlington area books
Displaying 1 of 19 books about Litlington and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Litlington
Displaying a selection of personal
memories of Litlington.
Add your memory of Litlington
or of a photo of Litlington.
Life in The Village
I was lucky enough to grow up in Litlington and also worked in the village shop/post office for Jack Keeble. I can trace my mothers family(Reed) back to the early 1800's they were from nearby Alfriston, so I have a very strong connection with Cuckmere valley. I had a very happy childhood, firstly in Lullington 1961 to 1966 and then Litlington 1966 to 1980. Village life, it takes some beating.
East Sussex memories
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.
East Quinton Boarding School
I went to a boarding school just ouside Seaford, called East Quinton. They were happy days as we used to walk from the back of the school to play in the trenches. I often wonder if they are still there.
East Quinton School From Early 1973-1975
My name is Junior Mayhew and I also went to East Quinton School from early 1973-1975. The boarding school small pupil wise, but had lots of land to play on including two very large fields and an old farming area. The house staff used to take us out in groups for many nice walks on the South Downs often leaving from the back of the school most evenings and shopping at weekends. We often would go up to old barn and play in the old trenches of what we called the Hidden City as it had lots of walkways, old shelters and WWII gun placements etc which were overgrown with bramble and stinging nettles and not so visible when looked at from the town of Seaford. Sadly that has all of that has gone now, but some of the shallow trenches remain. They probably seemed deeper as we were kids, but hey! Health and safety rulings I guess. If we were not going on walks we were out in the... Read more
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.
Willingdon Childhood
I was born and raised in Willingdon and lived two doors away from the previous correspondent Ian Friend. I also attended the school referred to as Willingdon Church Hall before a new school was built in Rapsons(?) Road, Lower Willingdon. I have very fond memories of my childhood days there and spent many hours playing and exploring the Downs nearby. The Chalk Pit above Willingdon was a favourite area where I explored for fossils and iron pyrites. One of the unique features of the Downs (I think) was the dew ponds. These were round concave excavations created at appropriate positions at or near the bottom of long slopes. These ponds were created for sheep to drink and accumulated water from dew that condensed when cold air moved down the slopes at night and formed droplets when it drifted over these ponding areas which had retained warmth from the daytime sun. These seemed a very effective idea with no running costs and I used to catch newts and tadpoles in these... Read more
