Newhaven

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 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 ...read more here
Contributed by Dorothea Smedley

Bowles caravan site

I believe this is the caravan site that was, and may still be, situated on Mr and Mrs Bowles farm. (Not sure of the spelling of Bowles.) My mum and the five of us children spent many happy holidays here. The van that we stayed in was called 'Hartings' and was on the track that led to the farm. It had no mains connected to it. I don't know how we all squeezed in, but I do remember a double bed that folded out of the wall. The high spot of the day was the visit to the little camp shop, where if we were lucky mum would give us a few pence for an ...read more here
Contributed by Kathy Farmer

Mackerel Fishing

Many's the time we wandered along the edge of the harbour and up and down the landing stages, studying the leathery faced fishermen's busy hands as they worked on the nets, or repaired lobster pots. We'd peep around, what seemed huge metal doors and gates clad in rusting wire mesh, to get a glimpse of the boat yards beyond, and if we'd enough in our pocket for a cup of tea, we stop at the cafe that looked across the harbour, and out towards the bridge on the left. The owners always had time for us, and if they had any stale bread and cake, they'd let us have it to feed the swans that swam among the boats just a ...read more here
Contributed by Kathy Farmer

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 amongst the clinging seaweed and a wonderland of rockpools formed, waiting to be explored.  
In the distance on the left of the photo you can just see the beginning of the breakwater, it's on the right of the harbour as you look at the sea. It was a good walk to the end, where generally in good weather there'd ...read more here
Contributed by Kathy Farmer

Mum with kids

The lady in the foreground looks very like my mum with me walking to her left and my sister in the pushchair. We lived locally and went to the beach all the time. It would be interesting to see that part enlarged so I could identify them. My favourite memory of that time was the excitement we felt on arrival and smelling the familiar smell of seaweed draped all the way up the concrete steps leading on to the sand, and the lovely feel of sand under your feet as you padded down them.
Contributed by Terrie Leach