Peoples Stories - Bevendean History Project
Housing and Gardens in Bevendean
Violet Bradford:
“The house was a new council property. Homes built for men coming back from the war, which was what most of the estates were now weren’t they? That's how we came by it. We had to wait a year or two. My husband was at the El Alamein push, he was on the signals keeping the cables clear for the messages to get through to the top. Housing was difficult because there were so many men coming home, who needed houses. As I say, we had to wait a while but it was worth it in the end”.
Stephen Gorringe:
“…halfway along the school playing field on Heath Hill Avenue, and directly opposite, there used to be metal hoppers, where I’m almost certain they used to mine chalk from underneath Norwich Drive. I’ve seen pictures of lorries taking chalk away from there. I’m sure they used to take chalk out from under Norwich Drive for burning for lime. I can definitely remember it because my friends and I used to slide down the hoppers when they abandoned the mines, and one of my friends slid down, and when he got to the bottom, someone shut the door and it chopped two of his toes off.
We had a garden and we had chickens, rabbits, cats, dogs, and anything that happened to pass by really. I think Farmer West’s cows got into the garden one sunny day, and we had to get them out, that was in Bodiam Avenue. We never actually grew any vegetables, as the soil was not good”.
Note: The reality is that the ’chalk mine’ was where a concrete mixing plant had been built into the side of the hill so that the ballast, sand and cement could be delivered to the top of the hoppers and fed into the concrete mixers by gravity.
The plant was used for mixing the concrete to build the roads on the estate. (Editor).
Sheila Lemon:
“Bill was working long hours then and it was hard work for the builders. After the house was built the place wanted decorating and one day I thought, ‘I’m here all day, the kids have gone to school why can't I do it?’ I've never done anything like this before but there's always a first time for everything. So I started cleaning the walls for decorating. When Bill came home he looked in the door and said, ‘Sheila, what are you doing?’ I said, ‘Well, you can't do it, you haven't got time. The kids can help me.’ They said, ‘Do we have to go to school, we’re enjoying this?’ I had to get the wallpaper and I did all the wallpapering. Some had to be pulled off and repositioned when it went wrong, but I did it”.
Note: Mrs Sheila Lemon was one of the original Plymouth Avenue residents. Her husband Bill was a paid labourer on the self-build scheme as well as a building a house for his own family. (Editor)
“The house was a new council property. Homes built for men coming back from the war, which was what most of the estates were now weren’t they? That's how we came by it. We had to wait a year or two. My husband was at the El Alamein push, he was on the signals keeping the cables clear for the messages to get through to the top. Housing was difficult because there were so many men coming home, who needed houses. As I say, we had to wait a while but it was worth it in the end”.
Stephen Gorringe:
“…halfway along the school playing field on Heath Hill Avenue, and directly opposite, there used to be metal hoppers, where I’m almost certain they used to mine chalk from underneath Norwich Drive. I’ve seen pictures of lorries taking chalk away from there. I’m sure they used to take chalk out from under Norwich Drive for burning for lime. I can definitely remember it because my friends and I used to slide down the hoppers when they abandoned the mines, and one of my friends slid down, and when he got to the bottom, someone shut the door and it chopped two of his toes off.
We had a garden and we had chickens, rabbits, cats, dogs, and anything that happened to pass by really. I think Farmer West’s cows got into the garden one sunny day, and we had to get them out, that was in Bodiam Avenue. We never actually grew any vegetables, as the soil was not good”.
Note: The reality is that the ’chalk mine’ was where a concrete mixing plant had been built into the side of the hill so that the ballast, sand and cement could be delivered to the top of the hoppers and fed into the concrete mixers by gravity.
The plant was used for mixing the concrete to build the roads on the estate. (Editor).
Sheila Lemon:
“Bill was working long hours then and it was hard work for the builders. After the house was built the place wanted decorating and one day I thought, ‘I’m here all day, the kids have gone to school why can't I do it?’ I've never done anything like this before but there's always a first time for everything. So I started cleaning the walls for decorating. When Bill came home he looked in the door and said, ‘Sheila, what are you doing?’ I said, ‘Well, you can't do it, you haven't got time. The kids can help me.’ They said, ‘Do we have to go to school, we’re enjoying this?’ I had to get the wallpaper and I did all the wallpapering. Some had to be pulled off and repositioned when it went wrong, but I did it”.
Note: Mrs Sheila Lemon was one of the original Plymouth Avenue residents. Her husband Bill was a paid labourer on the self-build scheme as well as a building a house for his own family. (Editor)
28 August 2013
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