ARROW TYRES FIRE, JULY 1976
A major town blaze
By Andy Gilbert
Arrow Tyres used to occupy the whole site at the top of the High Street. In July 1976 the premises caught fire and, with all that rubber on site, there was a lot of heat, smoke and flames. After the fire, the site was redeveloped, with the new Jobcentre taking the High Street side and the new Arrow Tyres premises at the rear.
At the time, I was organist at the Conservative Club on a Friday night. The organ hadn't had a service in some time, but the seemingly rather penny-pinching 'committee' wasn't too keen on spending any money on the needed repairs. However, the heat from the fire was so intense (I think it cracked some of the Conservative Club windows) that it caused some of the circuits in the organ to fail. On the Friday after the fire, the organ just wouldn't work at all, so the 'committee' had no option but to dig into the kitty after all! After the repairs, it sounded better than ever and I carried on playing there until 1977.
Arrow Tyre Services fire
Photo: Kind permission of Newhaven Museum
Arrow Tyres Fire - 1976
Newhaven museum