Lancing Village Memories

 Gary Gardner wrote more of his memories Audio overview podcast Summary The text provides a personal account of Gary Gardner's childhood memories from the 1940s and 1950s in Lancing, England. The author vividly recounts his early experiences, including listening to Glenn Miller music at a local coffee shop, playing on the beach, and being fascinated by an early television set in his neighbourhood. These anecdotes highlight the impact of his surroundings and his early interest in music and technology. Early Influence of Family and Music Being born halfway through World War II, all the menfolk in the family were away in the services, so my mother was a big influence in my early years. I remember her taking me to a coffee bar which was located a few hundred yards up from where Woolworths used to be. This coffee bar had one of the early jukeboxes, which in those days played the old Shellac 78s. I quite clearly remember hearing what I later discovered was Glenn Miller playing one of his...

Keith Lenham keithlenham123@btinternet.com Hear Keith's Story Introduction A friend suggested that I look at all the reminiscences posted on your blog. Early Life My name is Keith Lenham born in Lancing in 1945, my parents died when I was very young and my brother and I were brought up by an aunt and uncle in Grand Avenue. I was educated at North Lancing Primary School and then on to Worthing Technical High School. My brother Les being older than me was educated at Worthing High School. Fond Memories of Lancing So much has already been written, a significant amount of which is very familiar to me, names, places shops etc with much of my youth spent in the Little Park, Lancing Manor and up on the Downs in the first and second clumps, the chalk pit and also the beach in summer. Apprenticeship and Career Upon leaving school I took up an apprenticeship with F G Miles who at that time was located at River Bank works in Shoreham, Much fun was had working on the design of the...

A Glimpse into a Lancing Childhood NEW Experimental  AI-generated podcast from Mike's Story In these times of coronavirus lockdowns, I found myself with time to browse the internet and found your website. I thought I would send you some of my memories of a Lancing childhood My name is Michael (Mike) Reynolds, and I was born in Lancing in June 1937. My parents, Eric and Dorothy Reynolds,(I think a year or so before I was born), bought a new bungalow at 14 The Drive, South Lancing, and it was here that I lived with my family for the whole of my childhood. The family consisted of Mum and Dad, my Dad’s father, Frank Reynolds (Pop), and my brother Geoff, four years older than me. The Family Business and Wartime Lancing Before the war, Dad and Pop had set up in business with a bicycle shop in South Street (number 111 I think),- W.F. and E.F.Reynolds- but when WWII started, Dad was called up into the RAF, and my earliest memories of the shop have Pop in the workshop at the back mending th...

Hear Jenny's story Jenny writes... I have just read all the memories of people on your website. Early Life in Lancing I was born in Lancing in 1947 at 8 Tower Road. My Dad used to work for Frank Lisher and, in fact, looked after the shire horses referred to in one of George Forrest’s comments. My sisters (of which there were 4) used to go to the stables to watch the horses being fed or mucked out, or get ready to go out. My dad loved these horses dearly, and whilst I don’t recall, he must have been heartbroken when he did not look after them any more. School Days I went to South Lancing School, both infants and juniors and then on to Irene Ave for one year and then on to Boundstone Comprehensive when it was brand new. Oh, how privileged we did feel with that school. I had Mr Jones as my first form teacher, and he said to me, “Are there more of you Charmans at home?” as apparently, he knew the rest of the family. I stopped on for an extra year to do GCE and was sad to leave the...

Hear Colin's story   Cherished Childhood Memories I spent my childhood in the lovely village of Lancing, and have so many good memories. Dad worked in the railway works after his discharge from the Army, right up to its closure, and Mum worked part-time in Fircroft House. School Days  I attended North Lancing county primary school, then one year at Irene avenue secondary and was one of the first years at Boundstone, the previous year we boys had been up there on 'day release' so to speak, to do woodwork and metal work, as those classrooms were the first to be built and finished. I remember all of the school being told we all had to pay a pound towards the construction of the school swimming pool, situated in the open behind the police houses, a right cheek as I left before its opening, so I never splashed in anger.  Work and Wandering I spent the 1960s working around Sussex, then wandered off to see the world, returning to live now in Eastbourne in my old age. Thank you a...

This is not so much a memory of Lancing but rather one of my own growing-up experiences. I'll leave it to you. Growing-Up Experiences Just after the Second World War, there was a shortage of Virginian tobacco. I was only 12/13 years old, and I have no idea why. Turkish and Egyptian blends were available, and filter tips were becoming popular. The Turkish and Egyptian tobaccos were not to the taste of people brought up on "Weights, Woodbines, Park Drive and Rhodian No 3 with Players and Senior Service for high days and holidays. Some men tried to grow their own, my father included. As the start of a DIY process, growing plants was easy. The process of curing, etc, proved too much for the average handyman in his shed, so the whole idea died a death. The Quest for Tobacco As young lads, we had no idea of blends flavours and the like, all we knew was that it was tobacco. Adults smoked it, we wanted to be adults, so we wanted to smoke. There was a...

Hear Sue's story 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 c...