Memoirs - South Downs Generations

Nigel Brown

Born in 1942 in London, my earliest memories are of rockets, sirens, and shelters, and not going out except for essential local shopping trips with my mother. So when the war was over and we could actually go travelling by train, it was very exciting…

Robert Cheesman

I was born and brought up in Lewes and one of my earliest memories was walking home with my mother after shopping when there was a large amount of glass and other debris on the pavement due to bomb blast. Although I lived in a house where the back garden bordered on to the open downland…

Arthur Collins

On re-reading Issue 206 of The Downsman I think I may just offer a possibly helpful comment in response to your request for members’ views on the outcome of the National Park campaign (page 9, 5th para.) My purpose is to endorse the significance of individual involvement, based on my experience of the consultation stage.

Helen Hoswell

I grew up in the late 70s and early 80s and have very fond memories of my time with my Gran and Uncles at Old Farm in Houghton.

I remember that when I used to stayed at my Gran’s home, I was able to sleep in the same room that my Mum had had as a child…

Richard Reed

What are my more distant memories of the Sussex Downs? I say Sussex Downs for it was only in later years that I visited the Downs of Hampshire. As a boy living in Middlesex in the 1930s I still had regular contact with the Downs…

Linda Robinson

Linda is born and bred from Yapton. She married Geoffrey (Geoff) Robinson also from Yapton on 12th September 1970 in Yapton Church (St Marys). They met when they were 16 years old. Their engagement party, 3 years previously was…

Irene Saxby

During the latter part of 1940 and 1941, after the disaster of Dunkirk, there was an invasion threat. It was really believed that Germany was preparing to invade Britain and the whole of the south coast was on Invasion Alert. Soldiers were on duty at all bridges…

Robert Self

At 18 in the spring of 1962 I decided that I should like to become a teacher and made various applications to a number of training colleges. Little did I realise then that my final successful choice would set the pattern for much of the rest of my life…

Sylvia Taylor

I go back to 1966 when I was 12 years old. My Dad had met a nice chap on one of his walks in Sussex – they would go out walking together and became great friends – that’s how we were introduced to the Sussex Downs…

John Templeton

Growing up in Chichester in the 1950’s I lived as far from a National Park as was possible. Whilst enjoying cycling into the South Downs I little knew that I had a future national park on my very doorstep…