The house next to the church
I was born in Brighton in 1947; when I was a toddler I was in a nursery in Old Shoreham Road. I lived with my dear parents in 16 Meadway Crescent, Hove, until I was about three years old, then we moved to 202 Nevill Avenue. Where we were the houses backed onto the allotments, up at the top next to the church. My mum used to clean the church hall. I remember being in the large hall and standing on the broom while she swept the floor.
Did you ever live in this area? Do you remember the church hall? If you have any memories you can share with us, please leave a comment below.
Going to school on Mum’s bike
I went to the school in Old Shoreham Road; I can remember the day everyone sat in a line in the hall and we were given our coronation mugs. I also remember playing the Archangel Gabriel in the nativity play. Then the new school was built at the top of Hangleton, and mum used to take me; I would ride on a seat on the back of her bike. My mum and dad are both passed away now; mum for forty years next year. Dad was a Japanese prisoner of war; when he came home, they chose to adopt me, I was so lucky.
Attended Clark’s College
My brother Peter was eighteen years old when I was adopted. He used to skate in Brighton when the ice rink was in West Street. He joined Tom Arnold’s Ice Shows, travelled all over the world, and also played for The Brighton Tigers. My parents worked hard and chose to send me to Clark’s College, first at 43 Dyke Road, then when I was old enough to 52 Dyke Road. My parent’s ashes are interred in the little church where they were married, and we were baptised, at the top of St. Aubyns in Hove.
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Interesting post. My grandparents retired from London to 76 Neville Avenue in the 1930s and I spent a great deal of time with them, as their daughter, my mother, was a war widow living in Surrey, so they mutually supported each other.
We all went to Bishop Hannington church – such innovative architecture, by the architect of Guildford Cathedral and the Merchant Seamans memorial etc – Maufe. We also backed on to allotments.
Re:Margaret Whaley (12/09/2022)
Hello Margaret,
I suppose I am a few years older than you, came to live at Hangleton, Hove, in 1940 aged 4 and left to work in London in 1951. Your message interested me because our family also went to Bishop Hannington church. Our scout group “11th Hove” also used to have their church parades up to that church and also my brother Norman sang in the church choir at the time of the vicar Rev. Rees. who no doubt you would have known . My father also worked at Hannington Motor Works which were not too far away and during the war had camouflaged roofing. Due to the fact, that in those days boys and girls had separate classrooms in most schools, I do not think that we ever met. Unless you were a member of the Shiverers swimming club. Nevertheless, it is good to find out, that there are still a few people about, who remember Hove as it was in WW2. None of my efforts to find any school mates of those years, on these pages, have been successful up to now.
Good luck for the future and keep well,
Ken.
Sorry, I made a mistake in the last posting, it should have been Thomas Harrington, not Hannington
where my father worked.
By the way, the church hall in the picture brings back a few memories. I never went in, but we used to walk past that, when going from High Park avenue, to the 11th Hove scout group. Sometimes the Boys-Brigade were outside the building with their flute and drum band.
Children could be nasty at times and there was a song some sang at the time “Here comes the Boys-Brigade, covered in marmalade, carrying their mother’s broom sticks, having a game of scouts.”
Not at all nice, but fairly typical of children!
I remember the church and hall really well. It was home to the 29th Boys Brigade and the 2nd Hove Girls Brigade. In fact it was where I met my husband. The Girls Brigade met on a Wednesday evening for drill practice, gym practice and lots of other fun things. We had Church Parade once a month when after the service we would march round the streets in Hangleton with the Boys Brigade and their band. The children would all rush out of their houses when they heard the band coming and march along with us. We would go off to camp for a week in the summer. This was so special as there were no such things as holidays in those days. Our belongings for the camp were packed in kit bags which were long canvas bags which sailors used on their long trips at sea. One year we travelled to our camp site in Wivelsfield in a van which sold wet fish during the day and boy did it smell. I always suffered from travel sickness as we were not used to travelling in cars and we smelt fish all week after that trip .We slept in bell tents on paliasses which were like rough mattresses filled with straw. We dug latrines (a hole in the ground) for a toilet and still remember those camps and carefree days. Every child on the camp had a job to do to keep everything going. I can remember hiding in the fields with another girl when it was our turn to peel the potatoes making out we couldn’t hear the officer calling us. I still keep in touch with friends I made 70 years ago when in the Girls Brigade and attending this church. I remember going on a Sunday School outing to Littlehampton and playing rounders on the beach. It was so sandy something we were not used to in Hove. Every child had a buttonhole of sweet peas wrapped in foil and pinned to our clothes we were so proud. They also had a thriving youth club which we went to when we were teenagers. Dancing to the latest records and wearing the latest fashions. So very fond memories come flooding back of Hounsom Church and the Church Hall every time I pass it.
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