Groombridge, Church Of St John The Evangelist c.1955

Photo ref: G216019

I was born in 1947 and as a baby lived for a short time with my parents at Leyswood Lodge south of the village. My family on my mother's side had lived in Groombridge for many, many years and I was the first of the fifth generation of the family to live there. In 1948 we moved into a brand new council house in Gromenfield. Many children lived in Gromenfield in those days, mainly the ...see more

I moved to Groombridge with my family in 1960, My dad worked as a railwayman. We lived in the Station House. I don,t really remember the early years because I was only 18 months old when we moved into the village. I had three Sisters and 5 Brothers me being the second youngest. My earliest memories are around the time that I started School in 1964, I attended St Thomas primary in the village. At ...see more

I was born at Glen Andred which is situated just beyond the Groombridge cemetery, which was just beyond the pumping station. There was Dad, Mum, Gran and my brother, Paddy. After 6 months we all moved to Forge Gate Crossing which was for the traffic wanting to cross the railway line at Forge Farm, and was between Birchden and Eridge. Dad returned to the army after his escape from Dunkirk the previous year ...see more