Wednesday, December 05, 2012
Old West Green, Crawley.
It has been cold.
Snow fell this morning - for a short while it fell as beautiful large flakes.
By lunchtime the snow had gone and the sun was making attempts to shine.
We went for a walk - not a walk in the country, but we really enjoyed it.
This Memories of Crawley group, of which I have written, has inspired me to record more of the things around me.
We walked in old West Green and found some surprises.
I took this because Bill's sister asked me yesterday if I knew what had been on this site before the comparatively modern house was built.
Perhaps - cottages. There are some on either side.
It is opposite St Peter's Church in Ifield Road.
St Peter's Road - it so easy to forget little streets like this.
It is a turning off Ifield Road and winds round to meet another little street - St John's Road.
Bill said he used to go to the house, first on the right, to have his hair cut when he was a boy.
I saw this name and date just last year, for the first time.
I have been in the town over 60 years and as child cycled past this spot quite often.
That is Market Place.
It is in Ifield Road - on the toen side of St peter's church (but on the opposite side of the road).
In some ways it looks quite like it did in the 1950's.
The nature of the shops has changed a little - plenty of need these days for Asian shops.
What used to be The Crown pub, just beyond the terrace is now an Asian supermarket.
Old house in Victoria Road.
Victoria Road.
Well, that surprised me!
I had to study one of Francis Thompson's poems at school - it was The Hound of Heaven.
He was a deeply religious man but fighting with doubts and the poem was beyond my understanding really, at that time.
This is Victoria Road.
I knew of this demolition of an old house next to The Swan pub.
A lot of people in the group are cross about all the demolition and changes going on.
Yes, some of it is unecessary.
Some of them grumble that the town should have been kept as it was in the 1950s and 60s. That makes me chuckle a bit.
Yes, I think it was better then when the town had a clear plan and was being followed.
But there are others of us who might wish Crawley had remained as it was before the New Town brought many of the "grumblers" into the area.
I liked the High Street as it was.
But life changes. It has to.
Part of a remaining wall - stripped of its plaster.
This house will be gone by the end of the week.
The Swan pub was a part of Monk life way, way back.
It was Bill's grandparents' local.
Bill can remember going there before Sunday lunch with a jug to buy beer for his grandparents.
It is now the local for Bill's brother.
We know he is there often, so we went in.
Bill said it has hardly changed. I liked it.
We were told that brother didn't normally go in until about 5 o'clock - and we were told exactly where he would be, propping up the bar.
Albany Road.
Bill attended a street party here to mark the end of WW2.
And we had our first home here in 1965.
Number 4.
We rented 2 rooms and shared the kitchen and outside loo with Gladys, the owner.
We thought she was very old - but she was still working.
There was no bathroom.
Well, fancy that!
Right opposite our first home a man of some standing in the world had been born.
Didn't know that before.
Princess Road. Bill was born at the far end.
1960's housing on the site of an old nursery and market garden.
Bill can't remember the name of the nursery man.
I know that my parents (and children) would stop there on our bikes, coming back from Crawley to home, to buy tomatoes and cucumbers, sometimes.
Westfield Road cottages.
Lt. Col Styles was son of a bricklayer.
He was awarded the George Cross for bravery when defusing bombs in Northern Ireland during the 1970s.
He is buried in the local cemetary.
We will have to go and see his grave. He died in 2006.
Number 9 Princess Road - Bill's birthplace.
It has new indows and a new front door, but it looks rather shabby.
I wondered if an old couple live there and that they might not have changed things very much.
I think we should go and call on them.
The Embassy Cinema - home of many memories!
In more recent years - since the advent of multi screen cinemas, the building has been Bar Med.
Bill and I had our first date there.
I was told only yesterday that the art deco facade would remain.
This afternoon we watched for a while and saw the first parts of it being destroyed.
A large Travelodge hotel will be built here and a Morrison's supermarket.
Snow fell this morning - for a short while it fell as beautiful large flakes.
By lunchtime the snow had gone and the sun was making attempts to shine.
We went for a walk - not a walk in the country, but we really enjoyed it.
This Memories of Crawley group, of which I have written, has inspired me to record more of the things around me.
We walked in old West Green and found some surprises.
Perhaps - cottages. There are some on either side.
It is opposite St Peter's Church in Ifield Road.
St Peter's Road - it so easy to forget little streets like this.
It is a turning off Ifield Road and winds round to meet another little street - St John's Road.
Bill said he used to go to the house, first on the right, to have his hair cut when he was a boy.
I have been in the town over 60 years and as child cycled past this spot quite often.
That is Market Place.
It is in Ifield Road - on the toen side of St peter's church (but on the opposite side of the road).
In some ways it looks quite like it did in the 1950's.
The nature of the shops has changed a little - plenty of need these days for Asian shops.
What used to be The Crown pub, just beyond the terrace is now an Asian supermarket.
Old house in Victoria Road.
Victoria Road.
Well, that surprised me!
I had to study one of Francis Thompson's poems at school - it was The Hound of Heaven.
He was a deeply religious man but fighting with doubts and the poem was beyond my understanding really, at that time.
This is Victoria Road.
I knew of this demolition of an old house next to The Swan pub.
A lot of people in the group are cross about all the demolition and changes going on.
Yes, some of it is unecessary.
Some of them grumble that the town should have been kept as it was in the 1950s and 60s. That makes me chuckle a bit.
Yes, I think it was better then when the town had a clear plan and was being followed.
But there are others of us who might wish Crawley had remained as it was before the New Town brought many of the "grumblers" into the area.
I liked the High Street as it was.
But life changes. It has to.
Part of a remaining wall - stripped of its plaster.
This house will be gone by the end of the week.
The Swan pub was a part of Monk life way, way back.
It was Bill's grandparents' local.
Bill can remember going there before Sunday lunch with a jug to buy beer for his grandparents.
It is now the local for Bill's brother.
We know he is there often, so we went in.
Bill said it has hardly changed. I liked it.
We were told that brother didn't normally go in until about 5 o'clock - and we were told exactly where he would be, propping up the bar.
Albany Road.
Bill attended a street party here to mark the end of WW2.
And we had our first home here in 1965.
Number 4.
We rented 2 rooms and shared the kitchen and outside loo with Gladys, the owner.
We thought she was very old - but she was still working.
There was no bathroom.
Well, fancy that!
Right opposite our first home a man of some standing in the world had been born.
Didn't know that before.
1960's housing on the site of an old nursery and market garden.
Bill can't remember the name of the nursery man.
I know that my parents (and children) would stop there on our bikes, coming back from Crawley to home, to buy tomatoes and cucumbers, sometimes.
Westfield Road cottages.
Lt. Col Styles was son of a bricklayer.
He was awarded the George Cross for bravery when defusing bombs in Northern Ireland during the 1970s.
He is buried in the local cemetary.
We will have to go and see his grave. He died in 2006.
Number 9 Princess Road - Bill's birthplace.
It has new indows and a new front door, but it looks rather shabby.
I wondered if an old couple live there and that they might not have changed things very much.
I think we should go and call on them.
The Embassy Cinema - home of many memories!
In more recent years - since the advent of multi screen cinemas, the building has been Bar Med.
Bill and I had our first date there.
I was told only yesterday that the art deco facade would remain.
This afternoon we watched for a while and saw the first parts of it being destroyed.
A large Travelodge hotel will be built here and a Morrison's supermarket.
