FAVOURITE PLACES

Some happy memories dredged up there. Lewes Road rec was a favourite. Many happy hours spent there with Barrie Eagar, Ron Herriott, Dave Robinson and Michael O'Driscoll. We used to play cricket, football and, on odd occasions, courtesy of Ron, a form of golf. (Not so much Texas scramble as California chaos.) It was a great start/finish for our expeditions to Piddinghoe, Southease and deepest, darkest Rodmell. A modicum of common sense ensured we were safe. Any injuries were usually down to clumsiness or errors of judgement. It always seemed sunny then. Ah well, off with the rose-coloured specs of remeniscence.

Living in Fort Road meant that the Fort, Clifftop and all the bush between it and the Fort Road Rec was our adventure play ground. No one had a watch so we had to keep an eye out for the ferry entering harbour at around 4:45pm to make sure we had enough time to run home for supper at 5. Although many's a time we blamed our being late on the Ferry and I remember there being a post box by the Coastguard cottages which was emptied around 5pm and the little indicator on it being changed to the next days early delivery time. If we saw it had been changed we were really in trouble. And just one slight correction from a Newhaven born lad, we always knew the 'back alleys' as Twittens in the Sussex Dialect.

Thank you for the super photos above, Caroline, they look like they were taken in the 60's. We had our first TV in 1953 to watch the Coronation on but I preferred playing out, I loved being up on the Downs. Don't forget Denton Rec: which only had one set of swings & the Scout/Guide hut where we from Mount Pleasant used to hang out. Did you used to walk along the Riverbank to Southease & Rodmell, William? I did & it was 6d to bus back. My gran lived there all her life & I lived there from age 0 - 5, then we were given a new post-war prefab in Ringmer, then a 3 bed: house in Ringmer, then dad bought us a new house in Beresford Road in the mid 50's. I walked past it last October, it's still there & the garage that dad build, but looking rather shabby.

The Rodmell river walk is an attraction for birdwatchers especially if you wish to see Short Eared Owls.

Yes, the pictures range from 1961 to 1969. I walked everywhere in those days--all of the places mentioned in the comments, and when I was old enough to ride my bike we would venture farther afield to Glynde, Southease, Rodmell, Lewes, Plumpton, Seaford, Cookmere Valley and so many other beautiful spots. I have a connection to Rob Patten as I now live in Nanaimo, British Columbia, and I knew Jack Patten very well and also Laurie, George, and Len. I met you once at you home in Fort Road in 1977 just before we emigrated to Canada.

I remember catching lots of wildlife near Lewes Road Rec and taking them home in jars. The ditch in the rec had sticklebacks, the cuttings by the river had shrimps and the ponds in the valley had tadpoles. I doubt there is such variation these days.