Piddinghoe

A Memory of Newhaven.

My name was Susan Penfold and I grew up in a small house on Evelyn Avenue in Newhaven. My mother's mother was one of seventeen children born in Piddinghoe. I used to visit my grandmother's home and aunt Tops, auntie Else and uncle Pearce were kind to me. As a child they would give me home made cake and parsnip wine. I loved the river and I really loved the fruit trees and the chickens in their coops close to the river bank. I remember the beautiful feeling of walking along paths that many generations of my family had walked upon. The grass was so soft under my feet. I loved to turn the rocks over down by the river and see the crabs scurry away. I loved the winkles that my father would gather and cook for me. It was like heaven on earth and I knew in my heart God had created it all for me. I love fruit today because of lingonberries, raspberries, strawberries, blackberries etc., that grew wild and in abundance along the byways between Newhaven and Piddinghoe. Another blessing provided for a hungry girl during my childhood ramblings around the countryside by my heavenly Father. May you be blessed,
Susan Penfold Peppard. North Carolina. USA