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Extracts from ‘The Fishbourne Book’
The Fishbourne Book Projects as of July 2006
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Extracts from ‘The Fishbourne Book’
Location: West Sussex
These are a few brief extracts from interviews and write-ups to give a taste of the contents of The Fishbourne Book:
THE VILLAGE SHOP – Entering the shop was like walking into an Aladdin’s cave and the smell was wonderful – fresh unwrapped baked bread and cakes, all the different spices, cheeses, fresh sliced bacon, soap, tobacco, vinegar, coffee, teas and dried fruits. Another wonderful smell was that of baked bread that wafted across the village on most mornings, and on Good Fridays spicy hot cross buns. RS
THE JAZZ CLUB – In 1955 the Jazz Club began in the Sussex Barn at the Bulls Head. I was the barman for the Jazz Club. I remember the eager faces taking in the music especially the solo artists, and the foot tapping and heads beating to the rhythms. GH
ACCIDENT – In 1972 a drayman’s lorry with a load of sherry in bond turned over onto its side outside the Black Boy Inn. The driver escaped unhurt and villagers filled as many jars and bottles as they could before Customs arrived, and the taste of sherry has never been as good since. GH
SHOPS – Nutbeem’s bakery sold beautiful bread and cakes and operated next to the old post office in Fishbourne Road. This later became a wool shop and then a café. Mr Mayor had a grocer’s where Westward House is now sited in Fishbourne Road opposite Boys Garage. Les Hickman rented 80 Fishbourne Road where he ran a bric á brac shop for fifteen years. This had previously been a nursery shop. PH
RABBITS – The ‘rabbit lady’ lived in a bungalow in Blackboy Lane. She home cured the rabbit skins and made them into gloves and other goods which were sometimes sold in the shop. EF
MOTOR CARS – As a great enthusiast of the motorcar, Joe claimed to have had the first motor vehicle in the Chichester. Few people were able to drive in those days so he became a volunteer driver with the St. John's Ambulance Brigade being called out at all hours of the day and night. In his old age, Joe was the proud owner of a stately Daimler. Being of short stature, he could only just see over the dashboard. RW
STREET PARTY – I was six at the time of the Frederick Road street party at the end of the war. There were jam tarts, cakes, home-made chocolate and all sorts of things you’d never had before. When you were thirsty there was a cow you could milk yourself – (‘I think the first one was called Rosie’), with other cows waiting when one dried up. Mr Gibbs played the violin while villagers danced around him. CL
THE MILL – Around the sluice pool are kingfishers and grey wagtails. There are trout and eels in the water, and between May and November as the tide rises, bottom feeding grey mullet come in, some 18 inches long and dark blue-grey in colour. They swim round in a circle, as many as ten or more following each other, nose to tail. DP
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