36. George Forrest

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George Forrest's Story

My name is George Forrest. I was born in 1935 in Worthing but moved to Lancing before my third birthday. I moved out to live in Brighton for 50 years. I now have Parkinson's, hence the reason for returning to Lancing. It is flat. Parkinson's makes me tire very quickly, so I hope you will bear with me.

Chesham House and Lancing Village Memories

I have recently been visiting Chesham House and have acquired a copy of Lancing Village Memories (edition 2). Some of the stories took me back. During the war years, my mother, my younger sister and I lived with my maternal grandparents in the thatched cottages opposite the "Farmers", roughly where the "Rainbow" is now.

Grandfather and Rosecroft

My grandfather was a market gardener employed by Frank Fuller, whose ground was on the north side of Sompting Road. where "Rosecroft" is now. Rosecroft was the name of Frank Fuller's house. Almost opposite was Lisher's coal yard and stables for his cart horses. We always had to be lifted up to see over the bottom half of the door of the horses in their stable. I believe it was Sid Lisher, but I could well be wrong

Lisher's Coal Yard. 

Lisher's coal yard was a small siding which held about 6 - 8 coal wagons. There, the Lishers' men would weigh and bag up the coal and put it onto the cart ready to be delivered. The horses would be fetched from their stable and hitched up. Sid would climb up onto the cart and, with his cap with the peak at the side, would start his round.. When all the coal was delivered, Sid would get onto the cart and fall asleep (or at least appear to). The horses would make their own way back to the railway siding and stop. It didn't matter where the round ended; the horses knew their way back. My memory tells me that the horses seemed to ignore the rest of the traffic. Goodness only knows what they would make of it today. 

The Horses' Stable

Back home, they were taken back to the stable, fed and watered. Of course, the stable is no longer there, but it can be positioned exactly. Walk along the south kerb of Sompting Road, and just before it starts to bend slightly to the right, there is a little dip in the kerb line; this was to allow the horses to walk straight through the stable door.

My fingers are getting tired, must sign off if this is of interest. I will see what else I can recall.

Editors note... I will be writing to George to say 'Yes, please, for more marvellous memories

Story 15 from Alan John Marshall

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Alan John Marshall

Thanks to Alan for this marvellous account:

Market Gardening in Boundstone Lane

I was living in Sompting Road up until the mid-1960s. Myrtle Stores were at 109, just up the road from Myrtle Road. I remember so much about Boundstone Lane, and the school being built on the land which my father worked as a Market Gardener. In the War, and just after, they had an orchard there, with lots of gooseberry bushes under the apple trees; daffodils in the springtime; and I used to go finding birds' eggs along the line of elm hedge, beside the twitten - that ran along the northern edge of Dad's gardens.

Middle Boundstone Lane then was just a true "lane" with a rough surface, and big puddles in the rainy times. I was born right at the top of Upper Boundstone Lane, just below the cemetery.

The Frightening Shelters of South Lancing Primary

Also, just at the end of the War, when I must have been about 4 1/2, I attended the South Lancing Primary School. That was a very unhappy time for me. I remember the air raid shelters, they were under the northern ramp of what is now the railway bridge. Frightening places, closed by big double doors sloping up the side of the ramp.

A Bittersweet Move to North Lancing Primary

A teacher there, a woman whom I was frightened of, had us lined up for punishment, for trespassing on the grass slopes of the ramp. I remember something like having to dip our fingers in mustard water and suck on our fingers. Was this just a figment of my imagination? Or did it really happen? I cannot be sure. Anyway, the fear of that school and the screaming from me in the mornings at having to go to school made Mum keep me at home until I was 5, and then they got me into North Lancing Primary School, under Miss Daisy Humphreys. That was much better.

That is all I can come up with right now, but if anyone is interested and wishes to connect with me further, you can use my email address, anakial@hotmail.com and let me know who you are.

Alan
8th October 2008

The Grover Nursery and Myrtle Stores

Alan adds..
My parents, Peter and Cecily Marshall, were very close friends of Percy and Mildred Grover. The Grovers had their nursery at the corner of Boundstone Lane and the "top" road (Southeast corner), with several glass houses there. After retirement, Percy and Mildred moved up to near Storrington.
My dad was from a very old family of Lancing, and Mum's parents ran Myrtle Store for several years. Dad's parents had the semi-detached houses 2 doors up built in 1912, and the space between the back of those houses and Myrtle Crescent was a market garden too.

A Firework Disaster in Middle Road

We had a huge bonfire in Middle Road, each Nov 5th. One time, I was only a very little boy, my chip basket full of fireworks, was put "for safety" down by the fence, "out of the way." But someone lit a Roman candle on the post above, and my whole basket full went up at once. I was so sad and in tears for the remainder of the evening.

Alan wrote further

Sompting Road Memories and Family Tragedies

Mum died on December 23rd 2000, as a consequence of a road accident in Sompting Road. She was knocked off her bicycle. Quite an active cyclist was Mum, at 86 years old. Dad survived her by almost 2 years, and spent that time in Ibiza with my sister.

Dad was related to the Bushbys, Fullers, Lishers and Charles Colbourne,  who was a very respected butcher in Brighton (Chas. Colbourne). Colbourne's drapery store used to be at the top of Penhill Road.

From Sussex Grapes to Lancing Tomatoes

Dad's aunt Mary lived at Skirwith, the market garden which occupied the site on the corner of Crabtree Lane and Grinstead Lane. One of their greenhouses had a grapevine growing in it. I understand that prior to the late 1800s, grapes were grown extensively in Sussex because of the high sunlight intensity between the Downs and the sea.

Then, improved sea transport meant that imported wines and grapes from France made the grape industry of Sussex unviable, and the "new" crop of tomatoes became very popular.

Having grown tomatoes virtually all his life, and with a good reputation for sweet and tasty produce, Dad continued in his retirement to grow tomatoes in his little backyard garden at Cokeham Lane.

The Rowans, 113 Sompting Road

 He was born at The Rowans, 113 Sompting Road, and told me in those years there were very few other houses in Sompting Road or Boundstone Lane. Indeed, I remember when both sides of Upper Boundstone Lane were orchards. (That is the area between Crabtree Lane and the Upper Brighton Road.) The last house on the right-hand side at that time was occupied by McIntyre, one of the coal merchants. Boundstone Lane at that point was still a muddy, puddly, unsealed road surface.

The Paving of Boundstone Lane

A pretty good job of rebuilding the road was done, around 1951/2 I would say, because I left North Lancing Primary School in 1952 and it had been done whilst I was there. The foundation of the road surface was a mixture of old house bricks, flints, and rubble down to a depth of approximately. 1 1/2 feet. They used a steamroller for surfacing.

I attended Worthing High School from 1952 to 1957(Dec).

Editor note:
I emailed Alan on 16/12/2011 to establish he is available for correspondence. He has confirmed this.

He added this note to his profile:
Son of Peter John Marshall, market gardener, who was the son of Percy George Marshall.  Numerous family links:  Lisher, Fuller, Grover, Bushby, Long, Colbourne, Judd.

I now live in Tasmania.  Born 1941. Attended North Lancing Primary School, Worthing High School.

Story 10 from Paul Bridle

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AI generated podcast created from Paul's story

Paul Bridle

Summary

Paul Bridle shares memories of his childhood in Lancing, England, including his family's business, Melhuish's Stores, and his attendance at Lancing Infants School. He remembers a DUKW vehicle that took people onto the sea and a cargo ship that may have been bound for Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Paul Kidger adds to the story by recalling steam trains and providing details about the Bridle family's general practitioner, Dr. Alexander, a World War I fighter pilot

Story 10

Childhood in Lower Boundstone Lane

I was born in Southlands Hospital, Shoreham-by-Sea, on 8th November 1951 and lived with my parents in Lower Boundstone Lane, Lancing, from then until later in the 1950s. My father was an architect and my mother a housewife. I attended Lancing Infants School and recall an air raid shelter in the grass playing field at the back of the school. I, along with the other pupils, was too afraid to go down the steps to it.

Melhuish’s Stores and the New 'Top Road'

My grandfather owned and ran Melhuish's Stores until he retired and moved to 25, Upper Boundstone Lane, where he lived until the early 1970s. I can remember the building of the school in Upper Boundstone Lane and the A27 'top road'. My great-grandfather, who lived with my grandparent,s used to walk from their bungalow each morning up to the top road and back for exercise.

The DUKW and a Glimpse of the Cuban Missile Crisis

Does anyone else remember the ex-army DUKW vehicle, which used to take people out onto the sea?
At the time of the Cuban Missile Crisis, I and my family were at my grandparents' beach hut when we saw a large cargo passing along the channel out to sea. It would seem that it was being shipped to Cuba by the Russians. I was blissfully unaware of the fear of war that so many people had.
Reply from Paul Kidger

Battle of Britain Steam Trains at the Crossing

I still remember the excitement of seeing a Battle of Britain class steam train going over the level crossing in Lancing. Magnificent and a change from the electric trains.

In addition, Paul writes...

I'd be pleased to hear from anyone who remembers my family in Lancing - My grandparents owned Melhuish's Stores in Sompting Road, which I think was called something like Myrtle Terrace or Parade. The shop was on the corner of Myrtle Road and Sompting Road. It was converted to a house, possibly in the 1970s.

Dr. Alexander: The Pilot with the Bullet Wound

Our family GP was Dr Alexander (called "Dr Alec"). He had a crease in one cheek from a bullet wound in WW1 when he was a fighter pilot.

Paul Bridle