CHRIST CHURCH

I was christened in this church and had always wondered what it looked like so this photo has filled in a bit of knowledge for me about my past.

Hi I was christened in this church as well. It to brings back memories as it is long gone.

We used to go every sunday with our Mum, Mary Ingram. When it was demolished she obtained a piece of the stone work & I now have it & use it as a door stop here in my kitchen in Poland. My brother-in-law Michael Andrews was also one of the demolition gang.

I was also christened in this church aged 11yrs! However my best memories were of pumping the organ as a punishment for scrumping from the vicar's garden of the church on the corner which has been used as a flea market (forgotten name).

The Volunteer Inn was the smallest pub I have ever seen, when Joe Botting (the Landlord) and I, both pretty large chaps, stood at the bar there wasn't a lot of space for anybody else!

When at the junior school at South Lane we used the church hall for music and gymnastics . In the summer a group of children from Doctor Barnardos used it, sleeping on the hall floor during their brief summer holiday.

 I used the Volunteer Inn and was in their darts team from 1960 to 1962. It had 2 very small rooms, the back room had the dart board in so 2 teams of 8 each totally filled the pub! Mary did you ever live in Norman Road ? 

I was the silly boy who fell out of one of those trees in front of the Church when a branch snapped. Landed on the Spiked railings beneath. Right leg still in a mess. Three months in Hospital as a 7 1/2 year old not so funny. Lesson learned.

So it was you I have to blame William, for my mother telling me not to climb trees. She said someone had been impaled on the church railings. I can remember going to the church hall for a pre school class and later for gym.

My sister and I were responsible for Bill falling out the tree. We were throwing stones trying to knock conkers down, along came Bill, "No need for that I will get some for you." Something you never forget. The railings had not been there long as the originals had been taken for war scrap.

I didn't really mind the fall Brian. It was the sudden stop on that spiked railing I didn't like ha ha

Small world. I also sustained damage to my leg on those railings, during a conker hunt. I still bear the scar to this day. I had to visit Dr Alexander at his house in Brighton Road to get it tidied up.

The spike went clean through the right leg and swung me upside down banging my head against the wall beneath the railing. A man who was passing lifted me off and took me to the police station where I had to wait for Amy's old Vauxhall ambulance to take me to hospital in Brighton, where I stayed for three months.  My mother thought I would lose my leg, but luckily for me the doctors managed to save it.

I too remember remember the Christ Church. For some unknown reason my mother got me into the choir when I was about eight or nine. Couldn’t sing at all. Had choir practice on a Thursday evening. Must have been for the penny we received. I believe the rector was a Mr Newby? 

I remember William Still (we always called him Billy) falling out of that tree. I was just passing with some friends when it happened. I didn't know 'till now how bad it was. From what I can remember Billie was always getting in some sort of scrape.

I attended Sunday School here in the 1940s. My Sunday School teacher was my Aunt Miss Blackman. Who lived in Brighton Road.