Henfold Lane Newdigate

A Memory of Newdigate.

I was four when my parents, Geoff and Pyll Kleboe, bought Keepers Cottage, Henfold Lane, Newdigate. A Mrs Thompson and her husband "Blackberry Jack" had lived there for many years and the property was very run down. With the talent of my maternal grandfather William Jones, over a period of 25 years "Keepers" was totally renovated.
Believed to date back to the 1500s, it was originally an old coaching inn. It was lovingly restored to its former glory with wonderful ships' timbers, an enormous inglenook and a hand-made oak staircase, the oak it was made from came from a timber yard at Horsham. I remember being taken to see the tree trunk that my grandfather had shipped to his work shop in Bookham where it was stored before he started making the staircase.
I attended Newdigate village school opposite Dean farm when a Mr Tuler was the headmaster. We used to walk to school from home, a trip of 2 miles each way, we didn't have buses or a car! On the occasion of the Queen's coronation my father loaned his cine projector to the school, we watched a film of Hillary conquering Mount Everest.
The village had three shops, the Forest Stores, the sweet shop owned by the Betsworth family and the old post office. Just up from the sweet shop was the builders yard owned by Mr A Morris.
Every May we danced around the Maypole at the village fete held in the vicarage gardens. Sports day was held in the large recreation field. Cudworth Manor was owned by Graham Lines of Tri-ang Toys, my father was advertising manager for them and we used to go to the manor to play in the walled gardens.
Bonfire night used to be a big village affair, we had a torchlight procession through the village to the Six Bells led by the local town band, Mr Shermuley (spelling?) who owned the munitions factory supplied many of the flares and fireworks.
On Boxing Day the Brighton to London horse-drawn coach used to come through, all the passengers were dressed in full livery and the coachman blew his coaching horn, as children we thought this was so exciting!
I used to ride my pony for miles, as far as Leith Hill in one direction & Charlwood to get him shod in the other. I remember the big old manor house being demolished to make way for the first of Gatwicks runways.
It was a wonderful farming community, as children we roamed for miles safely, parents never having to worry, if only we could turn the clock back!

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