Rodmell, East Sussex

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... [more]

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... [more]

Micro Brewery, Lewes,  East Sussex, around 1936

My father recently told me that his grandfather, William Parkes, was the manager of a micro brewery, in Lewes, East Sussex, in about 1936. My father, Gordon, remembers spending many holidays visiting his grandfather there, with his sister, Barbra, and believes the brewery was a 'Watneys'. He also remembers the hams that used to dry in the cellar, which were sold... [more]

Life as a young boy in Saltdean

THE LIFE & TIMES OF DONALD CHARLES WILLIAMS
Personal recollections from Don Williams from Hailsham who lived in Saltdean from 1937 to 1952 - Many thanks for these wonderful stories & photo's of Saltdean in the Past.
Mum had answered an advert for a butcher's bookkeeper at Rottingdean, working for a Mr W.R. Dean who had three shops, Barcombe, Rottingdean... [more]

Weekend Visits From School

I was a partially deaf pupil at Ovingdean during the 1970s and as my home was a long way from there, I was one of the very few pupils that resided at the school during the weekends. I do remember two very profound memories of Newhaven during my four years at the school and although we often used to visit, snippets... [more]

Meeching Court Farm

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... [more]

The horse shoe bite

The small sandy beach at Newhaven was known as the horse shoe bite. It was completely covered at high tide, but as the water receded, it exposed fine golden sand, ideal for making castles and getting in your sandwiches. A row of barnacle-peppered rocks along the breakwater wall also got revealed with the falling tide, where a myriad of crabs hid... [more]