Village Memories

Village Memories

Village Memories;

Recollections of village residents.

Memories of past times and events in the village written by village residents from their experiences of life in the village.  All of the stories and memories on this page have been written by Etchingham village residents, past and present.

If you have an interesting item to add to the page we can add it to the page.

Send anything that details life in the village from years ago, or recollections of  village characters who are no longer with us, or events that once were regular and no longer take place.

More information about submitting your article at the bottom of the page.


100 Years a Family Home

by Linda Neve

Linda tells the story of her family home which has been in the same family for 100 years.  Linda’s grandparents moved into the house in the spring of 1915, after they were married in 1970, Linda and Nigel moved into the house and raised a family of four sons, they continue to call the house ‘home’.

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The Roadmen

by Bill Youdale

Bill shares his memories of the roadmen who looked after the roadside verges in the village in the 1950’s.

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Linda’s School days

by Linda Neve

Linda describes her family experiences attending the old Etchingham Primary School on Burgh Hill, the old school closed in February 2015 when the new facilities opened at Parsonage Croft.

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Tracing Joseph Moon

by Colin Boylett

The grave of Joseph Moon (1801 – 1875) lies directly in front of the Church Porch, this account looks at where Joseph and his family lived and their occupations.

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Growing up in Oxenbridge Row

by Linda Neve

Linda relates her experiences of growing up in the village in the 1950’s.

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The Flower Show

by Bill Youdale

Bill looks back at the organising of Etchingham Flower Shows through the years.

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The Queen’s Garden

by Linda Neve

Linda looks back at events in the Queen’s Garden since it opened in 1953 as part of the celebrations for the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.

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Apple growing in Sussex

by Bill Youdale

Bill looks back through his life as an apple grower in Sussex.

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The Village Shop {A brief history}

by Ken Thomas

Ken gives a brief history of the Etchingham shop premises from when it opened in the 1860’s up to 2013 when the article was written.

In 2017 the premises ceased to operate as a grocery shop, as it was no longer considered viable. The Parish Council owns the premises and now leases it to two local businesses ‘The Wealden Cake Company’ and ‘Find Health & Beauty’.

Note; Since this article was last updated both of the businesses that moved into the building in 2017 have ceased trading, the Parish Council is currently deciding on the future of the premises.

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CLICK HERE to download as a Word document.


Add a memory or story;

Have you lived in the village all your life and have memories of early school days, special events in the village over the years, buildings that have since disappeared and replaced with others, memories of village characters, in fact anything interesting.
You might have been a member of one of the village clubs or organisations that no longer exists and you have stories about that.  Maybe you do not live in the village now but have memories of visiting your grandparents or other family in Etchingham during your early years, tell us your stories.
Perhaps you have moved to Etchingham in recent year but have memories of visiting special events or family in the village  when you were younger.
The length of the article is not important, it might be several pages or just a couple of paragraphs, if it is an interesting memory or story, send it in.
If you know someone without computer access that you know would like to contribute, perhaps you could volunteer to send the article in for them, they can deliver it as a hand written article if they do not have a computer, we can do the rest.
Do not worry if you think the layout or grammar does not look very good, it is the content that matters, contributions will be fully edited for spelling, grammar and layout before adding to the site.
You can email your item to admin@etchinghamparishcouncil.org.uk , or hand-written items can be delivered to the Parish Office, Parsonage Croft in an envelope clearly marked ‘Memories item for Parish Council website’.
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