Meeching Court Farm

c1950
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My father's aunt and uncle lived in Newhaven. Ted Hoskins was his uncle's name, he was injured in the First World War and later worked at the lighthouse at the end of the breakwater before it was automated. His wife's name was May Jane.  After the Second World War I went with my parents many times to Newhaven for holidays, always in September.  In 1955 we stayed in a caravan on  the Meeching Court Farm site in a caravan with the name 'Amy', it was situated on the hill and you could see the ferries come in and out of the harbour. The milkman came round each morning with the milk, my mother used to buy Channel Islands milk, thick with cream.  The milkman was a man called Bob, and he used to come in a little van and blow a claxon horn. The van leaned when he got in, he was such a well-made jolly man. I think he later went to Canada, he used to live in one of the cottages at the bottom of the lane.  There was a little wooden shop at the bottom of the site. The following year we bought our own tourer and parked down in the bottom near the farm house owned by Mr & Mrs Bowles. There was a little bungalow nearby where a Canadian lady lived, and her hens used to run in and out of the bunglow.  One windy Sunday I spent all day flying a kite in the field opposite what later became Downland Caravan Park.
When I was married in 1963 I spent my honeymoon in a caravan on Downland Caravan Park. What wonderful simple happy holidays we enjoyed, picking mushrooms, blackberries and playing on the beach, then going for a hot drink at the cafe. My father spent many hours fishing off the breakwater, there must be thousands of pounds worth of fishing tackle down there for everybody used to lose it on a regular basis.  My father's cousin was also Teddy Hoskins, he lived in Seaford and drove the Southdown buses.  I am led to believe he ended his days in a retirement/nursing home in Peacehaven.  He had one son called Edwin who I think will be 66 now, but I lost touch with in the 1950s.
The High Street was lovely, I remember the Home & Colonial store and how did the lorries not go into the pub at the bottom?  The bypass was necessary but last time I was there it was not the same.  Happy memories