THE ROYAL OAK - PIDDINGHOE

I remember this pub well. In the early 1980's we (my family, children and dogs) used to walk along the river bank, stop and have a drink at the Royal Oak and walk back to Newhaven. Happy Times.....

My mum had a part time job here when we first moved to Newhaven. Was a nice walk out to the pub with the dogs, a meal and a beer then stroll home.

I proposed to my wife Jenny at this pub on our once only visit in 1983. She said "yes" and we are still married. We returned a few years ago and were puzzled that we could find no pub! Now we know why.

This was a really great pub in the 1960's and early 70's. A super crowd including the Bakers, Falkners, Dai, Derek and Pat Smith and Jim Welfare. I can't remember the landlords' names but they had the best crab sandwiches on the South Coast.

My grandparents ran the Royal Oak Mr and Mrs Horas Faulkner my dad and his sister were bought up there they had it many years, we lived directly opposite the pub. They retired in 1965 and moved into a cottage around the corner. Memories.. I can still see my dad's red car outside our house x

Oh the Royal Oak, what wonderful memories. Playing Sunday football for the pub, Bob who was purser on the ferry as manager. Playing for the darts team, tarts & cavemen charity night back in 1972. We dressed up as women, the opponents as cavemen. Graham Baker the local Blacksmith at Deans, Martin Faulkner his dad, the lumberjack & others can't remember names, obviously we all looked gorgeous. The  had smelly animal skins & huge bones from the butchers. Swimming in the river Ouse at start & end of football season. Golden valley tug-of-war team, happy days, training by running to Rodmell, hauling huge drums full of concrete up massive trees. Competed all over the the local counties, 88stone team (average 11 stone per man, oh I wish) beat 96 and 108 stone teams. A real rural happy life, just a mile or so outside of largish towns. More innocent and relaxed times. Very happy and fond memories of the Royal Oak.

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John -- Editor. 

I worked for "Charrington" at Newhaven and remember doing a delivery to the Royal Oak one morning, returning to work the next day to hear that the pub had burnt down over night. This must have been about 1988 to 1992, or around then.

The landlords of the Royal Oak around 1969-72 were Eric and his wife Lynn. They called their house next door 'Linric'. I think Eric may have come originally from East Anglia. He smoked cheroots, was was keen on shooting and was often seen going to nearby woods with his  alsatian dog and his rifle. As well as their great crab sandwiches - served on Sunday lunchtime when the anglers came in - Lynn did a nice Welsh Rarebit always made (surprisingly) with Irish cheddar. Eric employed a part-time Scottish barman, Jock, who may also have driven a truck. Dai who lived opposite and next door to the Falkners was a Welsh docker who came originally from Barry. At that time the Christgau family - Peter Ann and their children - lived in Colonel Richardson's green barn beside the river. Peter - a German immigrant - worked in demolition with a tough little Ulsterman named Tom Primmer. So the village had a cosmopolitan feel even back then. The vicar at the time, who had once been a county cricketer, sometimes went in the pub wearing his cassock.