Newick 1950's Village Of Character With Its Share Of Characters.

A Memory of Newick.

The 1955 photos reflect a time well remembered by myself and many of the following will be recalled by old 'locals'. N90085. Home to Arthur Schlater and Norwegian wife. Not widely known is that he ran the Shetland Bus during WW2. N90020 Note the diamond concrete road surface suppo.sedly laid to accommodate the tracked vehicles of Maresfield camp. Looking W up the High Street shop furthest rt. is a butchers (later run by Hollisters) and to its left, a chemist. Shop on the left of the terrace is Balligers. Lorry parked in access road to rears and footpath to Cricketfield houses. N90018 House behind lorry was home to the Turks. Bill was the Manager of Stonegate (white board half way up on rt.) Combers, Elphick, Neve, Lil Brown, Turner among those who worked here. Stonegate was a major employer with workers coming from Fairwarp, Nutley, Maresfield etc. Next past was Rackhams (print), Mrs Pocock's shop and Shorts (electrician). Then terraced houses to Fletching Common junction with Vera's shop on corner. Ng0009 Low building to left Bull sign was Blacksmiths. Always watched him in his leather apron on way home from school. Ng0034 West along Church Rd. Terry's garage rt, (owned a Jowett Javelin) then Hilda's (hairdresser), Police House the Royal Oak.
Ng0083 The Old Rectory home in 65 to the Berrys - and girlfriend. Ng0021 My school until 1960. Miss Farmer (head) and Miss Harman and Miss James. Ng0049 Crown pub and Bannisters Stores on junc. of Allington Rd. Terry's garage opposite.Ng0086 Plummers bakery, the bank and set back the Izzards home with Izzards butchers shop further on LHS. At the top of the hill Newick Village Hall commonly known to old locals at Derek Hall. It was mainly paid for by Derek (Dirk) Bogardes father. Ng0032 House on LHS (Burnt House) was home to historian and author Basil Collier. Ng0001 P.O. adjoins Bannister Store to the right.
So in the 50's Newick was blessed with 4 pubs, The Bull, Oak, Crown and Bricklayers Arms (Brickies), St Marys church (Gordon Diamond the vicar) and 2 chapels, a mushroom farm, a coal merchant (Richards), an excellent surgery with Drs Camm, Caldwell and Palmer (F1 driver Jonathan's dad), A (still) very active Bonfire Society, football, stoolball, cricket and bowls clubs and various fruit farms. Newick is famous for the Leveller gooseberry. These would be collected in the evening by Lionel's lorry and taken to Tooley Street, I can well remember those bombed out buildings still untouched. For transport we had the railway (Newick and Chailey) - just - and Southdown 89 (Uckfield-Horsham) and 19 Newick Green-Lewes via Barcombe. Bonfire Night and visits from Harris's Funfair on The Green were highlights.
Newick's characters included: Arthur Mewes delivering papers with his metal hook arm. Mervyn the milkman pushing his hand cart and ladling out the milk. Fred Welfare the farmer and his ancient tractor with spiked metal wheels. Bob Cornford the revered local policeman. So popular a stained glass window in St Marys dedicated to him. Baron Francis de Wolfe (James Robertson Justice lookalike) and also an actor. Jimmy Alexander, a 'lively' farmer from Goldbridge farm. My Grandfather still has 2 shires on the farm then and I would rush home from school in the potato picking season to drive the tractor (no H&S in those carefree days!).
What with the nicknames of the time (common from wartime?) : 'Splewey' Turner, 'Quilley' Edwards, 'Nigger' Neve (1950's don't forget), 'Ghillie' Schlater (down from Shetland, few knew his history so had to be a ghillie), 'Proey' Brooks, 'Chester' (as in Gunsmoke) Hook,
'Clompey' Surname?, 'Mugsy' Aldridge.
Common surnames of villagers in the 50s included Tompsett, Saunders, Welfare, Anger, Hancorn, Scrace, Wickens, McQuade, Bird, Comber, Kitchen, Dorrington, Neve, Jennings, Brown, Ford, Scott, Watson, Brooks, Tester, Stevenson and of course Smith.