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Woodingdean memories

Here are memories of Woodingdean and the local area. You can start now: Add your own Memory of Woodingdean or a Woodingdean photo.

Shops on Warran Way

Warran Way c1960
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The shops were built in 1959/60 and the Steele family took possession of the first 2 shops as soon as they were finished. The shop, on the corner of Falmer and Warran, opened as a hairdressers and was managed by my then fiance Lesley, the adjoining shop opened as a laundrette, run by Lesley's mother. The family lived in the maisonette above the shops and I have many happy memories of that era.

Memories of East Sussex

Brighton Teacher Training College.

Eastern Terrace c1955
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The house on the far right of the terrace was no 9 which together with no 8 formed the premises of Brighton Teacher Training College, which I attended in 1956-58. The road on the left hand side of the picture (just visible) is Paston Place. This eastern area of Brighton is known as Kemp Town.

Teacher Training College

Eastern Terrace c1955
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The building in the corner was Brighton Teacher Training College. The building at right angles in the distance was a hotel.

My mother Florence Starkey was studying in the Teacher Training College top floor and looked out of the window across the angle into the side window of the curved bay hotel window to see a woman hovering strangely in the shadow of the back of the room. Their eyes met.

She looked away and as she did so the woman threw herself from the window and was impaled on the area railings below, directly next to the College's entrance.  All the students were confined to the College for hours whilst the 6 foot section of railing was sawn out. One can still see only the top rail was crudely welded back. This may also explain why the windows are blocked.

One small anonymous tragedy.

Brighton Jazz Club

Used to visit the Brighton Jazz Club - at the Aquarium, at about the time this photograph was taken

Days Out by The Seaside

We enjoyed summer holidays at Brighton by the sea.

Aquarium

The Aquarium was the venue for the 'Chinese Jazz Club' which was run by a man in a straw hat called 'Bonnie'. I was a regular as a student and despite the name all I recall was R&B music from a range of bands and singers including Muddy Waters, Blind Lemon Jefferson (I think) , Long John Baldry and Rod Stewart - then known as Rod the Mod.

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