My Childhood

A Memory of West Chiltington.

My memory of West Chiltington as a child is of a sleepy little village where everyone knew each other. As a child I could wander with friends and not be afraid as all the village people knew everyone else. A pleasant stroll up Church Hill on a summers evening is one memory that springs to mind with Mr Gumbrell who lived at the top of Church Hill wandering across to the church to lock-up. Yes, the church was left unlocked then. The village then had two shops, the Post Office and the Spar shop. The Queen's Head pub was run by a Freda Nash. When Mrs Saunders-Jacobs wrote her book on West Chiltington she allowed me to spend time with her researching at Chichester records office as part of a school project. I learned a lot about the village and to this day remember a lot of the history that is not mentioned in later books. Alas since I married and moved away from the village many changes have taken place such as extensive building projects. People no longer know everyone else and some of the old village names have gone. However, the village is still worth a visit as it boasts a lovely old church which dates back to Saxon times and the reconditioned stocks and whipping post. Many of the old houses still exist although modernisation has taken place. The village itself is still a sleepy little walk down from the crossroads to the Elephant and Castle public house.

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