31. Maureen Clarke

I am the Maureen Clarke in Derek Gorham’s list of classmates.

Daily Walks to School

I lived, and still do live, just over the border in Sompting, so the walk to North Lancing School was about a mile; 4 times a day, as I came home for lunch most of the time I was there. I used to call in at Fircroft sweet shop on my way to or from (was it a Mrs.Middleton who owned it?) If I bought a small gobstopper, I could get it finished before I got to school, but a big one lasted too long! When I was old enough to walk on my own, I sometimes went on the footpath between Berriedale Drive and Boundstone Lane (which eventually became part of Boundstone School playing field) despite my mum telling me not to!

Teachers and Memories

I remember most of the teachers Derek mentions, although not in quite the same detail. However, I still have my autograph album with Miss Humphreys’ drawing of rabbits in it! It was quite scary moving up to Miss Lapham’s class after only one term, but she was very good to me, and later on I visited her in her little cottage at the top of Hoe Court. It is my understanding that she died in the early ‘90s. 

Musical Experiences

I have photos of the recorder group Derek mentions, and later on, there were also violinists in the group, of which I was one. Some of us played too with the Lancing Secondary Modern School orchestra run by Olive Poole. I also remember going off to sing as a school group at local schools' music festivals.

 Noyes Fludde at Lancing College

At the end of my final year at North Lancing, some of us took part in a production of Benjamin Britten’s ‘Noyes Fludde’ at Lancing College, only a year after it was first performed, and we walked across the Downs to the college for rehearsals. We took the parts of the animals, and I seem to recall that I was a rat!

The 1957 Gym Presentation

This photo is from 1957. It must have been a gym presentation in the playground for a parents Open Day? (Check out the cars!)

List of Classmates

In my autograph album, I have a list of classmates, so I could add some to Derek’s list: David Hebden,
Ian Ralph, G(ordon?) Ryan, John Martin, Sally Ede, J(ulie?) Brazier, David Fulford, Gavin North,
E(lizabeth?) Maddan, Margaret Hogben, D.G.Goldsmith, J.S.Butt, Peter Youlds, J.Stacey, D(avid?) Nock, P(aul?) Clayburn, E.West, M.J.Gunn, M(argaret) Marshall, A.Walker, V.Beech, H.Blaylock.

Some of these may have been an academic year above us. Where are they all now, I wonder?

Mrs. Thomas's Class of '55

Some of the names are in this photo of Mrs Thomas’s class of ’55………..

Back row: Philip Norton, John Martin, Colin ?, Barry Ruffel(?), Angela Bayley, ??, Gavin North, Derek
Gorham, Mrs.Thomas.

Row 3: ??, Ian Ralph, Christine Marshall, Margaret Hogben, Neil Furze(?), David Coker?

Row 2: ??, Maureen Clarke, ??, ??, Josephine ?, ??, ??, Jamie Wrench, ??

Front row: ??, Janice King, ??, ??, ??, ??, Sally Ede, ??

The Red House Memories

Further to Rose (Marg) Maloney’s memories, I too used to visit the Red House in Manor Road as I was a friend of Jamie Wrench. At that time, it had a large garden, which was great for us kids to play in, and of course, it also had a cellar, although I’m not sure we were supposed to go down there!

Moving On After the 11+

As Derek says, after 11+ we drifted apart a bit, although some of the mums used to bump into each other in the village and exchange progress news! Many of the boys who passed, I believe, went on to Steyning Grammar, and I went to Worthing High School for Girls, as it was then. Boundstone School was not yet built, although when I first went to North Lancing, my parents were told that by the time I was 11, we would all go to a new school in Lancing.

30. Carriage Works Outing ~ Derek Gorham

Derek Gorham

courtesy Derek Gorham

 The photo is from a Carriage Works outing, almost certainly during the 1950s. I have no idea where it was taken, but the outing may have been organised by my Dad.  I know he arranged some of them over the years, and Mum used to make sausage rolls for all.

My Dad, Les Gorham, is at the front in the shirt sleeves on the left; Wally Cocks could be the man in the blazer behind him; Jack Sparkes is the man in the tank top in the middle and Mr Lawson/Lawford could be the man in the jacket on the extreme right.

29. Interview with Roy Prior

Roy Prior

Roy Prior has been a resident of Lancing most of his life.
We interviewed him about his recollections in June 2012 and recorded his conversation.

Click the link here it takes you to a SoundCloud audio recording

More Here

 Roy Prior- by Ray Hamblett

28. Vera Bartram recalls..

Vera Bartram

A Nostalgic Reflection

A friend lent me a copy of your Lancing Village Memories, which I found very interesting.

 
Early Life in Lancing

My family moved here from London in 1931 when my father opened a barber shop on Brighton Road by Chandler's Corner called "Bob's". I have lived in Lancing ever since, except for the period when I was working at Bletchley during the War.

 

School Days

 
I went first to a little private school called Viking House School run by Mrs Old in Kings Road, but when my sister started school a couple of years later, we went to South Lancing Primary, which in those days was the only primary school in Lancing. Seniors went to North Lancing in what is now the St.James the Less church hall, where the hall was divided into two classrooms by screens. I remember the school in Irene Avenue being built, and that is where I went at 11 years old. Many years later, when I had two sons, they went to the new North Lancing primary at the bottom of Mill Road, and Miss Humphrey was still headmistress and Miss Tait still there. Miss Humphrey retired while my sons were there.

 

Wartime Memories 

We lived at my father's shop until 1940 when we moved to a flat along the Widewater.
From there, we often saw dogfights during the War as German planes came across the Channel, making their way inland, and the Spitfires fought them off. I remember seeing a German have to bail out, and his parachute didn't open.

 

Lancing's Cinemas and Shops 

I also remember first a little cinema being built in Penhill Road called the Regal and later the Odeon, and also the Luxor being built. As my father displayed posters advertising the programmes, we got free tickets every week, so saw a lot of films!
There were not a lot of shops built North of the railway until after the war, and although Lancing is still officially a Village, it is much bigger now.

 

Familiar Faces and Businesses 

 
I remember so many of the businesses mentioned by your correspondents. I went to school with Vera Gardener and Kathleen Scardifield, whose parents' shop was mentioned, and I also remember the Melhuish's store, and I think one of that family was in my class at school, but I can't remember the name. We, too, had Dr.Alexander until he retired and then Dr.Collier.

 

Connections and Friendships 

I remember Derek Gorham, who has written because at one time we lived four doors away from his parents, and I was friendly with his mother, and Derek was at school with my son Peter.

 

A Heartfelt Conclusion 

What a lot of memories this has brought back - very enjoyable reading, thank you.

From: Mrs Vera Bartram (nee Murray)

27. South Lancing 1949 Coach Outing group ~ Derek Gorham

Thanks to Derek Gorham for this picture;

he does not know what the occasion for the trip was.

Does anyone recognise it?

Click on the image to enlarge

Derek says: I think I can just remember going on coach trips that may have been organised by Mr and Mrs Cotton, but who was invited, I do not know; Mr Cotton ran the grocers in Crabtree Lane next to Towners the outfitters, and the Cottons and the Gorhams were lifelong friends. 
We always seemed to stop en route at Portsdown north of Portsmouth, but I am sure that wasn't always the case.
 The date is almost certainly 1949 because I am the baby being held by my Mum in the doorway of the King of the Road coach. Dad is the squatter on the left. Two down is Gilbert Page, who worked in the carriage works, and I would guess behind him to the right is his wife, Elsie, in the masculine hat.  Mr Alwyn Cotton is wearing glasses and is almost isolated between the two elderly ladies with big hats. His wife Irene is just behind the central man with a dark jacket and white shirt. Bill Hendy (see the Home Guard pic) is back right, and his wife is in front. I have no idea who the rest are, nor why they were on the trip together.

26. North Lancing school marks retirement in 1955 ~ Derek Gorham

Derek Gorham

Thank you to Derek Gorham for sharing this photo 

This picture is the staff at North Lancing on the retirement of Miss Humphrey in 1955 after 40 years at the school.

Back row : [Mr Durrant] [ Miss Curzon] [Miss Goby] [ ? ] [Mrs Jones?? but I am sure she was the school Secretary][ Mr Steer.]


Front row : [Mrs Thomas] [Mrs Jones] [Miss Lapham] [ Mrs Craig? who played the piano] [Miss Taite] [ Miss Humphrey] [ Mrs Horne] [ Mrs Barnes] [ Mis Higgins]

25. From Rosemary Langrish neé Oakley

Rosemary Langrish neé Oakley

Summary

Rosemary Langrish Oakley, a former resident of Lancing, shares her memories of growing up in the town during the 1930s. Her reminiscences span a variety of events, including her first school experiences, a fire at a local timber yard, playing in a chalk pit, participating in a parade celebrating a royal occasion, and encountering various itinerant figures who were common in the area at the time. She recounts both happy and unsettling experiences, highlighting the unique character of Lancing during her childhood.

AI Generated podcast

We moved from Portslade when I was about 4 years old 1932. We lived in one of the houses, almost opposite Hoe Court Track. My first memory of Lancing was starting school at what is now called Freshbrook.

 I was 5 years old mum took me on the back of a bicycle with a cushion on the carrier. One morning, a little boy ran from Addison Square* straight into the road and was hit by a motorbike. He flew up into the air, but I don’t think he was killed. 

Also about the same age, I was sitting in the garden on an old cycle frame leaning against the fence, watching the red glow in the sky over Shoreham where White’s* timber yard was on fire. The bike fell over, and I broke my arm, which took a long time to heal and would not straighten out.

 The hospital gave me a lovely big doll to carry back and forth to help straighten my arm, but it is still bent to this day.

Opposite the Withy Bed [clump of Willow trees], we used to see snakes curled up in the sun on the bank, some were very big.

We went with friends up on the hills to play in the Chalk Pit* and one day we found a big Wallpaper book which we managed to carry home for drawing on. Also, one time we could hear a person singing ‘Morning has broken’ and was lovely as it echoed in the Pit.

I’m not sure if it was Queen Mary’s Jubilee or the Coronation of King George and Elizabeth but I was in the big parade and dressed as a Victorian maid. It was a lovely crepe paper dress in green with a frill around the bottom, white cap, apron and lace-trimmed pantaloons split through the middle nearly like two separate legs.

 The parade started at Penhill Road, so Mum took us on the bus. As I got off, I caught my plimsoll in my dress and tore the bottom.

 The parade started off ok. But walking around by the Farmers pub and cottages, it pelted down with rain and a little boy dressed as a red post box got soaked, he was as red as his box. We finished up at Lancing Manor Park.

 A short while after that, we each received a special Coronation mug from a really big wooden box in the hall at school.

 
We sometimes had Tramps* [homeless person] call and ask for hot water or something to eat. If dad was home, Mum usually gave them tea and a thick cheese sandwich; we think they passed the word around. Also, gipsies called selling pegs or sprigs of heather for luck.

Onion men on bicycles came around as well. An Indian man selling things, but we were told ‘never to open the door’.

Another time, while playing on the hills, some boys came over and asked if we would like a sweet. Of course, we said ‘yes’, when they opened the tin, it had a snake curled up in it. Whether live or dead, I don’t know. All I do know is I don’t like snakes.

We moved house a few times and eventually left Lancing for Shoreham when I was about ten. I missed my old school (Mill Hill), so I played truant and took my 2 sisters and brother walking over the Old Shoreham toll bridge to the Manor Park for the school sports day.
You can guess I had a good telling-off when we got back home.

PS Just remembered I think it must have been an Air Display as a couple of planes dropped what we thought was ribbons, so we ran across the fields to find it was toilet paper.

24. Pictures from South Lancing School ~ Bob Brown

Bob Brown

Lancing resident and Pastfinder group member Bob Brown has kindly sent these two pictures of Staff and pupils of South Lancing School from the early 1950s

courtesy Bob Brown (L&S Pastfinders)

It would be interesting if any of our readers could name any of the sitters for these group portraits.

23.Ted White & South Lancing School

Ted White

Ted has kindly sent a picture of his family for an article about Penstone House and also enclosed the picture below... He writes:-

My Time at South Lancing School (1941–1947)

I went to South Lancing School next to the Main Post Office from 1941 to 1947 and I have attached a photo of the teachers who were there in about 1946/7. I think that the one with the flowers in her lapel was the headmistress, Miss Kates, and in the middle was Miss Alexander. On the right is Mrs Curd of an old Lancing family. Who were the others?

Life During Wartime

 I really enjoyed my days at the school, except of course that these were the years with frequent visits to the Air Raid Shelters. 

Classmates

Names such as Jackie Jasper, Daphne Chamberlain, Brian Vincent, Mike Smith ... were some of our classmates.

courtesy Ted White

22. Derek Gorham sends old photo's

Derek Gorham

Thanks to Derek again, here he has sent three photos and is hoping a reader of this blog will be able to add some information regarding the people in the photos.
[click the images to enlarge]

The Home Guard picture is my Dad, Bill Hendy, ??,??.

courtesy Derek Gorham

The other picture has been dated 1944 and was taken in the Carriage Works. Miss Hawkes is the lady and my Dad is on the left but why this group?

courtesy Derek Gorham

The third picture is the1950s darts team at the Legion; my Mum, Mrs Payne, Mrs LLoyd,?, Mrs Monery, ?,?, Mrs Parker, Mrs Trixie Payne.

courtesy Derek Gorham

21. Derek Gorham recalls North Lancing Primary

Derek Gorham 

Derek writes his Lancing memory about North Lancing School

Like so many of your contributors, I stumbled on your site and the memories just flowed. I hope some of this will be of interest. There could be more if I really thought.

I was born in 1948, having come down the big chimney at Southlands [maternity hospital] as Nurse Paddy Hatley used to say, she and her colleague "Bon" were the district nurses for the village; the latter was also the "nit nurse" at North Lancing School. Bon was quite short, and by our last year, she needed a stool to reach. Doctor Betty was the doctor. There were no appointments or an intercom to call you in. Patients sat around a big room with a grandfather clock in the corner, waited their turn, and then the door opened, and without fail, a tremendous cough erupted from behind it. Doctor Betty had a "foreign" car and acknowledged everyone he knew as he drove around. Since he seemed to know everyone, his hands were seldom on the wheel.

School on Google Maps

Miss Humphreys, who had been at the school since WW1, left a term after I started at North Lancing Primary. If you left your autograph book with her, she would draw beautiful pictures of rabbits in crayon in it. Then Mr Cox arrived with his cane. Mrs Barnes did the dinner money; Miss Goby, with her big Wooden Record player and 78 of 'The Stars and Stripes', ideal music for marching around the room too, was the Reception teacher. Then came Miss Lapham, who taught us to read using Chicken Licken books in which the sky fell on the unfortunate bird. I managed to avoid Mrs Horne/Miss Orman, who was severe of dress and much feared. Mrs Thomas used to arrive on her bike, which had a plastic guard over the back wheel to protect her dress. Mrs Jones also had a bike and we learned our tables by writing them on little pieces of paper, which were then thrown away. Mr "Pop" Steer was the cub master. He had a car, Uncle Clem. He also was in the choir at St James and organised musical evenings; I can still remember much of "The Pied Piper of Hamelin", and he ran a recorder group. We used to play people out from assembly. 'March in Scipio' seemed to be a favourite. Raffia mats and basket work were his specialities; there always seemed to be rolls of cane soaking in water. Mr Nutter had his own cane and taught in the original school. Finally, there was Miss Tate with her very sensible hairdo and measured walk.

Miss Curzon taught us country dancing; Mr Durrant was there, as well as Miss Higgins, whom he married. They used to sit in the sun at the back of the huts and chat. Miss Waite arrived and, I think, taught drama. Mr Wood, the caretaker, had a droopy moustache and wore thick corduroy trousers. He was always on hand with a bucket of sawdust if someone was sick.

As for my classmates, there was Philip Norton, who was my friend until his death two years ago, Jamie Wrench, David Coker, Peter Clist, Maureen Clarke, Angela Bayley, Janice King, Lynne Sandford, Neil Furze, Lynn Tugnett, Christine Marshall, Steven Blackledge, Colin? Bishop, Freda Voak and Alvin Vordregger (who could forget that name?). Then there are the people I can see who are nameless.

Chuff Chuff Charlie Elphick was not in my class, but we all used to watch him endlessly "playing trains" at playtime.

The Eleven Plus arrived; those of us who passed went on to Grammar school. The girls disappeared and so did the pupils who were not successful, but we had all had a safe childhood, been well taught, and had the good fortune to have the Downs and the beach as our playground.

20. Sue Sutherland's North Lancing Memories

Sue Sutherland's Nostalgic Memories of North Lancing

Summary

Sue Sutherland shares nostalgic memories of her childhood in North Lancing, England. She recounts vivid details of her primary school, piano lessons, and interactions with local businesses, including a Tythe Barn and Pat Barton's stables. Sutherland fondly remembers her time in the Girl Guides, where she learned traditional skills like digging latrines and cooking on a wood stove. She also reflects on the community events she attended, such as the annual fete at the manor and the horse-drawn carts used for milk delivery and coal transport. Sutherland expresses her gratitude for growing up in such a unique and enriching environment.

Childhood in North Lancing

I came across your website by sheer accident and was delighted to find it.

Even though I am thousands of miles away, I often think of North Lancing.  I lived there during my childhood and went to North Lancing Primary School. I remember so clearly sweet Miss Humphry and the sometimes intimidating Miss Tate.  Miss Tate was my teacher, and Mr Stears was also my teacher and piano teacher, to whose house on Penhill I dutifully went every Saturday morning.   The only thing I can remember was that his front room was extremely cold, and my forte was not playing the piano.

I remember the Tythe Barn and we used to buy our eggs there (it's so sad it is no longer), our veggies either came from the garden (my mother was in the land army) or from a house which was just down from the end of the manor and next to the Corner House.

Adventures in the Woods

Someone had also mentioned the path through the woods at the back of the manor.  We used to play in those woods all the time, and there were two cottages which were the old woodsman cottages leftover from when the manor was a fully functioning estate.  Next to the cottages was an air-raid shelter which no one ever went into.  We thought it was haunted.  They are probably gone now, too.

Time at Pat Barton's Stables

I worked at Pat Barton's stables, and for a day of mucking out stalls, I got a free riding lesson. In the summer, we collected the hay from the top of the downs between the end of Mill Road and the Clump.  Some weekends, John (son) and I would take the donkey and cart over the downs to Steyning and sell manure.  Pat Barton also let me come to the point-to-point races and even let me use a pony and paid for my entry into a race at a gymkhana we all went to.  I remember him as a very proud gentleman who fought incredible pain from a hunting accident in Ireland.  Although the farm was run down, all the animals were well looked after.  Those days were, in retrospect, probably the happiest of my entire life.

Memories of the Girl Guides

I was also in the Girl Guides.  I have forgotten the name of the Captain, other than she was a Miss and had been a captain forever.  She did not believe in any modern conveniences, and we dug our own latrines, made our own furniture, and all cooking was done on a wood stove (if you didn't get dry wood, you did not eat). William Baden-Powell would have been proud.

Annual Fete and Community Spirit
I also remember so clearly the yearly fete at the manor.  We did country dancing, and there was also a parade where the coal company still had the horse-drawn cart.  Our milk was delivered by horse and cart (South Coast Dairies), and occasionally, a rag and bone man would show up with his pony and cart.

I was very fortunate to grow up in such a wonderful environment.

Best Regards
Sue Sutherland

Update.. Sue wrote this footnote: FYI, I was talking to my cousin today, who still lives in the area, and she remembered the name of the captain of the Girl Guides, and it was Miss Norris. 

   Regards, Sue Sutherland.