The Fairlight General Stores and Post Office, normally known as The Post Office

By Paul Draper

(The following article was written on 25^th July 2016, immediately before Graeme and Leonie Gambrell took over the Fairlight General Stores and Post Office.)

With his permission, I quote the Village Voice article from the Rye Observer of 22^nd July 2016, written by Keith Pollard:-

“Under new management: Our Post Office and General Store has been run by Ken and Pam Dixon since July 2003, although it appeared a year ago that changes would happen with Community involvement being foremost and paramount. Despite successive assessors declaring Fairlight to be ideal for such a step, somewhere along the way the government guidelines flattered to deceive, (now there’s a surprise!) and the whole enterprise fell by the wayside. With Ken and Pam keen to retire, we now that Mr and Mrs Gambrell will be taking over the business on Monday, August 1^st.

They are new to the business, and have agreed to the Post Office section becoming a “Local Plus” operation, which means that they will still offer all the services that are obtainable at present and these will now be offered all the while the shop is open (early to late, and through lunch too!)

In addition to the four major staples – bread, milk, papers and bacon – the Post Office and General Stores has sold countless tickets for countless events in the village, an absolutely invaluable village resource, without which a number of organisations would have been struggling. We thank Ken and Pam for their input into the life of our village over the past thirteen years, and wish them a happy retirement. In turn, we welcome the Gambrells – and wish them all the best!”

Keith Pollard.

At this important time, we thought it would be interesting to have a brief look back at the General Stores since it started in about 1924.

We do not know the precise date when the business started, but following the 1917 sale of the Waites Farm lands and some interim owners, new properties started to be built in Fairlight Cove from about 1923.

The Fairlight Land Tax returns for the year 1923-24 reveal the following entry :-

“General Stores, Waits Lane, house and shop, occupier A J Lee and owner R G Philp.”

(nb. Note misspelling of Waites Lane. Also, the garage next door is given as being in ‘Stonelynk Lane’, the early name for Battery Hill. The two road names are the wrong way round. Also note the name R G Philp – he was the principal landowner who controlled the early development of Fairlight Cove).

The 1924 Kelly’s directory does not list it and directs business to Ore Post Office, however the 1930 Kelly’s shows ‘Lea Archbld, Jn. shopkpr & post off’. So from this, we know that the business was started by one Archibald Lee (Lea?). Does anyone know what happened to him?

We have an early photograph (see above). The clues in the photograph suggest it was taken about 1926 or a little later. You will notice the edge of Fairlight garage to the extreme left, the front of a delivery bike to the extreme right and a matching set of five tin baths for sale in the foreground. Also to the left, next to the postbox is the earliest type of telephone box – a K1, the model that preceded the iconic red K2 box that was only introduced from 1926. Over the door the already faded sign starts ‘Fairlight Post…..’. We can also see a cap over a well, a common feature of early Fairlight. Finally you will notice that the building stands alone. The two houses that now stand either side were added in the 1950s when the owner decided to build them on his land for his children.

Adverts have often appeared in village magazines and newsletters. I attach a small sample, including one from 1953, in the Coronation brochure, a directory from 1989 and another from 2006. You will notice that the services on offer have increased over the years. It is also interesting to notice the early telephone number ‘Pett 3221’. For many years, all Fairlight telephone numbers started ‘Pett…..’ as the telephone exchange for the whole area was located in Pett.

Not much information is available for the interim years, but the 1990 Women’s Institute album held by the FRA contains a photograph with a brief explanation. (see attached). Rachel and Derek Bliss were the owners immediately before Ken and Pam.

There are many anecdotes to remember but the Hastings and St. Leonards Observer reports on an attempted ram-raid in their issue of 8^th July 2004. Not what we want or expect in our quiet and peaceful village!

So we must protect and enjoy the centre of our local community. The General Store and Post Office has been with us from the beginning of Fairlight Cove. During it’s time, many small businesses, shops, cafes, tea-rooms have appeared and served our community, but they have nearly all gone. Who remembers the Circle Shop, the Corner Shop, the Woolpack, Crossways Restaurant, Aunt Lavinia’s Tea-room, Windy Ridge Tea-room, etc., etc.?

If anyone has any old photographs or details of the Post Office that they are happy to share, can they please contact us and we will try and print them in later issues of Fairlight News.

By Paul Draper

By Paul Draper

Have you ever wondered what is the oldest, man-made object in Fairlight still in regular use?

The answer is the toll bell in St. Andrew’s Church.

It’s a bell!

In the St. Andrew’s belfry we now find nine bells. The toll bell survived the old church and when the current church was completed in 1846 it hung on its own in the new belfry. It hung on its own for over a hundred years until, in 1950, a new peel of eight bells was added.

The bell is 32” in diameter and weighs approximately 8 hundredweight. It is believed to have been manufactured by a William Burford, a bellmaker from London. Neither his name nor the year of casting are to be found on the bell, but the experts believe that he produced our bell during the years 1386 to 1392. Similar bells were also supplied to Westfield, Pevensey and Sidlesham. All of these bells are inscribed with the words SIT NOMEN DOMINI BENEDICTUM (Blessed be the name of the Lord) and these words circle the bells near the top. Our bell has a cross between the words benedictum and sit and a crown between the other words.

It is thought that our bell was not always alone. Although in the year 1686 it was found on the ground with another bell alongside it in pieces, it is believed that originally there must have been three. However, no records exist to substantiate this belief.

The eight bells were added in 1950 in memory of Mrs Avice Mabel Haalmeyer who had died in 1943. These bells were cast by Gillett and Johnson Ltd of Croydon and are not rung by pulling ropes but are operated by a clavier apparatus (a keyboard). The whole peel weighs forty one hundredweight with the largest being 38.375” in diameter and weighing 10.5 hundredweight. When you climb the tower at St. Andrew’s anyone can pause on the way to play the bells.

In 2007 all the bell support structures were in need of a thorough clean and overhaul. As part of this operation the toll bell was moved from the top of the belfry and mounted alongside the peel of eight on its own wooden beam.

So the next time you hear the bells ringing just spare a thought for the quality of the original manufacturer.

By Paul Draper (June 2015)

By Paul Draper

As you will all know these have been difficult and worrying times as we all try to protect ourselves, our families and our neighbours from Covid 19. It has meant the postponement and cancellation of so many carefully planned events. We, Fairlight History Group, had a full program of meetings for 2020 but we have had to put everything on hold until we can get back to something approaching normality. We will get there but not just yet.

On our calendar for 15th July we had scheduled a trip down the cliffs to the beach and a search for Iguanadon footprints and anything else of interest. There were too many problems to overcome with Covid 19 restrictions and that was before we considered the Health and Safety aspect for our members. Accordingly the organised trip, to be led by well-known local geologist, Ken Brooks, was postponed ufn.

However, three of us, Ken, Haydon Luke and I, decided to have a recce of the beach and the cliffs but using the much longer and safer route of Fairlight Glen. The weather was warm and overcast but the rain promised to hold off. We also knew that the tides were suitable for our trip on the afternoon of the 15th July, so we decided to go ahead.

We parked our cars near Place Farm, behind Fairlight Place and set off to commence the long descent of Fairlight Glen. (The region is all part of Hastings Country Park so Ken had notified Hastings of our plans). The glen is very green and lush and the descent past the old favourite visitor spot of the Dripping Well is very enjoyable. If you have seen the multitude of old postcards picturing the Dripping Well in the past, it was a short but scenic small waterfall but clearly it is no longer the same. Additionally, just around the corner from this was the other favourite with visitors, the Lovers’ Seat. This was a prominent flat rock that protruded from the cliff face, where people used to gather and look at the views out to sea. Sadly many years ago this was a victim of cliff erosion and now nothing remains. There is a whole story attached to the Lovers’ Seat and a whole postcard industry once existed around this location. There was even a chalet located nearby serving teas and all other refreshments. This has also long since gone.

After walking past a sign that said ‘Footpath closed’ and carefully negotiating the steps carved out of the clay, we clambered across some slippery stones placed to guide you and eventually we reached the beach. This last section is potentially hazardous so if you ever attempt it, approach with caution. We noticed a second sign painted on a piece of wood that said ‘Clothing Optional Beach Ahead’, but fortunately there were no takers on the day. Then we stepped on to the beach.

We headed east along the shingle, stopping to examine some of the rocks and look up at the cliffs. It is a fascinating scene, but walking on shingle is hard work. Although we only walked about a mile, it felt like ten. All along the beach there are rocks of all sizes, some as large as a small garden shed. Most are still located at the foot of the cliffs from which they have recently fallen, but some have moved out and into the sea. Also there are some wide areas of glacier-like slides consisting of clay, mud and smaller rocks lining the beach, creating a strange atmosphere. Eventually we passed a feature known as Lee Ness Ledge and then walked the last few hundred yards to the rocks previously known to have contained the footprints. During this last section we were watched by a seal who kept surfacing and calling to us.

Ken raced ahead to the first of these rocks and started his search. Storms and heavy seas continually move the rocks and cause further erosion and Ken could not find the footprint he had seen last time. However, after a few minutes there was the rock of all rocks! It is propped up at about sixty degrees with three perfect footprints facing out towards the sea. The specimen is the best Ken has seen in his long history of studying this area. It presented itself perfectly for photography, facing due south. As you can see from the attached it is undeniably a set of three footprints, with a much fainter possible fourth. They are all in a line and give a clear indication of the size of this creature. The two photographs show the location of the rock, relative to the cliff and the detail of the footprints. In the middle of the rock you can see a ten centimetre measure, with black and white squares at centimetre intervals. From this you can determine the size of each footprint.

Although the remains of many different species have been found in our general area, the Iguanadon is by far the largest and best known. They lived between about 150 and 90 million years ago in the Cretaceous period and, despite their upright appearance they were herbivores.

Sadly, these footprints only become exposed from time to time by the ongoing erosion of our cliffs. Rocks will continue to fall but we must emphasise just how potentially dangerous this environment can be. Most of the time, the cliffs look static and stable, but rocks can become detached at any time, so always be vigilant.

If you want to see these footprints with your own eyes, we can give you details of their approximate location. They are located on the boundary between Fairlight and Hastings, to the south of the last of the houses in Channel Way. However, with no visible reference points on the beach, this might vary by up to a hundred yards or two. Please contact us for further assistance.

We know that these amazing footprints have been seen by the residents of Fairlight for a long time, but they always wash away eventually and are lost to us. If you have photographs or stories you wish to share, kindly let us know.

We hope to re-organise our trip to see these again, so please keep in touch.

By Paul Draper (July 2020)