Living at Norwich Drive
I was born in Brighton in 1949 and lived in Lower Bevendean with my foster mother until the age of 14, when I was taken back by my mother and moved to New Jersey USA. I remember picking blackberries in the woods at the bottom of the hill and even beech nuts in the same area. I lived at 133 Norwich Drive on the corner of Kenilworth Close.
Trying to miss the cow pats
Behind our house was all farm land and the farmer would alternate between growing wheat and grazing cows. I cannot tell you how many times I stepped in a cow pat, no matter how many times I wiped my shoes in the grass, I would always stink when I got home. I also remember the farm house next to the school, it was run down and abandoned; I would always fantasize about exploring the building.
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Disaster with a bottle of stout
I only remember one pub and I am pretty sure it was called The Admiral. One time my foster mother sent me and Steven Capp, her grandson, to purchase a bottle of stout. On the way back up those steep steps, Steven tripped broke the bottle of stout and got a big gash in his leg. I ran back to the pub and they called for an ambulance and he was rushed off to the hospital.
I got home sick
In later years, I started getting interested in Brighton again after I found a website called virtualearth.com. I was surprised to be able to find the house I lived in, and the school I went to, which was St Luke’s boys school. I got homesick all over again, but now it is great to be able to visit Brighton again via this website – thank you.
Comments about this page
Lovely to read your memories, Bob. The invention of Google earth, etc; has been amazing. We can revisit places from the comfort of our armchair! I expect you already know that the White Admiral pub no longer exists. It was hit hard by a severe flood in 2000 when rainwater poured down the slopes at the north end of Heathhill Avenue. It never re-opened and was demolished in 2003, to be replaced by flats. Before all that, though, it was used as the Nags Head in a very funny 1992 episode of “Only Fools & Horses”, entitled “Mother Nature’s Son”. Try and catch it if you can.
Bob, the pub was the White Admiral. After a period of decline due to a range of factors it was closed down, demolished and now is the site of social housing. Bevendean has an active history group which has published an excellent history guide to the estate. Details on their website-[http://www.bevendeanhistory.org.uk]
What a great story Bob, its amazing to hear about the old days on here.
I remember the floods of 2000 well, me and my wife lived in Bodiam Avenue at the time.
Amazing to come across this entry. My grandmother, Lily Booth lived at 133 Norwich drive. I recall my mother talking about Robert who stayed with my grandmother. She was heartbroken when he went to the US. I used to visit my grandmother and remember Norwich Drive appearing to be at the end of the world. It was at the end of Lower Bevendean a long bus ride from my home in Hollingbury. My father used to work at Brighton Sheet Metal works in Lower Bevendean.
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