Nostalgic memories of Pagham's local history
Share your own memories of Pagham and read what others have said
For many years now, we've been inviting visitors to our web site to add their own memories to share their experiences of life as it was when the photographs in our archive were taken. From brief one-liners explaining a little bit more about the image depicted, to great, in-depth accounts of a childhood when things were rather different than today (and everything inbetween!). We've had many contributors recognising themselves or loved ones in our photographs.
Why not add your memory today and become part of our Memories Community to help others in the future delve back into their past.
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Displaying Memories 1 - 10 of 23 in total
I had happy memory in Pagham my dad was the steward of the club, all the railway carriages as our bed rooms, full size billiard table that i spent hours on when club was closed. All the visitors in the summer remember most of the were from London.
My late mum was part owner of the Funland Arcade and I worked there evenings, doing repairs to the 'Allwins' penny amusements and counting pennies etc. I worked on her deckchair stand on the beach and also sold ice cream on the beach and in her café. I crewed the pleasure boat The Pagham Queen, she kept me very busy during the summer holiday season. I had a caravan on Lagoon Strip, on the Church Farm Camp site ...see more
I first attended this camp in 1954 as a baby of 10 months of age and my first experience of the sea was with my father at that tender age. I attended for at least the next 10 years and learned to swim in the sea at Pagham and often played in the penny arcade and in the dunes behind the beach. I also used to fish for crabs at the old harbour and also fished with my father at the ...see more
In 1955, my mum owned the Beach Deckchair stand and the Penny Arcade named Funland. I worked on the beach chairs, and the Arcade in the evenings during the summer holidays. I recall that the bungalow next to the stand was called Laughing Waters and the elderly lady owner, had charge of her son's car in her garage; it was a vintage bull-nosed Morris car with spare petrol cans on the running boards! I swam in ...see more
Holidayed on Pagham beach as a young child in the late 1950s. Somewhat dilapidated bungalow with outside toilet called Sand Toy (now vastly different). Remember going to the amusements and paying 3d to ride on Muffin the Mule, and put pennies in the one armed bandits (some still there). Rode on trays down the dunes behind East Front Road (now houses). Happy happy memories. Have since returned for 25 years with my own children and now my granddaughter.
I too have lovely memories of Church Farm, we used to take our daughter there in the 1980s, staying in a friend's caravan in the Salting. We made some good friends. My daughter had such fond memories of the place that she continues to visit there, and in fact this year my daughter, myself and my beautiful new granddaughter are taking a week's holiday there. I hope my granddaughter will fall in love with the place just as we did.
I have just booked a holiday to Church Farm Caravan Site for May 2011 and the reason for this is I used to holiday there every year from 1975 to 1979. My parents had a caravan on the Saltings I think it was number 11. We used to driver there in my dad's Ford Zephyr car and I can still remember the registration and the long front seats in red plastic made to look like leather. Our caravan had ...see more
As a child in the fifties I remember staying at 'Elasrofton' on West Front Road and getting very tired pedalling the pedaloes shown around the lagoon. For a small boy they definitely had 'windage' and the Lagoon often had lots of wind. I like the fact that the name of the bungalow I stayed in has not changed and I wonder how many people have understood the name (read it backwards). We now stay at the family bungalow on East Front Road.
Following on to the mention of Jessie Booth and husband who lived at Waverley in Lagoon Road - I had the pleasure of knowing husband George Booth (the General) as also called, whilst serving my apprenticeship with the Electricity Board at the Bognor depot, 1963 to 1968.
George was a really nice guy, so easy going, we used to cycle miles around the area going from one job to another. He was so well ...see more
I first came to Pagham in 1965, we used to holiday at Church Farm Caravan Site and in those days it was run by John and Shirley Romaine. I have fond memories of Buster and Cocker from my Church Farm Days and I remember old Tom the gas man and the Jack, the guy who used to hire out the Social Cycles! My parents brought a train carriage in Well Road, Pagham around 1971 and we moved down from Mitcham, in ...see more