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Don’t any of Forms 3x,4x,5x, ever read this? I passed my 13+ at Patcham Seniors c1950 ( 13+ exam). My mates were Albert Paynter ( sadly deceased a few years ago ) and Ray Royston. We had a couple of “giants* in the forms (3x 4x & 5x) I was in, Dave Short (would you believe) and Vic Bath. Our PE teacher ( name?) used to take us to either Patcham School or East Brighton Park for rugby. I loathed rugby, so I used to go and sit on the wall above a cliff looking out over Brighton loco shed and go “spotting”. Brighton wowrks was still busy in those days churning out *80000* series tank engines. I lived in Patcham so used to “trolleybus” in to Preston Circus, then catch anothe bus to the bottom of Elm Grove. My wife Diana and I recently moved to a “retirement” apartment in Saffron-Walden, N Essex. I would love to hear from any “old boys” of 3x, 4x or 5x. (I never climbed out of the “X” forms. “Goofy” Downing saw to that! Regards.
I was introduced to this restaurant in the early 80’s, and returned frequently due to the meals being very cheap.
Hi Danny O’Shaunassy of St Michael’s Place. This is Peter Whitford of the corner shop in Victoria Road. If you would like to get in touch my email is p.whitford@blueyonder.co.uk
My mum and dad were landlord and landlady here, early 80s, Ray and Maggie Smith, we moved from there to Yapton near Arundel.
Great stuff ! All working again.
I went to De La Salle/Cardinal Newman from 1967 until 1972. I am still in touch with quite a few of the people that were in my class. If there are any more of you out there, please contact me at roderickcjohnson at gmail.com.
My grandparents and aunt lived across the road from this shop, they were Foulsers too but not related. I do remember the shop and Harveys department store, now the co-op.
I wonder if you knew my late father and his 2 sisters Herbert A Brown known as Bert, Christina and Margaret. They lived at 27 Albion Hill. My father was taken into care as ill treated by his father who died in early 1970’s at 15 Whitehawk Road. I recall my father mentioning Carlton Street.
Thank you, Jennifer ; thank you, Peter. – Best wishes.
William Shoosmith was my great great grandfather (my maternal grandmother’s grandfather). I have an original of this postcard. Apparently he was once tarred and feathered and thrown off Brighton pier for preaching about socialism.
Hello Sam First of all- sorry for your problems Trying to sort them out Thank you
Hello Peter, Sorry about your problems. Can you tell us what happens when you try to add a new page? Thank you.
Hi Sam, I agree with all you have mentioned, additionally adding new pages does not now work, it seems the site is sonewhat dormant! It would be good to understand what the problems are with running the site. I still visit it regularly and want it to continue, but it seems to be in decline, which is a great shame!
In answer to Steve Blunt’s query from 2022, when I lived in nearby Coleman St my next door neighbour had lived in three different houses in the same street. She was born in the street in 1900. As a young married woman, she had moved to a house a couple of doors away from her parents. Later, as her children grew, she moved to another, slightly larger house immediately opposite. (Slightly larger because houses on that side of the street had basements.) I don’t know how common this was, but landlords often owned several houses in the same street and may have preferred tenants whose track record (or their family’s) they already knew. Equally well, someone already living in the street would be the first to know when a property was about to become vacant so could get their bid in quickly.
I lived in Coleman Street in the late 1970s- early 1980s. It was two blocks north of Ashton St and had similar houses: those with basements had six rooms including the kitchen. I traced the former occupants of my house and found a similar pattern of occupancy to no. 40 Ashton St: In 1861 it was home to two families, totalling three adults and seven children In 1871 it was again home to another two families: five adults and two children. In 1891 and 1911 there was only one family, but they had taken in several lodgers. In 1861 and 1871, most of the adults in the Coleman St house were from other Sussex towns. Brighton’s population was still growing quite fast at that time, so my guess is that there was a shortage of housing and that this kind of over-crowding was common in working class streets. A shortage of accommodation will likely have driven up rents, so sharing houses/taking in lodgers was probably a financial necessity. (Sobering to see houses in the Hanover area being converted into flats, which means they are again occupied by multiple families.) Encyclopaedia of Brighton (Carder) describes the Albion Hill area (which includes Ashton St) as a development of ‘dense, poor quality housing…(which) degenerated into appalling slums’. The worst of these were demolished in the 1930s. There’s another photo of Ashton St in the James Gray Collecttion (link below). The caption describes it as a mid-Victorian street but I think the author meant mid-19th century – maps of the period imply that Ashton Street was under construction in the 1850s. The houses in the photos are typical of that era, so I’m certain the houses in the photos are the same ones as in the 1871 Census. https://regencysociety-jamesgray.com/volume27/source/jg_27_075.html
Unfortunately I think the “more new comments” button on the home page has failed for over two weeks. “Sorry, page not found”, follows. Not wanting to complain, it is because I care about this website that I mention the problem, like the four contributors before me. I understand issues can take time to resolve — the voluntary work put into this wonderful website I never take for granted, the marvellous learning and cordial communication I have enjoyed over a great many years from My B. & H. — but some investigation or acknowledgment of this problem would be greatly appreciated. It concerns me that (to some, at least) only a very restricted range of recent comments are currently available. I rarely pass a day or two without visiting My B. & H. It has been the same with the use of four different computers and two smartphones in my particular instance. I sincerely hope the problem is soon resolved. Many thanks.
I recall singing along with the words on screen with the bouncing ball that identified the words as we went. One song was Davy Crocket!
We lived at no. 33 Ashton Street. I clearly remember the ‘chapel’ at the end of the road where we went to sunday school. When the properties were demolished an underground crypt was discovered along with a few mummified bodies!
My sister (Valerie) just alerted me to this site. We lived in Southall Avenue and both attended Coombe Road. My mother kept my old album with this team photo and a newspaper clipping (which I wish I could include here). Fortunately, I had also written the team names below the photo and think you now have them all. Robert (Bobby) Watts and I, in the front row either side of Kevin, were the two younger boys to play in the first team. Happy memories! Hope everyone is doing well!
I worked at Wades briefly in 1974 before I left to change careers. I had returned home from Kingston where I worked at Bentalls. I lent a paperback copy of “Papillon” to the manager, who I had a bit of a crush on! 😍 He returned it in such a dreadful state, I had to buy a new copy. I went right off him then.
Re my previous entry 03/01/2023. I lived in greengrocers in Clarendon Road, not Connaught Road as stated. (Connaught Rd was my infant school)…
My early sporting memories cover all the three main teams that made my childhood so rich, and so bewildering. From Albion in 1948 (applying for re-election), Sussex around the same time, with some fine cricketers but without trophies, and the Tigers, certainly the most successful and exciting of the three up to the time when my “adventure” with the Army (it lasted for decades rather than for the compulsory two years period of National Service) made me a much more distant follower. My short adventure with the Tigers was made possible by my Brother-in-law, Peter, who knew one of the workers at the Stadium, and who left me a ticket every Thursday. Which I used whenever I could. Where speed and agression, coupled with the ease of player identification made possible by the small numbers on the ice at any time added to the excitement. “High sticking” and occasional rough passages added to the sense of excitement that was not available in the other two sports.
I stumbled across this site and read all the amazing memories. I too was lucky to have attended 1960-1967 (I think). I benefited from some great teaching and had a great time. I would love to get hold of a copy of William Brock’s book but it seems to be out of stock everywhere. if anyone wants to sell their copy then please contact me. Likewise anyone who remembers me then please send me an email : ericskilton22@outlook.com
Had many a good night out back in the late 80s with my ex husband in the old Oriental pub. It was a gay bar back then run by the lovely Aussie Paul and barman Dik from Liverpool. I think we were pretty much the only heterosexuals in there, but we never felt anything but welcome and it was always our go to place for a good evening out. After we’d moved away from the area to be closer to work (Gatwick) I was sad to hear it had closed down. Such lovely people, still remembered fondly all these years later.
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