My Memories From When I Was Young

A Memory of Withyham.

I was born and bought up in Withyham. I lived at the farm at the top of the common until we moved to a house in Balls Green.
When I was five I went to Withyham School. My favourite teacher was Miss Hosker. Mrs Jenner ran the girls' club in the hall behind the Dorset Arms, where we played games on the cricket field when it was a nice evening and if it were raining we would play games in the hall.
Withyham had only one shop with post office and a garage which sadly has gone, and there is no shop or garage now.
When I was eleven I went to Crowbrough School which later became Crowbrough Beacon School. Because there was not any public transport to the school we had to get a coach which picked you up at the bus stop and took us to school.
Withyham is a beautiful place to live.
The church is a very special place now for me as both my mother and father are both buried there and I know that my father attended church as much as he could.
I was bought up in Withyham with four brothers and four sisters. I still go to visit Withyham when I am able to do so, going back to the places that I knew, like the common which has not changed and the house I left thirty years ago, the school and the Dorset Arms and the beautiful church.
I remember going for walks along the river or up to the common, talking to the farmer who used to bottle feed the lambs and would let you try to; collecting watercress from the river as grew readily so you could pick what you wanted; watching people fishing and the sheep and cattle in the fields grazing; blackberry picking was a must and enjoyable, as too was hop picking.
But Withyham has changed over the years as now there is a bigger estate and so many new houses where there were none when I was growing up.

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