Karen Foster
Just the word Lancing conjures up pictures of my childhood.
I was born in Tower Road at No.84 moving to No.80 (the one with the steps) in 1967. My first school was South Lancing Infants in North Rd in 1958, the classroom with the veranda must take a photo of it one day before it disappears. I can remember the air raid shelters - as remembered by Paul Bridle and woe betide anyone who went near them. I believe the headmistress was Miss Birch, she had a large jar of sweets in her room, don't know how I know that one! We were told one day that we had to move schools, so we packed up our books and pencils and walked up to The Unit, which is now Boundstone Nursery School. Mr teacher was a Mr Juleff. We soon settled there until we did the same thing again and walked around to Irene Avenue for our last term before Boundstone.
I spent many happy playtimes in those schools, playing marbles etc. Does anyone remember standing tea/gum cards against the wall and flicking other cards to knock them down, winner takes all? We had lovely tea parties at Christmas in the school hall, with food provided by our parents. We also had a Beatles club there when I was older, it cost 3d, and we received a small daisy shape badge made of felt!
School holidays were filled with trips up the downs, playing in the chalk pit, and plenty of room to use a child's imagination; you could be anything up there. other times spent on the beach, building the proverbial sandcastles with moats, drinking orange squash and cheese and sand sandwiches!
I remember the Brooklands paddling pool opening. There were lots of animal-shaped pools for us to play in and rocks to climb, what fun. Fishing under the bridge that led into Brooklands for sticklebacks and minnows. Someone told us that there was an eel living under the bridge, hidden in an old mine, that was buried there. You believe anything when you are young.
My friend Sheila Haite, who lived next door and I used to go to the Luxor together to see Walt Disney and Cliff Richard films, the first film I saw was Bambi it cost 9d. We used to look for which films were on, on posters in Sompting Rd, just outside the knitting wool shop, which was next to a grocers shop owned by the Street family, then owned by the Brown family. This was next to Mr Jones the chemist. I remember Paul Bridle's grandparent's shop on the corner of Myrtle Rd, my mum Lilian Wingfield used to shop in there but worked in the other grocer's shop. She later went to work at Woolworths. My dad Reginald worked in the railway works but left in 1963 before it closed, to go to Solarbo in Commerce Way. I remember Dr Alexander was my dad's doctor, but us children saw Dr Whiting, he was a lovely man.
I could go on forever but will stop my parents and sister still live in Lancing and although I only live in Rustington, I still think of Lancing as my home.
Karen Foster nee Wingfield.
1 comment:
I too just came upon this site, and it brings back all the memories of my 7 years of growing up in Lancing, all the people I remember, all the people I would love to know how they are doing now. This brought so much pleasure it is amazing. All this started with a need for school records for a job with the Dallas Police Deppt, which at 65, I eventually withdrew from. My name is Jan(et) Baker-Freeman, I moved from Grange Hill Essex, a coucil house exchange by my Grand parents, William and Alice Baker, to 177 Tower Rd, next to the Messers, Linda, David and I think Christopher, I remember Diane Bacon, Barbara Gorringe, her Father was the rent man, the there was Mr. & Mrs. Tom Reynolds the postie, and they had a son who's name I don't recall, he must not have lived there, as I was close as an only child to these people. I remember the Brenda and Richard Pitt who emigrated to Australia, I think their Dad had the green grocers on South St. It's people I remember, as well as places, I am recalling the people I used to see in the places you mention. I remember the Betteridge girls, Patsy Leggit, Frances Martin, Jennifer Cook, Lillian ? from Busby Close, Susan and Janet Shepherd who went to Beverley House on Penhill Road, as did I, after I came out of hospital after contracting polio. Huss and chips at the chip shop on Penhill, great pickled onions and gherkins, I remember Saturday morning pictures, I was on the comittee, not sure I ever accomplished anything. I remember school mates, Frances Shapland, Maureen Singer, Barbara McGuiness, Carol Mason, Sheilagh Churcher, Margareet Deacon, Margaret Cheetham, Ivy Sullivan, Avril Barraclough, just so many girls.. Te "REC", biking to Arundel, most likely a difficult feat today, many cars on the roads. Carolyn Holden, Mary Goldsmith, Christopher Riddle, Jennifer Wintle, Honnie Marshall, Carol Burchet, her Mother was tthe restuarant managaer at the Odeon. Just 7 short years, to know and rember all these names, what a great place for a child to grow up.
When I returned I worked for Tesco in Worthing then SPD and Solarbo, A C Draycot part time such a small world. Lovely memories of the ocean, rough and green often, the downs, Devils Dyke, Brighton Pier, Worthing Pier where I spent my pennies in silly games. What a delightful trip down memory lane.
Post a Comment