Granary Or Mill Forest Row

A Memory of Forest Row.

In the 50's and 60's, I remember the building on the left of this photograph being a mill where they ground flour. You can just see a horse and cart in the lower left of the picture, and I believe that just above this was a first floor opening with a static crane for lowering sacks into the wagons. I can remember going inside and looking out through this opening as a small child, and being frightened by the height. Opposite, were some cottages and a parade of shops; a newsagents and an electrical shop. Eventually, some of the cottages were knocked down to make way for a telephone exchange, probably in the late 50's or early 60's. On a Friday lunchtime we were able to go out of the primary school, and walk up this road to the fish and chip shop (owned by the Sitwell's, I believe) by the war memorial and buy cod and chips. My parents only let me do this on a couple of occassions, and I was very jealous of the pupils who went every week. There was a sweet shop next door to the chippy, run by a family called Cowie and a toy shop owned by Mrs Offord.


Added 15 May 2012

#236445

Comments & Feedback

I rememberer the flour mill and remember, going in there . I was at Forest Row primary school in the fifties . Do your remember the sweet shop opposite the school . We would go in there after school and then run to the swings along the road .
Do you know a Linda Fairman ?
Sandra Wickham Nichols
I remember Harrisons barber shop at the end of the "Parade" opposite the school, also the sweet shop, a fabric/wool shop, a butchers shop Heasmans maybe, and a sort of hardware store that had some goods hanging from the ceiling.

Opposite the flour mill was Jacksons electrical hardware and funeral director, a newsagent/book shop, futher down was Baldwins barbers next to a small convenience store, and Friends removals office which also served as a pickup depot for the Phoenix laundry and dry cleaning works in East Grinstead.

I remember the fish and chip shop, a sweet shop, and the toy shop where I used to buy Meccano parts, on the strip where the old Chequers Inn was located.

I lived at 14 Park Crescent from about 1947 to 1955, and attended Aston House school and Abbey school. We moved to Baldwins Hill in East Grinstead about 1955.
I used to work at the mill when I was a teenager, it was owned by Dickson and Church who were agricultural feed merchants. The toy shop just up the road from the Chequers was destroyed by fire in about 1969.

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