HIGH STREET - 1982

A Summers Day

By Laurie Stonehouse

The following photograph was taken outside Boots, and shows the town in the summer of 1982.  Can you see the little metal basket containing special offers outside Freeman Hardy Willis? Further up the High Street is the famous Parsons fruit & veg shop, this premises is actually in Meeching Road and I believe this retailer closed in the early 1990's. Over to the right of the photograph there are some people sitting on a bench outside the tiny Taxi office, Centre Cabs were here a few years later and then eventually moved into the empty Parsons unit. Outside Lloyds Bank is the large tree which dominated the upper end of the town, it is sadly no more a true landmark in the High Street as it had to be felled a few years ago, apparently it was diseased.  It was the last tree of many in this area, at one time, these grand trees would have surrounded Sussex House. Sussex House was demolished in the late 1950's and made way for a row of shops including our latest Post Office and a hairdressers to name but a few.  Lastly, the hideous circular planters which were scattered all the way down the High Street, they were removed when this area had a major overhaul in 2004.