Nostalgic memories of Newhaven's local history

Share your own memories of Newhaven 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 14 in total

In the late 1960's we spent many days ( and nights) fishing off the west side harbour arm. Much to my delight there were two railway lines running along for a good length for a good way out. There were still lots of signs of all the other tracking in the area and leading up to the main line. The track on the arm, I believe was mounted on chairs and bolted down in the concrete as opposed to that of the ...see more
I too lived in Evelyn Ave at No51 my Grandparents house. Also I was born in Evelyn Ave in the midwifes house. After 74 yrs I am unable to remember the number (in the 40s I think). I went to school at Meeching Primary. David Jones
My name was Susan Penfold and I grew up in a small house on Evelyn Avenue in Newhaven. My mother's mother was one of seventeen children born in Piddinghoe. I used to visit my grandmother's home and aunt Tops, auntie Else and uncle Pearce were kind to me. As a child they would give me home made cake and parsnip wine. I loved the river and I really loved the fruit trees and the chickens in their coops close to the river ...see more
Pinner Grammar School had an exchange programme for students in Annecy and every year a party of 4th and 5th Forners travelled to France on the Newhaven to Dieppe Ferry. When I was in the fourth form I joined the school party which was very exciting as I had never previously travelled abroad. We sailed on the "Arromanches", a cross channel ferry built for the SNCF in 1940 but renamed "Vichy" ...see more
The year England won the World Cup (1966) I was 8 years old and living on the coastguard station at Newhaven with my younger brother, you could hear my late father yell as England lifted the World Cup, we beat West Germany. Other than that it was always lots of fun, from where we were we could clearly see the lifeboat house and the car ferries come and go.
I used to live in Court Farm Road. My friends' parents used to own the caravan park, my friends' names were Pat, Alan and another sister, their cousin Susan lived next door to me. I remember the neighbours going out with the Lifeboat when the cannon went off. I used to go to the big school on the hill, I think it was Gibbon Road. I started my time with the Girls Nautical Training Corps. I knew the skipper of the ...see more
My parents used to camp there before the Second World War, they used to go most weekends. My first memories of Newhaven were of camping after the war I was five. We used go most weekends. My father built his first caravan in the attic in our London flat then reassembled it on the site, we used it for weekends and holidays until 1952 when my mother and father decided to move down there permantly. ...see more
It must have been in the late 1960s, I was on duty in the old watch house and, as was my habit, I was hooking out whiting out of the Harbour, fish that at the time had no commercial value at market and the fishermen threw them back in. I was so engrossed in my angling when a voice behind said "What's all this then, what are you up to?". I turned and there was a policeman standing there, so I replied, ...see more
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 of memory are occasionally recalled to my mind. My first memory was that on the east side ...see more
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 ...see more